Window Frame Painting for Writers

The wasp nest was taken care of and yesterday our new windows were installed. That left me painting the plain wood frames today. As the paint shop inexplicably closed at 1 pm yesterday I had to go today to get the paint. I wanted a flat white paint thick enough so I wouldn't have to do more than one coat.

Well, apparently that paint doesn't exist. I was told you can't get paint that thick and flat paint can't be wiped clean so it's not as good for indoors. So I got a white pearl (that's the glossiness not the colour) latex paint and a 2 inch brush.

I'd already taped the inside and outside of the windows to make things go faster today (which takes longer and is more annoying than you'd think). Now, as to the writer portion of this story. If you've got a character doing any house painting with a brush and you haven't done such painting recently, here are things to consider.

1) Painting around the window handle is difficult, even if you've taped the handle so it won't get mucked up. I wanted the streaks to go length wise down the frame, but the handle was so low that those parts were a royal pain.

2) The paint brush has a slight angle to it to make corners easier.

3) After holding the brush for 5-10 minutes you hand starts to cramp so you have to keep changing how you hold it (or change hands. And painting with your off hand's not as hard as you'd think, just don't plan on doing the finishing strokes with it).

4) Painting a window over a sink is painful. I basically had one foot on the ladder an the other alternated between kneeling, standing and sitting on the sink to reach different places and alleviate the pain from the awkward positioning.

5) Also, windows near cabinets make doing the sides of the frames difficult. I kept painting bits of cabinet by mistake, and wiping that paint off invariably took some of the frame paint (as there wasn't enough room to maneuver).

6) Wait a few hours for the paint to dry and then spot paint areas that don't look good.

7) Oh, and when you clean the brush, don't leave it sitting upright in water. Rinse it under running water and dry it flat.

I actually managed to cover the frames well enough that with a bit of spot painting I won't need to do a full second coat. Yay!

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers - Book Review

I did a proper review of this book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print, over at my Sci-fi fan letter blog, wherein I posted the table of contents and some of the basics about this book. Here, I thought I'd expound a bit on what I learned from reading it.

First off, the book is great. If you want to improve your writing go out and buy it (or borrow it from the library :) ). After finishing this book I came up with a significantly better opening for a book I'll need to reedit in the future. Not my current project, but it's nice to know that even an older project can be improved, and potentially edited to the point where it is more professional and saleable.

The first chapter deals with something all writers are familiar with: Show and Tell. What Renni Browne and Dave King do, however, is point out that a balance is required. Showing and telling are both important tools for a writer, provided you know how and when to use each one to improve your novel.

My favourite aspect of their book is the 'checklist' at the end of each chapter, point form notes of things you should examine your manuscript for in order to improve it. And these are not simply 'remove this' pieces of advice. They want you, the author, to understand what your doing in each paragraph, each word of dialogue, each word period, in order to make your story the best you can do.

Scheduling Writing Time

I wrote a post about this several months ago. Guess I should have listened to my own advice. I finally got around to doing up a basic schedule showing when I get up and when I have to have all my work done (when the hubby gets home). Then I wrote down the various chores I needed to do during the day and you know what? I realized if I get up late I can eat lunch late and my afternoon doesn't have to start at 12 like everyone else's. It can start at 1:30 or 2, or whenever I want it to. I have this idea that at 12 I need to have lunch and that's when more active chores should commence. But if I push that back, then my morning writing time doesn't vanish because I had too many emails to read through or because some chore *needs* to be done NOW. I can see (because it's all written out) that there's plenty of time. Indeed, if I waste less time on the internet there's more than enough time to write, read and do everything else that needs doing.

And so this morning I sat down to write and actually got some writing done. Not just editing, which is where I've been spending time lately (I've made some changes to major characters that needs some back editing in the segments already written in order to go forward). Today I found a few side scenes that needed to be written, and it's a lot of fun to be writing new scenes again. And I LIKE editing. I think I've been working on this novel much too long (over 3 years, though to be fair I spent 1 1/2 years of that writing a different novel).

Writing

Yesterday's determination to start writing daily stayed with me. So, this morning I sat myself down at my computer - and though a few things tried to distract me - I managed to stay in my chair and write/revise chapter 1 of my novel!

It's a great feeling, knowing I'm working towards my goals again! Here's to keeping up the good work! ^_^

Procrastinating Again

An author friend of mine recently recontacted me. She asked how writing was going and I wrote back all sorts of excuses as to why I wasn't writing. Good excuses. Logical excuses. But excuses all the same. It's time I buck up and start writing again.

So I took a walk. I used to walk everywhere in Toronto, and since I knew where I was going this gave my mind time to wander, to go over problems in my novel, work out plot points, characterization and even craft entire scenes. I lost that. First by getting a bicycle and then by getting an MP3 player. I lost my thinking/planning time. It's time to get that back. So I went for a walk. It was supposed to be a quick walk, from which I'd come back invigorated and ready to work. It turned into a 2 hour walk and I got back exhausted (but with 2 cheap but nice shirts!). Wow, procrastination strikes again.

I did buy a calendar which I intend to use the plastic holder for making a daily schedule. I've wanted to get back into this habit and it hasn't happened. The idea is to plan out your day, hour by hour to show that you have time to both write and get all the other work done you need to. Yes, it means less websurfing and doing all those things that make hours vanish. But writing happens - and that's the important thing because writing gives me a great sense of accomplishment and makes me happy the rest of the day. What I need to do now is find a good new writing time. Writing in the morning doesn't work for me anymore. I used to work at night but with my husband coming home then that won't work either. The late afternoon is when I tend to feel tired so... That's why I went to mornings. But somewhere in the day is enough time to write 100, 250, 1000 words. And I need to find and use that time.

So my new goal is to make a writing schedule. If I have to juggle things from day to day until I find the time that's best for my writing that's ok. So long as I get some writing done, every weekday, in the meantime. The only way to be a writer is to write!

Kristine Kathryn Rusch has a 'Freelancer's Guide', that I stumbled across today in which she has a lot of great information. I'd highly recommend the posts on discipline and priorities.

Her husband, Dean Wesley Smith, has some excellent posts about writing as well. Time, and how much is needed per day to write a novel if you want to get technical. And his post on setting goals.

Time management for writers

A few years ago I went to Ad Astra and heard what was probably the best writing advice for someone like me (by which I mean someone with a lot of time but also a lot of 'projects', housework, etc with which to occupy myself). That ideas was: planning your time.

The speaker showed how if you plan your week - writing down all the chores, work, your writing time and actually allotting time for other projects, you can see how much time you have and GET EVERYTHING DONE. I tried it when completing my chick lit. Up until then I had the idea that chores should be done first, while realizing that by the time my chores were done I was too tired to write and ended up reading and doing other things with the rest of my day. By scheduling chore time into the day I could see that I had the time to write - when I was most awake and excited - AND time to do chores and other things. As an 'achiever', someone who needs to check things off my to do list in order to feel like I'm accomplishing something, it made writing time something I could schedule in as a necessity rather than a hobby. It became work - and work to be done before all my other work. I also learned I didn't need to rush myself when writing. I could spend an hour or more before moving onto daily chores because THE TIME WAS THERE.

I've been trying to get back into the habit of scheduling my time again. Not only did I waste less of it by surfing the internet or watching TV, I also get a lot more writing done.

Writer's Block

I've always assumed that writer's block only referred to that time when you sit down at your computer and stare at the white page in front of you. You want to write. You just can't seem to get started.

But writer's block can also be that time when you have no motivation to write at all. When you feel that novel you want to write weighing on you. I read once that a project like a novel is so large that it takes your brain a while to accept that you're actually going to try it. Until it can accept that fact, it simply stares blankly at the screen, waiting for something to happen.

I recently went through a period of this. I think in some way it's a good thing. It clears your mind. Allows you to do other work that might distract you once you get the 'inspiration' you're looking for. I've noticed in my own writing there are times when I feel the NEED to write - when the story WANTS to be told and I have to work on that novel every day in order to get it out of my system and into the world. That's when I do my best writing. When I know where the story is going and how to get there. If I'm not in one of those 'phases' writing is a chore. It's dull and uninspired. It's boring - both to write and read. I've found it's best to wait out those 'dry' periods while my brain works itself around whatever issue with the story is causing problems and start writing when my brain clicks back into knowing what to do and how to do it.

In the mean time, there's lots of other things to keep me occupied.

Show Don't Tell

This is the advice given to most writers when it comes to, well, everything. Telling your audience that the protagonist likes to eat pizza on the weekend isn't as effective as having the person simply order the pizza and enjoy eating it while watching TV.

I just read a post by Paperback Writer, where she relates a story that happened to her in a restaurant. She'd recently had surgery and her eye was affected by it. Her waitress believed - due to the 'shown' information, that her husband had hit her and treated the couple accordingly. Paperback Writer concludes with the moniker that we need to be aware that our readers may not see our hints the way we intend, and that sometimes we need to tell to get the right message across.

This actually brings up a different question for me. How much of stereotypes, how much misinformation about people, races, cultures, religions is due to literature showing rather than telling? We've been trained to take a few pieces of often disjointed information and pull together a so called composite picture from that.

If you saw a woman, sitting with her back to the room at a restaurant, wearing sun glasses that - once removed - prove she's sporting a black eye, what conclusion would you jump to?

What about the black man standing in line behind you, one hand in his coat pocket, obviously covering something? Would your first thought be that he's holding his wallet because it's a bad neighbourhood? Or would you think it was a gun - because that's the stereotype we've been trained to assume is the truth?

How about the Muslim woman wearing the hajib. Do believe she's wearing it because her husband is forcing her to or because she's a pious woman who honestly prefers it?

And why are we too afraid and ashamed to ask and discover the truth?

I'll never forget reading Black Like Me by John Griffin. I shook my head at a lot of the racist slurs being perpetrated against the African American population as described in his book. Growing up in Canada, born after the civil rights movement ended, I had never heard these things before. Nor had I realized how many people believed such slurs to be the truth. Or how many people continue to perpetuate such insidious lies rather than discover - or accept - the truth. The truth that people are inherently all the same. We have the same needs: food, shelter, heat and love, the same wants: to provide for our families, be successful and find happiness.

Maybe we need to discover a better way of writing. One that doesn't require jumping to conclusions. Or perhaps we need to realize that jumping to conclusions about characters in a novel is harmless - while doing the same with real people can be devastating.

Back to the Drawing Board

Several years ago I started writing a fantasy prequel to a novel I'd completed. I took a break and wrote my chick lit because the romance was flowing and the fantasy was not. Once I'd finished the chick lit I thought it would be easy to get back into the fantasy. It was and it wasn't. I had the drive to write but the story just wouldn't budge. I wrote chapters - invented whole new scenes I hadn't planned on writing - but the actual story just wouldn't move forward.

So I decided it was a flawed idea and quit. Or thought that perhaps the idea was simply too big and I didn't have the skills to write such an epic story at this point in my career.

I've since come to the conclusion that I was too hasty in that pronouncement. The problem was: my timeline was simply too long. The chick lit took place within a few months. My previous fantasy was just over one month in duration - from the start of the novel until the end. This fantasy had the temerity of taking place over several years - years in which nothing happened. So there was a lot of detailed action, nothing and then more detailed action. I simply couldn't figure out how to make that 'nothing happened' realistic while at the same time explaining that, yes, of course stuff DID happen, it just wasn't important enough to write about.

The solution? Reduce the timeline. Why does this war have to take place over 8 years? Can't things progress faster while still showing the horrors of what war can do? Yes. It won't be a short timeline - it is a war after all - but it will be a timeline I can confidently write. This novel has too many good elements for me to simply toss it by the wayside. A few days to reconsider my outline, and then I can get to writing again!

Spelling

It's tough trying to get a foot in as an author when you're not the best speller. There's only so much help spell check can give. Sometimes the errors are simple typos. Sometimes they're not. The odd thing is, you can read quite well over the errors without (for the most part) losing the meaning. Yes, there are times when a letter seriously affects the meaning of the word, at which point you lose a lot of credibility, but it's amazing how much you can read with typos.

I read a chain email once that, using typos, explained that humans only need the first and last letters of a word to be correct for their brains to tell them the words, even if all the other letters are scrambled. Incredible. And yet, as impressive as our brains are, we like words spelled properly. It drives me nuts when I see posts using short forms that don't 'officially' exist. Or even non short forms, that just seem 'cool'.

And it's strange. When I read books (and other things) I hate finding typos. It feels like the person was being sloppy when, in fact, their eyes probably passed over the words, reading them as if they were spelled correctly. And it's so easy to miss letters and mistype them yourself. I find with my own work I often have to let it sit for a while and then print it out to find typos. If I edit on the computer I tend to read what I want the words to be rather than what they are.

In the writing business it's important to catch spelling mistakes before you post or submit work though. Editors look for any reason to disregard you, and bad spelling - even just one typo - seems to be a favourite reason to send work to the discard pile. It almost doesn't seem fair. Yet, from their point of view, if you have one typo you'll surely have more...

So, does anyone have tips on editing so that they can catch these tiny (or not so tiny) errors? Do you use spell check, beta readers, let the work rest for a while or some other tactics?

Calling It Quits

How do you know when to throw in the towel? I've been working on this particular manuscript (a prequel to a completed manuscript) for over 2 years now. Granted, one year of that time was spent writing my chick lit novel. And another half year was spent trying to type a word here, a paragraph there. I've come to the conclusion that the reason this story is no longer flowing for me is because it's flawed. And rather than spend the next 10 years trying to complete it, it's time to close the folder and move onto a different story. Maybe in 10 years, when I'm a better writer, I'll be able to come back to this manuscript and fix it so that it works, but I don't have the skill to do that now and it's time I realize that and stop staring at the blank screen wondering if I'm cut out to be a writer. I know I am. I've finished two novels. So if it's not me, it's got to be the story. Part of the problem could be the fact that I've been working in this world since I was 12 and, as I'm significantly older than 12 now, it's time for me to do something different, something fresh. Another concern is that the more I learn about writing and sales and the more I read other people's novels the more cliched my ideas for that world sound. I did come up with the ideas for it when I was younger, so while they have evolved over time they're certainly dated. As I said, it's a flawed manuscript. But it's hard to just throw out a year of your life. I spent a lot of time on that manuscript. I love the characters. I did some fun things. I have some great passages. But is it worth stagnating over? No. So it's time to move on.

Thinking Time vs Writing Time

I think one of the problems with writing the middle of a novel is that the beginning and end come in so clear (for me anyway) - almost like you're watching them on TV - while the middle doesn't. The middle requires more thought to know where the action is headed and what events must occur in what order to get to the end. And that requires sitting down and actually plotting the novel.

Now, I tend to do this before I start writing, put down a tentative outline of what needs to happen and when. I don't put in too much detail, because the outline tends to change with the writing anyway, as I get new ideas (generally better ideas) and become aware of inconsistencies and problems that need to be worked out. Which requres a lot of sitting down, after the book has been started, and organizing my thoughts and ideas so that I can keep writing. The problem is, that thinking and planning time doesn't feel like work because you can't see WRITTEN PROGRESS. And yet, without careful planning and thought you get a worse book (just stuff happening that isn't necessarily requred to tell the story you set out to tell - you know, like that scene in the movie that LOOKS cool but makes you ask, "Is there a point to all this?").

So I've had to revise my writing schedule to allow for planning time. That is, time when I'm in my comfy chair with a pad of paper and a pen, jotting down ideas and hashing out the problems rather than at my computer trying to write a scene that just isn't coming (because I haven't decided where it needs to go).

Be Careful What You Blog - And Where

I have two blogs. One is professional (scififanletter) for all things SF/Fantasy related, and one is for personal thoughts and non-SF book reviews, etc. Today I wrote what I consider one of my non-professional posts designed for this blog. Unfortunately I forgot to check which blog I was on and posted it to the wrong one by mistake. I was able to delete the post and post it here, with corrections, as I'd intended. End of story, or so I thought.

I subscribe to Google Reader, which carefully tracks websites that have interesting articles and blog posts. When I checked my reader, after posting my erroneous message, I discovered that the reader kept it - even though the actual post had been erased. In fact, it's still there, on my reader, after I've tried other tricks to get rid of it. Which means other people, subscribed to my professional blog, have just been subjected to my rather more personal thoughts. Oops.

Now that's not to say the post was in any way embarrassing or unprofessional. It's just not a post I'd intended for that particular site.

Just goes to show that once something's on the internet it really is there to stay. Be careful what you type - and where you type it...

The Hardest Part of Writing a Novel

Openings come easily to me. As do endings. I always know where my book will begin and where it's going. Things can change, of course. Nothing's ever set in stone, until it's published that is (and even then, some authors create 'difinitive editions of their work, reediting long after it's been read by multitudes of people).

For me though, the middle is hard. I know where I want my characters to go, I've got a generalized outline of my novel, but somehow, in the middle, things get bogged down. That's where I am right now in the fantasy novel I'm writing. I've got the first several chapters written and the ending's pretty clear in my mind. There's just ALL THE STUFF IN THE MIDDLE to go. And it's not going.

This happened in the last fantasy novel I wrote. That time I got over it by simply plowing ahead, writing whatever seemed to fit and editing it later so that it really DID fit. This time... I took a break by writing another novel in between, something completely different (ie not fantasy) that took about a year and 'cleared my mind'. Cleared it a little too much, I fear. Now I'm back to working on it and try as I might it just isn't coming. I've tried forcing myself to sit at my computer and type - until something else 'important' comes up and I have to go do THAT instead.

One of the authors I interviewed for my other blog (www.scififanletter.blogspot.com) mentioned that the middle often causes authors to doubt. They doubt themselves. They doubt their story. They doubt that anyone will publish it someday. Apparently it's the middle that causes a lot of wannabe writers to give up, deciding they just don't 'have what it takes'.

I guess I am lucky in that I know I 'have what it takes'. I've finished two novels. Nothing's published yet, but I'm comfident that's only a matter of time. I'm planning to have this new book done in time for Book Expo America next year so I can shop them around to the agents in attendence.

That requires getting past this 'mid book block' and completing the book. Which requires determination and dedication. Ah, it's easier to READ a book than write one. Though not half as satisfying!

Into The Void

Writing is a very solitary endeavor. You sit in a room, with a computer (or pen & paper), and write. No one else is necessary. Other aspects of writing are also solitary. Like figuring out which publisher to query and sending them a letter to test their interest. You then sit at home, wondering when (or if) you'll hear back. I used to run an email newsletter. Every month I'd send that newsletter to dozens of people and hear... silence. No one ever wrote back saying they appreciated the work I put into it. No one gave feedback, kudos or complaints, so I could alternately feel good about myself or improve the newsletter. Did anyone get the newsletter and read it? Or did they simply delete it when it arrived?

Blogging is much the same. I write a post and send it into the void... wondering if it will be read, wondering if anyone is out there at all...

My blog has a counter on it so I can see how many people visit the site. But what does that mean? Do they read through my posts? Are they interested in my life and writings? Are they just passing through looking for some specific piece of information they thought might be found here and isn't? When no one leaves comments how can you tell?

That's why having blogging buddies is so important. You know at leas ONE person has read your post, and maybe put a comment up. Or perhaps they bring it up the next time you chat. At least you know the VOID that is the internet does contain at least one other human being. Or rather, one human being who is interested in your life and thoughts.

So I will cast this post into the void and wonder, if a blog is written and no reads it, does it exist?

Writing's a very solitary endeavor. But that doesn't mean it has to be a lonely one. :P :)

Change of Pace

I've discovered if writing is going badly or if I'm working on a scene that doesn't seem to do what I want it to the best thing to do is leave it alone and work on something else. Forcing writing works sometimes (it's called discipline) but there are times when words simply won't be forced out or when everything you write sounds like drivel (and while it sometimes happens that drivel leads to good writing, if that's all you're getting it's not worth continuing for a long period of time).

I'm not one of those writers who can write a novel from start to finish, going from chapter one until the conclusion. I write best when I'm excited about each particular scene. And sometimes I'm not in the mood to write about something. So I tend to jump around. The most interesting scenes get written first, followed by the next interesting scenes and ending with the scenes that are necessary to push the plot forward but which aren't that fun to read, or write. It means I do more editing than people who can write sequentially (as I typically forget what's already been written, sometimes writing the same scene twice by mistake). But as I enjoy editing I don't consider this a problem. And it means I can jump scenes if I need to.

I've heard of some authors who can flip between projects when they get bored of one. I tried that for a while and it sort of worked, but then I got engrosed in one project and found it easier just to finish that one. The problem of working on two separate novels at the same time is that each time you switch you have to remind yourself where you are in your writing and what the characters have just done and what they're going to do next. Contrary to popular belief, it's not that easy to remember all the details of a novel, even if you are making everything up yourself.

Making Yourself Write

One of the hardest things about being a writer - at least a fledgling writer - is learning how to put other tasks aside and actually find the time, and motivation, to write.

First: time. There are lots of good books that teach you how to prioritize tasks so that you can achieve your goal. So the first task is to make writing a higher priority than say, doing the laundry. It's not higher than your bill-paying job, as you'd probably like to see some money and you won't be seeing any from your writing for quite some time even if you get a novel published today. But one of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is treating their writing like a hobby rather than a carreer. Writing is work. It's not something you 'tinker' with occasionally as the mood hits you. It's something you need to work on day after day, until you have a novel complete, edited and ready to roll. Even then you're not done. You still need to find an agent or editor willing to work on your behalf to get the book published.

You can find time anywhere - if you plan for it and use it when it rears its head. You can write on the subway, on your lunch break, in the morning or evening. Even if you can only write for 10 minutes a day you'll be writing and you'll be amazed at how much you have at the end of a month.

Stop waiting for the elusive 'perfect day'. You know the one I mean. That day when you'll have no chores to do, no friends calling on the phone, no part-time (or full-time) job calling you in on your day off, no distractions from neighbouring apartments or noisy traffic outside. No kids asking for help with their homework or if they can have a cookie. No spouse demanding time and affection. That day when you'll sit at your computer for 8 hours and simply write. All day. No exceptions. Because naturally when this day comes you won't want to eat. You'll have no need to figit in the computer chair you've just realized isn't as comfortable after 10 minutes as you thought. No desire to get a cup of tea or a snack or a smoke. Nope. You'll be sitting in that chair on your perfect day writing up a storm without interuption.

Well, some people may be able to accomplish that. It's certainly a goal to work towards - one where you can spend the day writing without being disturbed by the vagaries of life. But for the majority of us, this day simply doesn't exist outside or imaginations.

Which brings up point 2: motivation. It's easy to use the above perfect day as an excuse not to write. It's one of the best procrastination methods since that day will never come. At some point you'll realize this and then have to decide how to really get your novel written.

At Ad Astra this year a self-employed comic book writer explained a great way to do this. PLAN. Plan your time. Plan it so that everything you need to do gets covered. Need time with the kids? Plan it in. Need time to make dinner, work, meet with friends, snuggle on the couch? Plan it in. Just so long as you also plan in writing time it's all good. And plan the writing time second (after your 'real' job). It's a priority, remember. And if it's in your schedule you'll be amazed at how easy it is to keep to it, and get some good writing done. And it's fascinating how much time the day really holds - when it's used wisely. There are so many ways to waste time nowadays. Plan your week wisely and you'll see that you can do it all.

Why I DON'T write.

It seems that for every reason I can come up with for writing there's several reasons why I shouldn't. First the 'physical'. It's often hard to find time to write. So many other things need to be done in the day - things that seem more important, or at least, more immediate than writing. Things like laundry and cooking. But also things like checking emails and reading other people's books. It's very easy to procrastinate when it comes to writing. If you're writing at a coffee shop you can order more coffee, people watch, etc. If you're at home you tend to aim for that elusive (read non-existant) several hours worth of utter silence without distractions. And for me at least, everything else that comes up 'needs' to be done before my 'hobby', ie writing. I guess one of the problems with being a writer is that, unless you're freelance or have books on contract, there's no deadline. No one's waiting for my next book to be completed so I can take my time with it. Tinker with it. It doesn't feel like a job. And therein lies the true power of procrastination. You can always do it later. Oddly enough, later never seems to arrive.

Then there's the other reasons not to write. Until you have a book published no one takes you seriously. "Writing a book, are you? What a co-incidence, so am I." And they walk off laughing. Unless you get paid for writing you're not considered a 'professional'. So instead of working on your novel you write short stories and articles in the hopes of getting some publications to your name, all the while knowing it's novels you're good at and novels you want to write.

And of course the money issue. If you want to get rich don't become a writer. Yes, some people get extremely lucky and make the bestseller's list with their first novel along with all that entails. But let's face it, how often does that happen? Most 'overnight sucesses' take 10 years or more to create. Dan Brown wasn't an overnight success. He wrote several novels before the Da Vinci Code bumped him into the limelight.

Which is where that 'compunction' I wrote about yesterday comes in. Most writers I know write because they must. The desire to tell stories is ingrained in them. I guess somewhere down the line you learn the self-discipline to sit in that chair and write that novel. Or you don't and your novels never become more than ideas in your head. Tomorrow I'll post some ideas on how to make yourself sit down and write, ignoring all of the other 'needs'.

Why I write.

There are several reasons people write. It's fun, they're hoping to get rich (and don't understand the reality of writing and publishing), they've got lots of time and nothing else to do.

Well, ok, I doubt that last one would come up. I know my time gets filled pretty quickly with necessary tasks (and fun tasks).

So why do I write? I guess like many authors who decided to start writing as a child I simply can't NOT write. I tried once. It didn't work. There are stories to be told and I'm the lucky one who has access to these stories. I guess that means that even if I never get published I will still write, because the stories want to be told. Even if it's just to me. And I love editing. I love changing around words on a page. I love seeing them join together in new ways, better than before.

And despite the amount of books out there and the number I've read there are still stories I'd like to see that no one else is writing. For quite some time while shelving chick lits I've read the descriptions on the backs of them, wanting to find one that I'd actually enjoy. I've even skimmed a few and gotten frustrated as the main character is similar to me in some ways but always has a high fashion sense (which I don't), and a high profile job (which I don't), and sleeps with every man who offers (which I don't). So to aleviate my desire to read a chick lit that I can relate to I wrote one. Which, now that it's finished, I've discovered is harder to sell than I thought. I doubt this is because there are no other tom boy style women who work retail and who don't think casual affairs lead to worthwhile relationships. But the publishing industry is set up to cater to those genres already selling. When something new comes along they're afraid of it because "how will it sell?". Which ulitmately is a valid point.

But I digress. I write because I like to. I write because I feel compelled to. And I write because I know no one else will write the stories I want to tell.

Author genders

Does it really matter what gender an author is? I know a man who swears he can tell if an author is a man or a woman simply by the writing. I've never been able to tell. Then again, I've never really felt the need to guess. If the author's name is Isaac, I simply assume it's a man. If it's Patricia, it's a woman. Things get a bit trickier when the name is Mercedes or Pat. And once they only use initials, it's traditionally presumed it's a woman (because women in SF used to want to hid that fact) so C. L. Wilson and P. N. Elrod are both women. Having said that (and not knowing the 'rule' when I was younger) it's only recently that I discovered P. N. Elrod is a woman. And the 'rule' doesn't work anymore. S. C. Butler is a man. As is S. M. Peters.

So if the name isn't always a clue, you go to the author photo on the back, right? Unfortunately not every book sports an author photo and some back covers manage to not detail the gender of the author either. Take this author blurb for example: Rob Thurman lives in Indiana. Nightlife is Rob's first novel. Visit the author on the Web at www.robthurman.net.

Can you imagine my surprise when, after reading the books and going to the site, I discovered that Rob Thurman is a woman? I saw her photo and thought 'cool, he put up a photo of his wife and his dog. That's awesome.' Didn't occur to me until I was reading her blog that that might be her photo. All because her name is Rob. (It's short for Robyn.) Then again, it might not. Does it matter? Does the quality of the book change? Oddly enough it does. On the surface.

Assuming the author was a man, writing about men, of whom he'd know a lot, the books were great. They had action, a bit of emotion, lots of swearing. The two male protagonists are so well depicted I had no problem understanding their motivations for anything.

Knowing the author is a woman, writing about men, of whom she obviously knows a lot, the books are phenomenal.

Why should this be? Why should I be surprised that a woman can write a convincing, kick-ass male character? Am I surprised when men write well-rounded female characters? No. So what's the difference?

My bookshelves are filled with female writers telling the stories of men, and well told they are too: Lois McMaster Bujold's Illvin in Paladin of Souls (I'd use the Barrayar books but I haven't read them yet), Gail Martin's Martris Drayke in the Summoner, Carol Berg's Seyonne in Transformation, Mercedes Lackey's Vanyel in Magic's Pawn. The list can go on.

So what is the difference? Maybe, by mistaking the author's gender, I was more willing to accept that the characterization was accurate. However, discovering my mistake, the characterization remains accurate, only my perception in reference to it changes. In other words, there is no difference other than my acknowledging that I made a mistake in assuming the author's gender was male.

It makes me think of the Victorian era when women often had to pose as men in order to be published. Sometimes the opposite would occur though, and men would write as women, so their female characters would be better received. Apparently guessing the genders of known anonymous and pseudonymous authors based on analysis of the text was a bit of a pastime for critics. I can see why.

I think it would be interesting to read a book without having any clues about the author to see if, based on the writing alone, I could guess the gender. It would also be interesting to read a book without any prejudice towards either the author or the characters, accepting the characters for who they are, rather than as a possible reflection of the author's gender.

Does the author's gender matter? Is the writing better or worse? Ultimately that depends on the author. A good author can see through the eyes of his/her character and write the character's story as it's meant to be. Whatever else we bring to the story, that's our problem.