8.5.14 - On Showing Up

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I read a great article this morning by Leo Babuta called “Making Yourself Work.” It's an excellent piece, and I highly recommend reading it. For the crib notes, Leo makes a point I’m sure you’ve heard before: Showing up is the most important part of getting your work done.

But we’re creatives, you say. We work for ourselves, at our own pace. We have freedom! We decide whether to open our manuscript or go have lunch with friends. Our boss isn’t going to chuck us out the door for not showing up. We’re just creating stories for our readers, or music for an unseen audience, or paintings for future clients. We don’t have to punch a clock. That's why we got into this racket.

We have such a delicate faith in ourselves. If we build it, you will come. So there’s no need to really push ourselves. We’ll get it done. Someday. 

Right?

Wrong. Like in any other profession, if creatives don’t show up for work, we do get fired. And being fired by your Muse is a pretty shitty thing to have happen.

This is why I preach discipline. Creativity is a muscle that gets stronger and more defined the more you work it. You have to touch the manuscript (painting, song, lyric, blog, etc.) you’re working on every day. I think this is the most important part of being a creative. 

If you can’t write new words, you need to edit. If you can’t edit, start at the beginning, and read. Renumber your chapters. Change the font. Count the words. Eventually, things will click, and the words will pour onto the page.

But if you write one day, then walk away, the muscles atrophy. And it gets harder and harder to call the Muse down on your terms. When you start working to hers? You’re screwed, because she can be very flirty.

At least, mine can. I too need this reminder. The new Sam book is starting to shape up, and I have been working hard on it. I’m in the last big stretch, the last 25K, and I hit a stumbling block today. 

I started a scene at 11:30. At 12:30, I broke for lunch, having only written 100 words. At 1:30, I had 200, and was lost. I didn’t know why in the hell the scene was here. But something told me it was important. I’ve been doing this long enough to trust my Muse when she starts something.

All afternoon, it went like this. Me staring at the page. Not knowing what I was doing. I went back a few chapters, editing forward. Still nothing. Had a chat with my agent. Still nothing. Decided to call it a day with 300 words, very disappointed. And as I was closing the manuscript, boom. It hit me. I looked back over those meager 300 words, and saw where my subconscious was going. It is a HUGE golden thread that allows me to answer an entire subplot’s critical question, and might just be the last puzzle piece I’ve been looking for.

If I hadn’t read Leo’s blog this morning, I might have given up earlier this afternoon, when I wasn’t feeling it. But I kept after it, and something magical happened. I finished with only 1000 words, but what would have happened if I'd given up? 

Showing up is 9/10th of the battle. I love proving it to myself. Prove it to yourself, too.

Write hard, my friends.

While I was struggling this morning, I added a new page to my website with some live interviews and podcast links. Check it out!

7.31.14 - On A Great Writing Top Ten

7.30.14 - On Dancing, and Conferences, and Newbies, Oh My

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Home from RWA (and a brief two-day birthday interlude for Randy,) and I feel like I’ve been gone for weeks. The cats were happy to see us, the house was still standing, and I have to get back to work on the book, which is now expected in Toronto on September 1, its original submission date. 

I met my editor in San Antonio. I’ve been working with her for a while now, but we’d never had a chance to meet face-to-face, and it was an absolute joy. In addition to all the personal anecdotes and cat picture sharing, we spent some time on the story. I’ve mentioned before I’ve never shared a book that wasn’t the best I could make it with an editor before, and this has been hard for me, to let her see the warts and wrinkles. But she’s a pro, and she asked some great questions, especially of one component of the book, which is going to allow the next book in the series to be a full-on sequel to this one.

Were those groans I heard? A sequel? Well, yes. There’s a storyline in this book, a small thread, that is going to explode into its very own novel. I’ve never written two books back to back that were tied together, and I’m actually quite excited about playing with the structure and the story. It’s a delicate balance — no matter what, the books need to stand alone, but similar to my books in the Taylor series 14 and SO CLOSE THE HAND OF DEATH, the stories will have a sequential component. 

And there will be more surprises in that next book as well that will make everyone very very happy, so … trust me. 

Back to RWA - a very optimistic conference, full of new writers and established ones. I counted four generations of writers in attendance. From the Catherine Coulter and Nora Roberts generation to the Heather Graham and Erica Spindler generation to me and Allison Brennan’s cohort and then the newbies just coming in. There’s probably seven, really, if you segment out by numbers of books — the 100+ers to the 70s to the 50s to the 30s to the 20s to the 10s to the debuts — but I’m more comfortable looking at influencers. It was amazing to sit at the literacy signing next to these literary romance giants, and to rub shoulders with the new kids on the block. It was so fun to be a little more established and to see the excitement and nerves of the new generation. I still get major nerves at these events — can I just tell you, I touched Nora Roberts! — so it was nice to see people more nervous than I felt. 

My favorite newbie was L.R. Nicolello, whose first novel DEAD DON’T LIE comes out in September. I love finding members of my tribe, and she and I totally clicked. She’s going to be a big rock star. So check her out. 

Spent some real quality time with besties Erica Spindler and Allison Brennan and Alethea Kontis, plus a bunch of other great friends. We ate everything - from TexMex to French fusion to Italian (heavy on the Italian) and walked the River Walk daily. Even in the heat, it was a nice retreat. 

And people, I danced. I never dance. I always hang back and watch everyone throwing themselves around and enjoy the show, but Friday night at the Harlequin party, someone (I think her name was Catherine) drew me onto the dance floor, and the next thing I knew, we danced all night. It was one of the most fun evenings I've had at a conference, ever. Harlequin knows how to throw a party, and despite the fact I was dancing in front of my bosses, I threw caution to the wind and let it fly. And it was so fun! And wow, why haven't I done that before?

I'm off to score some more words for today. But tell me - when's the last time you danced??? 

7.18.14 - On A Mid-Year Gut Check

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Wrote 747 today - worked at the coffee house this morning with some delightful writer friends, got a facial, then couldn’t get back into it. Did a little, but not much. I was distracted by prep for RWA next week, and trying to get everything in order. Clothes are set out for the most part, shoe decisions have been made. I did get the itineraries printed, so that’s all set. I’m scheduled from here to eternity with breakfasts and lunches and dinners and cocktails and workshops and signings. The week will go by very, very fast. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and making new, and hanging with Catherine - who, by the way, is #2 on the New York Times list this week with her new Savich and Sherlock - POWER PLAY! I am so excited for her!

So since the fiction wasn't flowing, here I am. I decided to do a mid-year gut check on my writing goals. As of today, July 18th, I’ve written 161,725 words, averaging 813 a day. We have 166 days left, so if this average continues, I’m on track for another 135,000, which would put me at  296,000, plus or minus. Which would be 196,000 OVER my goal for the year. 

Last year I wrote 270,000 fiction words, and felt stressed throughout the year. I’m no less stressed, especially at the moment, with the looming deadline and a book that’s only halfway to where it should be by now, but the pace isn’t feeling as strained and desperate as last year. Which means I’m more organic — in other words, inspired — and that’s a good thing.

I had one of my favorites on the blog yesterday - check out my 7 Minutes With... interview with Jeff Abbott here. And have a lovely, fun-filled, good book weekend! Think of me toiling away whilst you play. Snif.

7 Minutes With... Jeff Abbott

I'm so delighted to have my friend Jeff Abbott on the blog today! I have been a huge fan of his for years, starting with his novel PANIC, which I picked up and read because Harlan Coben called it one of the best novels of the year, and he was absolutely right. I was blown away, and immediately began gobbling up all the books I could find with Abbott's name on the spine.

And then, as life has its strange little quirks, we met at a conference in Omaha, where I went all sorts of fan girl all over him. Wine was drunk, bread was broken, alliances formed, and lo and behold, we became friends. Jeff is one of the most talented writers working today, and his books just keep getting better and better. I'm in utter awe of him, and am so blessed to be able to call him my friend. He's one of the good guys. (And he totally looks like a spy. Totally.)

OK, enough of my gushing. You need to read him. STAT. INSIDE MAN is his brand new Sam Capra thriller. Get it. Right now. Go, go, go.

Done? OK. Let's get started, shall we?  

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

The melancholy, spacey song “Twilight Zone” by Dr. John, from his Babylon album from 1969. I admire his career longevity. 

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

The fifth Sam Capra novel. Sam Capra is a former CIA agent who owns bars around the world, and continually finds himself drawn into the dark, shadowy world of international crime. Sam is very much a guy who comes to the aid of those in need. He’s tough and smart, but he’s also rather young—in his mid-twenties—and he isn’t quite as experienced as he thinks he is.

 What’s your latest book about?

INSIDE MAN is the fourth Sam Capra novel, where Sam goes undercover into a criminal family in order to find out the truth behind a friend’s death. Shakespeare’s King Lear was a clear influence on this story: the leader of the family is dividing his business empire between his three very different children, and if Sam makes one wrong move, he’s dead. Of course nothing goes as he plans—and nothing about this family is as it seems. I wanted to write a big international intrigue story that was wrapped up inside a big family drama. I hope I succeeded. INSIDE MAN was an Oprah, the O Magazine pick for its summer reading list. 

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I write in my home office. I write the first draft in Scrivener, and subsequent drafts in Microsoft Word. When I want to be away from the office, I write on an Alphasmart Neo, which is a text processor with no web functions. I get more done unplugged. I keep all my notes on paper, in a Clairefontaine notebook.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME. 

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Finish what you start. You can’t keep going back and rewriting what you have. You cannot edit a blank page. So stop rewriting your partial manuscript (people seem to do this a lot, at those who ask me for advice), and finish that first draft. You will have a much better idea of what rewriting needs to happen if you’re working with a complete manuscript.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Go for a walk or a swim. Read a favorite classic story. Play with my dogs. If I am quiet soon enough the words will come back.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Being a good father and husband, and for being a writer who delivered an entertaining and thoughtful read.

_______________

Jeff Abbott is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of many mystery and suspense novels. He has been called “one of the best thriller writers in the business” (Washington Post). His novels have been called “compulsively readable” (Chicago Sun Times), “outstanding. . .genuinely moving” and “fresh, original… intricately woven” (Publishers Weekly), “nail-bitingly suspenseful and totally original” (Irish Independent), and “extremely compelling” (Associated Press). He is published in many languages and has been a bestseller in the US, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, Portugal, and other countries.

His novel Adrenaline was a Summer Great Reads choice by both The Today Show and Good Morning America. Jeff is a winner of the Thriller Award (for The Last Minute) and was nominated for the Thriller Award forPanic. He is a three-time nominee for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award and a two-time nominee for the Anthony Award. Jeff’s first novel, Do Unto Others, won both the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award.

His novels Adrenaline, Panic, and Collision have been optioned for film and are in script development.

Jeff graduated from Rice University with a degree in History and English. He lives in Austin with his wife and two sons.

More about INSIDE MAN (July 1, 201):

Sam Capra’s friend Steve has been murdered, shot dead in the rain outside of his Miami bar. The only lead: a mysterious, beautiful stranger Steve tried to protect. To avenge his friend, Sam goes undercover into the Varelas, one of Miami’s most prominent and dangerous families.

Now on the inside, playing a part where one wrong move means death, Sam faces a powerful, unstable tycoon intent on dividing his business empire between his three very different children, who each may hold murderous secrets of their own.

Sam is relentlessly drawn into this family’s intense drama, amplifying painful echoes of his own shattered relationships as a son, brother, father, and husband. And just when he thinks he understands why the family is self-destructing, he discovers a lethal secret so shocking that the Varelas cannot let him walk away alive . .