Month: February 2021

  • On Finishing What I Start

    On Finishing What I Start

    I’ve always struggled with finishing what I start. It’s probably a foundation stone in my personality. Great at starting things. Trash at finishing them. Except books, for some reason. Reading them, I mean. Writing them? Well… let’s talk about that. And some other stuff.

     

    I’m a Sprinter by Nature

    Physically, for sure, I was built for speed. Growing up as a kid, the only kid in elementary school faster than me was John Cena (yes, the WWE wrestler). No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t catch him, but I loved trying. Sprinting is my safe place. Maximum power right out of the blocks. Hold nothing back. That mentality bleeds into literally everything I do in life, really. I suppose the apt term to describe me is “Hardo.” It’s generally used disparagingly, but I embrace that identifier. You better believe I’m a Hardo, folks. YOLO. Go big or go home. Do, or do not. There is no try. 

     

    The problem with that all-out, 150% mentality is that I have a tendency to… hit the wall. If I can’t crank through a project quickly, there’s a real danger that I won’t ever finish it. I guess I’m like Gimli. Very dangerous over short distances.

    But, sometimes (like with Gimli) I surprise myself with my own long-distance fortitude. Which brings me to the main point of this particular post.

     

    I Have a Finished Draft! 

    If you didn’t know, I’ve been working on a novel. It started as my MFA creative thesis at Lesley University under the guidance and encouragement of one of my favorite human beings, author Chris Lynch. You can read about some of my earlier adventures drafting this book HERE. That was was in 2018.

    True to myself, I went full throttle from day one. And, I wrote a full draft of a novel. Huzzah! But… it was broken. Hey, at least I realized it was broken, right? The problem was repairing it. That took about two years, with lots of stops and starts and wrong turns that required backing up and starting again. In between those stops and starts were long bouts of not writing because I just didn’t know how to move forward. Frustrating? You bet. I kid you not, about two months ago I was on the verge of just abandoning it.

     

    Writer's Block

     

    When Lightning Strikes, Write!


    Lightning StrikeI was going along in my day, minding my own business, not even thinking about the book when, BAM! The problem revealed itself and the solution became obvious in an unexpected flash. 

    I was not allowing my characters to drive the plot forward. Duh. So focused was I on having my MC do X, Y, and Z to finish things that I didn’t realize her antagonist would never in a million years allow any of those things to happen. Too bad, author. It’s just not going to fall out that way. Back up, and let the characters take the reins. Finally, I understood.

    So, I set a goal. Life was busy. I didn’t have a whole lot of time each day for my creative endeavors. Still don’t (teaching during a pandemic is bananas). How about 500 words a day? That’s two pages. I could do that, right? Yes, I could. And I did. In just a week and a half, I finished the draft I’d been struggling with for years. Seems fitting that I sprinted to the finish line. I mean, that’s who I am, apparently. A sprinter.

     

    Owning Our Own Personal Processes

    I envy writers who are super consistent. The ones who plod along, getting a little farther in their projects every day, week by week, month by month. Their consistency. Their routine. I hunger for that, but I don’t think that will ever be me. Just like I wish I could run three miles (heck, let’s be real; I wish I could run just ONE mile) without doubling over and sucking wind. It’s just never going to happen.

    The more honest I can be with myself about who I am and how I operate, the more likely it will be that I achieve my goals. You can’t trust the process if you don’t know the process. For me, the process will be HIIT sessions of writing: fast, furious bursts of productivity interspersed with long periods of downtime and metal recovery. If I can learn to be okay with that, maybe even enjoy it, then maybe I’ll start finishing more projects.

     

    What Now?

    What now, indeed! I’ve got a draft of a novel. One that is NOT broken, just dirty (as all first drafts are). Huzzah! My brain is screaming, sprint!!! Run at that thing as fast and as hard as you can. But I don’t think that would be a smart approach. When I emailed Chris Lynch to tell him I’d finally found the ending to that creative thesis he got me started on way back in 2018, he wrote back with the sage advice that I tuck it away for a while and turn my attention to something else.

    Story Ideas BoardSo, what shall I work on next? There’s a corkboard on my office wall with hand written pages pinned up in various shades of fountain pen ink, and they all bear the same title: “Story Idea.” Guess it’s time to peruse my options. 

    What’s YOUR process, fellow creatives? Do tell. Are you comfortable with how you naturally tend to operate, or do you wish your brain worked differently? Regardless of what your struggles might be, I hope you are able to overcome them and be successful in whatever it is that you are doing.

     

    Thanks for stopping by, and as always, happy writing!

  • Boskone 58 – This Time, It’s Virtual!

    It’s become an annual February event in my household. What has, you ask? Valentine’s Day weekend? No. Presidents Day weekend? Definitely not. No, I’m talking about Boskone weekend!!

     

    What is Boskone?

    Boskone is the longest running science fiction convention in New England. When I was studying to get my MFA in creative writing at Lesley University back in 2018, one of my professors directed me to it, and since I do love my speculative fiction, it made sense to go. Also, I live close by–just north of Boston (home of Boskone). On top of that, it’s one of the most affordable SFFH writing conventions around. A $55 membership gets you full access all weekend long.

    That first convention back in 2018 hooked me. To read about that awkward but incredible first experience, check out my blog post, Gearing Up for Boskone56.

     

    This Year, Boskone went Virtual

    The good folks who put on this convention each year – the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) – had the foresight to put together a micro-virtual convention in July called ReCONvene. Much shorter, just one day. I attended. It was great. Especially since ReaderCon, the other wiring convention I strive to attend each year, had been cancelled because, you know, pandemic.

    The NESFA folks learned lots of important tech and logistical lessons from the mini-con in July. From that experience, they crafted a truly excellent virtual Boskone event. Check out the line up of  special guests!

    Boskone 58 Special Guests

     

    The Pros and Cons of a Virtual Conference

    It goes without saying that a virtual event can’t fully replace an in-person experience. After almost a whole year of social isolation, I definitely missed seeing and talking with other real-life people as opposed to in-the-computer people. Still, I think this year’s virtual Boskone had some uniquely positive elements.

    How nice to snuggle on my couch under blankets with a cup of coffee while listening to panelists talk shop. I certainly couldn’t have sat and painted my nails during a panel discussion last year. The virtual dealer’s room didn’t have the same feel as the real thing. What could? The look of all those shiny books, the smell of their pages, the feel of the paper beneath my fingers. Nothing will ever replace that, but because I didn’t drop $300+ on hotel and travel, I was able to buy more of the books panelists recommended when someone asked the inevitable question, “If you could recommend just one book that you think exemplified X, what would it be?” Yeah, my TBR list got a LOT longer this weekend, and what a wonderful problem that is!

    Here’s what I bought (a fraction of what was recommended):

     

    Motivate Your Writing by Stephen P. Kelner, JR PhD 
    The Exorcist 40th Anniversary Edition by William Peter Blatty
    In Search of and Others (short fiction collection) by Will Ludwigsen
    Judges: Psyche (a Judge Dredd novel) by Maura McHugh 
    Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay 

    The weekend proved to be a whirlwind of wonderful. Here’s what I got up to.

     

    Let the Friday Fun Begin!

    I wanted to kick things of with the “Fountain Pen Show & Tell Discussion Group” at 3:30, but I didn’t finish up my teaching day until 3:30 and didn’t get home until 4:30. But, through the grapevine I hear it was a lot of fun.

     

    Bouncing Round the Rooms

    At 5:00 pm, I hopped in and out of the Opening Ceremonies event, the “Science of Fantasy” panel discussion, and “The Transformative Power of Women in Horror” panel. All while ordering dinner online and writing end-of-trimester comments for my students. Being able to unobtrusively enter and leave  zoom panels was definitely a plus. So was knowing that most of the panel discussions would be recorded.  No more agonizing over which panel to attend at time X because they’re both so amazing I don’t want to miss either one. They’re all available for viewing at my leisure moving forward! Huzzah!!

     

    A Conversation about Craft

    Making a Scene Craft Book“Admiring the Scene-ry” was a fantastic panel to listen in on as I ate dinner in my living room. John Chu made some great connections between improv theater techniques and writing crisp, in-the-moment, engaging scenes. Scott Edelman offered up the time-honored advice to get into a scene as late as possible and get out of a scene as early as possible. Michael Swanwick swooped into the conversation to defend the effectiveness and merits of the narrative “hook” in writing.

     

    What does the future hold for us?

    Urine SocksFrom there I tuned into the 8:00 pm panel discussion, “Bizarre Biotech” with Jeanne Cavelos, Colin Alexander, Frank Wu, and S L Huang. Frank cued up some google slides showcasing several examples of authentically bizarre biotech in development around the globe. The panelists (and attendees via the zoom chat) spent the hour cracking each other up as they discussed the merits (or lack thereof) of various tech ideas. Energy producing “urine socks” anyone? No? No takers? Shocking.

     

    Snuggle In and Tell Me a Story

    Paul TremblayI capped off my Friday evening listening to Joe Hill and Paul TremblayJoe Hill take turns reading from existing or in-progress works.  After the reading, they hung out with the audience members who had zoomed in and we all had a relaxed and down-to-earth chat about… oh, you know, stuff and things. It was super chill and really excellent.

     

    Final Thoughts on Virtual Boskone

    This post would grow much too long if I attempted a summary of every panel and kaffeeklatsch I attended on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re desperate to hear more, let me know in the comments and I’ll consider a “part 2” post. For now, know that Saturday and Sunday were as good if not better than Friday. Despite never leaving my house, I was surprisingly  exhausted by the end of my final activity on Sunday night (a kaffeeklatsch with Joe Abercrombie).

     

    Boskone 58 was a smashing success, even in its modified virtual form. I’m glad I went, but I do hope it’ll be in-person next winter. Nothing can replace the excitement of traveling to the hotel, eating way-too-expensive hotel food, dressing up a little nicer than usual, and bumping into like-minded folks I haven’t seen in six months between panels and at the “after-con” evening gatherings.

    If you’ve got questions about Boskone, drop them into the comments or you reach out on Twitter and we can compare notes!

    Did you attend Boskone this year? What were the highlights for you?

    Thanks for stopping by, and as always, happy writing to you.