Different Strokes for Different Folks

Every writer has his or her own preferences when it comes to their personal writing process, and I think most would agree that one size does not fit all. My own writing process has evolved over the course of several years, and one of the issues I struggled with at length was whether to write my novel drafts using longhand or using a word processor. In this article I’ll explain which approach I ultimately chose and why I made that choice.

A number of years ago, I visited the website of one of my favorite authors and was thrilled to find an article he had posted about his writing process. When I learned that he wrote out his novels longhand and then had someone transcribe them, I was stunned. I couldn’t believe that in this day and age of computing someone would take such an archaic…circa early 1970s…approach to writing. That explained, at least in my own mind, why this very popular author only produced one book every year or two.

At the time I was just getting started in fiction writing, and my approach was to use the computer for jotting down notes, documenting scene summaries, and then drafting and refining the actual story text. My problem was, while I always started out this way, I would get bogged down very quickly. I chalked this up to the fact that writing was hard and that’s just the way it was supposed to be. I also discovered that I made better progress by scribbling on pen and paper, and I was drawn strongly in that direction. Every time I drifted back to the keyboard approach it was ultimately abandoned in favor of longhand. And this really bothered me. It bothered me a lot. Being a computer professional by training I was certainly not technophobic, and I could touch type at a decent clip. Oh, the guilt. What was wrong with me? How come other writers could bang merrily away on their keyboards, but I couldn’t? I didn’t know why, but I just didn’t find it a natural or effective way to work. It felt too linear and confining. For some unknown reason, I preferred to consume stacks of yellow pads, trying to decipher my scribbled handwriting and margin notes, following swooping arrows that encircled paragraphs destined to be inserted in various places in the twenty-or-so pages I had handwritten. But…it worked. At least for me it did.

Then one day I figured it out. I did some research and learned a bit about how the human brain works. It turns out that when we write things out longhand, and when we write using a keyboard, different areas of the brain are stimulated. When we write longhand, more of the creative areas of our brain come into play, and we are better able to think in terms of phrases, ideas, and concepts. When we use a keyboard, we tend to think more in terms of individual characters and words and less in terms of the bigger picture. Once I learned this, the guilt and frustration immediately disappeared, and I no longer had any problem pulling out a yellow pad and letting the creative me get down to work.

Of course, I haven’t abandoned my trusty computer. Now, I write out each scene in the book longhand, a couple of scenes at a time. I then crank up my word processor and begin typing and editing as I go. When I’m finished I give everything a once-over, apply any needed edits, and I’m ready to submit to my critique group.

Understanding why I prefer the stroke of a pen to the click of a keyboard helped make me a more productive, and happier, writer. Will the same approach work for every writer? It probably won’t. Like the title of this article says…different strokes for different folks.

~ Joe Demasco

"You've Got Mail"

In my email in box the other day was the following message from the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime: “Congratulations! The Chesapeake Crimes editorial committee has selected your story to be included in the fifth volume of the Chesapeake Crimes series, expected to be called Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder!”;

What can I say? I am truly honored to have one of my recent short stories, “Deadrise,” selected for publication along with more than a dozen other Chessie Chapter members, including some well-known and very talented published authors.

Here's a teaser: When an investigative reporter gets in over his head while trying to get the goods on drug smugglers in the Chesapeake Bay, he gets some welcome assistance from a very attractive game warden...I mean a very attractive  Maryland Natural Resources Police officer. (You'll just have to get the book to find out more.)

And while I’m getting all swell-headed and feeling like I just won the lottery, I must credit my comrades in the Rockville Writers’ Group for their support and their invaluable constructive criticism that helped make “Deadrise” even better than I had hoped. (I warned that I would blame them if the story got rejected. And looks like they dodged a bullet this time.)

So, here’s the scoop:

The coordinating editors and editorial committee of Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder are pleased to announce that the following authors' stories have been chosen for inclusion in this anthology, the fifth in the Chesapeake Crimes series:

Donna Andrews  –  Mean Girls
David Autry        –  Deadrise
Jill M. Breslau    –  Murder by Mediation
Karen Cantwell   –  Next Stop
Leone Ciporin     –  A Grain of Truth
E.B. Davis          –   Lucky in Death
Barb Goffman    –   The Lord Is My Shamus
Ellen Herbert      –  To Adjuncts Everywhere
Smita H. Jain      –  An Education in Murder
C. Ellett Logan   –  Alligator Is for Shoes
Shari Randall      –  The Objective Case
Harriette Sackler –  The Factory
Art Taylor           –  When Duty Calls
Cathy Wiley        –  Miked for Murder

Our publisher, Wildside Press, expects this book to be released in the spring of 2012.

Be sure to check back frequently for updates and information on how you can get your very own copy of This Job Is Murder!

- Dave Autry

A visit from Justin Kramon

On Saturday, October 23, the Rockville Writers’ Group had a special guest. Justin Kramon visited us and talked about his novel, Finny. He gave us much good advice about the craft and the writing process as he described his story. It was a delight to hear him talk about how he wrote his novel and the fact that he used humor and even exaggerated the humor to tell some of his story. He talked in particular about the undertakers which I personally found to be funny.

It was a marvel for me to listen to Justin talk about the characters in his book with ease and confidence. One special point he made was that he said he wanted to write something that speaks to people and Finny certainly does. He suggested that we should know the structure of our story; his is divided into three books. His comment encouraged me to go back and look at the structure of my novel and more importantly, realize what it is.

As he talked about his characters and the creation of them, they felt more like “real people” to me and listening to him made me want to see my characters like he does his. He suggested that you think about what your character would be doing on a specific day at a specific time outside the story as a way to know who your characters are. Justin’s secondary characters are very strong and memorable. He pointed out that since they, too are important, that they should have traits that carry them through the story. Certainly, for me, in his story there are three characters that have made a lasting impression with me.

The other members of the group were equally impressed with the visit as is evident by their comments:

Justin’s insights into the writer’s craft were both informative and inspirational. Writers know how much hard work goes into a project on the front end, but Justin noted that working with an editor and the pre-publication process make their own demands on the author. Nevertheless, he said, the end result in his case was an even better book. He said authors need to be open to suggestions and embrace those that improve the work but stick to your guns if they don’t.

-Dave Autry

Justin’s youth belies his tenacity. One imagines his generation as a group of coddled brats who believe the world should be handed to them without any work or integrity. Justin proved to me what a misconception that is. He worked hard to get his book published and continues to push in order to find more readers. I found that inspiring. The one thing I found most interesting was how he kept a card catalogue of his characters so he could remember them down to the last detail. He even went so far as to imagine what one of his characters would have to say during a recent conversation he recently had. He brought his work to life through determination, imagination, and insight.

-Rion Haley

It was great to have Justin Kramon visit our writer's group and very interesting to hear him talk about the craft of writing. According to Justin:

• The main goal of writing is to be able to bring yourself into the world.
• Try to have one major event in each chapter.
• Primary and secondary characters are handled differently but the secondary characters should be easily identifiable. Personal tics can aid with this. In Finny, Justin uses narcolepsy and hyper-cleanliness to help define two of his more memorable characters.

He recommended that writers keep a file on each character full of notes about them and I've started doing that with my own characters. Characters are the bread and butter of the story, the reason readers turn the page is to see what happens to them. Finny is full of memorable characters Plot is the background that characters act against. You set up a protagonist that wants something and then you throw obstacles in their way. One of the things you must always consider is; what is essential to get to the end? He considers finny a 'coming of age' story and it certainly is.

-Joe Radko

To summarize, Justin’s visit was unforgettable. He is very personable and his personality is depicted in his story. We thoroughly enjoyed his visit and hope that he gets an opportunity to visit other groups and share his secrets with them as well.

~Judy Kelly

A Year of Learning to Write

About ten years ago, I decided to take my writing seriously. I thought about the fact that even though I called myself a writer, a novelist, really, I did very little about writing. So, I set out to create an elaborate plan detailing what I would write, and when. Even though the form I created was more complex than the writing itself, I felt good; I was off and ready. But, as time would tell, it was one of those complicated promises that I found myself in the habit of making, and due to the complexity of the plan, the effort would fall by the wayside. So, too did this plan. However, over the years, I looked at my plan from time to time, actually finished a screenplay or two and even a novel. But, I was still unhappy about myself as a writer. I didn’t feel like a “real writer.” 

I tried to assess why writing was so hard and concluded that I didn’t have a writing time established for myself which was a huge source of frustration. I just did what I could when I could. With a full-time job as a teacher and a part-time job as a professor, it was very knotty to find the time to write because much of the paper correcting and lesson planning was done at home. I thought about the plan and how long I had been struggling with my faulty process and I knew I wanted to do something before the ten year mark ended. Doing that would make me feel like I didn’t throw away a decade of my life pretending to be a writer. I assured myself that I would participate in the next conference that was mailed to me. Two days after I made that promise, the Antioch Writers’ Conference brochure appeared in the mail.

During the 2009 Antioch Writers’ Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio, while I was sitting in the fiction session listening to Zakes Mda impart a myriad of techniques and strategies it occurred to me to take two strategies and implement them in my writing.  I knew which two, starred them, even asked questions for clarification. After I left the workshop, I did as I’d promised myself. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was making progress in writing. The two concepts made a huge difference in my stories and I saw that when I received the feedback from my writers’ group.

The next conference was in February, when I attended the Bay to Ocean Writers’ Conference by the Eastern Shore Association, a one day seminar. This conference focused more on the craft of writing. Many sessions were a review of concepts and methods that I had already learned, or should I say, with what I was familiar, but it is helpful to be reminded. Still, I decided to implement two more strategies. Thus far, I had made an effort to include four new methods that I would consciously apply to my writing. By making this a conscious effort, I found that I was eager to write and somehow, I found the time.

In June, I attended the Gettysburg Conference at the Gettysburg College. I was placed in Lee Abbott’s morning fiction session. Each morning two attendees had their work critiqued for one hour each. I found this to be extremely helpful. I loved this conference because we all seemed dedicated to the idea that we needed to help each other enhance what we had submitted rather than try to change the story to something else or give our opinions. I learned that it is easier for me to accept a critique that seems focused on what I submitted. At this conference I vowed, again to take two concepts to apply to my writing. With Lee Abbott it is very challenging to take only two things because he gave us a wealth of information and I found myself frantically writing everything he said.  So, at this point I have applied six techniques to my writing.

In July I went back to the Antioch Writers’ Workshop to round out the year and again took away two new concepts. One was a set of revision tools that Crystal Wilkinson gave to us in the morning fiction session. I always love the Antioch Writers’ Conference because it is small and because I get introduced to so many authors.

Now, that I have begun to add the last two strategies from Antioch to the repertoire of strategies, I can look back over the year and see how things have shaped up for me. Using my new method of implementing these eight strategies has caused me to look closer to my writing and I have a better feel for the direction of the story and the motivation of the characters. It has caused me to pay better attention to dialogue and setting. I believe I have much better openings and realize how I can show the direction of the story in the opening. I also understand about the promises that I have made to the reader and try to make sure that I carry out those promises throughout the story. I can say that writing more often and consciously applying the techniques and methods that I have received from these workshops has greatly improved my writing. And I feel like some part of those almost ten years had some value.

~Judy Kelly