Getting To Know You...

Writers are always encouraged to read the works of others to get a better handle on how it's done. It helps if you read books from the genre in which you write but that doesn't mean you can't expand. It's surprising the pointers you can pick up when you're not looking for them. Case in point...

I've been reading a series of books Harlequin put out called Men In Uniform. None of these books are recent releases. In fact, the one I'm reading now was originally released in 1989, entitled Informed Risk, written by Robyn Carr. What has really got my attention with this particular story is the depth of the characters. There's been quite a bit of talk lately on this topic but I thought this story best exemplifies the point.

Mike is a firefighter and he rescues Chris from a burning house. (she already got her two young children out). He thinks she's a little crazy when he finds her in the smoke filled house, with the refrigerator door open. There is a method to her madness and later, when he realizes what she's done, he gives her credit for her quick thinking. Anyhoo, Chris and her youngsters end up staying in his home until she can make other arrangements. The story goes on from there.

I was amazed at the depth of the main characters in the story. You get to know the characters in most books, some better than others. In this case you could almost think of them as next door neighbors, good friends. Even Mike's parents and siblings have a depth you rarely see in secondary characters. I felt like I was having Thanksgiving dinner with the Cavanaughs, sitting at the table with them and listening to the good-natured bantering going on. I'm about half-way through this story and I know it's going to be a tough one to put down one I get to the end.

Some writers concentrate on their story's plot, while others spend more time with characters. Every story needs both elements to get anywhere, or even survive the written page. And the emphasis on either one depends on what the author's most comfortable with.

How-to books are fine when learning basics of writing, but there is nothing like reading a good book, expanding your reading horizons to learn just how other writers put that knowledge to use. Studying the techniques of other authors can give us a better understanding of how to improve our own. The process of "getting to know you" can become a lot more challenging and fun.

A Run For the Word Count

Once upon a time someone wrote a song about the number 'one' being a lonely number. They may have been talking about love and relationships but the same can be said about writers. We are a rather lonely lot when you think about it. I suppose most creative people tend to work alone. Letting the creative part of the brain run rampant allows us to form certain ideas but it isn't always enough. Sometimes we need help to keep us going.

I first heard the term "sprinting" a couple years ago. Of course, I knew the term had to do with short distance foot races but this time it had a different connotation. Someone came up with the idea of getting a group of writers together to sprint. The idea was never meant to be a contest and it isn't. It's a means of focusing on the work at hand and writing for short periods of time.

Some 'lonely' writers can shut out all distractions, focus on their work in progress and do quite well. Ninety-nine percent of the time ... I'm not one of them. My creative thoughts have a bad habit of wandering when they shouldn't, much like a curious child's habit of wandering off when the parent isn't looking.

So this concept of sprinting caught my attention and I decided to check it out. The idea is to write for thirty to forty-five minutes (or whatever length of time you decide on) nonstop then take a break that can vary anywhere from five to fifteen minutes depending on the length of the sprint. The break gives you a chance to recharge your batteries so you can start again. Usually our group opts to write for forty-five minutes. For each sprint we keep track of our word count. It encourages you to keep striving toward your goal. It's amazing how much can be done in that span of time and if you sprint several times in a day, the word count can be tremendous.

Personally, I found it a great way to keep me focused on what I'm working on. By the end of the day, I've tripled my work compared to what I might have accomplished as a lonely one.

Writers are always looking for ways to increase productivity, especially if they're up against a deadline. Wandering thoughts have their place in the beginning, and sometimes further along the the creative process. But there comes a point when you need to focus on those all-important details and descriptions. In the long run there is a method to our madness.

Sprint, anyone?

A Piece of History Vanishes

We often don't think about the (physical) history surrounding us until it begins to disappear. Living in an apartment complex I haven't given much thought myself, to the idea.

A block west from where I live is an old railroad track that runs north/south. Most every weekday between noon and three p.m. the freight train goes by, ambling along the track that bridges the street. Often it has an engine on either end and see-saws back and forth between the nearby businesses. There are a few days when you hear the train whistle before you actually see the train. Other days you don't know it's passing by untill you hear the clickity-clack of the wheels on the trestle.

Now when we hear the train the whistle blows forlornly as it takes another route to its destination. Will we see it again? Who knows. After twenty years of impact studies the state has finally decided to allow the commuter train in our area. While it's something we need to connect us to the rest of the state, it's slowly putting an end to an era, a piece of history.

For the last month I've been watching workers slowly dismantle the track at either end of the trestle. Surrounding trees and bushes were uprooted then the railroad ties were systematically removed. When I first heard the chainsaw buzzing and chewing away at the tree trunks I was shocked at what the workers were doing and could picture all that loose dirt being washed down the hill in a hard rain. It puts you in mind of California's mudslides but on a smaller scale.

This past weekend I kept going back to the window to watch the trestle being dismantled. Sparks flew from cutting torches and separated the sides from the trestle bed. The three pieces were separated from their supports and a large crane carefully hauled them out of the way.

The next day, the workers cut into the supports and eventually took them down. I wasn't home to see them complete the work but when I got home, it was strange to see two concrete walls devoid of the iron it flanked and supported for at least a hundred years. The land on either side, for perhaps a quarter mile, is now barren except for mounds of dirt, the new but temporary landscape.

I've seen what the new trestle will look like, sleek and battleship gray but it lacks character, as do all new things. I imagine in another hundred years, someone will write about the commuter train and wax nostalgic over its passing. "The more things change..."

When Time Flies...

That's what it seems like. Life has a way of coming before the things you'd like to do and even setting priorities doesn't always help. Still somewhere along the line you always manage to find time to do the things you really want, the things that give you pleasure. Like stopping to smell the roses. We need the break from real life.

Have you noticed how time seems to get away from us? We get to thinking, was it only yesterday... Case in point... A few days ago I had a visit from a friend's daughter. Now the last time I recall seeing her, she wasn't very tall, still wore her hair in two braids and was rather shy. Now she's a pretty young lady, almost sixteen years old. I didn't recognize her. Now that's what makes me feel older...seeing friends' children growing up, marrying... Even my own adult sons never made me feel like that.

As you get older, you begin to think about how much time you might have left and how best to use it. It creates an incentive to get more done, to figure out what's really important and the dreams you want to fulfill. Retirement? I don't think we ever really retire. It's just a matter of changing priorities. Some responsibilities have run their course and you find you have the time to do some of the things you've always wanted to do.

I guess that's why some of my writing friends are able to spend more time doing what they love. Not only do we have more time, but we also have more experience to draw from. We put more of ourselves into our creative efforts. Then we watch time zip past us even faster and it gives more meaning to "Time Flies When You're Having Fun."