Things that I am a self-proclaimed expert on*:
- Disney World
- Sims
- Procrastinating
- Overthinking things
- Avoiding adulthood
- Writing a term paper in eight hours the day before it's due
- Smiling at rude people when I really want to punch them in the face
- Making lists
*Disclaimer: May not be 100% accurate
Notice how nowhere on this list does it say, "Revising a novel". Also notice how the title of today's post does not, in any way, promise advise from a pro. This is advice from an amateur, aka someone who is 0% sure of what she's doing 100% of the time.
Then again, when do I ever?
I've written first drafts before. Dozens...maybe even hundreds of them. Trust me when I say that I'm very, very good at writing crappy drafts. But do you know how many of them have made it to the active revising stage? Like, .7 of them. And none of them have made it past that to the end.
Honestly, I find that revising can be very overwhelming sometimes. You have to sift through all 50,000+ words of your story--which, come on, is a lot--figure out what works and what doesn't, what to cut and what to add in. Are you telling me that after 30 odd days of pouring my blood, sweat and tears into these words, I'm supposed to cut half of them out? Or, God forbid, start over completely?! No, thank you! Me and this sorry excuse for a novel will be over there in the corner if you need us. Who needs to be published, anyway?
I suffer from a little thing I like to call Perfectionist Writing. That is to say, I have a very strong tendancy to edit as I write--to change something midway and double back to fix the beginning, or to rethink every word or phrase I type as soon as it appears on the screen. You know what that results in? A big wad of nothing. A mountain of unfinished projects, half-assed premises, and characters that are flatter than my nonexistant rear end.
So yeah, that's my first tip. TIP #1 - DON'T DO THAT. Complete your first draft à la NaNoWriMo. Get it down first and leave the rest to Future You.
TIP #2 - LET IT BREATHE
Your novel is finished, and it is flawless. Perfect. A true classic in the making. Go ahead and allow yourself to live in that beautiful fantasy for the time being.
Let your novel sit for a few weeks, maybe a month. Work on something else. Go for a walk, enjoy the sun and the fresh, beautiful oxygen. Appreciate the world around you, because it's not gonna look so great once you dive back into your fiction.
When you come back, read it. All of it. And try not to cry.
TIP #3 - OUTLINE. TWICE.
Or three times or four, however many it takes to work out that muddled plot of yours...but make at least two. The first will be sort of a reversed outline of your first draft. It'll have everything that happened and with accompanying notes of the things you already know need fixing. (It's okay if this list is a mile long; that's normal.)
The second is where you fix them--or attempt to, anyway. I think I'm on outline number four right now. But hey, sorting through a broken outline is a hell of a lot easier than sorting through a broken draft, so have at 'er.
TIP #4 - POST-ITS
I am enraged to have neither been introduced to this method sooner, nor to have thought of it myself.
PLOTTING. WITH POST-IT NOTES.
Clear that bedroom wall of those ancient Jonas Brothers posters and grab yourself a fresh pack of post-its (or several, of varying colours and sizes, if you're an absolute dork like me) and a sharpie. Make a few headings for chapters and leave space underneath for your plot points.
Plot points. On post it notes.
Dedicate each post-it to a different event. Major, minor, whatever you want. Put them in their designated chapters, move them around. Add new ones in, throw old ones out. Reverse the entire plot! SO MUCH EXCITEMENT AND FUN! This method allows for complete scatterbrains like myself to actually organize our thoughts and get our act together!
TIP #5 - THE MASTER OUTLINE
This is the most extensive, in depth, pain in the ass document you will ever create, but holy crap will it ever be helpful! I recommend doing this digitally, but if you would rather use the equivalent of the Amazon Rainforest in paper, then be my guest.
Because this document? It's gonna have your plot--extensively. Like, Wikipedia-synopsis-of-your-favourite-movie extensive. It's gonna have timelines, from years before your story starts to years after it ends. It's gonna have character biographies and backgrounds--everything from their favourite colour and whether or not they still love Let It Go, to their deepest fears and bigger-than-life dreams. Do they have a weird habit of waking up exactly seven minutes before their alarm everyday? Include it. Include everything.
Keep this massive beast saved. Everywhere. Twice. Keep, like, twelve back-ups of this thing, because it'll be hell if you lose it.
TIP #6 - REWRITE. LIKE, A MILLION TIMES.
Or rather: don't be afraid to rewrite it a million times.
Rewriting is scary. It's like throwing everything out and starting from scratch again, which can seem super discouraging; almost like all the work you originally put into it was a waste.
But it wasn't a waste, as unlikely as it seems. You can't get everything right on the first try, and your novel is no exception.
Rewriting takes a lot of time, though. The more you work on your plot outline beforehand, the fewer times you'll have to rewrite it later--so if you're not satisfied with the outline, take another look before you dive back into writing. But if you're getting restless, go ahead and dive back in. Planning is boring sometimes, and all work and no fun will just make it harder to find the motivation to work on it.
TIP #7 - KNOW WHAT WORKS
There's a difference between giving up and knowing that a story just isn't working. Unfortunately, the line between the two can be blurred and faded when you're feeling down and discouraged.
I haven't quite mastered the art of telling them apart (like....at all). I'm not sure that there is a way. All you can do is set it aside and let it breathe for a bit. If you find yourself letting it breathe more than drowning it in the sweat of hard work...well, maybe that's a sign.
I will admit: most of these tips and strategies are still in the experimental phases. But they've been working okay so far, so hopefully you'll find some use for them, as well!
Until later,
- Justyne
Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
A Bad Combination
I am very, very bad at concentrating. I'm not sure when I first realized this; if it was a sudden epiphany or a sort of slow realization over time. But it has become clear to me how frequent my pauses mid-action are; how often I drop my pen or let my fingers hover over the keyboard, allowing my eyes to switch to Facebook or Twitter or the mere air around my workspace, my mind thousands of miles away from the current task.
In the past, I've enjoyed calling myself a "Master of Multitasking", which in reality means that I enjoy having half a dozen Chrome tabs, a Word document, and a sketchbook open in front of me and pretending that I'm getting stuff done. I hated focusing my energy on only one task at a time, mostly because I thought that allowing my brain to jump from project to project at whiplash speed would be more productive than trying to focus on just one.
Pro tip: it's really not.
By nature, I am a very ambitious person. If I get an idea for a new project, I don't want to wait the weeks or months to finish whatever it is I'm currently working on--I want to start it now. I have so many things that I want to do, and I want to do them all today--not tomorrow, next week, or next year...today. I hate the idea of having too much free time because, hello, that's free time that I could be using to DO things! When I dream, I don't half-ass it--I go all out.
When I first decided that I wanted to be a writer at age nine, I didn't just want to be published. I wanted to be best-selling, creator of a hundred books and a franchised series, complete with movie and TV show adaptations of my stories. I always figured I'd go to college, sure, but I always thought I'd go just for fun, because I'd already be set for life with a successful career. Duh.
Turns out, though, that an abundance of ambition alone is not enough to accomplish anything. When you pair it with my utter lack of ability to concentrate, along with a bountiful supply of laziness, lack of motivation and crippling fear of the unknown, and you get a very, very bad combination.
It's scary--and often discouraging--to think about how many of my projects I could be done already if I had learned how to properly apply myself. How many new projects could I be working on? HOW PRODUCTIVE COULD I REALLY BE? We'll never know. And it sucks being constantly aware that, in some ways, I've already disappointed my 9-year-old self.
I've tried so many times to dig myself out of this hole. I wake up early, work my way through my morning routine as a Super Motivated Person, convinced that today is the day that I change everything. I have become an expert at creating a Master Plan, so clearly fool-proof that it absolutely cannot fail.
But the problem with making a Master Plan, with making such a large and daunting to-do list, is that I get overwhelmed. I get so overwhelmed, in fact, that I throw it all to the side, leaving it up to Future Justyne to sort out while I distract myself with Sims or Netflix or literally anything else.
Past Justyne is a real bitch. Present Justyne doesn't want to turn out the same way.
It's hard, trying to focus on one thing. I've never liked the idea of taking baby steps--I'm far too impatient. The only way to break this trend, though, is to do just that; to narrow my focus, shorten my to-do list, force myself to focus on one thing at a time. It's hard, but it's necessary.
I fumble. I screw up. That much is still the same--but if I don't forgive myself and move on, then who will?
Until later,
- Justyne
In the past, I've enjoyed calling myself a "Master of Multitasking", which in reality means that I enjoy having half a dozen Chrome tabs, a Word document, and a sketchbook open in front of me and pretending that I'm getting stuff done. I hated focusing my energy on only one task at a time, mostly because I thought that allowing my brain to jump from project to project at whiplash speed would be more productive than trying to focus on just one.
Pro tip: it's really not.
By nature, I am a very ambitious person. If I get an idea for a new project, I don't want to wait the weeks or months to finish whatever it is I'm currently working on--I want to start it now. I have so many things that I want to do, and I want to do them all today--not tomorrow, next week, or next year...today. I hate the idea of having too much free time because, hello, that's free time that I could be using to DO things! When I dream, I don't half-ass it--I go all out.
When I first decided that I wanted to be a writer at age nine, I didn't just want to be published. I wanted to be best-selling, creator of a hundred books and a franchised series, complete with movie and TV show adaptations of my stories. I always figured I'd go to college, sure, but I always thought I'd go just for fun, because I'd already be set for life with a successful career. Duh.
Turns out, though, that an abundance of ambition alone is not enough to accomplish anything. When you pair it with my utter lack of ability to concentrate, along with a bountiful supply of laziness, lack of motivation and crippling fear of the unknown, and you get a very, very bad combination.
It's scary--and often discouraging--to think about how many of my projects I could be done already if I had learned how to properly apply myself. How many new projects could I be working on? HOW PRODUCTIVE COULD I REALLY BE? We'll never know. And it sucks being constantly aware that, in some ways, I've already disappointed my 9-year-old self.
I've tried so many times to dig myself out of this hole. I wake up early, work my way through my morning routine as a Super Motivated Person, convinced that today is the day that I change everything. I have become an expert at creating a Master Plan, so clearly fool-proof that it absolutely cannot fail.
But the problem with making a Master Plan, with making such a large and daunting to-do list, is that I get overwhelmed. I get so overwhelmed, in fact, that I throw it all to the side, leaving it up to Future Justyne to sort out while I distract myself with Sims or Netflix or literally anything else.
Past Justyne is a real bitch. Present Justyne doesn't want to turn out the same way.
It's hard, trying to focus on one thing. I've never liked the idea of taking baby steps--I'm far too impatient. The only way to break this trend, though, is to do just that; to narrow my focus, shorten my to-do list, force myself to focus on one thing at a time. It's hard, but it's necessary.
I fumble. I screw up. That much is still the same--but if I don't forgive myself and move on, then who will?
Until later,
- Justyne
Friday, August 8, 2014
Mid-Year Resolutions
Remember back in December, when we all made those optimistic resolutions for the new year? Remember when we promised ourselves that we would work out more, or be a nicer person, or finally finish that project we started 6.5 years ago? Remember that? That probably seems like a distant memory now, huh. Now we've all returned to our old ways of marathoning Netflix shows, being cynical, and putting off that project for another 365 days.
And look--surprise, surprise, once the new year rolls around yet again, your resolutions are the exact same as the year before. And if they're different, it's only because you gave up and decided to pursue something else--oh, don't give me that look. It's true, and you know it. (If, by some miracle, it's not, then it's only because you are some mystical creature, documented in legend alongside the unicorn.)
This year, I developed a new mindset for New Year's Resolutions. Every year prior, I viewed them as a habit to start right as soon as January 1st hit--if I missed a day, then the resolution would be broken, and I would be considered a failure. I never lasted more than a day or two--I think my longest record was probably a week, and I'm still convinced that that was a fluke. This, it seems, did nothing other than make me feel bad about myself for being unable to turn my life around in a day.
So this year, I split my normal resolutions into two different categories: "Resolutions" and "Goals". My "Resolutions" would now be restricted to habits I wished to form in the coming year--for example, to stop procrastinating, to live a healthier lifestyle, to be a nicer person, etc etc. My "Goals", on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like--projects or tasks that I wanted to have done by the end of the year. For example, to complete the rough draft of a manuscript, to finish a certain amount of concept art for a graphic novel or other visual project, to start a new blog, etc etc.
The thing both my resolutions and goals have in common is that neither of them have to be finished right on January 1st. The goals, obviously, are going to be things that I can't finish in a day, which is kind of the point. I've given myself the whole year to do them. But the same goes for my resolutions--if, on January 2nd, I fail to act in accordance to a resolution, that's totally fine. It's just one day, not a complete failure. Obviously I want to start off the year strong--if my resolution is to blog every day, I don't want to wait until March to start doing it. But the idea is to keep working on it. As long as I've formed the habit by year's end, I'll consider it a success.
One day, when I was looking up different ways to stop procrastinating (which we all know was just another way for me to procrastinate, let's be honest), I came across a tip. Somebody suggested to start your day over at 2 pm--if you've spent the morning / early afternoon wasting time on Facebook or YouTube or whatever, don't let the rest of the day go to waste. Refocus your attention to the tasks that need it, and treat 2 pm like the start of a new day.
I liked that tip. I felt that it applied to me, as someone who eagerly brushes off the rest of the day as "wasted" after spending just a tad too much time on social media in the morning. So I thought, why not apply it to my New Year's Resolutions?
Recently, I dug up my resolutions and goals for 2014. Some of them I had neglected slightly--like reading every night (resolution) and completing a finished, revised and edited manuscript (goal). Some I had forgotten about entirely, like becoming more self-confident (resolution) and learning how to manage my time better. (I listed this last one as a goal, but it seems to be more of a resolution, now that I think about it.) And a couple I simply don't have any interest in pursuing any longer--like getting my license / a car. (Ha! HA HA! 2013 Me was funny.)
It's August, now. (Even though it was JUST March like two days ago I swear to God.) We have entered the second half of the year--the 2 pm of 2014. It's time to re-evaluate and re-focus...and for me, that means quite a bit of work.
What were your 2014 resolutions? Have you been triumphant (so far), or have they fallen back, forgotten and left to collect dust? And if they have...are you willing to dig them up again?
Until later,
- Justyne
And look--surprise, surprise, once the new year rolls around yet again, your resolutions are the exact same as the year before. And if they're different, it's only because you gave up and decided to pursue something else--oh, don't give me that look. It's true, and you know it. (If, by some miracle, it's not, then it's only because you are some mystical creature, documented in legend alongside the unicorn.)
This year, I developed a new mindset for New Year's Resolutions. Every year prior, I viewed them as a habit to start right as soon as January 1st hit--if I missed a day, then the resolution would be broken, and I would be considered a failure. I never lasted more than a day or two--I think my longest record was probably a week, and I'm still convinced that that was a fluke. This, it seems, did nothing other than make me feel bad about myself for being unable to turn my life around in a day.
So this year, I split my normal resolutions into two different categories: "Resolutions" and "Goals". My "Resolutions" would now be restricted to habits I wished to form in the coming year--for example, to stop procrastinating, to live a healthier lifestyle, to be a nicer person, etc etc. My "Goals", on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like--projects or tasks that I wanted to have done by the end of the year. For example, to complete the rough draft of a manuscript, to finish a certain amount of concept art for a graphic novel or other visual project, to start a new blog, etc etc.
The thing both my resolutions and goals have in common is that neither of them have to be finished right on January 1st. The goals, obviously, are going to be things that I can't finish in a day, which is kind of the point. I've given myself the whole year to do them. But the same goes for my resolutions--if, on January 2nd, I fail to act in accordance to a resolution, that's totally fine. It's just one day, not a complete failure. Obviously I want to start off the year strong--if my resolution is to blog every day, I don't want to wait until March to start doing it. But the idea is to keep working on it. As long as I've formed the habit by year's end, I'll consider it a success.
One day, when I was looking up different ways to stop procrastinating (which we all know was just another way for me to procrastinate, let's be honest), I came across a tip. Somebody suggested to start your day over at 2 pm--if you've spent the morning / early afternoon wasting time on Facebook or YouTube or whatever, don't let the rest of the day go to waste. Refocus your attention to the tasks that need it, and treat 2 pm like the start of a new day.
I liked that tip. I felt that it applied to me, as someone who eagerly brushes off the rest of the day as "wasted" after spending just a tad too much time on social media in the morning. So I thought, why not apply it to my New Year's Resolutions?
Recently, I dug up my resolutions and goals for 2014. Some of them I had neglected slightly--like reading every night (resolution) and completing a finished, revised and edited manuscript (goal). Some I had forgotten about entirely, like becoming more self-confident (resolution) and learning how to manage my time better. (I listed this last one as a goal, but it seems to be more of a resolution, now that I think about it.) And a couple I simply don't have any interest in pursuing any longer--like getting my license / a car. (Ha! HA HA! 2013 Me was funny.)
It's August, now. (Even though it was JUST March like two days ago I swear to God.) We have entered the second half of the year--the 2 pm of 2014. It's time to re-evaluate and re-focus...and for me, that means quite a bit of work.
What were your 2014 resolutions? Have you been triumphant (so far), or have they fallen back, forgotten and left to collect dust? And if they have...are you willing to dig them up again?
Until later,
- Justyne
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