Process, Execution and Flexibility

This year I’m following scores of writers on various social networks who are participating in NaNoWriMo. There’s already the separation of those who are struggling and those who are very pleased with themselves. As it happens every year, there’s a wide discrepancy in actual word count produced in both camps, which tells me success or failure is rooted in goal setting and personal expectations. One writer may have 2,000 words down and be happy with their progress. Another may have surpassed 10,000 and have crippling doubts about their characters’ motivation.

I take the slow and steady approach. A little bit each day equals a lot over time. I use this opportunity to rebuild my writing disciple. I also want to increase my productivity. I’m not a particularly fast typer and I burn through way too many drafts. For me it’s about process AND execution.

When I planned the novel I’m currently working on I grabbed a cup of coffee and a stack of index cards and started jotting notes on each one. It was a form of brainstorming with phrases, imagery, rough or specific ideas or thoughts, each on one card. After about fifty cards the flow of my ideas began to slow so I stopped.

I sorted the cards, shuffling and reshuffling until some semblance of a story began to unfold. I combined a few cards, tossed some and created a few more. That’s process.

For execution there’s a built in goal to have 1,666 words written each day to stay on pace. I like to overachieve that number to give me some breathing room later if I need it. As for the actual writing, a.k.a. execution, I’ve been using each card as a prompt. This method has been freeing because even though I’ve been writing linearly so far, I know I don’t have to. If I get stuck or bored I have options. I can pick any other card and start writing. I don't care where the character or story takes me between those cards because, as a composer knows, "Music is the space between the notes."

A clear process, regular execution and the flexibility of options makes for a better writing experience. Try it with the other goals in your life.

I Stink at Log Lines

I should probably rephrase that before it becomes a self-fufilling prophesy.

I have not yet excelled at log lines. You know, those TV guide descriptions of a show that tells you what it's all about. "It's about ____ who wants to ____ and _____ but _____ and ____."

Log lines are the writer's soundbite. Like the corporate elevator speech, they should be compelling enough to capture your attention but long enough to cover the subject. Similar to a woman's skirt...but I digress.

Log lines are the one pithy sentence that represent months, perhaps years of work and I continue to struggle with them. I recall when I was pursuing my screenwriting I had a reservoir of them for my spec scripts. I had to be prepared to pitch them to my agent at the time. His side of the conversation went something like, "Pass....Pass....Um, yeah Pass...Send me that one."

It's important to be able to synthesize your work into something succinct. Twitter helps with this discipline. If you can't fit it in on your mobile phone's screen, who's gonna be interested? Remember, the average American now has the attention span just a touch longer than a goldfish. ... You still with me?

Wow, you're above average. Thanks for hanging in there.

This business of crafting a log line has always given me pause in my fiction pursuits. With non-fiction the topic is pretty well laid out, usually in the title. That should be true for fiction too, but often there's real or imagined nuance that as a writer I feel compelled to protect. Also, for better or worse, my fiction tends to be slice of life character driven.

So what? You still gotta be able to answer the question, "What's it about?" with something intelligent and intriguing. I don't claim either with what I have so far for the small novel I'm currently working on. It's called "Three Blinks and a Sigh" and I penned the first draft as part of the 2009 NaNoWriMo. Now I've dusted it off, rolled up my sleeves and am editing it into something comprehensible.

What's it about? I still struggle with that question. Right now, it's about a divorced poet who unwittingly redefines himself under the influence of his ex-wife, his socialite friend and his alluringly addictive online muse.

Whatcha think?