The Tao of Murphy

In my last blog post, I mentioned someone named Murphy.

Of course you know Murphy.

No?

Of course you do. You know the old saying:
“Anything that can go wrong, will.”

That’s Murphy’s Law. And anything following from this law, I call the voice of Murphy himself. (Or herself, depending on how you wish to see it.)

What has this to do with writing, you might wonder. Here's my link to that. Writing has a self-conscious element to it. Is it good enough? What if no one likes it? What went wrong that every editor or agent is rejecting it?

Many of these questions are Murphy questions.

If you did your best, of course it will be good enough. There are enough varied tastes in the world that someone is bound to like what you wrote. Editors and Agents may just not have a good market for what you wrote. The piece itself may be fine.

Again, it comes down to your journey. Continuing to hold onto a piece because it needs “one more change to be perfect” means you may never decide to let it loose on the world. Make it the best you can, then stop. At some point, it stops improving and starts going backwards.

And remember, the writing journey is not a simple path. Rejections will be common. Murphy, the evil inner editor, doubt, and fear hover just off the in the weeds, waiting for that misstep so they can pounce. They want to push you to quit. KNOW you are ready to continue. Take it one step at a time.

While it isn’t a 12 step program, it is something that you have to just enjoy the journey. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Pinpointing the reasons for a stop

*The lecturer walks to the front of the classroom, arms overloaded with books, calendars, pictures, etc. He drops them all on the table. Then pulls a CD from among the detritus and slips it into a player*

Welcome back to the author tutorial. Today we have a guest speaker.

I should be writing: Crippling Fear

Why did I bring this up?

For one, because Mur is an awesome writer, awesome podcaster, and just a good resource for writers.

For another, because I understand what she's speaking about. My blog stopped, froze as it were, because of fear. That people weren't reading. My writing slowed, because I was afraid. My social life stopped, because I was afraid.

Fear is that universal link of many many humans. Anyone who says they don't have any fears are either short a few hormones, are sociopathic, or are lying. I tend to lean to the last reason. Some people better control their fears. Others show their fear on their entire beings. Yup, that's me.

What we need to remember is that fear is only good if it's going to guide us away from harm. So an axe murderer is good to fear. Writing a short story, regardless of anything else, shouldn't be feared. Fearing that oncoming truck, good thought. A blank page when you have hundreds of ideas? Not worth the cowering.

This writing journey is not about anyone but you. YOU must establish what is worth it. YOU must determine what is success. Even if that is just putting the words on the page to get them out of your head.

Fear is just like the inner editor, the voice of Murphy, and the harsh writing critic of our heads. Tie them up, lock them in a truck, and toss them in a deep dark well in your mind. If you do each in their own hole, then you can find a way to jettison Murphy and the writing critic. (The editor unfortunately comes in handy when revising.)

Journeys are about taking a step, then the next and the next. Do that now.

These Laurels Are Kinda Pointy

I’m going to poke at a little troll with this post. It will seem that I’m jumping ahead in the process, but it really effects everyone at every stage of the writing process. We’ll examine this problem from my stage in the writing career, though it’s caught me at other times as well. This happens when a major milestone in a writing career becomes a reality.

For me, right now, it’s about my first publication.
    
Others times I’ve stumbled like this: First completed story, first completed novel, first time I sent out a story for publication, first rejection slip… Well, you should see a pattern by now.
   
Let me be clear: I’m not saying that you shouldn’t bask in the glow of you accomplishment. Far from it. Enjoy your spotlight, when it shines on you, for it will be a small and fleeting window.
   
I simply want to suggest that you not stop the creative process completely while you bask.
  
Think about this: Stephen King sells his first story. He’s so happy with accomplishment that he never writes another story. Some people might consider this a “Good Thing”™. Others, not so much.
  
Take a day, two, at most a week, then get back to those stories that call your name. Don’t let ideas languish too long, lest you lose your momentum from the accomplishment.
 
From my standpoint, let me show you where this causes problems. In an effort to get something out there for the end of the year, I sent a short story to a local community college literary magazine. I expected another rejection as that was all the story had received. Ten of them and counting by that point. Imagine my shock at the email saying that they decided to publish it. That came late November. Through most of December, I didn’t send any other story out. I wrote, but nothing extensive to complete a story. It felt more like puttering around with words. When the holidays struck, that put me farther behind.
 
Now, a new calendar is on my wall. It’s time for me to press ahead for my second publication. Hopefully, with a check this time. However, I keep looking back at that acceptance letter as it glows from the folder. Instead of dwelling, I need to tell myself that the letter is lonely in the folder by itself.
 
So if you took time to enjoy your success, don’t take too long. Press forward.

Go. Write. Revise. Publish.

And come back again, because I enjoy our visits.

A Gathering of Ideas

Okay, so we’ve gotten into the habit of writing. We found a good spot, a good time, where we can concentrate on the page and put the words forth from our brain to the paper or computer screen. That first idea is moving right along. Characters seem to almost talk to us as we write. The Muse broke from her chains of educational restriction and she’s stretched her wings to allow your imagination to flow.

As such, our mental door receives a knock when we sit down to write.

This is a new character, a new story idea. It’s something shiny and new. Wait a minute! The previous idea isn’t complete yet! What do we do?

This is where pundits in the field differ in opinions and where your true journey gains its first hurdle. Listen to your fellow writers, but also listen to yourself, as it’s your journey, not theirs.

From my experience, this point gives you choices. These choices base themselves on what works best for you, the writer. I’m going to touch on three, but it covers a whole spectrum between the three. You’re first choice is to grab that clean piece of paper, or open a new document in the word processor, and begin writing that new idea. Keep going until the idea won’t flow any more. A second choice is to write the idea’s concepts and basics out, but continue writing the first idea until you complete it. The final choice is to ignore the new idea entirely, maintaining just one writing project at a time.

Each choice offers their positives and negatives. It’s why I said this is the first hurdle. Within your mind, you know which works best for you and your personal organization. Let’s look at each one a little bit.
Choice one has us just begin the new idea. Let’s look at a few concepts about this. We don’t lose the idea. The idea rolls from the pen or fingers, like a shiny new car off the lot of a dealership. We write new words. If each session, we constantly start new ideas, the old ideas start to tarnish, to fester, and they may never reach completed status. Characters from the other ideas will look hurt, may not want to work with you and your Muse. However, this is just my thoughts, and you may be different. Complete the idea each session, this doesn’t become problematic.

Choice two offers a middle of the road solution. Here’s a few concepts to consider for this choice. Again, we don’t lose the idea. You can develop the idea better, as you have concepts and characters. List the research of what you want to accomplish. It may lead to a stronger piece, one better than the first idea. It may not. From your concept sketch, you may find that the idea is crap and trash it. It might need more time to develop until you feel ready for it, or until more details come to you.

Choice three hits the opposite extreme, with completely ignoring the idea. It allows you to concentrate on the idea that you’ve already started. The present characters work well with you and your writing. You’ve lost the new shiny idea. It may never come back to your mind. If you run into a wall with the present writing, you can’t switch to the idea you chose to leave behind. It’s your choice on how to proceed.
No one can say that any one choice is right.

I know writers that have four drawer legal sized filing cabinets filled with story ideas. Others have spiral notebooks with quick jotted notes about this concept, or that character, or overheard dialogue that sparked something and encouraged their Muse. Still others, many started files on their computer. Personally, I have a little of all three, with files of ideas, many computer files, as well as quick jotted notes.

Your personal organization will dictate your best approach to new ideas. For those that already write, I'd love to hear what your approach is.