Category Archives: Frank Morin

To Pants or to Plan?

Craft & Skills Frank Morin Rewriting The Writing Life Writing Tools 2 Comments

There are two opposing camps when it comes to how an author approaches writing their novel.  On one side are the story ‘pantsers’, those who sit down with only a vague idea of their story and start typing.  They discover the story through the act of writing it, usually through a multiple re-drafting process.  On the opposite side are the ‘planners’, those authors who sit down and design a story to the nth degree before they actually begin the first draft.  They might write almost as many words in the outline as they do in the first draft, but end up with fewer re-writes most of the time.  Both camps have their avid followers who trumpet the benefits of doing it their way while pointing out the drawbacks of the other philosophy.

I’ve found that most authors fall somewhere in the middle between these two philosophies.  We plan some, and we free-write some.  Authors will shift along the spectrum between the two philosophies from one project to another, or as their level of experience changes.

I started as a total discovery writer, complete with many drafts of my first novel as the story evolved and I figured out what I was really writing about.  Over time, and as I’ve gained a better mastery of the craft, I’ve crept across the spectrum toward the opposite camp.  The more of an outliner I become, the more up-front work I invest in a story before beginning to write.  Once the outline is ready, I can schedule a ‘burst-writing’ session – a focused period, several days to a week, where I can pound out tons of work based on that outline.  I did that last year and wrote 52,000 words in one week.  I’m planning to do so again soon with my next novel.

I’ve developed the following outline process:
1.  First I do all the high-level brainstorming for the new story.  This can take a while as I chew on a new idea and work it from the initial proposal into a viable story worthy of serious consideration.  Lots of ideas don’t make it past this first step.

2.  Once I feel the story has promise and I’m starting to get a good sense for it, I write down the foundational information I’ve developed so far.  This includes character sketches, world-building, and initial plot ideas.  The process of writing it all down and trying to work it into a logical, comprehensive whole identifies gaps and leads to new inspiration in fleshing out the world, characters and plot.

3.  I develop the high-level plot outline.  In my current story, this ended up being about 8000 words.  I choose scenes, decide which characters to populate them, high-level conflicts, and how each scene will drive the plot forward.  At this point, I’m looking to get my first full view of the complete story arc from beginning to end.  I develop arcs for each major character to ensure I’m addressing things from each of their perspectives, and considering the plot through each of their eyes.  This process yields tons of fresh insights, new twists to consider, and helps the story really come alive.

4.  If this is a brand new story (as opposed to a sequel), I find it useful to write the first few chapters based on the high-level outline.  This helps solidify the character voices and the feel for the world and how the story is going to work.  I get ‘locked in’ to the story this way.  I can usually tell if I’m on the right track now, or if there’s something still fundamentally wrong with the plot, characters, or world.

5.  I develop what I call a mid-level outline.  I run through the outline again, fleshing out the scenes, clarifying and adding detail.  For some of the important scenes, I add sections of dialogue or work out how I’m going to approach the action sequences.  This is particularly helpful in planning complex endings.

This is the step I’m on right now.  I’ve taken the 8000 word high-level outline and expanded it to about 15,000 words so far.  I’ll probably complete the outline at about 20,000 words or so.  At that point, I could do another pass and produce even more detail, but the story is really coming alive for me, so I don’t think that will be necessary.

When I begin writing scenes for the first real draft, I keep the outline in mind, but this is where I free-write.  The outline is the framework and helps me identify when my free-writing takes me off on new tangents.  Sometimes those tangents are awesome – a flash of inspiration that I could not have figured out unless I was in ‘the zone’ writing full scenes.  Sometimes they’re a bad idea that takes the story off a cliff.  Any time I break the framework, I need to go back and analyze how this change will impact the story.  Either it’s brilliant and the rest of the story needs to change as a result, or it’s a false-start that needs to be chopped.

If I decide to keep it, I have to make sure I can still maintain the story integrity.  I have to ask:  do my plot points and story arcs and character arcs still make sense?  Will pacing be right?  Will the ending still work?  Adjustments often need to be made.

This sometimes seems like a lot of work, but it’s actually a lot less than the alternative.  This way I can identify the impacts to the story early on and choose how to address it.  Before, I would keep writing, maybe all the way to the end of the story before I realized other components needed to be changed.  That would require an entire new draft, which was a lot more re-work and took a lot more time.

Through this blended outline/free-write approach, I’ve dramatically cut down how long it takes to write even a big-fat-epic-fantasy novel like mine.

How do you approach a new novel?

 

Superstars Week, Day 2: Top Benefits of the Superstars Seminar

Ace Jordyn Craft & Skills Frank Morin Jason Michelsen Publishing Submissions Superstars Writing Seminars The Writing Life Writing Tools No Comments

Today, Day Two of Superstars Week, three more Fictorians share some of the top benefits the Superstars Writing Seminar provided to us.

*              *              *

Frank Morin: Superstars was a landmark event in my writing career. I came to Superstars thinking I knew what it meant to be a writer. I left knowing what it takes to succeed.

The presenters shared so much knowledge in such a short time, it’s hard to understand until you’re there. Of all the brilliant advice, here’s what I found most useful:

1. Volume matters, particularly in today’s market. One book per year is minimum. No longer can a writer slave over a manuscript for years before it’s ready for release. Just like everything else in our world, the pace is faster than ever. Competition is fierce and readers’ attention spans are short. They have too many other options available. They won’t wait for years. Kevin J Anderson said early in his career, he was querying with over 30 separate pieces simultaneously.

2. Contracts. This is business. Publishers, and even some agents, are not your friends. The only person who is really looking out for your interests is you. Learn about contracts, ask questions, and don’t sign anything you don’t fully understand.

3. The economics of publishing. We got a glimpse at the economics involved from both the authors and publishers points of view. It was eye opening.  I had never realized publishers generally lose money on an author’s first book. A publisher is making an investment, hoping to reap a return on that investment through future books by that author as their fan base grows. That helped explain why most new authors get very little for a first novel. Understanding how the industry works allows us to approach it as professionals, with correct expectations.

*              *              *

Ann Cooney: Superstars was wonderful because now I’m able to manage my career with confidence and approach it with professionalism rather than naive timidity.

Superstars showed me where the bar sits to be a professional writer. For example, if you’re serious about writing, WRITE! A novel a year is the minimum output. So, that first year after Superstars I wrote two novels to complete the trilogy I had started. Last year I researched and wrote another novel. This year, my new research complete, I expect to complete one, possibly two novels for a series. So now when I talk to publishers and editors, I have a product line which show I’m serious because I have more than a one-time dream I’m selling.

Before Superstars I found the idea of talking with anyone in the industry intimidating because I felt so naive. And I was. Now, with some understanding how things operate, it’s easier talk to publishers, editors and successful authors in a time when the industry is changing so much.

When I saw how much the superstar authors give back to the writing community I was inspired to do more than I had been. I’m a short story contest judge. I’m editing an anthology. I help other aspiring writers and support writing groups. The neat thing is that the more I give, the more I learn and grow and my network of resources and contacts are always expanding.

In short, the greatest thing about Superstars is that I have great role models who have not only inspired me but have shared what it takes to make it in this industry. And for that, I’ll always be grateful. Thanks!

*              *              *

Jason Michelsen: I can’t recommend the Superstars Writing Seminar enough. Even after going through two different writing programs at the undergrad and graduate levels in college, there were so many things left untaught during my education about the business side of the industry. I suppose it is a school’s job merely to teach its students how to write better, but, as I learned at the
seminar, there is so much more to being a writer than just writing.

For one thing, we never discussed contracts in school, and if you ever want to get paid as a writer, knowing about contracts is important. The lecture by Eric Flint on contracts was invaluable. Granted, there are a lot of writers out there who may not read their contracts carefully and leave all negotiating up to their agents, but I for one want to know exactly what’s in my contract should I ever be lucky enough to get published through traditional means.

Getting published through traditional means typically requires an agent, something else that was never discussed when I was in school but is covered at length during this seminar. It’s true that just about every author has their own unique story about how they acquired their agent, but the Superstars Writing Seminar prepares you for what you need to do when you’re ready to go to market with your finished manuscript.

Knowing a little about the market doesn’t hurt either. Okay, knowing a lot about the market is ideal: what kinds of books are selling, what publishing houses publish the types of books you write, what you might expect to make as a mid-list author or national bestseller, etc.

Sure, discussing salary might be jumping the gun a bit for most seminar attendees, but that’s the beauty of the Superstars Writing Seminar. Not only do you get access to a wealth of knowledge about the publishing industry, you also get access to some of the most prolific writers producing speculative fiction today. So if you go, hang out with the authors during breaks, ask them questions, network and make connections with your fellow attendees. You’ll be glad you did!

See you in April at Superstars!

When is a writer a Writer?

Frank Morin The Writing Life 1 Comment

When people ask me what I do, I mention my day job and also state that I am a writer.  It took me a while to feel comfortable calling myself a writer even though I’ve been writing for years because I haven’t published any novels yet.  I wasn’t sure I could rightfully call myself a writer until I’d reached that golden moment.

So, when is it all right to assume the title?  I’ve settled on five things that I consider helpful in distinguishing the “writers’ from the “dabblers’.

1.  You complete a manuscript

Half the people I meet, when they hear I’m a writer, say, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea for a story.”  Few actually sit down and try to write it.  Of those who start, only a fraction actually complete their first manuscript.  Joining this group is a huge step forward.

For me, my first manuscript took over four years and countless restarts to complete.

2.  Write your ‘million words of crap’

Estimates vary from half a million to a million words, but the message remains consistent:  you have to write a lot before you write well.  Writing is a profession that requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears before any return on that investment is seen.  This is a hard truth that many wanna-be writers don’t understand.  Sometimes I wonder if I had really understood the long road I was embarking on when I sat down and typed “Chapter 1″ would I still have done it?

One of the most dangerous temptations for writers with the new easily accessible e-publishing option is to publish a story before it’s ready.  It’s easy to convince yourself your story is far better than it really is.  Unfortunately, the e-bookstores are inundated with this kind of wishful thinking.

I’ll just say, take the time to do it right.  It’s a shame to see a book released too soon.  It’s almost worse to see a book that’s almost really good than to see one that is terrible.  If only the author had taken just a little more time.  But I’ll explore this topic more in-depth in a future post in order to do it justice.

3. Make the hard decisions

Kill your darlings, and kill them as soon as they get in the way of the real story.

There’s a saying in business:  “If you’re going to fail, fail fast.”  It means identify flaws, learn what you can from them, and then move on.  Don’t waste time bemoaning the fickle muse or the cruel fates.

The not-yet-professional writers don’t like to recognize this.  Darlings might be favorite characters, scenes, conflicts, anything that makes up the story.  Initial ideas morph as you progress down the journey of writing and ‘find’ your story.  The story you find is often not the story you expected.  That’s when the hard decisions must be made.  To have any chance of succeeding, we must be true to the real story once we know it.  Remove any extraneous material, no matter how dear to us.

For me it was a dark day when I realized my first book, the manuscript I poured my heart and soul into for four long years could not work in its current state.  There were fatal flaws I did not recognize earlier because I lacked the mastery of story craft to see them.  I faced a crossroads in my writing career that day.  I could no longer pretend I was on the cusp of selling that book to a publisher.  If I refused to kill that darling, I might never have progressed.  To move forward, I either had to start an entirely different story; or I had to throw away that manuscript and redesign the story from the ground up.

I started again.  The new book, using many aspects of the original story’s world-building and characters, is ten times better than the original.  This new story is the one that landed me an agent and real hopes of a publishing deal.

4. Write the next book.

With everything else done, it’s important to know when a manuscript is complete.  There’s still a lot to do even then.  If you’re trying the traditional publishing route, there’s the long, painful submission process.  If you’re going the e-publishing route, you still need professional editing, cover art, cover quotes, and a marketing plan.

Don’t let these tasks delay for too long the most important next step that a writer needs to do:  write the next novel, and then the next.

5.  Learn to enjoy the process.

Being a writer is not an easy road to travel.  It is long and often discouraging.  Most people don’t understand what it takes and can’t understand what we do.  And yet, we write because we must.   Writers are driven to write and we love it.  The process of developing a manuscript for eventual  release to the public is challenging, and also rewarding.

This is a journey filled with growth and exciting milestones.  The road behind us may be littered with discarded manuscripts, cut scenes, and  tens of thousands of words sacrificed to the editing red pen, but when we stand with a work worthy to be called our best effort in our hands, it’s a magical moment.

In the end, we keep writing.  It’s what we do.

When did you first start calling yourself a writer?  How did you know it was time?

Goals – Part 2: Setting Measurable Goals, and Plans to Reach Them

Frank Morin The Writing Life 4 Comments

This is the second of three blogs related to setting goals.  Clancy kicked off the series with her excellent post Road Maps Help You Get There.

I will be building on what she started, talking specifically about how to set more effective goals.  We’re starting a new year, and as usual, this is a time for renewal, a time for fresh starts.  It is very common to set goals in personal and professional lives.  Why is it that so many of these new year’s resolutions remain unfulfilled at the end of the year?

First, they aren’t written down.

“People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.”

This quote, from an unknown source, drives to the heart of this post.  Life is busy and unless we focus our energy, we will fail to best utilize the limited time we have for writing.

A goal not written down is a daydream, whereas a written goal is a dream with a deadline.  If you like the idea of being a writer but aren’t interested in actually finishing anything, then don’t bother reading on.  Otherwise, roll up your sleeves and get your pencil ready.

Second, they aren’t meaningful.

Writing a goal isn’t enough.  If it’s ambiguous or you don’t really understand your goal, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

For example, a writer may decide to set the goal, “I’m going to write a book this year.”

Wonderful, but not very effective.

I’ve set this very goal in the past, and I’ve proven to myself that I need to be far more specific.

What kind of book?  How long?  Is it a 10 page children’s picture book or a 150,000 word epic fantasy novel?

If you say you’re going to write a 100,000 word novel (pick your genre), then you have a starting point for setting a meaningful goal.  There are a few other things you need to understand first.

How are you going to approach writing this book?

Are you a free-writer who will sit down at the computer and just start typing in hopes of triggering the Muse to start whispering in your ear?  That’s fine.  Just recognize that the early effort, and maybe the entire early draft, is just an exploration, a search for your novel.  Once you find it, you’ll probably need to throw away most of what you’ve done to that point because only then are you ready to actually start writing the real story.  Actually completing a viable first draft of a 100,000 word novel this way may require 250,000 words or more.

If you are more of a story planner, have you discovered your story yet?  If not, you will need to allow for perhaps months of work before beginning the actual draft of the story.  You need to explore concept, theme, characters, setting, and plot.  You need to develop conflicts and figure out your ending and weave in sub plots through the outline.  You may write 50,000 words or more in your outlining process before you’re ready to begin a viable draft.

Whichever way you approach the work, writing a 100,000 word novel in a year is far more than just banging out 100,000 words into a text file.

Once you understand what you wish to accomplish, you are ready to set a goal.

Third.  They aren’t measurable.

Isn’t the goal of writing a 100,000 word novel measurable?

The answer:  partially

If you reach the end of the year with a 100,000 word completed draft of your novel in hand then you can say you reached that goal.  However, how do you know in June that you’re on track to make it?  Have you set any measurements to help you plan the effort each month?

Break the goal down into smaller blocks that will serve as sub-goals you can work each month, week, or even day.  If you can do this, you’ll know at any given time if you are on track or how far behind you’ve fallen.

Another benefit of breaking goals down into smaller blocks is the goal suddenly feels far more achievable.  Sitting at the computer, staring at blank page number one, and knowing you’ve got 100,000 words still to go can be extremely daunting and discouraging.  It’s not so bad to think, “I’ve only got to write 1000 words today.”  You can do that, no problem.

Take these three components of successful goals and apply them to any goals you wish to set.  You’ll find they immediately help you define, clarify, and organize your goals.

For example, last year I set the goal to write two complete novels.  I didn’t quite make it.  Part of the reason was that I did not follow this process as closely as I knew I should.  I did complete two drafts of one novel, make significant edits in a previously completed novel, write a new novella, and complete about 70% of the planning process of another full novel.  I am pleased with all the work I did complete, but I could have done better.

This year I am approaching the setting of goals more carefully.  I am still finalizing the plan, but right now it looks like this:

Goal 1:  Complete edits to The Sentinel’s Call, my 150,000 word epic fantasy novel.

The detailed monthly plan is not complete, but at a high level, I need to:

  • Re-read the novel and identify needed edits to improve book pacing.
  • Compare planned edits with feedback from my agent, and finalize plan
  • Make the edits.

I expect to complete this effort by April or May.

Goal 2:  Write the sequel to The Sentinel’s Call.  This will be a 125,000 word epic fantasy novel.

Plan will include:

  • Complete high level outline (Current state: 70% complete at 3,500 words).
  • Tie plot to planned edits to The Sentinel’s Call.
  • Complete detailed outline of up to 30,000 words.
  • Write first draft in 3 months.
  • Gather feedback from beta readers, plan second draft, and write it prior to the end of the year.

As you can see, I still have work to do, but I’m getting close.  As I finalize the goals, measurements, and the plan to achieve them, you can see how the resulting tasks will easily become sub-goals and milestones I can use to benchmark progress and keep myself on track.  I’ll plan to schedule at least a couple of burst-writing sessions in the months with the heaviest chapter writing to increase productivity.

If I can identify clearly and realistically what I’ll need to do every month to reach these goals, then I just need to work the plan.

We’ll see how well I do.

What are your plans for next year?