Triumph Over Tragedy

Story Outline Method

Having now written over a dozen full novels, I’ve come to the conclusion there isn’t one “right” way to write a novel; there are over a dozen.  Each novel is unique, not only in its storyline, but in its development process. 

For a new novel I’m planning to write during the month of November for the annual NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I’m using the Story Outline Method, and I love it. Please visit www.nanowrimo.org for more information.

What is the story outline method?  Simple – it’s an outline of your novel – constructed before you write the first word.   Here are some of the steps I’m using with this new novel.

·         Before I even think about the name for the novel, I must think on  a grand scale what the general setting of the story is, what I want it to show in the story, and what I want the main theme to depict.  Once I have a general overview, I have EVERYTHING I need to start.

·         I then decide what length I’d LIKE to have the story.  Short Story (300 – 3,000 words), Novella (less than 40,000 words), Novel (50,000 – 100,000 words), or Epic (100,000 +). I also decide the genre (fantasy, urban, historical, romance, sci-fi, chick lit, literary fiction, etc., and writing style (first person, third person, omniscient, Active/Passive, Showing/Telling

·         I also decide who will be my protagonists & antagonists and write up Character Dossiers for those main characters only.  This is where I get the first clear glimpse of my characters.  This is also a great tool to use to ensure your characters are not all cookie-cutters of the same character.  There’s nothing more boring than reading a novel when ALL the characters in the story act, think and respond in exact or similar manners.  Doing a character dossier will allow you to individualize your characters, as well as provide the writer with a resource to review when writing that character – so the character can develop but remain true to the writer’s initial intent. (Will post a blog later this week on Character Dossiers.)

·         I then consider how many chapters, and then do a “Story Structure” (see blog post titled “A Story Structure”) to make sure my plot points hit at certain segments in the story.  I then fill in the chapter summaries with ideas I’d like to see covered between those certain segments – ideas that move the plot of the story.  (There’s nothing more irritating than reading a story and the plot changes, or the original plot morphed(or is forgotten) into something else, so a reader finishes a different story than they began.) Writing out chapter summaries, lets me see the story from a broader picture, and serves as a guide when I go to write that particular chapter.  (Always:  the story doesn’t have to be exact to the summary.  The purpose of the summary is to provide the writer with a clear ‘direction’, but the genius and skill of writer will emerge as they put fingertips to keyboard during the actual writing process.

·         Finally, I create a story board (a large dry-erase or peg board), complete with plot points, pictures, and notes essential for the story.  This board is mostly used for inspiration during the planning and writing process; serving as a reminder of important things to be included in the novel. 

Again, I want to stress that this is just ONE method of writing.  I’ve used this method before and it worked great.  I think the most important part of writing is to do what excites, inspires and energizes you.  You MUST love what you’re doing, or it will just be  a burden, not a true labor of love.

Good luck with your next novel and my greatest hope is that this little bit of writing advice has inspired you to get busy on your next great idea.  Perhaps this could also be a help for someone who finds themselves ‘stalled’ in their current work.  The Story Outline Method is a great process that can help identify problems or weak areas in a story.

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

Who's Got Your Ear?

Not many of us really think about whose advice we allow into our lives.  It would probably surprise us if we actually took stock of who truly influences our decisions.  So, if I can offer a small bit of wisdom that I learned early in my college days, I’d be happy.  I use this bit of advice almost on a daily basis, because it’s become ingrained into my very being.

So, what is this little piece of wisdom?

1.    Decide where you want to go, what type of person you want to be, and what it is you want to achieve. 

2.    Evaluate and list those that surround you, inspire you, and speak into your life.

3.    Decide who in your life that encompasses the traits and characteristics that will help you achieve the goals listed in Step 1.

4.    Separate from those listed in Step 2 that does NOT encompass those traits and goals.

5.    Put your decisions into action.

This may separate you from your closest friends and family members, but the choice is yours alone.  Do you want to stay where you are, surrounded by who you already know, or do you want to move forward? It may be selfish to apply this into your life, but YOUR life is YOUR life; and it can’t get more selfish than that.  If you’re a true friend, you’d want your friend to be successful and achieve their dreams, but the reality is that most of us are not true friends.  We surround ourselves with people that make us feel comfortable and better about ourselves, only rarely taking their feelings or aspirations into account on occasion. 

Ask yourself these simple questions:

1.    From whom should I take marital advice?  Someone divorced several times or can’t seem to sustain a long-lasting relationship or someone who’s been married to the same person for several years and survived through several storms?

2.    From whom should I take financial advice?  Someone in bankruptcy or in debt up to their ears or someone who’s started from the bottom and worked their way to the top, who offers opportunities to others, and who gives more than they receive?  Do you want to be rich or poor?

3.    From whom should I take spiritual advice?  Someone who doubts, who switches their faith with every whim, is swayed by every new fad or someone who stands firm on their faith in the midst of storms and among rainbows?

4.    From whom should I take writing advice?  Someone who runs wild with every new idea, but never seems to finish them, who believes their fellow writers are their competition and rivals instead of friends, who thinks themselves part of the artistic elite, filled with elitist snobbery and is above self- promotion and marketing, or someone who pushes through their labor of love, believes in themselves, and their talents, and takes their time to pour into others the wisdom and knowledge that have poured into themselves?

People like to talk.  People like to give advice.  But consider the ‘actions’ of those whom you allow to sow words of wisdom into your life.  If they only SAY, but never DO, then perhaps you should find DOERS instead.  Surround yourselves with people to whom you admire, respect and who encompass the traits, successes and character of the person you want to be. Follow someone who stands on their path and doesn’t allow their emotions to lead them with every whim, but always steps forward.  Follow someone who has heart, who cares and loves success in others, who will pour out continually as they receive.  Follow, as you learn to lead. 

I’m learning to apply this bit of wisdom into my own life.  I’ve recently

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

Writing Material

Where do you get most of your writing material?

I get some ideas from other stories I’ve read, some from movies I’ve watched, and some from the figments of my imagination.  However, my greatest source of inspiration comes from the life I live, the people I love and the faith to which I cling.

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

Write What You Want

One of the first pieces of advice most veteran writers will give fledgling and upcoming artists is to: Write what you know.  That is excellent advice.  Readers can spot fabrication easily, which doesn’t bode well for the writer.

  

The second piece of advice should be: Write what you want.  It is my experience that unless I’m writing something that excites me, it becomes a laborious project, and resentment towards the project grows when I’m forced.  How I feel while writing is often interjected into what I’m writing.  I’m beginning to recognize this transference in what I’m reading, and becoming more aware of its possibility in my own work.

However, this writing method needs to be balanced with scheduled productivity in order to meet deadlines and achieve story completion.  I learned very early in my writing career that you can’t just write when you ‘feel’ like it.  What you ‘want’ to write has nothing to do with how you ‘feel’.  What I mean about writing what you want, is writing the story that burns in your heart, that you can’t quit thinking about, the one your muse constantly sends inspiration, not whether you have an ache somewhere. 

So, what do you want to write today?

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

Vabella Publishing

I’ve always heard the phrase that you need to strike the iron while it’s hot, and if I’ve seen anything searing these days, it’s the rapid growth of Vabella Publishing, and I can’t express how excited that makes me. 

I met publisher John Bell in January 2010 when he was the scheduled guest speaker of the Carrollton Creative Writer’s Club (CCWC).  At the time I was a published author with a company out of Florida, and an entrepreneur working 16-hour days.  Needless to say, I enjoyed his presentation, but didn’t put much more thought into Bell or his company. 

What a difference a few months can make.   At a combined book signing with other CCWC members at Wiley’s Book Exchange, I again met John Bell, and was able to talk with him in more detail.  He expressed with great desire his goals and how he’d like to see Vabella grow.  Due to his level of passion, combined with my business experience, I found myself talking about distributors, contracts, websites, marketing and everything else I had learned about the publishing industry over the two years since I signed my first contract, and thus was born our publishing/author relationship.

After a few more months, being dissatisfied with the amount of time I had to market my debut novel, or write on my other subsequent novels, I sold my business and began the process of cancelling my contract with my previous publisher, and called John Bell.  He seemed very happy, and invited me with open arms into the Vabella family.  A few months after that, and a couple of rounds of edited galleys, my second book was published.  At the time, Vabella boasted of nearly ten titles and authors.  What a difference a year can make.  Now Vabella has over twenty published titles and more than a dozen authors, many coming from the CCWC.  I have recently published my fourth novel, and am working diligently on my fifth, and sixth and seventh. 

As you can see …Vabella Publishing is simmering hot! I wish John and his family much, much success.  I couldn’t be more excited to be part of such a wonderful company.  I am also excited for my fellow authors who’ve also joined the Vabella Family.  Congratulations and good luck to Dr. Robert Covel, Thomas Young, Rev. Harley Fiddler, Shelly Murphy, Rev. Daniel Patrick, Dr. Eleanor Wolfe Hoomes, Gary Spillers, Mary Wilburn, Jeanette Pickering, Georgia Adams, Jim Perry and Steve Davis.

Who Surrounds You?

We’ve been told to be careful with who we hang out with our whole lives, starting with our parents warning us about wayward friends.  Most cautions were not in judgment against them, but for our protection.  When we became teenagers and thought we knew everything, we began making those decisions for ourselves, some resulting in huge mistakes.   This is all part of growing up.  Now that we’re adults, we need to use the wisdom we’ve gathered through our lives to this point, including both from our parents and our mistakes, but this doesn’t need only apply to our friends. As writers we must apply this principle to the people with whom we network in the business. 

A person is usually judged by the friends surrounding them, just as a writer is judged by whom they choose to network.   It is very important that we align ourselves with where we want to go and what we want to achieve, not necessarily where we currently stand.  It is a fact that if a person desires promotion, they must act and dress for the position they want, not the position they currently hold. If you want to be successful, you must align yourself with those who’ve succeeded, not be constantly surrounded by failure. 

Take an assessment.  Who are you investing your time and attention?  To those you admire and respect, or with those who want to hold you back?  Do the people around you encourage, inspire, and incite you to push through, to reach higher, to take another step, or do they accomplish nothing themselves and complain about those who do?  Do all the people around you only placate and pat you on the back, but never offer good, solid, sometimes hard, criticism to push you to your boundaries?  Platitudes are great, but only for the ego. 

A true writer should desire the truth, in a pursuit to improve and perfect their craft, but most often the artistic ego can’t handle the truth or constructive criticism.  An egotist only desires to stroke the ego.  Since becoming a writer and delving into the artistic world, I’ve never met more narcissistic people than those in the artistic guilds.  They’re mostly a bunch of snobs.  I don’t quite understand where this pretentiousness and elitist attitude extends from, but the air is thick with them, and usually the snootiest of the bunch is the one who holds the least amount of natural talent. Combine that with the one-trick ponies, which after twenty years have yet to display another gem of their genius, and it’s easy to find yourselves in company that is designed to hold you back and lead to failure or stagnation.

Be careful with whom you align.  Choose those who sow wisdom, knowledge, encouragement and truth into your life and career, not just their opinions.  Be selective which fellow authors you network with – do they write, market, inspire and encourage the way you hope?  If not, let them go, or else they will drag you down to their level.  However, please be careful not to block opportunities to sow into others who’ve yet to reach your level of success.  Just as you look to move up into the world of success, don’t forget to be a helping hand to others.  Whatsoever you do to the least of these …will be done to you.  Whatsoever you sow, that also shall you reap.  What you do FOR others reflects more on who you are, more than anything you can say.

Seek the opinions and reviews of those with the highest and strictest levels of excellence, and not your friends.  True friends tell you what you ‘need’ to hear, not what you ‘want’ to hear.  However, in my experience, there are few ‘true’ friends in this world, and those who try are often rejected because the recipient’s ego can’t handle the harsh truths that sometimes have to be said.  I’ve lost many of so-called friends because I’ve dared to tell the truth.  But I appreciate everyone in my life who’s dared to sow the truth to and in me.  Because of them, I’ve enhanced my craft and pushed myself to yet another level of excellence. 

I encourage you today.  Seek the next level above you. Write something that pushes you to the edge of your ability and beyond.  Seek a network connection that will help you take a step up.  Reach out to another author in whom you admire and respect, and to whom you are a huge fan.  Take a chance and submit a query to a bigger agent or publisher.  Request a review from someone you know is truthful, yet harsh, and whom you fear may give you hard criticism.  And, look for someone you can lend a hand or bit of encouragement. 

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

Murphy's Law of Distractions

Isn’t it one of those Murphy’s Laws – that as soon as set yourself to do a specific task, a thousand other things appear to pull you away? If ever there was a clear stumbling block for writers, this would be the most popular. Only the utmost dedicated and disciplined will be able to navigate through the distractions and make it to the finish line.

While we all have our own methods and practices, I’ve developed a personal routine to help minimize the distractions in my own writing life. Murphy continues to bombard me daily with new and inventive distractions, but that only gives me more opportunities to strengthen my resolve.

My Routine:

• ·After I’ve exercised my body, spent time in prayer to nurture my spirit, I then enter my office, close the door (to keep out pets and other family members), and fire up my synapses by writing on my daily blog. Before I begin, I close my email program, silence my phone and log off all internet browsers. Nothing causes more distractions than an email or Facebook notification popping up on screen in the middle of creation.
• ·Next, I allow myself a block of time to interface, post, market, network, promote, communicate, and surf the internet. In other words …do the ‘business’ part of being a full time writer.
• ·Then I usually break for lunch. At this time I leave the office (this is important to catch my second wind) to eat, perhaps exercise and read a little bit of my current book, talk to a friend, or sometimes take a little nap.
• ·The next stage is VERY important, and usually the hardest part: I re-enter my office, check my emails, check my social networks, check my blogs, but for only for a limited time. THEN, I must CLOSE them all off again, and put my fingers to the keyboard and allow my gift to shift into gear to labor on my current WIP (Work In Progress).
• ·The last stage, which I think is most important – about 4-5pm, I cease being writer, author, entrepreneur and become wife, mother and friend. It is of the utmost importance that we don’t live our lives in our work, but bring a balance to the whole. In order to effectively write about life, we need to live it. To effectively write about relationships, we need to have them. To effectively write about overcoming, falling, picking ourselves back up, making mistakes, or learning important life lessons, we have to experience them. Find what works for you.

Please keep in mind, even though we set up a productive routine for our lives, we must remain flexible. Life happens when it happens, and it doesn’t care for the schedules we make for ourselves. There is no “Writer’s Hell” waiting for us if we bend the rules from time to time, or get off schedule to deal with life. However, and this is KEY to being productive and getting those projects checked off your list, we MUST be self-disciplined and self-dedicated to get back on schedule as soon as possible. Writer’s MUST be self-motivated and self-reliant. Only ‘we’ can write what we were meant to write and the responsibility of production remains with us.

What is your schedule like? Do you wonder why you just can’t finish that novel you’ve been working on for years? You might find the problem is in your routine.

Till next time,
~T.L. Gray

Getting Lost and Finding a Pearl

There’s nothing more exciting for a writer than getting lost in the pages and excitement of a great adventure inside a well-written book. Finding such an adventure isn’t an easy task.  You know they’re out there, they exist, but it’s like finding a pearl in an oyster. Often times you have to sift through dozens and dozens of shells discovering only an average, limp or dull story, and rarely find that rare jewel.  But, boy when you do, it’s an exhilarating ride, and it spurs that love/hate relationship.  You love it so much you can’t put it down, but you hate losing sleep, time, and the reality of life that gets in the way, or takes you away from the story for any period of time. I LOVE those types of stories.

I believe every story has the potential to be a pearl, but this jewel requires time to incubate and mature.  Readers keep getting grains of sand instead of pearls, because many writers don’t have any patience to allow their stories to develop.  They get a great idea and splash it in its raw form into a manuscript, but due to their impatience, don’t spend the energy, pain and time to turn their grain of sand into a priceless jewel.  And the sad part of it all …these writers expect their audience to be satisfied with a grain of sand.  They expect the reader to be able to ‘see’ the vision of what could have been, instead of laying it all out themselves.  The problem with that – once the sand is removed from the pearl, it doesn’t continue to evolve.  The development and transformation ceases, and it will never become a pearl. 

I’ve been guilty of peddling sand, but I’ve matured since, and I’m starting to see ripeness in my work. I’ve learned patience and gained a respect for my art, as well as my audience.  My greatest hope is that I can one day produce a wonderful pearl that some reader will find, enjoy and treasure.

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

Why Won’t My Skeletons Disappear?

Ever made a wrong decision, a bad investment, or simply made a mistake?  Join the club of humanity.  We are ripe with failures.  There’s no one on this earth who has not messed up at one time or another.  That puts us all on the same playing field.  What makes us different, and what proves the caliber of player we are (not who we think and say we are), is how we handle those mistakes. 

I’ve watched time and time again a player boast of their abilities, their talents and their skills right up until the moment the game starts.  That’s when the truth of their abilities (or lack thereof) became apparent and the truth was revealed.  Granted, sometimes a player had a good day and sometimes a bad.  However, if you watched enough games and the player long enough, you’d see their true potential, their true talents and their true skills.  The truth lay in the evidence of the results. 

I’ve also seen players who have been endowed with great natural talent, but lacked wisdom and knowledge on how, when and where to execute the right use.  In fact, their ego and lack of understanding of the rules were often their downfall; the time-bomb that killed their best efforts with a foul or a play at the wrong time.

 

What I’m trying to get at is this:  We are fallible, and sometimes do stupid stuff – thereby stuffing skeletons in our closets.  We ALL have them.  But, I’m observing a trend in our society that really frightens me.  Time and time again I see people avoid their skeletons, instead of facing them.  They wait to be bailed-out, to be rescued, to be forgiven for their mistakes, but take no responsibility to remove the skeletons from their own closets.  They just keep shoving them in, cramming them together, and expecting someone else to clean them out, some even going as far to proclaim they are entitled to a clean closet.

 

The bankruptcy rate in this country (the world in fact) is at the highest level ever recorded.  In the writing world – many writers are too eager to get in print – which they forgo the time, and effort to really study their craft, in their impatience self-publish and put out a bad manuscript. Then, they expect their readers to forgive, to support and to bail them out of their bad decisions by continuing to buy their books.  Yet, they don’t take the time to go back and clean up their mess and remove the skeletons they’ve created.  Or, they publish a decent book, but make the mistake of not properly marketing and networking to get the word out, yet expect someone else to come along and do it for them.  That’s like people who run up bad credit card debts in their ignorance, which they can’t pay, and yet expect the debts to just disappear, or for someone else to absorb the debt because forgiveness has been asked - then are shocked back into reality when they start to get their lives back on track to find out the ‘mess’ they created is still there for them to clean up.  What’s most surprising is the bad debtor gets angry that the skeleton is still in their closet.  They’re confused and don’t understand why it’s there.

Where did this mindset come from?  Where did personal responsibility go?  What happened to the concept of making amends or reparations?  Does the world even know what those words mean anymore?  I’m sorry doesn’t mean – “I feel bad because I messed up or I got caught”.  We are all sorry.  It means – “I acknowledge my mistake and I will do whatever I can to make amends, and change my habits so I don’t make it again.”  It’s insanity to keep doing the same thing, yet expect a different result. It’s just as insane to keep trying to help people with that mindset.  It’s naive of us to sit on our butts and wonder, “Why won’t my skeletons disappear?”

 

It’s time to get off our butts and start cleaning out our closets.  We ALL have skeletons, we ALL make mistakes, and we ALL are responsible for our own skeletons.  Learn to apologize, but most of all, learn to quit making the same mistakes. The only real entitlement we have is to our guilt and repentance