We see a lot of words

Hey guys!

Welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I hope you all had fabulous weekends, filled with rest and relaxation… far unlike what I experienced. I’m exhausted, and the week has only just begun.

Before we get started today, I want to give a shout out to one of my biggest fans, my big brother, Anth! Today’s his birthday, and he’s one of the coolest guys you’ll ever meet. Happy birthday, brother! I hope it’s great, and that your year is as awesome as you are.

So this week, we’re continuing to talk about what it means to be a writer, what it is that writers really do, and I have the perfect topic for today. Perfect, because I went through this whole process literally two days ago. I know exactly what it’s like.

You sometimes feel like reading is the last thing you’d ever want to do… but you read anyway.

As writers, we’re told time and time again that we have to read, we can’t not be reading, there’s always something that we should be reading. But when you’re writing all the time, sometimes it’s hard to get up the gumption to read. And if you’re also mid-edit, then it’s even harder to pick up another book.

Why? Because we already did that today.

See, right now, I’m about a third of the way into a new book, tentatively called Collide. I’m also about a third into the edits of the next in the Druid Novels, Mynidd. And I’m also trying to read Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead. If you’ve ever written, edited, and read at the same time, then I’m sure you know how I feel.

Sometimes, I just don’t want to anymore.

I spent the majority of last week editing, with a little bit of writing on the side. The weeks before that were also spent editing a project for RAD Writing. Later this week, I’ll be editing submissions for Mavguard (if you haven’t gotten your submissions receipt yet, let me know!). All while still writing Collide, and all while still trying to read this amazing book.

That’s a lot of time spent with words.

The thing that nobody tells writers, is that it’s going to get old, and it’s going to get old fast. You’re going to get bored, doing what you do all the time. Especially if you make a career out of it.

Right now, I feel like all I do is stare at words on a screen or words on a page. That’s all I do, all I think about. And that’s really boring, if I’m being honest.

But you know what? I do it anyway.

Because despite how bored I feel, despite how much I want to walk away and go do something else, I know that this is what I love. This is the thing I signed on to do, and deep down, in my heart, I enjoy it. Right now, it’s old. It’s rote. It’s dull. But in a couple days, it might not be anymore. And that’s what I’m building toward.

So I keep writing.

I keep editing.

But most of all, I keep reading.

I even bought some new books over the weekend.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Jot Those Ideas Down

Hey guys! You’ve made it through most of the week. Congratulations!

Me, I’ve been editing all week. Seriously. All week, for the past three weeks. So it’s nice to get away and write a blog, get some creativity out. That being the case, I thought I’d talk about something that’s super applicable to me while I’m editing.

Writers always think about plots…

We always see people as characters…

We’re always on the lookout for the next idea…

And you know what else?

We never go anywhere without a pencil and paper… or at least a cell phone.

You know those ideas that we’re always on the lookout for? Well what kind of writer would we be if we weren’t prepared to write them down?!

There’s a saying that goes around, among writers, that says if you don’t write it down you’re probably going to forget it. Unfortunately, it’s true in a lot of cases. All those amazing ideas that surround us all the time, we have to write them down as soon as we get them, or there’s a strong chance that we won’t remember what they were. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve woken up from a dream in the middle of the night, thinking the dream I had would make a wonderful novel, but by the time I got up in the morning I didn’t remember what it was.

That, my friends, is why we always be sure we’re prepared to write those ideas down.

I keep a little notepad and a collection of pens in my nightstand, all set for me to write anything down at a moment’s notice, in the middle of the night. And I always keep my cell phone on me, because even if I’m out and about, I want to have a way to write that idea down. These days, a smartphone fits the bill quite nicely.

When you’re walking down the street and a notion strikes… write it down.

When you’re half asleep and you have an idea that’s either amazing or horrible… write it down.

When you’re deep in thought and something occurs to you… write it down.

When you’re in the middle of a conversation and someone says something that sparks even a hint of a notion… stop and write it down. 

When you're editing a book (even if it isn't yours) and something hits you... write it down. 

That’s what we do.

We’re writers, and so we write. Even if it's only a tiny little note that says “the humans should have radiation poisoning” – it’s something we have to do. And yes, that’s a note I’ve been holding in my phone for a long time, waiting until the time is right to use it.

Writers all have notes like that, little reminders of things we never want to forget. Even if the ideas are ones that we’re probably never going to use, we don’t want to give up on them. At least we have a little reminder, that there was one time when we thought up this little thing. When it was a bad idea, it’s a way to keep ourselves from going down that path again, which is a very good thing. Believe me.

So we never go anywhere without pen and paper, or without a way to write things down. Because if we did, then we wouldn’t be writers, would we? 

Especially when all we're doing is editing, this is a great way to keep our minds on writing. 

[love]

{Rani D.}

Looking For the Next Big Thing

Happy Tuesday!

I know, it’s just not the same as saying Happy Monday, but you know, Tuesdays are a weird day too. It’s not quite Wednesday, so you haven’t made it to the hump, but it’s better than Monday, when you’re just starting to get back into things. It’s always been one of those days where I don’t quite know what to do with myself.

At least now I get to write to you guys. ;-)

Last week we talked about two things that writers always do, no matter what: we always think about our plots, and we always assess people as characters. Can’t even help it, it just comes naturally to us. But there are many more things we do too, when push comes to shove.

Writers are always on the lookout for the next good idea

And they come from unexpected sources. Seriously, they do. I was in a Viking Mythology class when I got the idea for the Druid Novels. And I was in a class at my church when I started writing my Earth-Space series (the first of which is due out sometime in the next decade, I hope). They come when you least expect them, and you have to be constantly prepared to receive them.

Why? Because we never want to run out of ideas.

I think it’s honestly a bit of a fear, in many writers. We don’t want to run out of ideas, to get to the point that we’re not sure what to write next. And if we’re honest, it’s happened to all of us at least once or twice. We finish a book and we feel like we have nothing else in us. But we’re wrong, and that’s where this comes in handy.

No matter where we go, no matter what we’re doing while we’re there, we’re always looking for the next big idea.

Ideas are where we thrive, when it comes right down to it. Every book is a series of ideas strung together, a group of notions that we put together to form a complete story. How are we supposed to finish the book if we run out of ideas in the middle?

So then, it’s not just about new novel ideas, or new ideas that will lead into a new novel, but about new ideas to string into the group of ideas we’re currently working on. A novel isn’t just based off a single idea, most of the time.

But for those of you who aren’t writers, I’m sure you’re wondering where we get these ideas. In fact, I know you wonder that, because it’s one of the questions I’m asked all. The. Time. Here, I’ll answer it for you.

I get my ideas from the back of my head, while I’m doing something completely normal and mundane. I get ideas from random phrases people spoke on accident. I get ideas from the Word of God, from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I get my ideas from television shows, but I usually take them in a different direction than they did. I get my ideas from all around, from everywhere, and I do not intend to stop. Because I’m a writer, and I need ideas. I thrive in them, and they in me—as with every writer before me, every writer around me, and every writer who will follow us.

We need our ideas, and our ideas need us, if they’re going to come to fruition.

[love]

{Rani D.}