First and Third

No, I'm not writing about baseball. Today, I'm going to look at first-person vs. third-person viewpoint.

I've written in each and I don't think I have a clear preference. Each has its perks and drawbacks. With third person, I like being able to shift the POV around. If the protagonist is in a tight spot, it's easy to build suspense by writing a few scenes from other characters' viewpoints, allow some more action to happen, and then come back to the protagonist. With first person, I like the limitation that my POV character has to be present in every scene, so the readers (and the protagonist) don't see anything happening "off camera." There are occasions I think it would be easier to mix in the occasional scene from another character's POV. I've read first-person novels that have used such a technique, usually italicizing the other character's segments. To me, it feels like a cop-out. Maybe if your novel involves a first-person narrator ending up in a coma and you want to fill that story time by using other perspectives, OK. It still feels kind of cheap to me, though.

I got to thinking about first-person vs. third-person because of something I started writing late last year. We were deep in crunch time for the wedding and I had a character pounding at the inside of my head, demanding to be put onto the screen. I got a few chapters finished, realized I had to do a lot of planning and plotting, and moved on to something else. I had sated that new character jones and could go back to it later. When I wrote those few chapters, I wrote them in the first-person POV. Looking back on it, I think third-person would be better. The nature of the character and the story means a lot can happen "off-screen" and I want to be able to write about that. Besides, I've been writing a lot of mysteries lately and they're first-person (as mysteries tend to be). Writing something in another perspective is good practice.

At some point this year, I think I'll sit down, do some planning and plotting for that new character's novel, and revise it to be in the third person (or just start it over). As writers, I think we have to flex these muscles from time to time. We have to step away from what we know or what we do frequently to try something different. It's all part of the process and the evolution.

Happy writing.

2012

We made it to 2012. Between you and me, I think we're making it to 2013 and beyond. The Mayans (and misinterpretations of their calendars) be damned.

Last year was a big year for me, writing-wise and otherwise. The biggest (and best) life change was my wedding in November. That followed moving several counties closer to DC, transferring my job to another location, renting out my condo, and a lot of packing, unpacking, moving, and assembling. I had a lot of upheaval this year but it was all the good kind. Having the ground shift beneath your feet, even on a tectonic level, can be a very good thing.

In the writing department, I finished a couple short stories and two mystery novels, and started a spy novel that I will revisit and finish later. (It would be the third in a series, and I did the same thing with the second.) I also started this blog.

What does 2012 hold? I haven't a clue. While I'm not the type to make New Year's resolutions, here are some things I'd like to accomplish in the coming year:

-Have at least one book published, conventionally or otherwise. (Having a contract for a book will count as a victory here, too.)

-Try to write a book, or at least most of a book, using an outline. Right now, I'm a "pantser." I write based off ideas, a little research, some notes about what I think will happen next, and the flow of the story (and the characters' roles in it). It's worked for me so far, but I want to see how the other half lives, so to speak.

-Publish (probably self-publish) a collection of short stories.

-Start and finish writing at least three novels of any genre.

-Sit down and do some work on the kids' book idea I had. Maybe I need to read a few kids' books to discover the best way of going about it.

-Explore the editing epiphany I had (more on that in a bit).

-Keep reading. I read a lot of books last year. No idea how many. I want to read at least 35 this year. Dry and boring IT books that I'll need to read for certification tests will, unfortunately, count toward this total.

-Update this blog more regularly. This will be easier to do if the rest of my goals and expectations fall into place.

-Non-writing related: run a half-marathon.

Recently, I had an editing epiphany of sorts. If you watch House, you're used to the "epiphany face," where a random conversation with Wilson or Chase about the pooping habits of Saharan space donkeys gives House the clue to the Patient of the Week's illness. I had no such random conversation (thank goodness), and I don't yet know the conclusion, if you will, to this little epiphany. Here's how my editing process works: I finish a novel (yay!), then I put it away for about a month so that I can have a more detached perspective on it. It sits on the back e-burner, collecting e-dust on my hard drive. During that time, I read a lot, work on some smaller projects, do a little research, etc. Then, after that month is up, I print out the novel, sit down with a red pen, and go thru it line by line. When that's finished, I go back into the file and input my changes. It doesn't take too long (two weeks or so), though it sounds more time-consuming than it is. The problem is, it means I'm spending at least six weeks not doing anything on a new book. I might write a story, but I'm not making meaningful progress on a new novel. I've been loath to start one, knowing I'd be interrupting it for a couple weeks of editing. And if I plowed ahead with writing that next novel, I'd be effectively editing two books behind. That doesn't sound like a good solution.

This year, I might try a quicker turnaround on the editing. I like the added perspective that taking a month off gives me -- it's hard to murder your darlings if you're still invested in them, after all -- but perhaps my writing process will be better if I start sooner. And the process is, after all, a big part of what we do.

How quickly do you start your editing? Do you work on it while writing something new?

Happy writing, and happy 2012.

The End of November

November is over, and another National Novel Writing Month is in the rearview mirror.

If you participated, I hope you won, by whatever standards you're using to determine that. If your novel isn't finished, don't let the end of November mean the end of your progress. Everyone's schedule gets more crowded this time of year, but use the time you have to finish what you started in November.

I'll share my own story of NaNo amidst a crowded November. On November 11th, I married the love of my life in a fabulous ceremony in Baltimore. We spent the weeks leading up to the wedding planning, preparing, purchasing, and pulling our hair out (these are The Four P's of wedding planning, in case you didn't know). Admittedly, she did more than I did because she had a clear vision for the ceremony. Even so, my free time got seriously curbed in October and November. I used NaNo to try and finish my current work in progress (the fourth in my series of mystery novels) with a goal of 30,000 words. My secondary goal was not to get the hairy eyeball from my then-fiancee too often.

The hairy eyeball goal ended up as a mixed bag, but I hit the other one, finishing November at just over 30K words. Some more work early this month allowed me to finish the novel. Now I'll set it aside for a few weeks, work on some edits, then go back and slash it apart.

I'm not writing this to brag about what I was able to accomplish in November (OK, maybe a little), but to show you that you CAN hit your writing goals even when the rest of your life is crowded. Just make them realistic and work every day. Writing is the important thing. A number is nice, but a realistic goal is better.

NaNoWriMo is over. Your writing and editing shouldn't be. Mine isn't.

As NaNoWriMo Dawns...

Novemvber is National Novel Writing Month. Their website will tell you as much, and I suspect most readers of this blog already know what's in store for them next month. You may already be hip-deep in research, plotting, outlining, or even a holy-crap-what-am-I-going-to-write bender.

This will be my seventh year of doing NaNo. I've "won" the past three years, with word counts around 52k, 68k, and 51k. Winning three years in a row isn't an impressive streak in the grand scheme of things, but it's one I'd like to keep intact. There's just one thing that might keep me from it.

I'm getting married.

And going on a honeymoon.

I guess that was two things.

While I love writing, I love my soon-to-be wife even more. I'm still going to write when I can--which will probably include a lot of lunch breaks at work--but I don't know if 50k is in the cards for me this month. I'm going to try my best, and maybe risk a glare from the wife here and there, but my winning streak may stop at three.

And you know what? I'm OK with that.

We all want to win NaNo. We all want to submit a verified word count over 50k, turn our bars purple, and get a "Winner" label. But the real point of NaNo is to spur creativity, to drive you forward in your quest to complete a serious creative endeavor. It's supposed to teach people that they CAN write a book by just plugging away every day for a month (or more). The spirit of NaNo is in the creativity, the community with your fellow writers who are sparking the creative fires just like you are. I'm still going to be a part of that. I just might not hit 50,000 words by the end of the month.

If you're doing NaNo, good luck. I hope you hit your goals, whatever they may be. And at the end of the writing and editing processes (you ARE going to edit the book you write, aren't you?), I hope you have a novel you're proud of. Regardless of what Charlie Sheen might have said, that is winning.

Happy writing.

Come on, Irene!

No, that's not bad karaoke -- it's the hurricane (or tropical storm) set to batter my region this weekend.

We're ready. We have water, non-perishable food, flashlights, candles, gas in the cars, cash, charged phones, etc. In case the power goes out and stays out, we're covered.

A weekend like this is a good time to catch up on writing or editing projects. Going out is unwise. The TV might not stay on. I have a composition book and a few pens if the power goes out and I have to write by candlelight. If you're on the east cost, be prepared for Irene, and be prepared to do some work on your writing, too. It's not like you'll have much else to do if the roads flood. While the winds are swirling outside, keep your creative winds swirling inside. Sometimes, a story idea can hit you like a 100-mph wind and rock you like a... well, a hurricane. OK, that's the last of my weather (and Scorpions) references.

Stay safe, stay dry, and happy writing!

Crack That WIP

Back in July, I shelved one work in progress to start another. I had a character and idea I really wanted to get out of my head and onto the electronic page. I wrote seven chapters with this new character and discovered more about him than I knew at the beginning.

Then I decided to shelve that WIP, too.

Am I just a WIP gypsy, the literary (and male) equivalent of Stevie Nicks? Despite my writing transience the last couple months, I'm generally not. This time, I'm back to C.T. Ferguson, my detective protagonist, and it's good to be swimming in familiar waters again. All of the characters are as fresh as they were the last time I visited them (even though they're aging a few months between books). While it was a good experience to get someone new onto the page, I have to say I like going back to C.T. It's like taking a walk around the neighborhood where you grew up.

I plan to go back to the other WIP (well, both of them) at some point. Ultimately, we have to enjoy what we write, and I enjoy writing about the adventures and misadventures of C.T. more than the other two characters.

If you have a work in progress that's dragging a little, that isn't as much fun as you thought, or that's hit a serious creative snag, what do you do? Plowing ahead is always an option, and for some writers, it may be the best option. For me, at least, I'd rather put it aside and go back to something (and someone) I know better, and something I know I'll enjoy from beginning to end.

Happy writing.

WIP It Good

Moving is a long and often arduous affair. You never know how much crap you've accumulated over the years until you have to pack it all in boxes, or donate it, or just throw it away. Then there's the unpacking, organizing, and furniture building process at the new place. It's not neverending, but it does suck up an awful lot of time.

Ultimately, it's worth it in the end. It just takes a while to get there.

New house, new work in progress. I shelved the one I had been working on. It wasn't boring or anything, but it didn't really hold my interest in writing. The last time I wrote a book with this character, I put it on the shelf for a while, came back to it, and finished it. My hope is that I'll do the same thing again. I just needed to work on something else. There was a character (and his story) in my head, pounding away to get out and onto the page.

So far, I like the new WIP. It's early, and the chapters are short, so I think it'll have a nice, quick pace. Right now, I have a character and a few ideas, and that's enough to get started. I think I know where I want the book to go, but we'll see if the character pulls me in a different direction. That's the thing about characters: they tell their stories, not the ones we want to impose on them.

It's still early in this newest journey, but now that I'm (mostly) unpacked and have more free time, I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes me.

Happy writing.