Shed load

In common usage among my peers, to shed load means to get rid of something. In British usage I've learned that it means a large amount. In some technical fields it means to ration power. All three definitions seem to be in the back of my mind today. Over the past few years, after reaching a noteworthy age, things that once held my interest have fallen by the wayside. Perhaps not so much fallen by the wayside but do not hold my interest they same way as before. What remains is my interest in writing, the pursuit of writing, devoting my free hours to it in a way that did not hold my interest at an earlier age. I read something within the past few days that has been the partner to shedding load, a phrase that goes something like this: "Rewriting is found to be an excuse for not going on." John Steinbeck said that.
The vast majority of my time these past four years have been devoted to rewriting. For many years I used rewriting as an excuse for not going on, laying aside a project for years  as other things held my interest more than the effort of putting pen to paper and saying something.
As the years passed, I shed load, and now what is left is rewriting. And rewriting some more.

Stay tuned for Chapter One of my detective novel.

Writing groups and and tidbits from others

My writing group has met three times and already I believe it was one of the single most important decisions I made to further my journey on the road to getting published. The people I meet with are fine young writers who have a lot of talent and they too are searching for direction as they create worlds I know others will want to read.
I gathered this tidbit from one of the other writing groups I belong to, this one a community on the Writers Digest website where members can post things for feedback and such.
Diane Carlisle posted 'the six Cs' she learned at the Tallahassee Writers Association conference and shares them here:

http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-learned-6-cs-from-steve-berry.html

I am so glad I have these groups to learn from, to offer feedback and constructive criticism too, and to propel me further into the mysterious world of writing and publishing.

Boat building

Lately, I've been posting the first few chapters of my detective novel on sites for critique. As well, I've offered it to my writing group for the same purpose. Once in a while, when someone asks what I've been doing lately, I tell them about the story, and if they express an interest, I send them a chapter or two.

I've come to the conclusion that writing a novel and talking about it with friends is like building a boat.

At first, the builder is so excited about his project he tells everyone, and kind listeners tolerate his prating on until the builder eventually begins to realize that perhaps only other boat builders are the ones interested in his misadventures.

Over time, the boat builder realizes that saying nothing is the best course, until the time comes when perhaps someone who expresses an interest in his project stops by for a look.

The boat builder eventually reaches the point where all his efforts must be focused on the boat, and that sharing it with others is time lost, with the exception of sharing some of his trials and tribulations with other boat builders, who offer excellent suggestions.

The boat builder knows that someday soon the boat will be ready for deep water and if all goes well, a christening will be a welcome. It is that moment the boat builder has firmly fixed in his mind. Everything else is the journey getting there.

This brave new (non) deadline

Any journalist may be loathe to admit liking deadlines, but the fact is we live by them and die by them. When I go home and write fiction, my brain cannot entirely shift into a mode absent of the concept of deadlines. Sometimes it's good to have a goal: writing one page a day, for example. Other times a real deadline might come to fore: turn the article in by Friday or forget the paycheck.
In writing the several drafts my detective novel has required, I gave in to my mind's irrational need to keep flashing 'you must by done by the 31st' across my brain. That 31st was December 31st. Then March 31st. And sure enough, as the end of March rolled around, I wasn't ready to say 'this is it." In fact, I posted my first chapter for critique on
http://community.writersdigest.com/group/critiquecorner

way back in February, and the most recent version on April 1 (I think). The feedback was incredible. I've had the most amazing time really tightening up this draft, thanks to the people who offer great critiques in a civilized forum.
And finally I've been able to tell my brain "yeah, it's April. So what?"
I now know the worst thing for my writing is to be in a hurry.
I have full-time job, so carving out time to write is up to me. I'm lucky. My kid is a grown-up and it's nothing for me to grab three or four hours at a time to devote to my craft.
It's the impatience I fight, the impatience to get this thing done, find an agent, a publisher, see it in print, and get started on the second book in the series.
I'm in it for the long haul. I want to see the book get in print.
And finally I am ready to take whatever time is needed to get the book right, before sending it out. Again. (My misadventures in sending out first and second drafts of a novel can wait for another time.)

Talent

One of my favorite learning tools comes from 'The Book Doctors,' who posted this:

‎"I met a young woman the other day, and she said, what advice would you have for a writer, and I said it would be to work every day. But then she said, and how do you get to know someone like Ira Glass? And I said, that's not the point. You don't befriend people for that reason. . . . Your job is to write. The rest of it will take care of itself. But, generally, it seems ... you know how that is, you meet people and they have a talent for self-promotion. Those are the pushy people. And you know their writing's not going to be any good, because that's not their talent." - David Sedaris

I knew this was true in print journalism. It's good to hear someone say it who is a part of the other writing world.

Here's a great idea

If I haven't mentioned it before, Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass was exactly the book I needed to read after writing the first draft of my detective story, whose working title is Be Careful What You Ask For. In a recent Guide to Literary Agents column, guest columnist Angela Ackerman uses Maass' book as a guide for writing 'the breakout blog.'

http://bit.ly/GFFKZQ

As I boldly attempt to whip this blog into shape, her column serves as an inspiration to me. I hope it does for you, too.