Writer Tamago

Today, Jim Hines talks about being on his depression medication for one month. This wasn't the post I planned to write today, but the hallmark of a good blog entry is that it sends ripples out into the universe.

So, today, I want to talk about my own struggles with anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Because until about four years ago, I was oblivious to the fact that I had anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. How can that be so?

I am a survivor of childhood molestation. BTW, you need to see this. Project Unbreakable points out how widespread the problems of sexual abuse in this country are. I salute these very strong men and women for sharing their experiences and empowering themselves by speaking out. Go take a look.

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We live in interesting times, but not the ones I expected.

At some point last week, I'm pretty sure I crossed over into an alternate universe, a la E.C. Myers Fair Coin. In some other universe, Catherine became a dean because her hard work was rewarded by a higher salary. In yet another universe, she became a director because she never did conquer her workaholic tendencies, and/or didn't realize her self worth. In both of those universes, her writing takes a back seat to her other career. She squeaks out some time to write, but it's a struggle.

In the universe I find myself in, Catherine realizes that English Language Acquisition needs a full time administrator, but she's not going to do it, because the money to extra time ratio is not for her. She thinks, however, that she needs to find a way to make that happen for someone else.

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In general, I like to do these two posts separately, but Julie was so fast in getting this interview back to me that I've decided to combine these into one post.

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Julie Rose currently publishes indie. Many of her books have placed notably in literary contests, marching forward in Amazon's new novelist contest and the Faulkner awards. Recently, I finished Julie's newest book Oleanna. Oleanna is a literary historical about a dark time in the life of the title character during turn of the century Norway. The book is based on Julie's ancestors, and was begun in 2003 after the death of Julie's mother. It is a poignant dark book with a personalized journey that keeps you guessing what the character's choice will be right up to the end of the book. The historical research is accurate and the relationships ring true. I would recommend it.

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Julie was kind enough to give us an interview about her writing process.

Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process, or does your drafting process vary from book to book? (If it varies, please keep one project in mind as you answer these questions.)

Julie: In general, I write the shitty first draft and let it sit for a month or three, and come back to it with fresh eyes. Then I revise and revise, usually two or three drafts, after which I send it out for feedback. A few months later I'll incorporate the appropriate feedback, then another draft or two, and then a final polish.

Tamago: How long is a writing session for you? How many words do you write? Are you likely to keep most of those words?

Julie: A weekday writing session is 45-60 minutes, and generally speaking I'll get about 500 words, 1200 or so if I'm in the flow. On the weekend, I'll usually do 60-90 minutes. I do generally keep most of the words.

Tamago: How do you find time to write while holding down a very challenging day job?

Julie: It can be tough, can't it? I get up at 4:30 a.m. so I can get my writing time (and workout time) in before I start work at a Large Computer Networking Company.

Life has become more complicated now that I have two books out there—I have to add book promotion time to the morning mix as well. Then it's a full day, and after work, attempting to have a life with husband, friends, and family. Then falling into bed, reading for 30 minutes, and passing out at 8:30 so I can start all over the next day. So while that schedule is the goal, it doesn't always work out. And sometimes, to keep my sanity, it means not writing on the weekend, or taking a day or two off during the week (or entire weeks). If I'm too burned out, I won't get any words down at all, so refilling the well is important.

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You might remember that a few Christmases ago, what I wanted was George Bush on trial at the Hague.

Close enough. And with a little luck, maybe this will catch on.

And if you're still feeling all patriotic about the war in Iraq, I strongly suggest that you also look at the U.S. government's human rights violations during that time, and think again.

Looking toward the future:

“If President Bush was the President of extra-judicial torture then US President Barak Obama is the President of extra judicial killing through drone strikes. Our work has only just begun.”

Which I regret to say I agree with as well.

War still sucks, regardless of its campaign value. We must endeavor to take the high road.

Catherine

My MacAir decided to go kablooie last night while I was working on a friend's chapters. So...I'll be working from the work computer until we ascertain whether it can fixed or it needs replaced.

Darned it. I am so not looking forward to writing with Word after getting used to Scrivener.

Oh well.

Cath

Sorry, sorry.

Saturday night after The Avengers, I fell ill suddenly, and I am still playing the catch up game. I have an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection, which is making it a challenge to stay on top of the planet. But I have finals this week, so I am in the office. Whatcha gonna do?

At any rate, it has been a miserable week for writing, BUT I will get back on the horse once my balance improves.

So, what about The Avengers then? Insert spoileriffic free cut here.

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E.C. Myer's first novel Fair Coin is a wild ride through wish after wish. This debut novel demonstrates a mastery of writing that has been honed through a variety of short stories. Here, Myers shares his writing process with us.

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Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process when you write a book, or does that process vary from book to book?

Eugene: I always start with the same process, but it might be necessary to try a new approach once I get farther into the draft. My default method is to work out the major plot points and characters ahead of time. By the time I start writing, I might have scattered notes about character traits, bits of dialogue, plot ideas, a few scenes—not in any organized sense, like you’d find in an outline, but just fragments of ideas that I may or may not refer to while I write and which help guide the draft. This isn’t too different from how I would tackle writing a short story, though I might have even less figured out in advance for a shorter piece.

My third novel is an example of when my process changed considerably. It had too many characters and too complex a back story to keep everything in my head. I also had difficulty deciding what to write next during my writing sessions, which wasted the hour or so I set aside for them every morning. So I finally decided to try outlining every scene in the book, and it was exactly what I needed to move forward with that particular book. I returned to my old ways for the next novel.

Tamago: Do you write by yourself or do you write in a writing group? What do you see as the benefits of the method that you choose?

Eugene: A bit of both. I’m lucky to belong to a terrific writing group called Altered Fluid, and I also have a number of other trusted beta readers, but I don’t share my work—or even talk about it much—with anyone until I have completed a solid first draft on my own. All my first readers are smart people with unique writing strengths, areas of expertise, reading interests, experiences, and perspectives. Their critiques help me see if the draft is working the way I hope it does, for a wide range of readers, and shows me where I can make improvements in rewrites.

Another side benefit is that I often get to see their stories and novels before they’re published. As a fan of their work, I get a thrill from reading manuscripts before anyone else, and I’m honored that my friends value my feedback. And critiquing other people’s fiction absolutely improves my own writing.

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Man, I am geeking out.

Unless you're living under a rock, you probably know that Avengers is coming. And yes, while I am trying to do my best to be a calm, cool, intellectual professor for today, while I am trying to put in a concentrated effort on chapter 6, which will spring more or less from my head, fully formed, like Athena, while my outward demeanor is ripple free, inside I am squeeing like a weather alarm on test day.

It wasn't quite this bad with Thor. Maaaannnn, I was up for Thor, but I could be all intellectual about Thor. Witness:

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I have just turned down a full-time administrative position with Kirkwood. I will remain an ELA Coordinator who teaches two classes on a 201-day contract.

While I didn't know what shape upper administration's offer to me would take when they finally got back to the English department about our proposal, the offer they made me was a great deal more work for a tiny bit more money. And while I would have liked to have done better for the college and the ELA program, a savvy employee must also respect herself and the work she does.

Therefore, nothing changes. I will continue to do the job I do with the time I have. As we gain more staff, this will help anyway, so perhaps the need for a full-time administrator will fade.

I still have the same great boss, the same great coworkers, and the same great support staff I had earlier today. I still matter to my students. I have a flexible job with awesome benefits, with the protection of a strong union. This means that I will be able to keep writing books, rather than having to scramble for evening times to do art. And I am not an at-will employee. And I don't have to be in the office all day. And I can still get professional development. What a great job I have!

Only my pride is suffering. I feel a bit dispensable and undervalued at the moment. I believed I was thought to be a more valuable player than I apparently am, and I suppose as soon as I get over myself, things will be fine.

So, yay?

I'll admit that there are a couple of tropes that capture my imagination. I'm a sucker for a hero overcoming odds. I love the villain reversal into someone worthwhile. And, here's a deep one...

I like time travel and multiple realities.

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Done wrong, this can be a real horrible cliche, sort of a surprise reveal of an evil twin at the wrong moment. Done right, and you get awesome stories. Like Back to the Future. Or Fair Coin.

E. C. Myers first published novel landed on the io9 summer reading list and was called pure crack in a review there. Well, yeah. The only reason I didn't finish the book in one sitting was that I had to go to a meeting. I looked up and like 3 hours had passed, and I was thrilled I hadn't noticed.

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