Nanowrimo brings with it the opportunity each November to get your first draft manuscript written. I stepped into my yearly novel endeavor this evening and traveled to a somewhat surprising place afterward.
For the next few weeks, this blog will address why you may desire or need to write a book. This first post comes as one of my desires. I first got the idea (plot) for my novel over thirty years ago while in college. The writing bug bit me. I’ve had this monstrosity of a novel stuck in my heart all this time.
Back in 2004, I was privileged to attend a weekly writers group meeting in the home of playwright Jack Marshall. Jack had a number of his plays produced, some on Broadway as I understand it. One meeting, I presented a 1400 word piece on which Jack wrote me a critique.
Jacks critiques were always honest. Sometimes a writer did not want to hear what Jack had to say. Jack was never cruel, just honest. It’s a shame writers get so defensive about their work. Jack’s critiques always sounded spot-on. My critique was very positive. Jack did state the work appeared to be part of a much larger body and that he wanted to know more.
This motivated me tremulously. Then, another member of the writing group told me it read like the intro to a sci-fi. For the past eight years I’ve mulled that thought over and I agree. About a year ago, I heard from Jack’s son that Jack had died. This evening, as I went over the first chapter of my novel I thought back to those days in St. Augustine hanging with writers and Jack Marshall.
At this time, I desire to get my book written not only for me, but for a man who gave me a positive boost that told me I could actually do this “writing thing”. Jack and were not close friends, but those kind words of encouragement from a professional like Jack have traveled a long way.
These are just a couple reasons I want to write this book. Over thirty years in my head and the encouragement of a man I respect. Many of you have a book you’ve thought of writing. You may have nursed the idea in your head for decades, like me. Jack’s willingness to help writers has become a part of what I love to do.
Over the twelve years from 2000 to now, I have learned quite a bit about writing books. I now have nine published. I know I can cut years of learning curves and thousands of dollars spent on books and conferences on how to write a book for people who desire or need their books written. I do this over a four-week course that takes the writer from conception to completed first draft manuscript.
If you are in need of this type of help, I encourage you to check out my webinar at ClearViewPressInc.com. My next webinar will begin January 7, 2013. Seating is limited to 10 people per webinar.
Day 15 in my bicycle wriding went well. A number of items came to me on the wride and a plethora of great music met my ears. I pull out one of the greatest voices of all time, Karen Carpenter, for my song of the morning. My ears delighted to the pleasure of one of her best, more obscure tunes, Ordinary Fool.
The key topic for today and many days to come deals with an upcoming live webinar produced by myself titled, “Go Write and You Won’t Go Wrong! Write Your Book in Thirty Days.” I ran through a trial webinar and I also scheduled myself to teach a live class through the Flagler County Adult Education program.
I put a load of thought and preparation into the upcoming webinar. As long as participants to what I say, they will walk away with a first draft manuscript of approximately 30,000 words in thirty days. This project required more thought and effort than I first imagined.
Part of the issue for me stemmed from the fact I have written nine books in three years, the last manuscript taking only eight days to complete the draft. While churning out a book has become relatively simple to me, I found most people struggle like I once did.
In my first presentation of the webinar, I actually lay out everything anyone needs to complete a book in thirty days. What I found was that few people will actually follow my step-by-step instructions without encouragement and motivation. During my trial webinar, certain issues came to light that reflected writing issues I struggled with for years myself.
Therefore, I instituted a number of ‘coaching’ techniques and motivational techniques to help potential authors complete their manuscripts. I found, without constant, daily encouragement, people who wish to write a book fall into old patterns of complacency and idleness. I’ve heard all the excuses and given many myself. I worked hard to put together encouragements that address most of the issues of writing – especially for newer writers.
Let me first identify some parameters for my new webinar. I recommend the book the writers undertake be a non fiction book. Writers can complete their fiction book using the same techniques, but fiction books tend to run more in the 50,000 words and up category. My view for a novel would be to stretch the writing out over sixty days. A novel can be completed in thirty days. For my webinar purposes, though, the fiction writer will need to write twice as much as the non fiction writer.
I have competed in the Nanowrimo contest each of the past five years. I won three out of five. Winning Nanowrimo is as simple as writing 50,000 words in thirty days during the month of November. The two months I did not complete the challenge, I wrote 32,000 and 37,000 words. This is precisely why I say a first draft can well be completed in thirty days. I’ve accomplished the feat three times myself.
With respect to the webinar, I’m providing two daily emails to each participant encouraging them to write. I’m also including a short recorded phone call each day to touch participants in another form of media. The webinar also includes a privately shared Google Spreadsheet where each participant is required to post their daily word count.
I’m also including a private Facebook Group account where participants can interact with each other and keep their motivation high. I’ve found whenever writers take on an endeavor, the only true support they receive comes from other writers. The Facebook Group account allows participants a forum that is safe and encouraging.
In addition to all the above, I’ve hired professional accountability coach Janice Karm to call each participant weekly. This fifteen minute accountability call will help us determine where the writer stands with regard to the plan and also helps motivate the writer. Encouragement, motivation, and accountability all wrapped up in one webinar should help most writers reach their thirty day goal.
Also included in the webinar is my books, “Go Write and You Won’t Go Wrong!” and “Rock Your Business! Your Book as Your Business Card.” These books walk writers through the process of writing their book. The first book also contains an appendix that delivers daily encouragements to the writers. These encouragements get referenced in the daily emails I send out to the participants.
Not to be lost in all this encouragement, motivation, and accountability, the webinar is presented live over four weeks. Beginning Monday, August 20th, 2012, I will present the webinar myself. The first webinar, as stated earlier, will deliver everything the writer needs to know and accomplish to get their book written in thirty days. The next three live webinars, I will run through some writing encouragements and provide lengthy Q&A sessions to help keep participants on track.
I’m currently working on the edits for my book, “Go Write and You Won’t Go Wrong!” I have a lot of work ahead of me as far as marketing the webinar. Heck, for that matter, I have a lot of work ahead of me getting the rewrites and edits done on the book. Timelines will all begin converging soon, so I foresee some hectic times on the near horizon.
I also got word today that the proof for my first novel, co-written with my fellow Rogues Gallery Writers Jeff, Bridget, and Nancy, will arrive in forty-eight hours. This is exciting. The proof will be the first hardcover edition ClearView Press Inc (my publishing company) has produced since Loves Lost and Found in 2009.
I also have three other book projects in progress with other authors. Needless to say, my blog will be somewhat ‘book-driven’ for the next six weeks. I promise I’ll still interject meditations from my morning wride. That wride may be the calming, sanity-saving act I perform each day…
Today the thought more than occurred to me many of us burn the candle of our lives fearing the winds of disapproval, failure, success, and low self-esteem. Over the course of my writing career, which officially blossomed in 2008 with the publication of Fatherhood 101: Bonding Tips for Building Loving Relationships, I’ve discovered if I feel something, many others feel much the same.
I know. Alert the media. This epiphany may not be news for many people, but for many others, coming to an understanding of the reasons why you hold yourself back can be freeing. Too many years I’ve tempered my writing so as not to offend. Then I read all these writers taking a stand on political issues, religious issues, business issues, inter-personal issues. People get bold and just throw out to the world their stance and views on all these subjects and many more.
I wonder at what it would take for me to do something like that. To take my somewhat conservative, Christian right perspective and spew it about as if I knew it all. That’s the ‘nub of the gist’ as my beloved Monty Python once said. I won’t write about something unless I know what I’m talking about.
I know from what I’ve read and seen in life, that politicians at the federal level are corrupted by a corrupt system. I’ve seen it at the state level as well, of course. But I’ve also traveled to Panama and the Philippines and Mexico and a number of other places. I’ve seen the graft, the blatant hording of money by politicians and the abject poverty of their constituents. I’ve seen countries whose corruption dwarfs ours.
I know the media we suffer under is wicked on many levels with political and corporate agendas driving their productions. Again, I’ve seen much worse in other countries. I’ve also read and seen media squelched by corrupt governments that desire to not only maintain their wealth and power but their stranglehold on their oppressed populations.
But let’s be real here. The drug cartels are not going away until there is no market to sell to. Any reasonable, logical person can understand that concept. Even if all the governments made illegal drug usage and sales punishable by death, the drug industry would not go away. Humans cannot even agree on the dangers of illicit drug use. We cannot agree on religion. We cannot agree on population control. We cannot agree on morality. The list goes on and on and on.
So, for me to take a stand in any of these areas, I must examine the fact that I have no more an answer than the talking heads on television. The world-wide talking heads, whether they be politicians, rebels, heads of state, or Joe Plumber. I so know this – some of what I write resonates with a portion of the world’s population. Some of what I write might get me killed by other portions of the world population.
My passion and desire is to write about something universal – emotions. Yet, even here, the disparity of views can overwhelm a writer. Something I write about a particular emotion may prompt a reader to ‘thumbs up’ a particular piece of writing, while the next reader may mumble and call me all sorts of names.
A writer MUST select a direction for his/her writing. Some of us get down to the nitty gritty and write things in very base terms. Others prefer more of an eloquent crafting of words as their artistic contribution to humanity. When all is said and done, MY view is that each writer SHOULD write scared. Once you’ve created your written statement, cleaned it up, and poised to send it out into the world, I feel a writer should possess a level of concern. A level of fear. Not immobilizing, petrifying fear.
More a fear of challenge. If you don’t write something that challenges your own mind, your own knowledge, your own skills, you may stay mired in mediocrity for your entire writing life. In this day and age, the writers who allow themselves to step outside their personal comfort zones appear to garner the ‘following’ most writers crave. Let’s face it – if you write, you desire to be read.
Few people want to read ‘vanilla’ this day and age. I don’t know that people over the centuries ever wanted ‘vanilla’ writing. The definition of ‘vanilla’ has changed as social mores have changed. Bland articles and pedantic books do not get the attention the more passionate, in-your-face writing grabs.
All this being written, I’m challenging myself as a writer, to step out, make some bold statements, take the flack that is sure to come as well as any pats-on-the-back, and see what comes of it. Recently I was in the mode of writing highly sexually themed stories. Not graphic, mind you. Graphic does little for me as a reader and writer. I’m now trekking down ‘death’s’ writing trail. Death, love, and poetry appear to be the themes of the fiction I currently write.
I’m going to write it all a little scared from this point on. I’m going to challenge my own views. I’ve already caused some discomfort with some of my writers group readers. I count this a good thing. We’ll see how things go from here. So, all your writers out there, challenge yourself and write scared – scared enough to confront some of your fears.
Nanowrimo brings with it the opportunity each November to get your first draft manuscript written. I stepped into my yearly novel endeavor this evening and traveled to a somewhat surprising place afterward.
