NO FEAR WRITING: A Few Tips!

The pen is a mighty force -ye weak of heart, need not brandish!

One of my favorite sayings is "Fake it 'til you make it."  That does NOT mean lie about who you are, or misrepresent your accomplishments, or falsely embellish your resume.  What it does mean, however, is to do whatever you do with confidence.  Want to run your first marathon?  Then start training, eating, and thinking like a marathon runner.  Want to become the CEO of a company someday?  Then dress and conduct yourself with the professionalism of a CEO, even if you're currently in cubicle circle.  Or, hey, want to be a professional, published author?  Then, today is the day to start living, breathing, and achieving that dream, friends.  Here is some food for thought:

1.  Don't wait for permission.
This was one of the most valuable lessons I was ever taught, especially when it comes to the arts and pursuing your creative dreams.  If you hold the mindset, "Oh, if only I could win this writing contest, THEN I can be a writer."  "Oh, if only that creative writing professor who hates eeeeeeeverything I write finally gives me a grade above a C, THEN I can be a writer."  Here's the deal, peeps: NO ONE needs to give you permission to pursue your dreams EXCEPT YOU.  Some of the most successful writers of all time sure didn't putz around, hanging their dreams on someone else's opinion of their work.  They put themselves out there and just went for it.

2.  Don't take "No" personally.
This one is very closely related to #1.  Without a doubt, you are going to hear, "No no no," waaaaaaaaaay more than, "Yes yes yes."  Even well-established authors have their projects or pitches turned down.  If hearing "no" over and over again is going to tank your writing mojo to a place where you can't boot-strap yourself back up again, then this is going to be a profession wrought with unhealthy emotion for you.  There are even cases where your agent or your editor may love your idea, but when it finally gets to market, the public isn't so receptive.  Like anything creativity based, there are going to be those who are die-hard fans for your work, and those who wouldn't read your book if it was the only form of entertainment to wash up on shore on a desert island.  They key is (and it can be a very hard key to grasp for any well-adjusted, grounded, self-confident writer) is to not take it personally.  Just as you don't care for particular books or authors, they exact same subjectivity will be applied to you.  View this as simply part of the job description and nothing more.  Move on, don't let the negativity get to your psyche, and keep doin' what you do with confidence!

3.  Embrace your unique writing voice...
We all have favorite authors that we admire, and some of us may even try to emulate their style.  But don't sell yourself short by trying to conform to a mold.  Explore your own unique writing voice through trying different genres, story lines, even something like screenplay- or playwriting.  The more you write, the more familiar you'll become (and the more you'll appreciate) your own unique voice, and the more likely you'll be able to stand out from the crowd.  No one has your ideas and sounds like you.  This is an extremely valuable asset, not a setback.

4.  ...and be aware how your to-date life experiences influence that voice.
Also understand that your amount of life experiences greatly influences your innate writing voice.  Say you're a relatively young writer, perhaps in your late-teens / early twenties who is navigating all of the first-time experiences that college brings.  Your innate writing voice as a college student is going to sound much different than if you were a forty-year-old mother of two who's weathered a nasty divorce.  Does that mean you can't effectively write a believable character who is a forty-year-old mother of two who's weathered a nasty divorce?  Not at all!  (Perhaps you were one of those two children and watched your mother go through something similar.)  Just be conscious that different ages and life stages bring different vernacular, challenges, and mindsets.  Surround yourself with people of diverse age ranges, if at all possible, and get to know what makes each age distinct.  Your characters (and your readers!) will thank you for it.  To give an example (from a book that shall remain unnamed), I found it incredibly distracting that a twenty-something chic city girl used the term "nanny goat" in conversation, while a seventy-plus man said, "super cool."  Doesn't necessarily add up, does it? :/

5.  Start with your strengths.
Not the best at writing setting descriptions without some action first?  Or perhaps you struggle with dialogue, but could describe the atmosphere of a medieval castle with History Channel-like accuracy.  An instant confidence booster is to start your writing process right off the bat with your strongest writing skill.  For example, I LOVE to write dialogue (hey, it's the theatre training in me), so I will almost always start a chapter with the dialogue I envision happening in this particular part of the story.  (I even write it in playwriting format.)  I have my key characters in mind, I know what they're going to say, I know how the action is going to progress verbally -check, check check!  Once I have all of that down, then I'll go back to the top of the chapter and start knitting things together with necessary descriptions, locale changes, etc.  Remember, you're not going to lose invisible "writing points" on your process -it can be as straightforward or as roundabout as you feel so inclined.  Just do yourself a huge favor and focus on what you're best at first and get your writing session started in a happy, stress-free place.

6.  Stay current with the writing world.
"Knowledge is Power!" says School House Rock, but knowledge is confidence, too!  Keeping apace with what's going on in the writing world is good not only for your own personal benefit, but also really smart business sense.  No matter where you are in your writing career and no matter what your genre(s) of choice, there are some really great general, as well as niche, resources for every kind of writer.  Writer's Digest, in particular, has a plethora of writing resources available electronically online and in hard copy.  (I myself subscribe to Writer's Digest Magazine.)  Attending conferences is also a great way to learn new skills, meet new people, and even network with agents.  I'll be discussing more about what's on my own writing resource shelf in an upcoming post, so please check back to see what books I've found particularly helpful in my writing journey.

It's Make It Happen Monday, friends, so let's get out there and get some great new stories written!  Happy Writing!
~Riley

Crafting Dynamic Characters: Making Observations from Every Day Life

Disclaimer: No neighbors were actually spied on in the making of this blog entry.  

‘Cause, that would be creepy…

Okay, okay, let’s be clear: I’m not advocating that you go around spying into people’s windows or digging through their trash cans to dig up some inspirational dish.  No one wants to go to jail here, right?  However, I encourage all writers to take a tool out of an actor’s toolbox of tricks and simply OBSERVE people in everyday life and everyday situations without being intrusive.  You’re striving to glean what I call an “essence” of a character.  How does a corporate woman in a power suit hold herself, walk, talk, etc. compared to a nurse pulling an overnight shift in the ER –on the Fourth of July.  It’s all bout the nuances, and the more you can internally visualize a given character, the better you’ll be able to convey him or her to your audience.  Plus, adding personality quirks, physical tics, habits, that sort of thing will make all your characters much more interesting, dynamic, endearing, memorable, relatable, and genuine.

Here’s the short list of what I consider some of the best places to observe every day people in every day situations:

1.  The Post Office:  Hands down, the BEST conversations I’ve overheard have all occurred while waiting in post office lines.  You can find out A LOT about a person by what they just casually throw out to the postal clerk, family members, or (better yet) random strangers.  Want to know how much money you can make by artificially inseminating cows?  Ohohoh, buddy, just ask me, because I now know all…

2.  The Grocery Store:  If you want to see parent-child dynamics, in particular, the grocery store is a treasure trove of inspiration.  Also, observing what customers put on the check-out conveyor can be very telling of a person’s lifestyle.

3.  Hair/Nail Salons:  It’s pretty common knowledge that a good percentage of people become excessively chatty whenever they’re getting their hair or nails done.  They’ll talk about anything and everything –which can lean towards the over-share snore-fest if you’re just biding your time, but it can be a writer’s smorgasbord if you’ve got your wits about you.

4.  Restaurants:  Akin to the grocery store, parent-child relationships are in good quantity here especially if it’s a chain location.  How people interact with servers, handle any qualms they may have with their food, etc. is incredibly telling, as well.

5.  Airports:  Airports are chock full of anticipation, excitement, anxiety…  Think about all of the reunions and separations that occur in this place.  Some overwhelmingly joyful, some heart-breakingly sad.  Some are coming home to families from across the world, some are leaving families to journey across the world.  There’s so much emotion in this place, it’s almost palpable. 

6.  Performing Arts Lobbies:  Married couples, first-/early-daters, families, you name it and you’ll find them here.  Typically people are on their best behavior at these locales –or they’re just pretending to be, which is particularly fascinating.

7.  Specialty Events:  Think about the vast differences between those who attend a cutting-edge technology conference versus those who attend an agriculture equipment show.  If you’re writing about a particular occupation or way of life, attend one of these events yourself.  Become an insider.  Ask questions to experts.  Network.  No doubt you’ll come away much more knowledgeable and have some fuel for the creative fire.

Until next week, friends!  I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and is enjoying the Spring weather!  Happy Writing, y'all!

~Riley

How to Overcome First Draft Paralysis

Photo taken by me at the Kansas City Ballet 

Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity (interior)

First Draft Paralysis: from first-time amateur writer to published professional author, we've all dealt with this feeling in varying degrees at some point or another.  Sometimes while working on your first draft, you feel as if you're stuck at the bottom of a dark pit with no way out.  You nit-pick.  You second guess.  You rewrite a scene (again...and again...and AGAIN...)  You question why you ever thought this story was good enough to put on paper in the first place -let alone, be publishing worthy.  

Well, let's get you outta that head space, friends, and get you moving towards that creative light at the top of the tunnel!  Here are seven ways you can make First Draft Paralysis not only manageable, but conquerable:

#1:  TAKE A BREAK AND PERCOLATE

We're not talking coffee, here, though some people find that a Starbucks run can kick their creative juices into high gear -especially on those late-night writing binges.  Have you ever had the exact opposite of writer's block?  Where you feel like you have SO MANY ideas about your storyline, the characters, the plot twists, etc. that you honestly have no clue where to start?  Whenever I have this happen, I take a brief hiatus from writing (which may be a couple hours to a couple days, or longer if your story is particularly complex) and just THINK about how things could potentially work out in your plot.  I find that whenever I'm struggling with a given storyline element, I'll put in on hold, then mentally try to work it out while I running errands or exercising or driving to work or cat napping or whatever.  (I'm a big advocate of the nap, btw, so make that the secret #8 on this list!)  You'd be surprised how often things can work themselves out (and make total sense) when you just give the characters and the circumstances a little room to breathe on their own.  What once seemed perplexing now has a very obvious direction.  Think of it like pulling a Benedict Cumberbatch and going into your "Mind Palace"!  (Any Sherlock fans reading this?  Am I right am I right?!)  Okay, okay, so if you don't have a Mind Palace, then something that very closely relates to this Percolating Process is  #2 below...

#2:  DREAM 'N' SCHEME OUTLINE

If you haven't read through my post on outlining from last Monday, be sure to check it out for a more comprehensive look at the benefits and setbacks of this writing tool.  However, what I recommend here is to really take things to the "What if...then..." level of brainstorming.  If you're at a fork in the road, take both paths and see where each one leads you for awhile.  Create a visual map of a given chain of events.  Jot down in brief sentences or snippets of what would happen if this occurred.  And then what would logically happen next?  Almost always one direction will eventually expire out or become too convoluted to be relevant or believable, and you're left with a great new avenue to pursue.

#3:  DON'T FEAR SKIPPING AROUND -WRITE WHAT'S "HOT"

This happens to me alllllll the time: I'm doing my best to write things chronologically in my book, then BAM!  A conversation between two characters or the basis for a scene that I know will happen waaaaay out in the storyline pops into my head.  Do I fight the urge?  HECK NO, friends!  Whenever creativity strikes, you TAKE IT!  This is what I call writing what's "hot".  And the key about things that are hot is that they can cool and then totally plunge off your radar if you decide to mentally catalogue it away.  I keep a special Word document on file that collects all my moments of "hot" inspiration, which can range from a setting description to a screenplay-style dialogue between two characters, to anything in between.  It can be a few words, a few paragraphs, a few pages.  You don't need to worry about really flushing things out in the "hot stage" unless you really feel compelled to.  This is more or less to get a great idea out on paper now so you don't have to stress over trying to recall it later.  Also, don't worry that writing out of order will "get you confused" or "disturb your writing mojo" -that's what the Revision stage is for, so you can go back and knit things all together in a beautiful, engaging story with unquestionable continuity.  Which leads us to #4...

#4:  CHECK YOUR INNER PERFECTIONIST AT THE DOOR

No one's ever going to read your first draft.  That's right: NO ONE.  Wait.  Did I mention that NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO READ YOUR FIRST DRAFT?  So, what are you so scared about?  Take chances!  Make mistakes!  Get messy!  (Shout out to, Ms. Frizzle!)  Make grammatical errors!  Misuse their, they're, and there to you're (haha, catch that?) heart's content -just be sure to fix it later ;)  Don't sweat the details, because without question, you'll be dropping details all over the place.  Just don't worry about it.  You don't need to prove anything with the first draft.  You don't need to make your high school English teacher proud, or your grammatically correct great-aunt Gertrude proud, or the Pulitzer Prize Board proud.  The first draft is the clay with which you will craft your gorgeous story, so who cares if it's still got a few lumps in it?  Remember: Writing does not equal Revision in this stage.  Keep calm, write, and move on.  And by the way, if you are allowing others to read what you write right off the first draft presses, then I strongly recommend you pump your brakes on that one, friend.  Reference #7 on this list.  For now, though, #5 ties very closely...

#5:  TURN OFF YOUR INTERNAL REVISER

Coming from someone who is very Type A and has perfectionistic tendencies myself, I make a conscious effort every time I'm working on my first draft to keep consistently generating all new material -even if I know there's going to be alterations to it later.  That's totally fine.  Just acknowledge it and keep moving forward.  It's actually quite a freeing feeling!  One of my biggest temptations when I'm stuck is to start revising chapters that I have just written a few days before.  (It's my self-deluding way of making myself feel productive and I have to slap myself on the hand about it -_-)  Just think of it this way: the more you write and get the story flushed out, the more of a favor you'll be doing for yourself when the Revision stage comes around.  I find it much easier to make decisions about what to cut or to add when I already have an idea of the bigger picture.  Don't sell yourself short but chopping out details or chapters too early in the game (i.e. before your first draft manuscript is compiled).  Something may suddenly become relevant again or beg to be expanded upon in a second reading.

#6:  JUST.  WRITE.

Sometimes when I don't know what to write, I just go for it.  I always ask the question, "What's the next logical step?"  This essentially means what is the next part of the story that your reader needs to know.  What's going to propel the story forward?  Sometimes I'll start with an idea that goes nowhere, or leads to another idea that I prefer to pursue instead.  Other times, this idea becomes a full-fledged chapter or series of chapters.  Either way, my brain is being encouraged (or forced, haha!) to think creatively and to dredge me up and out of my rut.  I don't know how many times I've begun a chapter feeling like I had no idea where it was going to go, and it's these opportunities that often lead me to write some of my favorite passages in a story.  It's like being part of the surprise of your own book!

#7:  SEEK THE COUNSEL OF OTHERS  ***A WORD OF CAUTION***

The reason why I put a cautionary label here is that I feel that outside counsel- like outlining -can be very helpful or very harmful -and I say harmful particularly if advice or critique is received too early in the creative stage.  Personally, I don't recommend bringing anyone else into the first draft fold.  When I release my work to be reviewed by a select group of peers that I trust and respect, it is at least the second, if not the third, draft.  I've had my eyes on that piece with a revisionary eye at least once and have hopefully worked out any major trip-ups.  If you are someone who greatly benefits from speaking storyline difficulties out loud with another person or group, then I think that's fine, as long as you are the one directing the conversation and justifying any changes.  If people start throwing out ideas that you feel are being imposed upon you, your storyline, or your characters, then a red flag should go up.  Don't ever, ever, ever put your piece in a place for feedback if you or the piece are not in a place to handle these critiques constructively -and I have a bit of a hard time imagining any first draft being up to snuff to weather that sort of scrutiny.  At least, mine sure aren't! ;)  Beware of feedback disguised as personal preferences.  If someone starts suggesting you make substantial changes to your plot, then this is no longer your story.  It's theirs.  If someone starts saying how much stronger your protagonist would be if she only did X, Y, and Z, then she is no longer your protagonist.  She's theirs.  You must be able to discern what is constructive and what is personal preference.  You, as a writer, must possess the steel cojones to stand up for your voice and your writing style, as well as to justify your artistic choices.   

I hope everyone is having a great week so far -spring is definitely on its way here in KCMO!  If you haven't checked my Twitter @RileyD_Writes, you've been missing out on the exciting news about my upcoming summertime adventure!  This lil' MO writer will be heading east to attend her very first writers conference: the Midwest Writers Workshop!  I'm so incredibly stoked to be a part of this gathering, and I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as the big day approaches :)

Keep Calm and Write On!

~Riley

The Great Debate: To Outline or NOT to Outline?

Me on Outlining: 

Sometimes I'm all about it, and sometimes I'm all like, "Mehrrrr, why?!"

Happy Monday, y'all!  In addition to posting this week's WWR and RWT for KHO, KHT (Overwhelmed by the acronyms, friends?  WWR = "Weekly Writing Recap"  RWT = "Running Word Total"  KHO, KHT = Kill Her Once, Kill Her Twice), I'm going to discuss my perspective on what for some writers is fail-proof, others a necessary evil, and for others still a huge waste of time.  That's right, you guessed it!  OUTLINING!

But, first things first:  I had a couple of additional commitments this week, so I came in a lil' under for my 3/25 - 3/30 WWR at 5,641 words, BUT!  My RWT has officially passed the 40,000 word mark!!!  I was pretty stoked about that alone -it's so rewarding to see that first draft binder start to fill up with pages.  So thumbs up there!

Now back to the topic at hand: I'm one of those writers who has a real take-it or leave-it kind of philosophy towards outlining.  As a general rule, I like to have an idea of major events (what I call "landmarks") or turning points I'll have featured in the story, as well as a basic idea of when these events will occur in the sequence of things.  For example, with KHO, KHT being a murder mystery, the very first thing I did was write a very detailed outline of how the whole murder went down, timed everything out hour by hour, made note of red herrings, possible police theories, suspects, all of that.  The murder was the one thing I wanted to have down solid before diving into the rest of the story.  Because there is a six-year gap between the murder itself and when the story takes place in the present day, I wanted there to be no wiggle room or flying by the seat of my artistic pants.

However, I'm not making a thorough outline of joining scenes between KHO, KHT's major events because, I myself, enjoy a bit of surprise, too.  I love it (or loathe it, haha, depending on how convenient it is) when you have one idea in your head and the characters or their circumstances take you in an entirely different direction than you expected -and it's always, always, always been for the better, in my experience.  I had this happen a couple of weeks ago: one scene I envisioned taking place between two characters just wasn't transferring onto the page.  It was SUCH A STRUGGLE to write, and after about an hour, I realized that the scene was totally implausible because it simply wasn't in either of the characters' natures.  (Funny how your characters start dictating your scenes, isn't it?  You just get to know them better with time!)  No biggie.  I shifted gears, changed the avenue to pursue, and, BAM!  I had a much more interesting, much more believable chapter, two hours later.

And as a point of process here, you can't sweat the trashed chapters.  (In fact, I save all of mine both in electronic and hardcopy form.  You never know when even a portion of something will become applicable again in the story -or relevant for an entirely new book, for that matter!)  Don't view chucking something out as a waste of time, but as an investment towards crafting a really stellar story.  Perhaps next week I'll write a piece on what I call "First Draft Paralysis," where you literally feel like you can't write because you're so concerned about getting everything down perfect the first time.  So you just don't write.  And all of your excellent, innovative ideas never make it out of your head, and you get into the most toxic mind space a writer can enter: "Should-a Would-a Could-a Land".

But, I digress ;D

As one final bit of advice in regard to outlining, if a full outline makes you feel claustrophobic or creatively stagnant, what I find helpful is using the "Three Chapters Out" rule.  Take where you are currently writing within the storyline and just write a brief synopsis of what you'd like to see happen in the next three chapters.  And as you achieve that point, do the next three chapters.  Then the next.  And the next.  What conversations do you envision?  What new details or information relevant to the story needs to be revealed to move you towards that next landmark in the plot?  This is a technique that I most often apply to my writing because it helps me remain focused, while still allowing enough freedom to shake things up as I see fit.  It's the security of a writing map without the psychological commitment of a full outline.

I hope all you writers out there find this helpful!  Also, if you didn't catch my tweety-tweet this past Wednesday, I'll have a very exciting announcement to make on Saturday evening, April 5th, in regard to something fabulous and writing related ;)  Here's the three fortune cookie fortunes I merged into one MEGA FORTUNE to give y'all a hint:

Happy writing!
~Riley

3/17 - 3/23 WWR -and a Bonus Confessional! (Sort of...)

Since I'm posting this late-late Sunday night, I think this post is fitting for a good ol' fashioned confessional.  And although I am not Catholic, but still a very active Protestant nonetheless, I like to keep things real by 'fessing up.  So here it goes, friends:

THE CONFESSION

I confess that I did not reach my weekly writing goal of at least 7,000 words, 

falling short at a hearty (yet, woefully inadequate) 5,392.

With that being said, however...

THE REBUTTAL TO SAID CONFESSION

I 100% shamelessly and blatantly blame MARCH MADNESS.

There.  I said it.  YES, I have been addicted to my CBS Sports app, staying up waaaay too late for my own good, and consistently taking my bracket off my fridge to analyze, re-analyze, and over-analyze how I can magically make up lost ground and gain enough comeback points to not only rise to the top of my work's employee pool, but also beat my 85-year-old grandmother who is currently leading the family standings.  (No shame, friends!  It's all about the WIN!!!  Love ya, Grandma! ;D)

So, based on my excus- I mean, my very logical reasoning, my WWR falling short is more of a triumph, than a confession of failure, really.  Because, how many writers could manage even 700 words, much less 7,000, under such circumstances?  So, just under 5,500?  Yeah, I'll take it.

...but, seriously, I'm going to bust some major tail on the keys Monday.  No lies.  All promises ;)
~Riley

Tweety-Tweet Tuesday!

#LISTENUPBUTTERCUP

Good evening, y'all!

So, it's finally official: I'm very excited to announce that- after many years of denial and procrastination -I've joined the rest of the world's hip population and now have a Twitter account!  Be sure to follow me @RileyD_Writes to catch up on my latest goings on, as well as read updates about my March Madness bracket ;)

See you in the Twitter-sphere!
~Riley

Riley Dayton Blog Official KICK OFF!

Well, it's been a year since I had this lil' guy tabbed on my favorites bar, but now is THE TIME to get this blog up and running, friends!  So without further delay...

...WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!!

A lot has changed in a year, but I am very happy to announce that as of this past November, I am back in the Kansas City metro area, home not only to my alma mater (William Jewell shout out!), but also to many things that I absolutely LOVE about this city.  Anywhere where there's such an awesome concentration of performing arts activities and events definitely gets my creative drive shifted into high gear :)

Speaking of creative drive, that is one thing that has certainly (and very thankfully!) remained unchanged over the course of this past year.  I am very excited to announce that I started on a brand new writing adventure last October, and have decided that this will be my official "debut piece" to the world of publishing!  Although I'm not disclosing too many details yet, I am announcing three things: 1) it is a murder mystery set in the Missouri Ozarks, 2) the working title is KILL HER ONCE, KILL HER TWICE, and 3) I have the very ambitious goal to have this bad boy pitch and query ready by this upcoming June.  A little crazy?  Perhaps, but crazy goals make me crazy productive ;)

And as for goals, here's the low-down on how much I'll be hitting the keys on a weekly basis:  I'm looking to generate between 7,000 - 10,000 words of all new material each week, with an all-around goal of 70,000 - 80,000 words for the first draft.  I'll be posting my "Weekly Writing Recap" (WWR) by Sunday midnight, as well as post an updated "Running Word Total" (RWT) to keep everyone (including my self) up to speed.

I'll have my first WWR next Sunday, March 23rd, but as far as the RWT goes, the official number as of today, Sunday, March 16th is 29,046 words.  Definitely going to get into the upper 30's next week!

Thanks for following along!  Be sure to check back often to learn more about what I'm working on, as well as posts regarding my own writing process, resources I've found very helpful in my own writing journeys, and a little bit of random fun, too ;)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all!
~Riley