ten minutes turns into twenty…and not even any photos for you
ItÂ’s Wednesday evening, so itÂ’s writing time again. Thumper and Billy dropped me off at Tandem so that they would have the option of either going out or staying home (we only have one car and I need a new bike helmet so didn’t want to ride here). Thumper doesnÂ’t like to be away from me if IÂ’m in the house, so itÂ’s best if either they or I leave. WeÂ’ve decided, for this week at least, that in the evening it makes sense for me to be the one to leave the house and on Sunday mornings they can go out and leave me to write in my office. I tend to be easily distracted when trying to write in cafes, so weÂ’ll see how it goes. IÂ’ve got ten minutes to blog now, and then must write.
Writing this second novel is such a different experience from writing the first. Partly because IÂ’ve done it before and have a better grip on my process and what works for me, partly because IÂ’m a different person now than I was when I wrote the first, older and a mother and not in the throes of the hothouse MFA world. But mostly itÂ’s different because this book is different. I thought I had a PROCESS, and that was how I would write all of my books. But now, with this second book which is a different kind of animal than the first, IÂ’m starting to understand that itÂ’s the project that dictates the process.
I wrote the first book entirely blind. That is, I did no planning whatsoever, no outlining, no thinking about what would happen next. I sat down each day and freewrote and let the characters do whatever they wanted to do. I went down a lot of wrong paths that way, and had to edit my way back on track, but that was all part of the process. I got to know the characters well that way, and I like to think that all the writing I did that ended up getting cut, all the excess and all the wrong turns, was background that informed what did make the final draft. The final draft is just under 300 pages. I threw out at least that many pages over the course of the four years it took to write the book. I write my short stories blind, as well. Freewriting first draft is what has always worked best for me.
IÂ’m still freewriting the actual text of this new book, but IÂ’m finding that the story itself demands that I be a bit more deliberate as I write, a bit more aware of where weÂ’re headed. The first book was entirely fictional. This new one is historical, fiction but based on recent history (the East Village 1994-95). So thereÂ’s a historical, factual spine to the story, and the fiction is the flesh IÂ’m hanging on it. That means that as I write I need to be aware of how the fictional story interacts with the historical facts, how the fictional timeline intersects with the historical timeline, etc etc. I need to be able to let the prose sprawl in the way that I do, freewriting so I can turn off that damn editor in my head, but at the same time I need to be able to always have my hands around the story, making sure it moves in and around that historical path, if not always firmly on it.
So how do I do that, as a writer who feels stifled by the mere idea of an outline? (Outlines are fantastic if that’s how your brain works. My friend Philip is an amazing, amazing writer and he tends to outline. I, on the other hand, feel constrained by it. I can’t even write on lined paper.) I decided to use index cards (an excuse to use office supplies! I LOVE office supplies!) to map out the historical timeline. I got a big bulletin board at Fred Meyer (“Fred Meyer!” Who out there remembers that Dead Kennedys interlude? That was all I knew of Portland for most of my life). I wrote each point on the historical timeline on an index card (flipped over to the blank side to avoid those pesky lines). These are on white index cards. Then I got a pack of colored index cards. There are three points of view in the novel—two main characters, and then a narrator who pops in occasionally to sound off about the historical/political aspects. The narrator pov exists outside the timeline, so no need to map that out. I assigned each main character their own index card color, and I use those cards to map out their storylines so I can see how their stories align with the historical story. If a restraining order was filed on X date in the real world, I know the characters need to be involved with that at the corresponding point in the story in the fictional timeline, etc.
IÂ’m only 65 pages into the story at this point (I was 76 pages in when I set it aside before the baby was born, but I ended up trashing some when I read back through it the other week), so weÂ’ll see how well this system works going forward. Knowing me, thereÂ’s an excellent chance IÂ’ll abandon it and just build up a huge pile of words in first draft and have to edit the hell out of it and beat it into shape to conform with the historical facts later on. But at least IÂ’m making an attempt now. Given my limited writing time now, itÂ’s especially important to me that I be somewhat efficient and be able to pick up where I left off from one writing session to the next. (I used to write 6 to 8 hours a day almost every day before! I had no idea what a luxury that was. Luxury of the childless, though, so I donÂ’t miss it so much).
OkayÂ…so I just took 20 minutes to blog instead of the allotted 10. Ah well.
And now, really, to work.
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Did you know you can buy BLANK index cards? NO LINES. They are great for making flashcards for the kids and all sorts of craft projects. (As well as, you know, actual writing.)
I’ve purchased them in white, not sure if they are available in colors.
Very much enjoying reading about your writing process.
Posted by: heather t
my dear friend brad has told me (more than once) that he has a photo of himself inside That Very Phonebooth. you know, the one by the kentucky fried chicken on burnside, up the street from fred meyer. he’s very proud.
Posted by: eris
Did you know you can buy BLANK index cards? NO LINES. They are great for making flashcards for the kids and all sorts of craft projects. (As well as, you know, actual writing.)
I’ve purchased them in white, not sure if they are available in colors.
Very much enjoying reading about your writing process.
Posted by: heather t
my dear friend brad has told me (more than once) that he has a photo of himself inside That Very Phonebooth. you know, the one by the kentucky fried chicken on burnside, up the street from fred meyer. he’s very proud.
Posted by: eris
I did not know that the Dead Kennedys mentioned Freddies – very good to know. I am, however, old enough to remember Jello Biafra running for mayor in San Francisco.
I also love reading about your writing process. It’ll be interesting to see if this system works for you. It’s great that you and Billy have been able to work out a way to schedule time for you to write. Good partnership there.
Posted by: Regina
I almost called you today to see if you’d want to get together. Then things got out of control and the day got away from me.
Have y’all gotten your new numbers yet?
Posted by: shanny in oregon
Freddies rocks. The mere potential of loading a reel lawn mower, two gallons of paint, a whole organic chicken, lipstick and a wonderbra(tm) all in the same cart. I totally understand about the index cards and outlines. I love journals and list-making, but freeze up if they have the words “journal” or “list” on them. More so, if they are formatted for the activity that is being journalled. And they have to be spiral-bound, because of the low commitment factor. I found the perfect knitting journal in a notebook with a mix of lined, blank and graph paper and no indication on the cover of what it is intended for.
Posted by: Andi
Is it bad that my first thought for a comment on this is to tell you how much I too Love the office supplies?
Posted by: Rachel H
I did not know that the Dead Kennedys mentioned Freddies – very good to know. I am, however, old enough to remember Jello Biafra running for mayor in San Francisco.
I also love reading about your writing process. It’ll be interesting to see if this system works for you. It’s great that you and Billy have been able to work out a way to schedule time for you to write. Good partnership there.
Posted by: Regina
I almost called you today to see if you’d want to get together. Then things got out of control and the day got away from me.
Have y’all gotten your new numbers yet?
Posted by: shanny in oregon
Freddies rocks. The mere potential of loading a reel lawn mower, two gallons of paint, a whole organic chicken, lipstick and a wonderbra(tm) all in the same cart. I totally understand about the index cards and outlines. I love journals and list-making, but freeze up if they have the words “journal” or “list” on them. More so, if they are formatted for the activity that is being journalled. And they have to be spiral-bound, because of the low commitment factor. I found the perfect knitting journal in a notebook with a mix of lined, blank and graph paper and no indication on the cover of what it is intended for.
Posted by: Andi
Is it bad that my first thought for a comment on this is to tell you how much I too Love the office supplies?
Posted by: Rachel H
All I knew of Freddy’s before moving out here was what Glen Phillips told me in his song. It’s about turning a closed Fred Meyer building into housing during a bad economy. Lyrics are here: http://www.endor.org/glen/lyrics.asp (the last two albums on the page both have it).
Posted by: knitopia
A great novel can be cultured in the algar of a love of office supplies. Known fact. And every attempt to write for the next four years, product aside, is weight-training for the day you actually have time again. You set a good example.
Posted by: rams
The book I’m writing now, I tried to freewrite, but that doesn’t work for me. (It does work for my short stories, though.) I’ve tried reading those how-to books offered by writer’s digest, but they just overwhelm me and prevent me from writing. What’s working for me right now is a separate notebook for “planning,” which means just jotting things down as they pop in my head about the characters, the plot, whatever. It’s more organized than freewriting, but is nowhere near having a bulletin board (which is a good idea, btw).
I really enjoyed reading this post. It’s nice to see how another writer does it. Thanks!
Posted by: Anna
I agree with Anna–great post. I’m in the throes of revising my MFA dissertation project, but I’m not living near my university anymore, so I miss craft talk sometimes. I mean, I still chat with my writing pals on the phone, and I have one writing friend in Northampton, but still…as I’m still refining my process, it’s nice to hear about yours. Thanks!
Posted by: beverly
I don’t just remember it, I still listen to it! I laugh every time.
Posted by: Marlena
All I knew of Freddy’s before moving out here was what Glen Phillips told me in his song. It’s about turning a closed Fred Meyer building into housing during a bad economy. Lyrics are here: http://www.endor.org/glen/lyrics.asp (the last two albums on the page both have it).
Posted by: knitopia
A great novel can be cultured in the algar of a love of office supplies. Known fact. And every attempt to write for the next four years, product aside, is weight-training for the day you actually have time again. You set a good example.
Posted by: rams
The book I’m writing now, I tried to freewrite, but that doesn’t work for me. (It does work for my short stories, though.) I’ve tried reading those how-to books offered by writer’s digest, but they just overwhelm me and prevent me from writing. What’s working for me right now is a separate notebook for “planning,” which means just jotting things down as they pop in my head about the characters, the plot, whatever. It’s more organized than freewriting, but is nowhere near having a bulletin board (which is a good idea, btw).
I really enjoyed reading this post. It’s nice to see how another writer does it. Thanks!
Posted by: Anna
I agree with Anna–great post. I’m in the throes of revising my MFA dissertation project, but I’m not living near my university anymore, so I miss craft talk sometimes. I mean, I still chat with my writing pals on the phone, and I have one writing friend in Northampton, but still…as I’m still refining my process, it’s nice to hear about yours. Thanks!
Posted by: beverly
I don’t just remember it, I still listen to it! I laugh every time.
Posted by: Marlena
Hee, Dead Kennedeys.
I love reading your writing posts. I find the whole experience just fascinating. (And hey, when can I read your first novel? 🙂
Posted by: Amy
This was an interesting post for me to read for several reasons. 1) Because I am settling down to do MFA applications, which means getting my novel excerpt into some kind of shape (and may mean scrapping what I have and rewriting it entirely); 2) Because I have almost never talked to other writers about their process, and I find it reassuring to read that you find outlines constricting, too; 3) Because I always buy blank index cards (and I use them for everything, from grocery lists to work notes to reminders to myself to scraps of poetry); 4) Because I find the constraints of doing a historical novel interesting; and 5) Well, I just like reading about how your new life is rolling itself out.
Posted by: Lizbon
Oooo…colored index cards!
It took two years after getting my MFA to stop hearing the workshop voices each time I sat down to write. But thankfully that’s not an issue anymore. I know what you mean about outlines though–perhaps consider free writing three stories from the three points-of-view and then going back to find the common historical points?
Non-fiction that’s non-linear is a great thing.
I’m so impressed that you even find time to write AND YOU HAVE A BABY!!! I don’t have any baby, not one, and I still have trouble just sitting down and doing it. But that’s probably just writer’s block (writer’s blog?…)
Posted by: nstssj
What a neat idea to use different colored notecards for a timeline. I am a visual person so that sounds really brilliant to me.
Posted by: Knittripps
Hee, Dead Kennedeys.
I love reading your writing posts. I find the whole experience just fascinating. (And hey, when can I read your first novel? 🙂
Posted by: Amy
This was an interesting post for me to read for several reasons. 1) Because I am settling down to do MFA applications, which means getting my novel excerpt into some kind of shape (and may mean scrapping what I have and rewriting it entirely); 2) Because I have almost never talked to other writers about their process, and I find it reassuring to read that you find outlines constricting, too; 3) Because I always buy blank index cards (and I use them for everything, from grocery lists to work notes to reminders to myself to scraps of poetry); 4) Because I find the constraints of doing a historical novel interesting; and 5) Well, I just like reading about how your new life is rolling itself out.
Posted by: Lizbon
Oooo…colored index cards!
It took two years after getting my MFA to stop hearing the workshop voices each time I sat down to write. But thankfully that’s not an issue anymore. I know what you mean about outlines though–perhaps consider free writing three stories from the three points-of-view and then going back to find the common historical points?
Non-fiction that’s non-linear is a great thing.
I’m so impressed that you even find time to write AND YOU HAVE A BABY!!! I don’t have any baby, not one, and I still have trouble just sitting down and doing it. But that’s probably just writer’s block (writer’s blog?…)
Posted by: nstssj
What a neat idea to use different colored notecards for a timeline. I am a visual person so that sounds really brilliant to me.
Posted by: Knittripps