THE TWO-DAY RULE

I give up trying to write tons of stuff during the holidays.  The chains of "couch potatoism" are just too strong for my psyche to break.  I wasted Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, and I've only put in a few hours today.  It's embarrassing . . . like losing an arm wrestling match to a 4 year-old.

But that's the thing.  My pace is workaholic-plus.  As much as I hate to admit it, the holidays allow me a free pass at catching up on my sleep and watching seasons of TV shows that I've missed.  Such is life.  Come New Year's, I might actually let go of the reins a bit and - nah.

I'll try to write during that break too.  And the next one . . . ad infinitum.

Still, I need to warn you lot about something.  When doing longer works (say, a novel), don't stop pecking away at it for more than two days straight.  If you do, you'll feel awkward when you get back to it.  Write something - even a paragraph or five during a vacation/holiday - in order to maintain that flow of continuity.  Don't know what I'm babbling about?  Okay, think of the following examples:

1 - You're blazing away at a video game.  The phone rings.  You pause, answer, and return to continue your game - only to get slaughtered five seconds later.  Why?  You lost your flow.

2 - You're having that kicking dream.  One so good/bad/weird that you might actually remember it when you wake up.  Then something wakes you up.  You can go back to sleep.  Hell, you might even dream some more.  But that particular dream is gone.  And there's no way to get it back.

You want to save that flow, when writing.  And if you step away from it for too long, you'll lose it.  Yes, you can soldier on, but it won't feel right.  Since I haven't write sh$t since Thursday, I did what I normally do in these situations: I edited the prior chapters.  Something about proofreading gets me back into the story enough so that I can keep its voice when I start with the new material.  Also, I'm less inclined to forget pesky details (names, situations, who lost an eye, etc.).

So, enjoy the rest of your holidays and be safe.

Hope this was of use.

HOW TO TELL IF AN IDEA'S GOOD ENOUGH

Hi folks,

Before I forget, Merry Christmas and all that.  Hope you don't get boring presents, sick, or eaten by rabid yetis.  There goes the last of my holiday spirit.  My normal state of "bah humbuggery" has returned.  Can't wait for New Year's because it's more fun.

Now,

Here's a tip that I've found in more than one of my many dust-covered books on writing over the years: whenever you have a good idea, jot it down so that you don't forget it. 

If you think about it, you've probably jotted something down in your life.  Your grocery lists, to-do-lists, etc.  Personally though, I don't like jotting down ideas.  Ideas should be seen in a Darwinistic sort of way.  As busy as I am, it's child's play to forget lots of stuff (and I do). 

But the idea of a story should be good enough - powerful enough - to be remembered.  If it's something you have to write down, in oreder to remember, is it really worth keeping?

For example, I came up with the idea of a story called "Ghost Pimp" about a year ago.  I repeat: a year ago.  I never wrote a story around it.  Out of good taste, I may never write it.  But, dammit, the idea is so powerful - so strange - that it won't go away.  And yesterday, I came with the idea of a short story on the fly.  It struck me as pretty darned clever . . . and now, I can't remember it at all.  Ah well.  Maybe, like a stray dog, it'll come back.

But if it doesn't, I won't cry over "spilled lit".

Ideas, for us creative types, come and go.  Don't let a mediocre idea slow you down.  And when something you can't get out of your head comes to you, please write it down (unless it's called "Ghost Pimp", of course).

Hope this was of use. 

Christina Katz's tips on Platform-building

Hmm.

There's this how-to writer named Christina Katz.  I've got one of her books, "How To Get Known Before The Book Deal".  Basically it's a how-to book for self-publishing authors who want to build a platform of potential readers before their books even get published.  The concept intrigued me enough to buy a copy. 

Like most books in my how-to collection, it's been barely read because I'm odd that way (see my post on "Build Your Own Hall of Reference").  While her book leaned toward nonfiction writers, some of her advice is relevant for fiction writers too.

Hit the link below if you're curious.  I know I was.

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/50-simple-ways-to-build-your-platform-in-5-minutes-a-day?et_mid=529771&rid=191148924

Hope it's of use.