#nerdlution: I'm In

I like being part of an online community of educators and writers and readers and super creative people. Currently I'm in awe by #nerdlution.

The official #nerdlution button!

It started on a whim. A couple of friends talking about the importance of accountability and wanting to establish some new habits.

Then Chris Lehman threw down a challenge involving an obscene number of pushups.
Colby Sharp created a hashtag.
And told the story of the first murmurs here.

And I was swept away by the phenomenon.

I committed to a word count goal.
I attempted to be realistic.
Rational.
Practical.

If I would have taken time to think it through I wouldn't have committed.
Sometimes I think this writing adventure is simply a pipe dream.

Then I do something concrete.
Like announce a word count goal as my #nerdlution contribution.

Suddenly I'm in.
Deep.
My Twitter feed is ecstatic.

And I could say:  

Oops, sorry. I really meant I just want to eat breakfast someplace other than my car or put lotion on my legs or make sure I have socks that match and remember to put mascara on both eyes.

My #nerdlution friends would understand. I wouldn't understand, though. I can't walk away from the commitment I made. This is what #nerdlution is all about. Choosing to do something that you know will make you happy, then having a group to hold you accountable and celebrate when you do the thing you thought was too hard.

So I'm sticking with my #nerdlution buddies.

After all, the reason they are my friends is because they've got moxie.
And they remind me that I do too.

I will write for a 50 day streak.

550 words a day. 
#nerdlution

Sustenance

From Merriam-Webster Online

Sometimes life stops you. You think you can do it all, get more done, be everything to everyone. It doesn't matter if there are too many tasks on your list. It doesn't matter if you have a flat tire. It doesn't matter if your kids have fits because this idea of a forever family is overwhelming. It doesn't matter that you are squeezing doctor appointments into an already jam-packed schedule. It doesn't matter if you are bruised. It doesn't matter if your husband has an increased schedule at work, so tag-team parenting is in its 9th round. It doesn't matter if your head starts pounding. It doesn't matter if your stomach churns.

Well, maybe it does. And maybe that list, although using the pronoun you, doesn't really apply to you, but it does to me. And eventually I realize I can't do it all.

And that's okay. 

So even though I stay home and try not to think about how much I'm not doing, I'm somehow getting the needed sustenance. It is straight from the Lord.

It was about mid-morning that I realized this is part answered prayer and part preparation for my next writing project. I never thought a rough day could be the work of a writer, collecting fodder for a writing project. But it is. I'm writing it in my notebook even though my stomach still stings and my task list is still long.

The project I've been planning and am ready to begin writing toward a daily word count until the draft is down, isn't fiction and it isn't a professional book. I'm not sure what it is or what it's about. Maybe a little bit on faith. Maybe a little bit on adoption. Maybe a book you might pick up when you need a little inspiration.

I do know the message, though.

Life is for celebration, not survival.

 Before Tuesday I was a little afraid to say it aloud. I wondered if maybe it was rose-colored and I am inadequate to write a book with this kind of message. Maybe I haven't lived long enough to say, even through the rough patches, life is meant to be celebrated. Compared to most, I know I haven't even really had rough patches. I've been shifting through this message, wondering if it is a universal truth, or only something for my little bubble of the world.

It is not a coincidence that Tuesday happened. I was hesitant to put the words on the page, but I needed to test my hypothesis. When life is hard, is celebration possible?

Sure, it was only a day, but it was also a lifetime -- remembering the hard patches, remembering my reactions are choices, remembering the way it feels in the thick of a fallen world. I was attacked on all fronts -- professional, personal, mind, health, and faith. My world fell, just for a moment, and I was reminded I can still have joy when my identity is in Christ.

Today is a new day. Although I'm still feeling the residual effects, I'm empowered. I'm empowered to live celebration and I'm ready to commit to putting words on the page. I'm not afraid of this project any more.

I have you to thank. Those who left a comment or  sent a text or dropped an email or wrote a message on FB. Thank you. There are all kinds of ways to collect for a writing project. Once again, I'm reminded the writing process can't be contained in a tidy lock-step plan. And writing is never a solitary act.

laura resau interview (part 3 of 3): plot threads

One of the things I've been struggling to get a handle on as a writer is weaving a number of plot threads together in an interesting and clear way for the reader, while at the same time remembering and balancing them as a writer. Laura Resau's The Jade Notebook is an exceptional example of the weaving many plot threads together into a beautiful story. In this final part of the interview with Laura Resau, she shares some insights into plot.

I love the way you wove many different story threads to create a rich story with lots of depth in The Jade Notebook. What is your process like in order to tie so many threads together? How do you  balance planning specific scenes, while at the same time giving the story space to unfold as you draft?



Thank you! You know, I was on a tight deadline with the Notebooks series, which spanned from the time we adopted our baby (nine months old) to this year, when he was four. I was also writing and revising other books during that time, so I was really struggling to find time for everything. After I finished the second book in the series (The Ruby Notebook), my mom, who is my most trusted and competent critiquer (right up there with my editor), advised me to make the third and final book (The Jade Notebook) relatively short and simple, to make life easier for myself. I tried, but I just couldn't do it! I think it has to do with the fact that my characters come alive for me, even the minor ones. I feel compelled to tell their stories as well, and find a way to let their subplots connect with the main character’s one.

Early on in the manuscript, my process involves going back and forth between first-drafting (which is mostly free-writing for me) and outlining (my outlines are always changing to accommodate the discoveries I make as I free-write more of the story.) At some point, I end up with a rough first draft that is full of holes in places and bogged down with unnecessary scenes and words in other places.

My mom then comes in to save the day! She’s the kind of person who loves untangling necklaces and hair. Apparently, it’s meditative for her. Lucky for me, she has an uncanny ability to analytically untangle my subplots and figure out how they need to be woven together. She can masterfully detect missing scenes and tell me what scenes I need to add and where. So, my advice is: if you’re not analytically-minded about plot, then find someone to help you—preferably someone who loves you unconditionally like a mom, someone who will drop everything she’s doing to read your messy draft and somehow get back to you with advice the next day.

If you need to bumble through it alone, here’s my two cents: I think that integrating subplots involves an analytical part of your brain that’s different from the creative-free-writing part. I think you need to periodically step back from your organic free-writing to make lists, charts, outlines, graphs—whatever helps you tap into that analytical part of your brain. You could go through and highlight different sub-plots in different colors, or even cut and paste together pieces of each strand of sub-plot (kind of “unbraiding” them in a separate document) to get a sense of the sub-plot continuity or lack thereof. (Does that make sense?) Some authors I know fill out note cards with scenes from their story, sometimes color-coding each of the subplots, and then physically rearrange them on a bulletin board (or the floor or a big table) to figure out how the strands and layers fit together. It can be headache-inducing work… good luck!

Most of all, I encourage you to find trusted readers—critique partners or group—who will really take the time to go through and get their hands messy and analyze what’s going on in your story, plot-wise. Happy writing, everyone!

Somehow, this was just what I needed to hear. I think it gave me resolve to keep going, knowing in the end there are going to be "holes in places and bogged down with unnecessary scenes and words in other places." These words from Laura, coupled with this #TeachersWrite post about outlining helped me start trusting myself and writing my story again. 


Thank you Laura for taking the time to give insightful and inspiring answers. Good luck as you continue to write. I'll be looking forward to reading your next books! Remember to continue getting more inspiration from Laura you can read her blog, check her website, or fan her Facebook page.

time to write

This sticker makes me laugh, yet it is
so true!

For three months I've been playing with some new characters. I've almost filled two notebooks with thoughts. Recently, I found this sticker that says, "The voices are getting louder...Must be time to write." I picked it up because it made me laugh, however, there is a lot of truth in this statement.

Last night I said to Andy, "I think it's about time to start drafting a new story." There's a tug inside of me, the characters are clearer and yet, at the same time, mysterious enough that I know I won't learn all I need to know about them until I begin writing the story. There are things I can only learn through writing...by following the characters as they lead me through the story.

This is both exciting and scary.

Exciting because I want to know the story. I want to understand the characters and their choices and their emotions. And scary because it takes a lot of time to write a novel. Not only that, but there is a huge emotional investment. The characters often make my heart hurt. I guess, though, in the end, it is scarier not to write the story than to write it.

This time I'm going to draft differently than last time. Last time I revised too early. I wanted it "right" and spent a lot of time trying to get it this way, only to realize as more of the story unfolded, the revisions I made early on didn't matter. In order to revise well (and get the story "right" -- if there is any such thing) I have to allow the entire story to unfold first. This is hard for me. Drafting is hard. I much prefer envisioning the story and imaging the characters in my notebook and then revising the story after it is drafted. This time I'm going to write the story, allowing it to unfold as quickly as possible and then revise. I think this will make me a more efficient writer (and I won't have to cut things I spent hours revising and perfecting but no longer "fit" the story).

The characters are ready for the story to be written...now I just have to get ready!