Color-coding for reasons TBD

I'm so proud of myself! I actually started novel revisions yesterday.

My goal is to revise a chapter a day, but some of the chapters will need to be broken up into smaller chunks. I need to do this anyway because having only 16 chapters in a 70,000 word novel is not a good idea.

I'm hoping that during this process, I will be struck by some genius title for my novel. The working title of "The Career Killer" makes it sound like the criminal makes a habit of killing people's careers, which is a bit trivial compared to serial killers. Still not sure what direction I'm going there yet. But if I go the traditional publishing route in the end, it might not matter because they like to make those decisions themselves.

The first thing I did was color code the revision process. I bought sticky notes and wrangled up matching highlighters. Character is pink, world is green, language is blue, and plot is orange. 

I got the color-coding idea from my young adult writing teacher, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, which is hilarious to me because she explained in detail how her process works and then said she does absolutely nothing with all of the colors when she's finished. I have a feeling my color-coding will end up going down a similar path. But it's fun, and the colors keep my brain engaged.

So far, revising has consisted of writing down line edits on the printed copy, adding more descriptive words, and rewording passages of dialogue to give characters more concrete voices.

I've also created hand-written pages for each character, where I am writing down all of the details about the character as they are mentioned in the novel. I have word documents like this already for each character, but this way, I will be able to tell which details I've left out and which ones I've mixed up. 

I talked with my good writing friend, Rachel, about revising and she suggested that when I actually go to make the changes in my 380-page word document that I should save a new copy with the changes. She said this is in case I end up not liking the changes in the long run. I'm glad she told me this now rather than once I was halfway through the novel.

Keep checking back for more revision updates as I learn how to revise a novel.

Update and a Game Plan

Since my last post, which I am ashamed to say was about a year and a half ago, I have come a long way in my writing career. I interned at The Oklahoma Gazette and was offered a paid freelancing position. I wrote the first draft of my police procedural novel, which currently stands at 70 thousand words. And I began a second internship at The Chickasha Express-Star, where I currently work.

Despite all of this progress, I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Even though I have days at the Express-Star where my brain slides into the familiar speed of writing, it still scares me to think that this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Other days, it's like pulling teeth. Phone numbers are no longer in service, sources are on vacation, and there's nothing in all of Grady County to take a picture of for the lead art. It's usually on those days, the days where I can read 100 pages of Anthony Doerr's All The Light We Cannot See, where I question myself.

In my opinion, it's a documented fact that doing new things is scary. As humans, we fear the unknown, even when we perceive the outcome to be positive. So much of journalism, and writing in general, is groping around in a dark attic looking for the pull cord on the single light bulb. And some days, you give up because it's just too hot in the attic. You climb down the stairs, fold them up, and push them back up into their place. And then, you pretend like the attic, it's stupid light bulb, and even the stairs to that annoying place don't exist.

But other days, the pull cord is right where it's supposed to be. And when you touch it, everything comes into focus. The sources call you back and have riveting things to say. You connect with this community on a new level and can come to understand something new about yourself or about humanity as a whole. You can see a difference being made. It's a difficult balance between these two types of days.

Even though the euphoric feelings that come with finding the light bulb give me positive reinforcement, I often pat myself on the back one-too-many times for finally finding the pull cord.

"Go take a break. You've done enough for the day," my inner voice tells me. "You deserve to pretend your finished novel hasn't been sitting untouched on your dresser for two months. It was an accomplishment just to finish it. Continue to revel in that fact, and don't worry about making progress."

For the past two months, I've listened to that voice. I had a lot of major life changes take place around the same time. I started going to the gym, not only to improve my health, but to find a time when my brain would slip into that familiar speed like when I write.

I got on here originally to make a novel game plan with the inspiration of a blog post from my previous teacher, Jennifer Lynn Barnes. In her blog post on revision, she explains that the four most important components of a book are language, world, plot, and character. Then she offers many questions to ask yourself about each of those elements during revision. I've got to start somewhere. So it might as well be here.


Revision Game Plan:
Character

• Develop character backgrounds

Plot

• Make every scene do more than one thing (language, world, plot, character)
• Break up chapters
• Add fingerprinting of suspects

World

• Describe each scene, character fully
• Do a pass to add emotion
• Add nuances of police/medical worlds
• Add presence of guns?

Language

• Remove extra dialogue tags
• Give each character individualized voice
• Make sure Sailor's voice is consistent
• Remove anything that doesn't NEED to be there

Advertisements That Tell Women Who To Be

Lately, the advertisements I've been seeing have been on my mind. So I'm taking a break from blogging about writing and switching to discussing paths to social change.

According to the advertisements I see for women, I’m supposed to be: 

                                                 in shape,

shaved,

                                                                   an alcoholic, 

                                                                 and engaged.

I’m supposed to clean my apartment with every product available and slather myself in makeup, hair, and anti-aging products. I'm supposed to be on a medicine cabinet's shelf worth of medications. I’m supposed to be buying a car but already have a fabulous auto insurance plan. I’m supposed to upgrade to all of the latest technology as soon as it comes out. I’m supposed to buy all kinds of Christmas gifts for my friends and family but only at bargain prices. I’m supposed to wear stylish clothes and fancy jewelry and make delicious dinners for my family with my plethora of kitchen appliances.

But I am none of the things advertisements tell women we have to be.

So clearly, the advertising companies are targeting the correct audience, because I obviously need to improve in all of these areas by buying their products. I am obviously not enough. Right?

Or does this mean that the marketing companies are wrong? Because despite the deluge of ads I’m exposed to every day, I have continued to resist the images they’re sending me. Instead, I have continued to be me.

Regardless, where are the ads that support reading, education, and independent thought? I want to see more ads like this one from Dove that tell women their bodies are innately beautiful and that they don’t need to be enhanced with products to feel better.



 I want ads to tell women that being single is okay and that they don’t need to primp and plump themselves to find a man if they want one. 

I want to see ads that promote financial stability and frugality. I want more ads that promote healthy foods, not for the sake of dieting but to live a long life. There should be more ads that show the value in family time away from screens. Where are the ads that promote honest volunteerism?

No wonder our culture is so materialistic, self-serving, and entitled. We learn how to act, what to wear, and who to be from the advertisements that saturate our media consumption. 

So where are the ads that are going to change that mentality for the next generation? If we don't create them, who will? 

Inspiration Drawn from Catching Fire

I saw Catching Fire last night, and I was absolutely blown away! The second movie in the Hunger Games series kept the momentum going from the last movie beautifully. For those who hadn't seen the first one in awhile, the second one reminded the viewer of the important main points so that we could jump right back into the story.

I felt the emotions of the characters throughout the movie. And I don't just mean I felt Katniss's PTSD-like symptoms or Peeta's undying love for Katniss, but I felt Johanna's concentrated anger and Finnick's panic when he heard the Jabber Jays mimic the sound of Annie being tortured. The actors and the filmmakers did a fantastic job of presenting relateable characters. 

One of the great storytelling ideas I saw in Catching Fire was the technology divide present between the capital and the other districts. When the audience sees scenes of the capital, the society appears to be a futuristic one. But when scenes of the other districts are shown, the world seems more antiquated. This combination of eras is an interesting concept.

Something else I noticed was that when the characters were in the Hunger Games arena, there was this overarching theme that literally any character could die at any second that really kept me on the edge of my seat. Even some tried and true storytelling rules of who can be killed and when can be broken in the arena.

Finally, I was amazed how much I could identify with Katniss's struggles to figure out her love triangle. It reminded me of the court cases shown on TV in that I always agree with whichever lawyer was just talking. My opinion is swayed that easily. Well in Catching Fire, I wanted Katniss to be with whichever man she was currently with in that scene. Prior to Katniss's story, I had never understood love triangles. I've only ever loved one person at a time. So the ideas of love triangles and cheaters are so foreign to me. But Suzanne Collins and the other people responsible for the Catching Fire movie did an excellent job of making Katniss's confusion understandable to the viewer. 

But the biggest thing I took away from the movie was the inspiration to keep writing. Catching Fire tells such a beautiful story of courage, revolt, love, and evil. Sometimes when I read stories or see movies that are that fantastic they make me want to stop being a writer because I think "I'll never be able to tell a story like that." But last night, Catching Fire helped remind me of the passion I have for writing. And when I write about real world issues that I am passionate about, that is when I'll write my own Catching Fire. 

So I've decided that when I'm trying to manage writer's block or a story I loved gets shot down by an editor, I'll watch one of the movies or read one of the books that made me want to be a writer in the first place! What could be a better reminder to tell great stories than a great story itself?

The Sleeping Canopy

I'm making pretty good progress with this story so far! That is largely due to a good writing friend of mine who's discipline is beginning to rub off on me! 

Here is the rest of the first chapter, which can be read here.

Once the ceremony had ended, Ebony had some duties to attend to and left Linden to show me around and introduce me to the rest of the trees.

Outside, a few trees milled about, waiting for their turn to meet the new member.

“Hazel, this is Wren,” Linden said. Wren was only slightly shorter than I, with light green eyes, dirty blonde hair, and gray bark. She looked to be about my age.

She grinned upon introduction.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Hazel!” The brown leaves caught in her wavy hair crinkled as she spoke animatedly, bobbing her head.

Her excitement was infectious, and Linden and I both grinned at each other. His amber eyes and warm brown hair seemed to glow against his black bark.

“Great to meet you Wren!” She moved to embrace me, which surprised me, but I didn’t back away from her either. A tree hugging another tree suddenly became a comical image in my head, and it made me want to giggle.

Linden motioned toward another nearby tree, a young male tree with a shock of leafy green hair. His black, almond-shaped eyes crinkled up at the corners when he smiled at me.

“I'm Rowan,” he said, “welcome.” As he leaned forward to shake my hand, a fine sprinkling of earth showered down from his hair. “Excuse me. Common result of working in construction.”

I held his eye contact and made no move to brush the earth off of my arm. “I’m sure,” I agreed, smiling. He ducked his head to acknowledge my comment and let go of my hand.

“Well, would you like to see where you’ll be living, Hazel?” Linden asked. I nodded.

I followed him for a few minutes through the forest to a secluded area hidden under a large green, woven canopy. He lifted an edge that was anchored to an inanimate tree and ushered me in. Under the canopy, twelve green woven hammocks hung, separated by curtains of lichen that waved in the breeze.

I took a deep breath.

“Wow.”

Linden motioned toward a nearby hammock, “This one’s yours. Go on, try it out.”

I was still getting used to my new body, so I clumsily leaned into the hammock and then struggled to lift my legs in to join me. But then I was gazing up at the bright stars through the canopy.

“This is beautiful.”

“It is. This is one of my favorite places.”

Just then, another tree bustled under the sleeping canopy. I sat up in my hammock to see her.

“Oh, hello,” she looked up from the trinket she carried. Everything about her had a purple shine. Her bark was light gray to the point of almost being purple; her jet black hair caught the moon light and shimmered purple; and her eyes were like violet gem stones.  “This is for you.” She handed me a creation made from weaving green vines and ferns around brown twigs that hung from another longer vine. “It’s a welcome gift. I’m Dahlia by the way.”

“Thank you, this is beautiful! And it’s so nice to meet you.”

She pointed to the hammock to the right of mine.

“I’m just next-door.” She smiled. “Don’t you think we should let her get some sleep?”

“Oh, of course. Excuse me,” Linden mumbled. “Please, make yourself comfortable, Hazel. There will be plenty of time tomorrow to continue your tour.”

“Thanks, Linden!”

I reached up to hang my gift from Dahlia on a tree branch, and I settled down into my hammock.

“Sleep tight, kiddo,” Dahlia said.

Actual Outlining!!

My goal for National Novel Writing Month, the month of November, is to make some serious progress with my Myristicae story. For this week, the plan was to create a story outline. I've never actually outlined a story in the detail before, to the point that I actually know how this story is going to end! So I'm excited to see how outlining will make my plot structure so much better. 

(This is how the inside of my brain looked before I started outlining! It's a scary place in there.)

If you don't want spoilers for the completed prose version of my story, I would advise skipping this blog entry. If you don't mind them, please let me know what you think of this outline! If you have questions or something doesn't make sense to you, please let me know. Also, if this world order seems confusing, please see my previous post about it, though please note that a few plot elements have changed. 

Myristicae Story Outline

Chapter 1

1. Hazel’s transformation and induction into the Myristicae
2. Brief explanation of the society, powers, appearance, abilities (to be continued)
3. Hazel’s grief over the life she’s lost and her excitement about the life she’s gained

Chapter 2

1. Hazel goes back to visit her friends and family and explains her absence to them
2. Thyme, the tree teacher, begins to instruct Hazel in her responsibilities and privileges (continuation of powers and abilities explanation)
3. We see her everyday life as a tree and the different building-like areas of the society
4. Hazel becomes friends with Wren

Chapter 3

1. Almond, Ash, Rowan, and Wren begin to let Hazel know of some of the down sides to being a tree, including hints about Ebony’s malicious side
2. The five commiserate about the lives they could’ve had

Chapter 4

1. Hazel begins to become attracted to Rowan, even though romantic relationships among the trees are strictly forbidden, but Rowan doesn’t seem to reciprocate
2. Hazel’s human friends, Lila and Carolina, come to visit her in the forest
3. Hazel continues her education with Thyme, with a guest appearance from Linden to learn about the tree’s governance

 Chapter 5

1. Hazel has (what she thinks is) a dream about Ebony’s coercion and punishment of a resident who tried to leave Pinetop, but she can’t see the resident’s face in the dream
2. She confides in Rowan, who tells her not to worry about it, Ebony is a good leader overall
3. Hazel struggles with her studies, nearing the end

Chapter 6

1. Hazel tries to put the dream to rest but the unknown face of the resident haunts her, and she proceeds to have dreams where the important people in her life take on that role and she watches them suffer
2. Hazel fails a crucial test to keep a resident who wants to leave Pinetop from leaving and Thyme has to do it for her
3. She sees the injustice in this society, and she has a fight with Wren about it
4.  She regrets her transformation into the tree society

Chapter 7

1. Hazel begins to realize that she can use her powers of persuasion however she chooses, not just to keep people inside the town
2. She again confides in Rowan and this time he’s on her side. Hazel tells him about her dream, and he realizes that the spirits were sending Hazel a message about the first person who was ever punished for trying to leave. The spirits want change among the trees.
3. Hazel and Rowan begin letting residents leave after wiping their memories of the trees with their powers of persuasion
4. Hazel struggles with whether to let her friends and family leave because they would have to forget her

Chapter 8

1. Ebony and Linden get wind of what Hazel and Rowan are doing and try to go after the people that have left
2. While they are away, Hazel and Rowan decide it would be best for their friends and family to let them leave
3. Once Ebony and Linden leave, they soon learn that their powers don’t work outside of Pinetop. They decide that once residents have left, including Hazel and Rowan’s friends and family, they cannot be allowed to return for the good of society.
4. Ebony and Linden punish Hazel and Rowan for their treason by performing a ceremony that severs their relationship with the sacred cave, the place of their creation. Without a continued renewal of their spirits at the sacred cave, they will soon lose their abilities and die. This ceremony may only be performed by those who have the correct authority and relationship with the cave.

Chapter 9

1. Wren sees this injustice and works to convince the other trees to no longer accept Ebony and Linden’s reign.
2. With such a small populace of trees, it is easy to change their minds, except Thyme. If a kingdom’s subjects no longer consent to being ruled, what power do the rulers have?
3. Once Ebony and Linden no longer have the allegiance of the trees, the power to perform the ceremony to reinstate Hazel and Rowan’s relationship to the sacred cave shifts to Wren and the rest of the trees as their governance decentralizes.
4. Hazel and Rowan’s status as Myristicae is reinstated, and the group convenes to decide what to do with Ebony and Linden

Chapter 10

1. After a long discussion, the trees decide to allowed Ebony and Linden to remain in the tree society, but to wipe their memories of their time of rule. The trees also decide not to appoint new rulers and rule by consensus instead to prevent future misuses of power.
2. Within the restructuring, the trees decide to allow relationships among the trees, and Hazel and Rowan become romantically involved. The trees also decide that they could police the boundaries of the town differently. Residents may leave so long as they swear an oath not to talk about the Myristicae, and visitors may enter the town during a certain period where the trees would remain in hiding. This allows Hazel and Roman’s friends and families, and everyone else who left, to return back to Pinetop whenever they choose.
3. Unfortunately for Hazel, there is no way to reverse her transformation. She will always be one of the Myristicae, which means that she can never leave Pinetop. But with a newly structured tree society and her budding romance with Rowan, this no longer bothers her as much as it did before.
4. The new society continues on to fulfill its purpose of protecting the town from those who would mistreat the trees, and Hazel finds her true place in the group as a dream translator.  

THE END

Biography of Hazel Anderson

In regards to my last post, my Mom suggested I write a biography for my characters in order to get to know them better. So I thought I'd start with Hazel from the Myristicae story. 

Name: Hazel Anderson
Age: 18
Place of Birth: Pinetop, South Dakota
City of Residence: Pinetop, South Dakota
Family: Parents - Felix and Rachel Anderson, Sister - Harper Anderson (Age 9)
Appearance: 5' 4"; willowy body type, dark brown, medium-length, curly hair; heart-shaped face, and hazel eyes 
Hobbies: Taking pictures, reading about wonderful places around the world, journaling, and taking nature walks
Education: Graduated from Laura Ingalls Wilder High School 
Best traits: Loyal, working toward independence and education, honest, and understanding
Worst traits: Naive, short temper, holds a grudge

Hazel wanted to pursue her photography to become a destination wedding photographer so that she could travel the world. She wanted to see New York City, Paris, Prague, Venice, Singapore, and Dubai. 

She gets her love of photography from her Dad, Felix. He develops pictures professionally in a dark room. Hazel's Mom, Rachel, owns and works at a midwifery clinic in town. Most of the women in Pinetop have their babies at Rachel's clinic because she offers reasonable rates to a relatively poor town. 

But Hazel doesn't understand why neither of her parents have ever left Pinetop. They went to school together from kindergarten to 12th grade and got married soon after graduation. There is only one small community college in Pinetop, but the attendance is low because most of the jobs available there are in the service industry. 

Hazel didn't want to go to college. After graduation, she dreamed of finally being able to leave Pinetop. She knew it would be hard to leave her family behind, especially because she wanted to watch her little sister, Harper, grow up. Harper is in the 4th grade and is just learning to love reading now that she's getting so good at it.  

Growing up, Hazel was an only child for 9 years, and it was hard for her, at first, to lose that attention when Harper was born. But as everyone got used to the new family dynamic, Hazel grew to love having a baby sister to play games and be silly with. They're close even though they're in such different stages of their lives.

Hazel's best friends are Lila Everett and Carolina Jones. They're all grew up together and have been friends since they were young. Carolina doesn't have big plans for her life. She wants to marry her high school boyfriend and have kids as soon as possible. But Lila and Hazel give her a hard time for not wanting to get an education or travel first. Lila's not sure what she wants to do with her life, so she's enrolled at the community college to help her figure it out.