Rekindling the Writing Fire

Somewhere over the course of the past year, writing was pushed to the back burner.  Whenever I had time to write, I normally did something else, anything else, including cleaning (which should have been a big warning sign).

Writing used to be a priority.  More than that, it used to be a driving force in my life.  What I did in the day was determined by the amount of writing I'd already gotten done.  Finishing drafts of books, editing, revising, all of that, got done with a vengeance.

What happened?

I honestly don't know. Maybe it was the cycle of rejection letters, the constant sending out of projects only to get nothing in return, and the slogging through draft after draft without any sort of return.  That's enough to discourage most people.

Yesterday, on the way home from work, I started thinking about it.  I do a lot of thinking while in the car, with my iPod on shuffle. It clears the mind. That's when I realized that I hadn't really done any forward writing on personal projects lately. I'd done a lot of planning. I'd done a lot of outlining. I'd yet to actually write any prose, though.  It dawned on me.  I had a long way to go before I'd even have a finished rough draft, and then I'd have a lot of revisions and edits to do, and after that, I'd have a long slog trying to sell it.  It was a lot of work. An abysmal amount of work.

That amount of work scared me.

It didn't used to.  I used to keep a book with me, made for accountants, where I'd write in each slot how much writing work I'd done during the day. I'd keep track of it all, and make sure that I was making good progress. Every day, I'd write for at least an hour, usually closer to three or four.  If I missed a day, I'd double the next day.  It wasn't a burden, either. It was a joy. I was excited for it.

Something needs to change.  I'm not sure what, exactly, will help me rekindle my writing spirit.  But, I do have a line-up of things I want to attempt in order to get me excited again.

• Set aside a specific time of day for writing.  This used to be every morning, just after getting my first cup of coffee.  I'll likely try this time first.
• Log my writing. It's easy enough to say "oh, I got some stuff done" and not really know how much or how useful it was. I need to start logging my writing again, like clocking into work.
• Reread the books which inspired me.  Growing up, there were books that, after reading them, I wanted to tell my own stories.  I'll crack these books open again, and see if I can't remember why I wanted to be a writer in the first place.
• Stop making excuses.  Yeah.  This one is the hard one.  I'm procrastinating right now just by writing this, but it's helping.

It's just four things.  A simple little list.  It's a list that I've got to do.  Somehow, I swear, I'm going to find my love for writing again.

~Tiffany "Kysis" Tackett

The New Relentless Muse

Welcome to the brand new Relentless Muse Blog.  In the near future, there are going to be a lot of changes made to this site, the first of which was acquiring my own domain name, www.therelentlessmuse.com

The changes are not going to stop there, however.

Over the next few weeks, the design of the blog itself is going to morph, shedding the clutter, the disorganization, in order to become a sleek, agile inspiration machine.  A new, more professional header will be added.  And last but not least, the content is going to change.

My ultimate goal is still to gain publication.  I still want to help other aspiring authors achieve their dreams of having books in print.  My approach, however, is going to be far more thorough.

In this new plan, I will have a variety of posts.

Something I have yet to focus on is the craft of writing itself.  I am a writer, I am constantly writing, and yet I never talk about it.  Perhaps it is a fear of the amount of work such an article will require.  Perhaps it is the fact that all writers have different methods, and thus, my methods will probably only apply to a few people out there.  Perhaps it is because I am so busy writing that I don’t think about writing about it.

I plan on doing articles on the craft of writing from this point forth.

Don’t worry, I’ll still be posting a great deal about inspiration and ways to woo and capture the “muses” of writing.  How could I call myself the Relentless Muse and not cover that?

In addition to these two wonderful topics, I will also be reviewing books on writing. I have an extremely extensive library of writing books and am constantly picking up new ones.  I have no idea why I haven’t put up any reviews of them here, to help point out which ones will be wonderful to take a look into!

So, from now on, I solemnly swear to share my passion and my knowledge to rekindle the fire of creativity in those who are floundering, to keep aspiring authors afloat in the sea of negativity and rejections, and to aid in any way I can.

Hopefully you’ll be along for the ride.

Happy Writing,

Tiffany “Kysis” Tackett

Hope

Faith and hatred have one thing in common: they can both be blind.


The capitol is crumbling.  The foundation is rotting, but no one has noticed, least of all Bierrez, a young knight.  He slaves day in and day out, protecting the people without a thought for thanks or recompense.  He even dives into a sinking building, risking life and limb, to rescue a family he had never met before.  Bierrez did not expect to be pulled into the limelight. Least of all, did he expect to be chosen for a secret mission given by the Church, itself.

An ancient evil has broken free after thousands of years of peace, and now threatens to wipe out civilization as Bierrez knows it.  He and a group of knights, led by a man who claims to have survived the original reign of terror, depart to discover what freed the ancient evil.  They sail from one historic cathedral to the next, and in those sacred halls, find more than just one evil.

The Church always taught Bierrez to cherish life.  Once upon a time, the Church also took life-- the life of the hero Bierrez aspired to be like.

In the most holy of the Church's cathedrals, Bierrez has to decide if he will turn a blind eye in the name of faith... or if he will stand against everything he has ever believed in to fight for what is right.

HOPE OF THE MIRRA is an epic fantasy set in the sprawling oceans, dark jungles, and haunted cathedrals of Mikara, a planet teetering on the verge of destruction.  Completed, it is nearly 100,000 words in length.

_____________________________________________________________

I'm working on my query letter skills, if no one guessed.  It has been a long haul, and a great learning process.  With every rejection letter (trust me, there are a lot), I learn a little bit more.  I learn to be more critical of my own writing, to try to pick out the mistakes.


And, as every year passes, I seem to learn more as well, especially as the book has really blossomed under my relentless care and dedication.  I started out with this, which was actually an old blog post.  It came during an older draft of my work, when I was extremely excited and revitalized... and still somewhat fumbling when it came to discuss my own work.

Just recently, I was part of the Book Doctors' Pitchpalooza, and had my own pitch for Hope of the Mirra featured on their website.  Using their feedback, and the feedback I received from a few writing friends, I crafted what you see above.

Hopefully I'm improving.  And, hopefully, Hope of the Mirra will someday find a happy home in your hearts and on your bookshelves.

Tearing up a little,

Tiffany "Kysis" Tackett

Outlining: Script Edition

It is already half-way through March, which means it is high time to start thinking about Script Frenzy, the sister event to National Novel Writing Month.  Every April, writers from all over the world sit down to pound out 100 pages of script, whether it is a screenplay, stageplay, tv show, radio show, or comic book.  I have participated in Script Frenzy since 2009, and so far, have managed to complete the project in those hectic, 30 days.

This year, I plan on succeeding again.  How? I plan on coming prepared.

Outlines are a somewhat tricky issue, being that there is the constant debate between pantser and plotter.  However, outlines do have their use, even for the pantsers out there!

Personally, I like discovering new things as I write.  I like letting the story grow organically when I dive in, otherwise it does not feel right.  Sounds like a pantser, right?  Not entirely.  Knowing where you are going does not dampen the discovery, entirely.  Yes, you know the name of your final location, and a few of the stops on the way there, but not what those places are going to be like, or what will come from them.  Who knows!  Maybe a detour will happen along the way.

Even with an outline, there is a LOT of room for discovery.  Plus, outlines aren't the law.  You can break them at any time, so don't sweat about it.  It's merely a suggestion, not a cage.

There are two different ways I have been taught to outline for a screenplay while I was in university, and I still find them useful, today.  In fact, I'm getting ready to do the beat sheet for my various script ideas, which will ultimately help me decide which project I am going to focus on for this April's main event.

The first way is the 8 Beat Structure.  A lot of movies from Hollywood can be measured by this; in fact, some blockbusters follow it so strictly you can set your watch by the beats.  So, here they are!

THE 8 BEAT STRUCTURE

THE INCITING INCIDENT: The normal world has been established, and something, or someone, has arrived to disturb the balance, knocking the protagonist out of the normal world, or opening their eyes to a greater world outside of their own.

THE DRAMATIC QUESTION: The audience finds out what, specifically, is at stake, or what the protagonist is striving for. The question is asked: will the protagonist achieve their goals.

EMOTIONAL HOOK: The audience is shown why they should care about the protagonist and the goal. The stakes are raised.

PUBLIC/PRIVATE MOMENT: This can be one of two things, or both at the same time. Either something public, something in the world at large, affects the protagonist on a personal level, or something extremely private to the protagonist suddenly becomes public. The stakes are, again, raised.

REVERSAL RECOGNITION: The protagonist goes through a major change of some sort. This is often where the rug is pulled out from underneath them. They realize that their goal is something deeper, or that they were on the wrong track after all, or that they never wanted the goal in the first place, but wanted something else, which becomes the new goal.

CRISIS: The protagonist hits rock bottom. It seems like they have never been further from achieving their goal. The obstacles seem like too much. However, they have to soldier on.

CLIMAX: The protagonist must now face the biggest obstacle in the way of them getting their goal. This could be a major character flaw they need to overcome, or an actual villain. Either way, this is the final battle, and they will either rise victorious or fail.

RESOLUTION: The world and/or the protagonist is/are different and has/have been permanently altered by the course of the story. The goal is either achieved or lost forever. The story is over.

Something to remember about the 8 Beat Structure is that each beat may have the 8 beats inside of it.  That's right, the inciting incident also has its own emotional hook, public/private moment, climax, etc, etc.  Every scene has its own beats, as well.  These can be used to plan the bigger strokes all the way down to each and every scene in the script.  It's entirely up to you.

The next method I learned while at university is the 12 Part Hero's Journey, a la Joseph Cambell.  Yes, Cambell.  This is pulled, structurally, from mythology, and has been used in stories from the beginning of time.  In fact, you can follow along with StarWars: A New Hope using these beat sheet!

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

THE ORDINARY WORLD: The protagonist is in the ordinary world, life is normal, and everything is going as planned.

THE CALL TO ADVENTURE: Something is not quite right in the ordinary world, and the protagonist is offered a chance to leave and make everything right again.

REFUSAL TO THE CALL: The protagonist has been taught to fear anything outside the ordinary world, or to fear failure. As such, the protagonist refuses to leave the ordinary world.

MEETING WITH THE MENTOR: A person from the outside world, from the “special world,” suddenly comes into the protagonist’s life and urges him to take action. Sometimes, the mentor will even force the protagonist to leave.

CROSSING THE THRESHOLD: The protagonist, will the help of the mentor, leaves the ordinary world, crossing the threshold into the special world. The protagonist’s eyes are opened to the fact that there is so much more out there.

TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES: On his adventure, the protagonist will encounter a variety of tests and obstacles, as well as meet new allies and enemies.

APPROACHING THE INMOST CAVE: This is a scene of dread. The protagonist must face what they fear most, what made them refuse the call to action in the first place. They must overcome that fear.

THE ORDEAL/DEATH: The protagonist is faced with death. Someone close to them, such as the mentor, may die, or they will have a close brush with death as well. Or, the death can me metaphorical. Either way, the event will permanently change them.

THE BOON: The protagonist has been horribly changed by the death. No one else understands how he feels, and he is not willing to let them. This is his burden to bear, and he does so alone.

THE ROAD BACK: The protagonist must return to his allies with this understanding. He needs to overcome the burden of death, no matter how hard the road will be.

THE RESURRECTION: The protagonist has come to a great realization or has obtained more knowledge, and thus, has been transformed into the person needed to set the world right again. With this transformation, he will be able to triumph over all obstacles or die trying.

THE RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR: The protagonist returns to the normal world, but because of his metamorphosis, no longer belongs. The world has been set right, the ordinary world is once again ordinary, but he cannot remain. Or, if the protagonist died in the final confrontation, his remains are returned home, where he can be put to rest.

As you can see, both are slightly different, but also overlap in many ways.  The 8 Beats cannot fit with either story, nor can the 12 Part Journey; I'll have to figure out, as I'm brainstorming, which structure would be more beneficial to the story I am trying to tell.

And that, I must emphasize, is what really matters.  What is best for the story?  Will pantsing entirely do it more justice? Or will plotting?  Will outlining?  What kind of structure should I use?  All of these questions depend on the type of story I am trying to tell, and I'm not about to try to cram my story into an outline just so it will "fit."

With that, I'm going to get back to brainstorming!

Happy Writing,

Tiffany "Kysis" Tackett

Starting a New Year

There are many things a new year entails, depending on where you are, what religion you subscribe to, who your social circle is, etc.  In America, where I am, it seems to be the tradition to stay up obnoxiously late, drinking, sharing stories off all the stuff which went terribly wrong the last year, and then wake up obnoxiously late the next day, swearing never to do something so stupid again.  Rinse and repeat.

Another of the wonderful traditions here is making "New Years Resolutions."  Now, I have always been very cynical about these resolutions, and because of that, have never made any myself.  It seems like people always put crazy expectations on the New Year, as though flipping to a new calendar will somehow miraculously cure all of their bad habits without any effort whatsoever.  And, because of this, those resolutions, almost 100% of the time, fail.

However, being a very goal oriented person, I thought why not?  Why not try to set some "resolutions" of my own, to try to start the year out the right way: productively.

I've built up some bad habits over the last year, one of which is not actually writing every day, and instead getting distracted by things such as video games and constant rolling parties.  This needs to be tapered back a bit.

So, without further ado, here are some of my "resolutions," for lack of a better word.

1. Write, at a minimum, 500 words per day.  Even if the day is hectic, I'm tired or irritable, I need to find at least a small bit of time to try and get 500 words knocked out.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll get really into it and write a lot more.
2. Read 50 books during the year, at least half of which are in my chosen genre of writing, which is fantasy.  This will not only give me insights into what is happening in the genre, but hopefully teach me some useful techniques in the meanwhile.  A constantly reading writer is generally a constantly improving writer.
3. Research at least 50 agents and publishers who accept fantasy as one of their genres.  In this, I would be looking at the types of books these agents have sold, the styles of the books these companies have published, their rate of new authors, and any other information which may aid in my quest for publication.  This information will be kept in a spreadsheet.
4. Work, at least part time (20+ hours a week) as a writer.  This time can be divided between actual writing, researching agents and publishers, reading books on writing, revision and editing, and other things which constitute being an actual, working writer.  These exploits would be logged, like clocking in and out of work, to make sure I'm hitting my quota.
5. Post on this blog at least twice a month, with actually useful blogs.  These posts would either be my usual topic discussion, a review of a writing book (since I am reading so many this year), or part of my constantly delayed Crash Course to Creative Writing series, which I really need to get on.
6. Improve my querying technique.  My goal for this one is to at least get a request for more material from an agent before the end of the year.  It would be an extremely unrealistic of me to make a resolution of getting my work to an agent, and having said agent sell it to a big publisher by the end of the year, allowing me to fall into the cesspit of resolution-breakers, so I'm making this one a bit more realistic.  It would be wonderful if the other scenario would happen, and I'm going to work my ass off to get as close as I can, but in this industry, hard work isn't the only factor, sadly.

These are my main resolutions.  Yes, I'd like to quit smoking.  Yes, I'd like to start doing yoga again.  Yes, I'd love to fit in size 5 pants again.  However, I'm not going to put those here, or on my list in general, because failing on one will lead to a domino effect of demoralization which would then cause me to fail them all.

So, how about all of you out there? Do you have an resolutions for this new year?

Happy New Year,

~Tiffany "Kysis" Tackett

Clocking In to Work

When I go in to my day job, I have to trek back to the employee locker room and hunch over an old, barely working computer to punch in for the day, and when I finally am off shift, I have to trudge back there again to clock out.  Through that computer system, they track my hours.  Furthermore, to get various certifications, I have to track my tutoring, so when I'm done with every student, I also log what times I worked with them, what class it was for, and what the main subjects I tutored were.

First gut reaction to this?  "But that's your job.  They do it to pay you.  Why does that matter?"

Writing is a job too.

People generally don't treat writing like a job.  They treat it like a hobby or a time-consuming and often annoying pass-time.  They don't acknowledge that many writers have gone through years of training, have had years of practice, and years of reading, in order to improve their craft.  Heck, most people don't even notice that there is craft involved in writing!

How many times have you, as a writer, been told by someone else, a non-writer, that they want to write a book one day?  Or, how many times has that same person, or any number of others like them, commented that that's nice, what's your real job?  Or that they are trying to write a bestseller in their spare time, without any past practice or training, or real want to be an actual author?  The last time this happened, I asked the person what they did for a living, and when she said she was a lawyer, I said that my favorite hobby was to *insert x kind of court case stuff here* in my spare time.

That shut her up real quick.

But, all in all, that was rude.  I'll be the first to admit it.  The comments which brush off writing as an actual profession were really starting to drive me batty, I was at the boiling point, and BOOM.  Explosion.  I'm sure if that woman sees me in the future, she'll quickly run the other direction.  That's not exactly what I wanted.

As much as I want to, I'm not going to be able to change the entire world's perception of writers.  I wish.  Maybe I will change a few here and there, people I know, who know me, and realize just how much hard work and dedication it has taken me to get where I am now.

So, what's the solution?

I am changing things on my end.  No, I'm not acting like writing is a hobby, I'm not going to only novel in my spare time without putting any attention to the improvement of my craft.  Far from it!

I'm going to clock in to work.

In a past blog, I mentioned that I had started a productivity spreadsheet, which was much like my accountability book... on steroids.  Here is the breakdown of everything I list, and why:

• Date: Well, it's good to know what day the writing was done on!
• Project Name: Being that I have a few different projects and different levels of completion, I list this.  However, if you want to keep separate sheets for separate projects, that's fine too!
• Location of Writing: This is where I list my writing environment, which can be very important!  Some places are naturally noisy, some have no wireless internet, and yet others are entirely too quiet!  It's good to know where I did my writing, so I can see any trends in my output.
• Time I'm Writing: This is an actually x:xx p.m - x:xx pm list.  I only clock time where I am actually grinding my fingers against the keyboard.  If I have to go refill my coffee cup, I'll clock out.  If I get distracted by lolcats, I'll clock out.  This is working time only!
• Starting/Ending Wordcount: This is not necessary for all lists, but I have it, because I am clocking editing time as well as writing time, and with editing, my wordcount might go down a little.
• Total Word Gain: When I finish a stint of writing, I take the ending wordcount and subtract the starting wordcount from it to see what my total gain was.  This is necessary, as there is generally a correlation between this number, the location, the time of day, and the other factors I have yet to list.
• Average Words Per Hour: Okay, again, this one isn't absolutely necessary, but I do it anyway, so I can look at averages for different locations.  Certain locations and writing conditions yield a higher average, which is one of the things I look at.
• Music: I'm one of those writers who listens to music, though I don't always have that luxury while writing.  This section is where I note if I am listening to music, if it is an abnormal music situation (i.e. listening to music in only one ear, because I am at work), and what song or playlist I am listening to.  I've noticed that while some songs set a mood really well, they are distracting, and should be used at a bare minimum.
• Noise Level: Some places are noisy.  Some are too quiet.  This is where I note it.  It really does matter for my writing, I've found.  Super noisy areas, even with headphones, will generally only yield 100 to 250 words in a fifteen minute stint.  Moderately quiet areas will yield anywhere from 300 to 800 words in fifteen.  In a strange twist, silent areas, even with me listening to music, only yield between 200 and 400 words.

By using this spreadsheet, I am not only tracking my productivity and collecting useful data regarding my writing habits, but clocking in to work.  This is my punch card.  Sadly, I don't get paid for my efforts (yet), but it makes writing as a career feel all the more real.  It helps me keep my head in the game.  And when people say "oh, I write in my spare time, too," I can just smile, nod, and keep my cool, because I know this is more than a hobby.

Happy writing,

~Tiffany "Kysis" Tackett

Desperately Seeking: Productivity

December has always been a very quiet month for me... when it comes to writing, at least.  There are too many things going on in December.  My parents celebrate the commercialized version of Christmas, meaning that a great deal of last minute shopping always goes on, and Christmas day is spent inside, with family, playing with whatever came under the tree.  On top of that, the dreaded thing called "finals" always happens in early December, which leads to frantic paper writing and all night study sessions; I never seem to finish everything I have to during the day, meaning that I get no time for anything pleasurable until AFTER finals are over, and at that point, I don't even want to look at my word processor, much less use it.  Another disadvantage of December is that it falls right after November-- also known as National Novel Writing Month; I just wrote a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, meaning I DEFINITELY do not want to even look at my word processor anymore, much less use it.

This leads to a very unproductive month of socializing, overeating, and general slacking.  Yes, it is nice to get a break now and then, but at the same time, that break makes it extremely difficult to get back into the swing of writing in January.  My writing gears rust over with disuse, the forward momentum I had on my novel has ground to a halt, and it becomes harder and harder to find motivation, much less the drive, to finish anything.

I'm currently trying to make it so that my month is not such a flop, that my writing does not grind to a halt, and that my book gets the time and attention it deserves.

Switching from writing at a first draft level, by the seat of the pants, during NaNoWriMo, back to writing at a polished, sixth draft level, which I am preparing for submission, has been extremely difficult.  I cannot just sit down and pound out 1667 words a day of whatever comes to mind anymore, so I've had to do a few things to get me pumping out words again, but with more direction and focus.

Sometimes, I do not always have time to sit down, get into the zone, and write.  I lead a busy life, like many other writers, so I had to find a way around this.  What I do, in these moments, is try to plan ahead a bit.  This can be as simple as just thinking about what my next scene is going to be about, figuring out what song inspires me for the next scene, or writing out the basics of the next scene, point by point.  I always keep sticky notes in my purse just in case I have a moment to jot down scene notes.

This is really nice, because the next time I sit down to write, I know exactly what I'm going to be working on.  I have no need to sit around, staring at my computer screen, wasting all my writing time just trying to figure out what I'm going to write.  Because of this, in a little fifteen minute window, I can generally write between 250 words to 650 words.

Another thing I am doing to maximize my productivity is by keeping track of my writing.  Yes, it may seem like it is only making more work for me, but wait!  I'm gathering information!  On my productivity spreadsheet, I list the date, where I am writing, what project I am working on, what times I am working from, my staring wordcount, ending wordcount, the total word gain, my average words per hour, what music I am listening to, and how noisy my environment is.

I've only been keeping this spreadsheet for a week now, but I can already see some serious trends.  The noisier my environment, the less work I get done.  I tend to do the best when I have no wifi.  Having music only playing in one ear, or having distractions around, tends to also effect my wordcount production.

The last thing this spreadsheet tells me is how much I've written in a day.  While this is good on its own, its secondary effect is what has proven the most useful.  Whenever I look at my spreadsheet, and see that I haven't written in a day, I feel guilty, horribly, horribly guilty.  This makes me want to write more.  This makes me actually set aside time just to knock out some writing, even if it is only fifteen minutes worth.

So far, these new tools have helped me get back on the writing pony after a very productive but very taxing NaNoWriMo.  My writing is switched back into sixth draft mode and I'm producing much bigger numbers than I had been.

Wishing you all lots of productivity and good writing,
~Tiffany "Kysis" Tackett