Writing Journal: Online or On Paper?

For the past couple of years, I’ve only used my writing notebook sporadically. Instead, I began journaling in a computer file. It was easy -- I’m usually at the computer anyway, working on my novel. It’s a snap to search through the file for a key word if there’s something I want to check back to see. I can add interesting quotes or bits of information I found on the internet. All good reasons to stick with it. Except I missed my notebook.

This summer, I took my writing notebook on vacation with me. With nothing but my pencil and the smooth, soft paper of my notebook (actually an approx. 6” x 8” sketch book), the ideas burst out. The more relaxed atmosphere of the vacation might have had something to do with it. Or not. In my notebook, I mess around with doodles, notes in the margin, inserts & crossouts, glued in scraps of paper, thumbnail sketches, and different colours of ink. It’s more fun.

So, I’m going to stick with my notebook. Besides, when I’m feeling a little stuck or low, it helps to see my notebooks, lined up in their row on the shelf in my writing room. Full of ideas and fun stuff. They remind me of who I am. A writer.

Any thoughts on what I should do with my on-line journals? If it didn’t take so much paper, I’d print them out, and at least put them in a folder somewhere so they can be part of the collection.

P.S. Over at MiG Writers, I posted today on The Scrutiny of the Teenaged Critic.

Do You Use a Thesaurus?

I've heard some writing advice to the effect that if you need a thesaurus to find a word, you shouldn't be using that word. There's a danger that the word won't fit the tone of the novel, or won't capture the exact meaning you want to convey.

I do use a thesaurus occasionally. Mainly I use it to generate alternatives for words or phrases I overuse. As I revise my novel, I've realized how many times my character's "stomach tightens" in a tense situation. Thanks to the emotion thesaurus over at The Bookshelf Muse, I've managed to think up some new ways to show how my character is feeling. Thanks, Angela (and Becca)!! My alternatives aren't always words taken straight from the thesaurus, but reading thesaurus entries does get the ideas flowing.

Some ways I check whether a word works:

 1) I read my story (or that section of the story) out loud to hear how it sounds.

2) I ask myself, "Would my character use this word?"

Finding a Good Title

When I recently mentioned on my blog that my fourth novel is still untitled, even though it’s written and I’m in the process of revising it, commenter Dawn Simon mentioned that she hadn’t named her new project yet either. Why is it hard to come up with a good title? I’ve been thinking about what I want my title to do:

1. Hook the reader

2. Capture something significant about the story

3. Sound good when you read it (e.g. it shouldn’t make you tongue-tied)

4. Stand out by being a little different

Up ‘til now, titles for my novels have just come to me. I haven’t had to work at it. Sometimes, I’ve even thought of the title first and then the book developed around it. This time I’m stuck. Maybe as I revise, I'll stumble across an idea? Let's hope so. Novel #4 won't sound so great in a query.

What Are You Starting This September?

Yay, September! Good things come in the fall. Crisp new apples. Colourful leaves. New things to learn. September has always energized me. Probably because it's always been the start of a new school year, either for me or my children. This year, though,  I'm dragging my feet a bit. I don't want to let go of the lazy, relaxed days of summer. So, to kick off September, I'm setting some autumn goals:

1. Finish query letter and send out queries for novel #2, The Ethan Project.

2. Finish my revision of novel #4, and think up a title for it.

I'm keeping it simple. If I have too many goals to focus on, I accomplish nothing. Anyway, now that I've blogged about it, I'll have to stick to it. How do you feel about the fall? What do you think you'll accomplish?

A Strong Beginning Inspires Revision

When I'm revising, I have to get the beginning to feel right before I move on. It's not just the pressure of knowing that those first few pages--probably the most edited in the entire manuscript--are important for hooking the reader. At this stage, they're important for me too. They get me fired up to keep going.

Revisions are hard. Sometimes when I get to the middle, problems in my novel seem too big to fix. But I can go back to that "pretty good" beginning, and see the spark of where I'm supposed to be going. Remind myself what I promised the reader, and what my character wants.

What inspires you stay on track when you're revising your novel?

Catching Up on Writing and Reading

I'm slowly emerging from summer fun mode and getting back to a routine, including writing, critiquing, and blogging. Sometimes I worry that taking a break from it will take my mind too far away and I'll lose some of my "writing magic". Never happens. Even though it make take a day or two to get back into it, writing is a big part of who I am, and it always comes back.

During my break, I did some serious thinking about "behind the scenes" elements of my latest novel. Thinking that I wouldn't have been doing if I'd just kept on with my writing schedule. My notebook is full of questions and scribbled comments on topics ranging from the politics of the place where my characters live to small details about my character's personalities. It's made me more excited than ever about my novel revisions, even though I have a lot of sorting out to do!

The one thing I didn't make much progress on was my 100 book challenge, though I did read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins this week. I'll need to read it again to absorb it properly. Because I was looking forward to it all summer, there were some elements I found disappointing. But I think that when you're hyped up about reading something, there's often a bit of let down. I felt the same way about This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, but after I re-read it, I appreciated it more. Mockingjay contained surprises, good writing, and interesting new characters. It definitely needs a second read that isn't coloured by my expectations.

August Blog Break

Wow, the summer is already half over! I'm pleased to have finished revising my novel, though I hope to revise a second before the end of the summer. I also plan to have a little summer fun! But because it's so busy, I'm going to be taking a "blog break" until near the end of August. So, I'll look forward to catching up with you and all the great blogs out there in a few weeks.

If you're looking for some interesting reading in the meantime, check out some of our great posts over at MiG Writers.