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I can be VERY disciplined when I want to. When I first started writing, people used to say to me…“you must be so disciplined.” It was a label that I wore with pride. I took the prospect of writing a novel seriously and I knew that if I didn’t dedicate the time to my work it wouldn’t get done. So, I chained myself to my desk just as I did when I worked in an office. I gave myself regular office hours and I believed wholeheartedly any time away from my desk was cheating. In theory, this may sound like a good idea whereas, this type of self-inflicted hard-core discipline was not. Although, discipline is both admirable and necessary to ‘get it done’ there is a time to be disciplined, and there is a time when you need to break that chain and run from that desk. Unfortunately, I did not learn this lesson right away and spent many a day sitting at my desk pulling my hair out and no further ahead at the end of the day. Break Free & Leave that Desk Behind I have since learned that when having a bad day, or moment, the BEST thing I can do is to put that desk behind me—get up and go for a walk, go to the gym, listen to a podcast, make a coffee—anything that gets me moving and/or my mind stimulated. Walking away from my desk is not cheating. It’s giving my brain a break and allowing the door to productivity to come on in. Any time I’ve left be it for 5 minutes or an hour and fort-five minute guaranteed when I get back to my desk I’ll be focused and ready to roll. I believe that to write—or anything for that matter, the first thing you must do is show up and yes, you must be dedicated but there’s a fine balance between discipline and hair pulling. Before I started writing this post, Freddie Mercury’s voice randomly popped in to my head…I want to break free. I want to break free. The lyrics stuck and mid-way through the post, I found myself on YouTube. After I’d finished listening to Queen I came back to my blog and whipped it off in no time. OK…I will acknowledge that perhaps, you can have a break while still at your desk, but my message is still the same... it is perfectly acceptable to break free from your work in fact, I highly encourage it. With my hair intact, here’s a little Queen to get you through the day.
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I remember when I finished the final draft of my novel—I was a mix-mash of emotions ranging from pride, excitement to terror. The terror being…yikes, how do I get my book into reader’s hands? Do I tackle the traditional route of trying to find a publisher or, do I opt for self-publishing? What’s the difference between traditional and self-publishing? Simply put, traditional publishing is when an author does not pay to publish their work and self-publishing is when an author pays to publish their work. Before you can make a well-informed decision about which pathway you would like to take, I recommend that you consider the following: Pros and Cons of a Traditional Publisher Cons
Pros
Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing Cons
The Next Step
How you decide to take your book to the next level is a very personal decision. One that is made on what it is you as a writer want to accomplish. When I was up to my eyeballs in rejection with my first novel (over 100) and time was tick-tick-ticking away MANY people voiced their opinion that I was crazy not to venture into the self-publishing world. For me, at the time, the decision was based on my priorities and that being I wanted the credibility of a traditional publishing house behind me—I was willing to slug it out and wait. For those who are considering self-publishing, do your research and if you move in this direction do so with realistic expectations. I am confident you will be marketing the beejeepers out of your work while many other author’s manuscripts (such as mine) are still sitting in the slush pile. Choose the pathway that is best for you. They are both great options. Best wishes in your literary journey. OMG! Present Tense is Bugging Me When I made the decision to go back to my novel TFTS, my first object was to become reacquainted with my main character Iphim. I was really looking forward to this because I had finished the first draft back in 2006 and with my memory the way it is…I wanted to ensure I remembered every piece of her mind and heart. My other objectives were to fix any areas where I had fallen into 'tell me' rather than 'show me' and, to make certain it was my character’s voices and not mine coming through. Because I had already had my manuscript professionally edited I was not concerned about any major problems with my content and grammar therefore, this really was more of a “get to know Iphim” exercise. Or, so I thought... As I began to reread my manuscript which I had written in present tense, I found that I was incredibly irritated by the flipping around of tenses, so much so, that I really wasn’t getting to know Iphim again. Finally, 80+ pages in (why I didn’t tackle this 10-pages in is beyond me…actually, not really—it’s called DENIAL and I’m VERY good at it) I stopped and dealt with the way I was feeling about my use of present tense. I used to like to write in present tense because I wanted the reader to feel like they are going on the journey with my character as it plays out in the moment—much like a movie. To write in the present tense was very much a conscious decision and a conversation I had with my editor hence, my editor proceeded with this direction from me and 10+ years ago I was happy with this decision. Fast forward to 2018, and I was not so happy with my decision…it was driving me nuts. Before I proceeded any further, I went back to novel writing basics and did a list of pro’s and con’s for writing in past and present tense--thank you Writer's Digest for the assistance. To all fellow writers, here's The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Verb Tenses Advantages of Present Tense 1. Present tense has more “immediacy” than past tense. 2. Present tense can contribute to the characterization of a work’s protagonist. 3. The present tense can reflect not only a character’s nature but a work’s theme. 4. The present tense can reflect not only a character’s nature but a work’s theme. Disadvantages of Present Tense 1. Present tense restricts our ability to manipulate time. 2. It is more difficult to create complex characters using present tense. 3. The present tense can diminish suspense. 4. The use of present tense encourages us to include trivial events that serve no plot function simply because such events would actually happen in the naturalistic sequence of time. Advantages of Past Tense 1. Can jump more freely around the timeline of story. 2. Traditionally used more often so readers are better acquainted with it =’s more enjoyable. 3. Because event takes place in past have the ability to further develop an event. Disadvantages of Past Tense 1. It can slow down pace. 2. It’s easier to slip into ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing.’ Look at #2, in the advantages of writing in the past tense. Can I tell you this point jumped out at me BECAUSE…I am now one of those people who find reading in the present tense irritating. Further research revealed this is actually quite common. A Tense Decision Sooooo, what was a getting to know you exercise has now potentially become a much larger editing exercise. I must confess, I haven’t looked at my manuscript since I made this discovery because I want to be sure before I embark on this little revision exercise. When I have my head wrapped around what I have to do, I will do it and realistically I know what I have to do and yes, it involves using the past tense. But either way….my dear Iphim, I look forward to getting to know you again and to see how we’ve both grown over the last decade+. What tense do you write in? Image Sources:
1. ww.google.ca/searchq=images+head+exploding&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMwJWV-d3dAhXh34MKHa9nDI8Q_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=626#imgrc=TlHT_R_bA--AmM: 2. patrizeproperties.com/ and 3. www.huffpost.com/entry/from-stressed-to-inner-peace-to-flourishing_b_9453738 |
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