Tips for Becoming an Early Riser

First and foremost, wishing you guys a safe and happy Memorial Day!

This past winter, I went through a phase of waking up at 5AM to write. Also, during my last round of revisions, I was wide awake and at my desk by 4AM. The only way I get true alone time is when I'm awake before the birds or when I stay up half the night.

Lately, I’ve turned into a night owl. The idea of waking up that early again causes me physical pain, y'all. There is not an UGH loud enough to express my displeasure for that 5AM on my alarm. But the late nights are harsh when my kid averages a 6AM wake-up, so I’m working my way back into early-riser status. And in case any of you guys may be considering the early wake-up, I figured I’d pass along a few tips for easing into it.

- Go to bed earlier. The obvious one, right? Except it’s not always so easy. I would suggest cutting out electronics at least an hour before bed (eReaders, computers, even your phone). Caffeine can also keep you wide awake (well, duh). My personal rule is no caffeine after 3PM (which means farewell to my 5PM coffee breaks).

- Set your clothes out the night before. Also, shower at night if you’re able.

- Prepare your breakfast the night before. Your body needs good food to function properly (another farewell to my beloved Pop-Tarts and Lucky Charms). You can whip up a bowl of overnight oats (plain oats that soak in almond milk overnight) to grab on the way to your desk. Whole-wheat muffins are another favorite. Pair it with an apple and glass of water (and COFFEE), and your brain will thank you. I promise.

- Coffee’s the nectar of the gods, but DRINK WATER too. Hydration doesn’t just make you feel better – your brain truly needs it. It’s science.

- Have something happy at your desk/writing space. I have a patch of inspirational quotes posted above my computer. I drink from cute cups and coffee mugs because life needs a little bit of sparkle. I also turn on my writing playlist because music is one of the greatest motivators ever. A fun spot makes work more enjoyable.

- Along with the music: DANCE PARTIES. Find a 4-minute song and dance your heart out. If that doesn’t wake you up, I don’t know what will. Also, celebrate the small victories with a quick dance party! This method is Revision Warriors-approved.

- When all else fails, and what I'll be doing for a few days: Fake it 'til you make it.

Writers on the GO: Mini Task Lists

Stay Connected All Day to Your WIP

Last week on RW, Cheryl dropped a bomb-load of time management technique on us. Author or illustrator—it’s good stuff.  Check it out, I’ll wait.   

*whistles Stairway to Heaven*

So, while you’re downloading the LibriVox app Cheryl recommended, I’d like to expound on another one of her points: Make the Most of Small Chunks of Time.

 

It’s tough trying to launch a writing career while remaining a functioning member of society. Day jobs, commuting, shuttling kids, appointments, eating balanced meals… it never ends. To combat the eternal onslaught of commitments, I’ve started the Mini Task List. 

 These are little jobs I can work on away from my precious, precious computer desk. I throw this little notepad in my purse  cool satchel  backpack the diaper bag and off I go. And yes, I have to write things down. Just looking at that little notepad helps me focus.

I thought I’d share a typical list of mine.  Pretty self-explanatory, but if you’re curious:

First order of business: Check Danielle’s twitter. My agent, Danielle M. Smith of Red Fox, is a twitter guru. She shares things like agency news, book recs and reviews, insightful articles—it keeps me in the loop. I can do this while waiting for kinder-kid at school pick-up. This is an instance where my Smartphone is actually used as a tool, not a time-sucking gadget of doom.

Second: Google Image Search Snake Dens. Ah, research. I need to know about snake dens for a scene I’m writing. Do snake dens have a bunch of rooms, or is there just one chamber? Who knows? Smartphones and tablets make researching possible just about anywhere, even my dentist’s office.

  

Third: Write descriptive sentence for dipping toe in water.  This is a definite mini-task. I need this description in one of my chapters, but it was hanging me up the other day. So, while Kinder-kid is in dance class, I can (hopefully) jot down a few better words.

The Mini-Task List keeps me connected to my WIP all day, and when you’re being pulled in a dozen different directions, that feeling is priceless.

Make Time To Do What You Love

We all get the same 24 hours a day. We mark the passing seconds, minutes, and hours almost obsessively. Seriously, take a second to think about how many clocks you have in your house—wall clocks, watches, phones, computers, oven, microwave, alarm clocks. There’s a clock in your car, there are electronic roadside signs displaying the time. It’s craziness!

So why it is so hard to accomplish everything you NEED to do and everything you WANT to do each day? “Time got away from me” is a favorite saying of mine, but how can time escape my attention when I'm constantly reminded of it? Why do I feel like there is never enough time for me to WRITE?

“I must govern the clock, 

not be governed by it.” 

~ Golda Meir

You only get one life. Shouldn’t the majority of it be spent doing the things you love? Here are a few things I do in hopes of making that happen.

Audiobooks

LibriVox  provides free audiobooks from the public domain that read by volunteers. How great is that?! Many classic books are available for download in several different formats; I have the app on my iphone, and I’ve listened to Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice during my commute to the day job. These are two books I’ve wanted to read for like… ever, and LibriVox made it possible. For free. And you can’t beat free, right?

I also subscribe to Audible and pay a monthly fee of $14.99, which gives me 1 credit every 30 days to download a current title. As much as I love physical books, I wouldn’t get to enjoy as many stories as I do if it weren’t for Audible. Now I listen to books while I’m cleaning the house, doing dishes, cooking dinner, driving to work, etc. 

“Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away.”

~ Charles Caleb Colton

Make use of the small blocks of time

There was a time, not so long ago, that I didn’t realize what I could accomplish during those 10 minute breaks I had at work, or the time I spent waiting during my son’s karate class. Now, during my breaks (thanks again to my iPhone) I read blogs, check emails, jot down ideas, and check my twitter & Facebook.

I have 45 minutes twice a week during my son’s karate class. That’s an hour and half a week, folks! When I was editing my WIP prior to querying, I sent a copy of it to my Kindle app so I could read and catch errors while sitting in the waiting area. Now I use it to brainstorm new story ideas.

“For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work.”

~ Doug Larson

Put yourself first 

This is a big one, and it can be a toughie because we’re so used to making sure everyone else is taken care of before our own needs are met.  All you moms and dads with kids out there know EXACTLY what I mean.

Sometimes it’s okay to say NO to stuff.  No, this weekend the sleepover isn’t going to be at our house. No, this time you need to ask your friend’s parent for a ride to the mall. It really isn’t selfish to not do everything all the time. There must be some balance. Embrace it. Love it. Live it.

Treat writing like a job  

Even if you’re not paid to do it. My husband laughed at me the first time I told him that I work two jobs. He wasn’t trying to be mean or insensitive. He just didn’t get it at first. But when I began to take it seriously, he did too. Now, he respects the time I set aside for writing. But it had to start with me. Others won’t take you seriously if don’t give them a reason to.

Fact: writing is my second job. For now. One day, I hope will be my primary job. Why wouldn’t I treat it just as seriously as anything else I do?  Why should the thing I want most come second to everything else?  

Make a schedule if that works for you, but whatever you do, make it a priority. Don’t treat writing as something that can be pushed off to the side. 

 “Work is hard.

Distractions are plentiful.

And time is short.”

 ~ Adam Hochshild

I guess what it comes down to is that time isn’t going to find us; we have to make the time.  This may mean sacrifice, like watching less television or playing fewer video games (man, I love video games). Sometimes it means getting creative and finding ways to kill two birds with one stone, like listening to audiobooks while driving to the day job. 

In the end, we all choose what’s important to us and ultimately what we make time for.  Every time I choose to do something else over my writing, I ask myself if what I’m doing is more important.  Sometimes the answer is yes, but many times it’s no. Those are the times when I need to force my BICHOK (but in chair, hands on keyboard). 

Are the 24 hours we get each day enough for you?  Please share any tips you have to stretch the time and fit it all in.

Fast and Easy Edits

I'll be querying soon! YAY! Before I send out my manuscript, I'm going through it one more time to search for a couple of things. Here's the short list:

Overused words:

so, was, just, even, ever, then, really, had, and THAT.

Also, check out Rachel's post on crutch words to find the overused words unique to your ms!

Tighten by cutting unnecessary words:

Shrug my shoulders = I shrug

His heart beat in his chest = His heart beat

She yelled out = She yelled

They could see the river = They saw the river

Revise clunky Sentences:

Too many actions-

Moving toward the door, she smiled, waved, and walked down the stairs, eating a donut. = After opening the door, she smiled and waved. She finished eating the donut on the way down the stairs.

Redundant descriptions-

Clearly, they were too busy to hear the shouts of screaming children echoing from the walls within the building. = No one noticed the children's screams coming from inside the building.

Pronoun confusion-

She nailed her to the wall but she fought back and her hair pins fell into her hands. = Abby nailed Clair to the wall. Clair fought the restraint, loosening her hair pins. Abby caught the pins as they fell.

Attach detached body parts:

I threw my hands around her. = I hugged her.
Her eyes roamed his body. = She looked him up and down.
She rolled her head. = She stretched her neck side to side.
His feet swiped the carpet. = He walked slowly.
Their arms flew in the air. = They raised their arms in unison.

Basically, anything were the extremities are not attached to the body. ;)

Deepen POV:

She felt hands on her arm = Hands touched her arm

He could feel the heat of her breath on his face = Her breath heated his face

*Watch for filtering words- felt, heard, saw, thought, wondered, knew.

Punctuation/spelling/grammar:

Im not a super, genius when it come to finding all the errors' but some are obvious." Its always good to has you're sentences at least end with a period?

*If you come across something you're not sure about check out Grammar girl. :)

What about you? Do you have quick checklist for editing?

Breathing Life Into Your Characters

When I think of my favorite books, what I remember before character or plot is how I felt after reading the author's words. I think that's probably the goal for every storyteller -- for their narrative to be powerful enough to evoke emotions. Whether it's anger or angst, cheerfulness or bitterness, love or hatred, these are the bumps in the road of life that make such a deep impression, we remember them. It seems to be equally true when we read about characters experiencing them.

I compare an amazing manuscript to a great cake recipe. Sugar and flour alone won't a cake make. Only the perfect ratio of voice, goals, rhythm, pacing, plot, with dashes of descriptions that cover our senses (touch, sight, smell, sound, taste) will result in a great manuscript -- or at least get us started on one.

Every writer has different methods they use to help strengthen their writing. People watching and interviewing characters from our books are two of the more popular ones. Personally, I find I'm always searching for new ways to show. We all know that one of writing's most basic rules is showing not telling. If we 'show' our Readers what we want to convey, we can provoke a mental picture in their mind. If they can 'see' what we are seeing, they will become more engaged in our story.

One thing I found helps me show emotions in different ways is taking notes while I watch TV. I'm all over Meredith Gray rolling her eyes at April (seriously?) or Cristina's deadpan stare (again, seriously?) or studying how Derek always rubs his face when he's apologizing. (Of course, studying Derek for any reason isn't quite work, is it?)

However, my absolute favorite to watch for note taking is SHREK. That lovable ogre emotes better than most people. It's literally all over his face. When he's angry his eyebrows knit together, perplexed -- one eyebrow will cock higher than the other or if he's surprised those eyebrows will shoot skyward. I can then take these physical reactions and apply them appropriately to my characters. 

So, what tricks do you use to bring your story to life?

photo credit: moriza via photopin cc

Good Enough, or Great?

Revising is tough work.

I recently turned in my second round of edits for PLAY ON. For three weeks, I worked seemingly non-stop—I was awake at 4am, and went to bed at midnight. My kid ate frozen pizza three nights a week. There was a four-day stretch during which I didn't change my PJ pants and my hair went unwashed (GLAMOROUS, I tell ya). It’s a wonder that my poor laptop didn’t burst into flames. But I finished, and that’s what important, right? Right. Just never mind that my house looked like someone burglarized the place.

Since I started the editorial process, I’ve had quite a few people (all non-writers) ask me why I’ve had to do so much work on this story. They asked, “Wasn’t it good enough? It wouldn’t be published if it wasn’t good enough, right?”

Well, yeah. It was a good story—a darn good one, if I say so myself. But what they don’t realize is that revisions are a book’s best friend. And honestly, I don’t want my book to be “good enough.” Revisions turn a good book into something great.

“But Michelle,” you’re saying, “you don’t understand how much work my book needs. I’m terrified of screwing it all up.”

On the contrary—I know that feeling very, very well. I was absolutely terrified of ruining my book. But my editor is amazing, and she has these equally amazing lines in her edit letters that are exactly what I need to read (and are actually posted above my computer). One of my favorites, and one I need to remind myself of constantly, is to really dig in, and don’t be afraid of what’s there. You can’t be afraid to be creative. And sometimes, that creativity may require drastic measures.

A character adds nothing to the plot? She may need cutting.

A precious line just doesn’t seem to fit? Slash it.

You have so many subplots that your book looks more like a soap opera synopsis? One of them may need to go. (If you're like I was, you may think that lots of little subplots add depth. Sometimes, perhaps. Most of the time, they weigh your story down.)

There's something you're dead-set on keeping? You absolutely refuse to let a character go, or you'll fight tooth and nail over a line? Then you better make that sucker work. Everything needs a purpose.

All this may sound easier said than done. Sometimes it is, but you need to be open to trying new things. If those things don’t work, delete them and try again. The key here is that you have to try.

What it comes down to is this: Do you want a good story, or a great one? If your answer is great, then take a long, hard look at your manuscript. Dig into your world, into your characters, and consider the potential there. Don’t be afraid of change—that change may make all the difference.

Conflict and Tension Tips

Last week I went through some notes I’d received from a beta reader. In one chapter, my reader highlighted an area and suggested ramping up the tension. I saw her point: that particular scene, with some adjusting, could have been seriously suspenseful. How could I get it there? I dove into my own recollection of conflict and tension tips, and did some poking around for new ones, too.  And, being a Revision Warrior, OF COURSE I wanted to share them here.

 

Less is More.

-     Dialogue: During a tense scene, abrupt dialogue with short—even incomplete—sentences is great for setting a hurried pace.

-     Action Scenes: Writing a scene with short sentences helps establish a quick tempo, which in turn builds tension.

-     Setting: Setting can play a huge role in establishing tension, but don’t get carried away on the adjectives. This, by the way, happens to be a trouble spot for me. Too much time spent describing the creepy stairwell takes the reader out of the moment.

Put your MC through the ringer.  What’s the one thing that could possibly break your MC’s spirit? What’s the one thing that absolutely can’t happen if the plan is going to work?  Consider making it happen. Make it personal. WHY would Situation A be devastating for your protagonist, in particular?

This can be hard. A brilliant lady from my writing group (Marlana Antifit) proposed that my MC face a betrayal, and even suggested who the betrayer should be.  I was not immediately on-board.  Not only would it be one of the worst kinds of betrayal, but the betrayer is a favorite character of mine.  But I couldn’t deny, it would add a layer of conflict I could play with for many chapters.  It could also help inspire readers to keep turning pages. So, as cringe-worthy as it was, I did it. 

Are your characters enthralling? Make sure your readers care what happens to your protagonist. Create characters so vivid, so intriguing that readers want to stay on this journey with them. They don’t all have to be likeable. In fact, who wants a perfectly perfect protagonist? But the reader should certainly want to see how your cast of characters react to whatever train wreck you throw them into.

The stand-by: Show don’t Tell.  While this is always a good rule, I think it doubly applies here.  When that climactic scene finally appears on the page, readers want to be in that moment.  Convey thoughts and feelings through action as much as possible.  

                As an example, instead of: “Feeling scared, she grabbed a knife from the drawer.” 

Maybe try, “Hand trembling, she opened the drawer and pulled a knife from the tray.”

Read a page-turner. It’s like taking a refresher course. One of my go-to reads is JULIE OF THE WOLVES by Jean Craighead George. 

  

It's a quick read and I’d recommend picking it up if you haven’t.  Here’s the gist of it:  A girl is lost in the tundra and her survival depends on learning to communicate with a pack of wolves. Yes, a pack of wolves.  I first read the story in the fifth grade.  I remember being terrified for Julie, yet also wanting to be her at the same time.  I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read it by now. 

Remember learning the literary concepts of conflict in grade school? JULIE OF THE WOLVES has it all, Man vs. Man, Nature, Self, Society... after I read JULIE, I always feel inspired.

Play up those chapter hooks.  In TV-speak we called this a “teaser”.  Always end your chapters with a suspenseful hook, a tidbit that will make diving into the next chapter irresistible. 

On that ever-challenging First Chapter...  In the opening pages, your protagonist should be doing something. The reader wants to get to know your main character, and what better way than by throwing them in the proverbial fire? By the end of a few famous opening chapters, we knew Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived and Katniss alluded to the horror of the Hunger Games. And Julie, from JULIE OF THE WOLVES? On page one she’s already lost in the Arctic Tundra, laying on her belly, staring at a pack of wolves. 

Do you have any go-to tips or great reads for tension? Please share!