Turning Off the Editor Mind and "NaSSWriMo"

I mentioned in an earlier post that I need to turn off my "editor mind." What I meant was that I need to stop critiquing and editing my writing as I write the rough draft. I need to save the editing for later. In fact, it has been shown that editing while trying to be creative often limits the creativity that follows (it's almost as if your subconscious mind stops responding if you yell at it--go figure. Either that, or you keep re-working that first paragraph and never finish the story--that's the situation I'm in now).

So, in an effort not only to shut off the "editor mind," but also to be more productive in general, I have created a little scheme. There is such a thing as NaNoWriMo (National Novel-Writing Month). The idea is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month--that's a touch over 1,600 words per day. I've decided to do NaSSWriMo: National Short Story Writing Month. My idea is to write 50,000 words worth of short stories in a month.

If short stories average between 5,000-7,5000 words, I should end up with 7-10 short stories. My plan is to try a variety of stories, a variety of ideas, and a variety of voices. In the end, I hope to learn quite a bit about my writing style, my voice, and my process. And hopefully one or two might even be worth submitting for publication after a little editing work.

It should be an interesting November.

And Now for Something Complete Different

[Warning, long--and I do mean long--post ahead, and I don't know what happened with the font.]

So instead of giving you an update on my writing, I wanted to give you a review of Austin City Limits, a three-day music festival in Austin, Texas. And yes, I fully realize it's nearly impossible to talk about music without sounding like a total jerk, but I'm going to do so anyway.

I had been to ACL once, in 2005, but only for one day when I was a graduate student at UT. My wife had visited me in Austin during that time, but had never gone to ACL. So we got three-day passes, and we were ready to gorge ourselves on breakfast tacos, queso, BBQ, and music. So here's my report.

We flew into Austin early Thursday morning--and I mean early. We had to drive from VA to Baltimore, MD for a 645am flight, which meant getting up around 3am. But at least we got to our hotel in Austin by mid-day--enough time for a quick nap and then food. Even better? We were staying at the Embassy Suites: a mile from Zilker Park, where ACL would be held. We could walk that mile on scenic trails along Lady Bird Lake.

So we took a quick nap and then went to Trudy's for some Mexican Martinis and queso. The Martinis are basically big, strong margaritas, and they are delicious. And the queso--oh, how I've missed you. As if that wasn't indulgent enough, we drove from Trudy's to The Salt Lick. The Salt Lick is southwest of Austin, in Driftwood, Texas and is an institution. There's a giant open pit, so you can smell this place as you drive up. While you can get specific plates, you're a fool if you do. Get the all you can eat option. Then eat until you get the meat sweats. Then get the cobbler. Yes, we didn't do much after that. We just went back to the hotel, rubbed our stomachs, and then went to bed early. Oh, we did stop by at the Embassy Suites free happy hour--yet another reason why that hotel was a good pick.

We woke up early on Friday because, well, that's what happens when you go to bed early. But we had plenty of time to get breakfast tacos at Torchy's. If you've never heard of breakfast tacos, you're missing out. They are basically a tortilla, scrambled eggs, and a meat (but meatless and eggless options do exist), and they can be made at home quite quickly (and they are great for a "breakfast for dinner" evening). Anyway, my wife, Laura, went for pretty standard breakfast tacos: bacon & egg and chorizo & egg. I went for a couple that were a bit fancier: the crossroads (brisket) and the democrat (beef barbacoa). These were not breakfast tacos, just regular tacos for breakfast. Meat, onion, avocado, queso fesco, etc. It was a great way to start the day. After fueling up, we walked over to Zilker Park. We had yet to redeem our tickets for bracelets. Yeah, you have to wear the bracelets for all 3 days. It's kinda gross by Sunday evening. But that's the price you pay. I didn't know this, but while everyone lined up outside the grounds, the organizers blasted the Star Wars theme to announce the opening of the festival. It was a good omen.

So, we were there all day on Friday. ACL opens each day with smaller bands, transitioning to larger bands as the day goes on. We started with Sahara Smith, a young singer-songwriter who was very good. After her set, we started to walk around, and we overheard Givers. They are a young band out of Louisiana with a bit of a Paul Simon feel, but they were energetic and they sounded nice. We caught a bit of Charlie Mars, but he was a bit mild and slow, so we didn't stay long. Not that he sounded terrible, just not what we were in the mood for. We went to get something to drink, and we happened to hear Blues Traveler (what they were doing at ACL, I have no idea) doing a cover of Radiohead's "Creep," which was as strange as you'd think it would be. We then caught the end of Chief's set, and it was good. Kind of mellow, but with a full band, so it was better than Charlie Mars (basically a guy and his guitar). We grabbed a quick bite to eat before the real show started.

Friday featured a triple feature that was hard to beat. You could camp out at one stage and hear The Black Keys, Spoon, and The Strokes. Yes, Phish was the big closer that night, but we went to The Strokes (you'll see this behavior again on Sunday). I had never seen The Black Keys live before, but man were they great. There is music you make love too, and then there is music you f*ck to. This is the latter. Just great, blues-rock from two skinny white guys from Akron, Ohio. They were great, despite the incredibly drunk woman who kept stepping on Laura's and my feet. Then came Spoon who we had seen recently opening for Arcade Fire. Laura was probably most excited to see Spoon, and they put on a great show--local boys returning to Austin to perform some indie-rock. Then The Strokes. Yes, it's ten years too late to get super excited about them, and I think they knew that, but it was still a good show, featuring many songs from their first CD. And the lead singer laughed when after saying "Thunder, Thunder, Thunder Cats!" the audience responded, "Hooooooo!" (so bonus points). And who really wants to see Phish anyway? And then we had a late night dinner at Magnolia, a very tasty, mostly-vegetarian place.

Saturday started a little later. We considered getting up early to hear Lissie--another young singer-songwriter, but we were too tired, so we got a late start, but it started off right: Rudy's. Rudy's is a BBQ chain that is very tasty. If you have never been, they will give you a free taste of just about everything on the menu. Then good luck deciding what you want. I do recommend the extra lean brisket, jalapeno sausage, and the turkey, though. Try the creamed corn too--it's pretty much the only place where I will eat that, but, man is it good. It's also the place that got Laura into BBQ--all because of their sauce: a thick, sweet-smokey sauce, similar to Memphis-style sauce, but with a kick of pepper. Well, that and the turkey--she loves turkey.

Fueled up, we went to ACL. Our first group was The Gaslight Anthem. I'm a fan of them--think rock, grungy, a bit punky, but with a Bruce Springsteen feel. We then caught the opening songs of Local Natives. They were good, but we had to head to another stage to camp out for the closing act. We listened to Silversun Pickups. Another good show. We could hear The XX over at the next stage, but we weren't about to give up our seats (and we were afraid The XX would put us to sleep too). But then LCD Soundsystem came on. I know that many people were super excited to see them, but we hadn't really heard of them before. Laura was NOT a fan. I liked them more than she did, though. It was hard for me not to get sucked in by their energy, even if it was a bit too electronic for me.

However, we were amused by a woman who thought a crowd-appropriate behavior would be hula-hooping during the show, despite not having enough room to do so without hitting people. She was eventually shooed away. But it was funny to watch people trying to pass, but then freezing in shock. Interestingly, I was surprised no one walking by intentionally hit the hoop. Then the closer: Muse. Muse had been a closing act a couple years back, so many people went to go hear MIA instead (who we hear did not put on an A+ show), but more Muse for us. Muse put on a great rock show. They blast out great songs, with a light show to match. Fantastic. And then we went to Kerby Lane for breakfast for dinner (Laura had pumpkin pancakes--remember that ingredient).

On Sunday, we woke up a bit early and decided to return to Torchy's (yes, it's that good). Laura got the monthly special, "The Scarecrow," a pumpkin-seed-crusted-chicken (and cabbage slaw, and some other goodies--yeah, it was good). I got a baja shrimp taco and a carnitas taco. Man that place makes some tasty tacos. We then started our day with Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. I have friends who have recommended Ted Leo in the past, but it was his cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" that hooked me (found here). A little to punk rock for Laura, but I liked it. Yes, I realize Tears for Fears and punk rock don't make any sense, but what are you gonna do? We then caught the tale end of the Foals while getting something to drink. They sounded pretty good--I wish I had heard more (kind of a poppy, rock sound). Over by the food court (which, by the way, was full of Austin signature restaurants, snow cones, and the unofficial-official ACL dish: the chicken cone (fried chicken and cole slaw, wrapped up in a tortilla in a cone paper cup)), we heard a bit of Dawes, my choice for the "we're just happy to be here band." A little too poppy for me, but not bad. We then went to go camp out for Band of Horses. But this meant catching the end of Robert Earl Keen, who has performed at every ACL. A country legend, he was a crowd favorite. Shockingly, my Bostonian wife was not a fan. But hey, good seats are worth it. We could hear a bit of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes though. They were interesting, but in a good way. Hard to describe. Rolling Stone said they are a mix between Arcade Fire and the Mammas and the Papas. So...yeah.

But Band of Horses were fantastic. A band I had been introduced to via Pandora, I have quickly became a big fan. Think slow, indie-rock that the whole crowd sings along to. Or just go listen to them right now to find out for yourself--the same goes for many of the bands I mentioned here. But listening to Band of Horses did mean that we missed The Flaming Lips, but that's the price you pay.

But the closer that night was the Eagles. As we are under 50, we saw The National instead. Definitely a good choice. I was introduced to them by a Law School friend, and I'm glad I was. Lyrical, driving songs that shift between something like Joy Division and a loud, pulsing rock show. They were a great way to end the festival (yes, we did hear Hotel California and a few other Eagles songs as we walked to the hotel). Well, dinner at Z Tejas followed by drinks at the bourbon and gin bar Trifecta were a great way to tend the festival.

Monday morning, we had breakfast at Juan in a Million, another Austin institution that serves up huge breakfast plates (see Man vs. Food) on the cheap. And you get a free, nearly-hand-breaking handshake from Juan himself. Then we had Amy's ice cream (Laura had pumpkin ice cream (shocker) with whoppers (double shocker--her favorite candy), and I got bourbon-walnut-chocolate with ginger snaps) before we returned home on a delay-ridden flight. We got three hours of sleep before going to work on Tuesday.

Not a terribly relaxing vacation, but man was it fun.

Progress and Inspiration

(Note. I wrote this huge post, and I was very happy about it, but then the internet hiccuped and I lost it. Great. So I had to rewrite it. Ugh.)

So I find myself posting yet again about me stalling out and not writing. I haven't been disciplined. Instead I've just been lazy, and it's started to get to me. But thankfully, I've recently done a few things that have reinvigorated my desire to write, and to write regularly.

First, I went to the National Book Festival, and I was lucky enough to hear Brad Meltzer (@BradMeltzer on Twitter or www.bradmeltzer.com) speak. He was very charming, even though the majority in the audience were waiting to hear Suzanne Collins speak next. During the Q&A, he said that everyone is capable of writing a book--you just have to do it. He was presented with a book from an audience member--it was written by that person's wife, a couple years after hearing Brad give just such a talk. Brad said it was the first time he had ever got a book back from someone he told that too. He seemed genuinely excited about it. It was a great moment.

I then got in line for the signing. Brad talked to every person in line--not just chit chat, but a little conversation with each person. For me, we talked about Amy's Ice Cream (I was wearing a University of Texas tshirt), and how he was able to write a book while at law school (Before law school, Brad had actually written a novel, but no one bought it. While at Columbia Law School (and a member of the Columbia Law Review), he wrote what would become The Tenth Justice. Talk about disciplined.). He joked that his attendance was pretty bad while doing it, but still he got it done. Very impressive. Not only that, but it was rejected 24 times before finally selling it. Discipline and perseverance. Good lessons to learn.

Second, and the very next day, I went to a William Gibson (@GreatDismal on Twitter or http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com) signing. What impressed me the most during the Q&A was how seriously and deeply he thought about storytelling. It reminded me that writing is like the duck swimming: on the surface smooth and calm; while below the surface, it's anything but calm as the legs swim like mad. Gibson's books come off slick and cool, but it's only because he puts so much thought and effort into the work. It was good to see that work/payoff relationship. That he was famous for doing something that is hard and for doing it well.

Lastly, I went to see Chris Hardwick (@Nerdist on Twitter or www.nerdist.com) perform. So what if he's not a novelist. He can write some great jokes. You might know Chris from Web Soup on G4 (or Singled Out on MTV from way back when, among numerous other things). Chris killed it. His bits about Cracker Barrel and nerds were very funny. And his audience interaction was great too: making plans to go out for pie with the audience as well as responding sharply and hilariously to hecklers who doubted his mastery of pi.

A big part of why I'm a fan of Chris is the nerdist podcasts. He's got about 40 of them online now, and they're great--interviews with actors, comedians, singers, etc. Chris's favorite question is "what's your process?" The funny thing is that regardless of the guest's occupation, the answer boils down to "I just do it." Stop wondering how to do it, and just do it.

So that's where I am now. Excited about writing again. Realizing that waking up early sucks, but if that's the habit, having some quiet time to write and create is the payoff. Taking a little quiet time each morning when I'm still in that half asleep/half awake state to let my conscious and unconscious minds get together and be creative. It's a great reward. If only I could shut off that doubtful, criticizing "editor mind." But that's a story for a different post.

Oh, and if I post another one of these relapse stories, someone please come to my house and slap me around.

Good News, Everyone!

It has been quite a week, and I have good news to report--for a change.

First, I rearranged my schedule, so I get about 45 minutes first thing in the morning to write. It may not seem like a lot, but it's more than I had been getting, and it feels great to start putting words to paper. Also, because I have only a little bit of time, I really have to focus--get the scene right, make the characters authentic, and tell a great story. It's been a bit of rewriting with each morning, but I'm making progress.

Second, just for a little change of pace, I entered the Spectra Magazine Issue 1 Flash Fiction Contest. You can find the details here and the submissions here. My submission is "The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth," posted by erchristensen at September 7, 2010, 00:52 if you want to search for it, read it, or vote for it. It's strange trying to tell a story in sixty words, but an interesting challenge. I hope you like my entry. I was going for something different compared to the other entries, most of which seemed to be in a horror setting.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope everyone had a great week!

Excuses, excuses

Wow, nearly a whole month has gone by, and all I give you is silence. How rude of me. First, it was work that kept me busy. Then I went on vacation.

But spending some time away from it all was great, despite the days of rain during my beach vacation (no, that isn't ironic). Oh well--it gave me time to think about my short story and time to think about when I'd get my writing done.

My big conclusion? That I was afraid of that big, blank page. I had outlines--many of them--and I even revised the ending to my short story (twice), but I wasn't actually writing the story. I was falling back into old patterns. So enough with the excuses.

I reset my schedule, waking up a bit early to write when it was quiet, when I was still in that semi-conscious state. And I started writing. Only about 100 words this morning, but it was a start. And tomorrow, I'll keep going. Soon, my story will be written. Then the editing begins. That's when the real fear should start.

Updates and Progress

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I had made very little progress until recently. While I kept reading, I was not writing as much as I should. However, this past week has been different: I spent quite some time outlining my short story.

As I mentioned in my last post, the story began with an image that I believed would make a great ending (assuming I created some more dynamic, complicated characters). So I started to think about what sort of plot would lead to a climax that resembled my image. That led to a very basic plot skeleton.

However, once I began to create and describe characters and explore their history and motivations, I realized that my plot would not work. In fact, this process of going back and forth between characters and plot has changed the story dramatically. Even the final ending is not what I originally had in mind. Nevertheless, I believe the overall story has improved.

Looking at my notes, though, one weak spot remains. There is magic within the short story. And while I have thought about what magicians can and can not do, and how they would have learned and evolved over time, I still am not quite satisfied with the "rules" of the magic. This is what I hope to work on over the next week, as well as put a bit more detail into the outline. If I am very lucky, I will actually start writing the story--an exciting and scary prospect.

And I apologize for talking around the details of the story instead of simply discussing them directly. Hopefully, once the story is completed, I can correct that, either by getting it published (an unlikely but thrilling possibility), or by posting it here (far more likely, but I would greatly welcome the feedback).

My Idea

No, I'm not going to tell you the idea. That would ruin the fun. But I will tell you a few other things.

The books I've read usually have a section on where authors get their ideas. Often, these books will talk about how ideas are everywhere, but it is often a secondary idea or meaning that helps propel that idea into an actual story. Furthermore, to arrive at that secondary idea or meaning, many of the books discuss ways your conscious and unconscious minds talk to one another.

Well, the first idea came from a dream I had years ago. Probably close to 15 years ago, actually. There was an image in the dream--one of self-sacrifice--that stuck with me. However, the more I thought about the image, the more the characters seemed too simple: one was good, and the other was bad. Neither had any ambiguity to them. This past weekend, I was lying in bed, in that lovely state of not-quite-awake, so I started to review the image. And miracle of miracles, my minds started working with one another--instead of a good guy finishing off the bad guy while also doing himself in, what if the good guy wasn't so good, the bad guy wasn't so bad? And instead of some pyrrhic victory, what if the good guy does something horrible but with the full knowledge of how bad it is, feels terrible doing it, but does it anyway? (Yes, I realize how unclear that sounds, but I'm trying to talk around the details for now) It sounds more like a potential story.

I'll let you know where it goes.

Timing is Everything

I found a writing group that meets in my neighborhood and looks like a great group: writers at a variety of experience levels, writing in many different genres, giving and receiving criticism. Sounds perfect, right?

Not quite. It meets at 7pm, and the meetings last until 9pm or so. If I get off work at a reasonable hour, if the bus is running on time, and if traffic isn't bad, I get home at 7pm. That's a lot of ifs. Furthermore, I'm an old man at heart, so I go to bed at 10pm and get up early to work out. The group would swallow my entire evening one night a week, but maybe it's a fair trade--give up one night a week and in return, feel like part of a community, give and receive criticism, etc. But that assumes I would make up this lost time by writing more on other nights. But that's just it--I'm not writing at the moment. I need to use my time more efficiently and effectively.

So here's the deal I made myself: finish the "how to write" books that I've already started, and no more. As I finish them, use that newly freed up time to write more. Hell, write period.

But here's the good news: I've got an idea for a short story.

What Else Am I Reading?

A piece of advice I hear over and over again is that writers should be readers. No problem there. I have been a big reader nearly since I could read. I finished my summer reading early, loved the local library young readers clubs, and scored so many pizzas while participating in the Pizza Hut Book It program. More recently, I brought four banker's boxes of books (essentially one bookshelf) to my local second-hand bookshop before I moved in with my wife, and I even read four books on my honeymoon (in my defense, I had just finished taking the Bar Exam and had not read for fun in months; there were long flights; and we spent a lot of time on a beach).

So part of this blog will be to describe what I am reading for fun. Hopefully, you will see that I will read as widely and deeply as I should. Odds are (especially during the summer and since I started working at a law firm), you will see that I do not read as much nonfiction as I should. Feel free to comment on my choices.

Currently, I have subscriptions to three magazines: The Economist, Wired, and The Atlantic. Wired and The Atlantic are fairly inexpensive and are great reads. Wired covers all sorts of tech and science stuff, as well as pop culture. The Atlantic covers travel stories, a cocktail column, politics, and various other stories, including regular articles by Andrew Sullivan and Mark Bowden. The Economist covers news from around the world, as well as science stories, and book reviews. However, it is the priciest of the three, and it can be hard to get through it all every week. Nevertheless, their Technology Quarterly pieces are great for sci-fi writers.

As for novels, I am currently reading Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. Not only was this my first Kindle purchase, but it is my first exposure to steampunk. I have been enjoying it very much. It's a great summer read: fun and action-packed with detailed world creation. I would recommend it to others. And if you like audio books, Wil Wheaton lent his voice to the recording.

As I wrap up the "how to write" books (I just finished Storyteller), I will keep y'all posted as to what enters the rotation.

Learning to Write & Writing Groups, cont'd

First, a quote from Kate Wilhelm's Storyteller:

"You can't learn how to write a novel by reading a how-to book or two or attending a novel-writing class. The only way to learn to write anything is by writing, including novels" (p. 156).

I think that is largely true. However, I want to pick up a bit more of the mechanics of writing (particularly short stories) before I finish reading. That being said, I get the point, and will start working on fleshing out a few ideas while I read.

Second, I found a writing group that meets right in my neighborhood. Even better, it looks well attended, offering a number of different activities such as critiquing members' writing and informing them of upcoming contests. The downside? It may be too popular--meet ups fill up very quickly (according to the group's calendar, just about every meet up has a waiting list of attendees). I need to get in touch with the group and find out more details. But I will keep you posted.

Can Writing Be Taught?

I am sure it can on some level. I would hope that creative writing programs at universities around the world are at least somewhat successful. Certainly, the Clarion Workshop has produced many published writers.

But for writers like me who are unable to pursue a creative writing education or too inexperienced to qualify for groups like Clarion, where should we turn? Are books on writing valuable?

I would argue that some books surely are. For example, The Elements of Style is great. Short, too the point, and surprisingly entertaining if you are a grammar nerd like me (and I would wager that any writer needs to be something of a grammar nerd--if only to prevent a potential editor from rejecting a story due to an impression of lazy writing). Other books, like On Writing, have great tips such as be ruthless about eliminating adverbs. But at what point should I stop reading about writing and actually write? When do I know enough about character development, plot structure, or world creation? If I write, submit, and then receive form letter rejection letters, how will I learn what I did wrong and what I did right?

Maybe it is like doing legal research. At some point I will need to make a decision about diminishing returns and decide enough research is enough. When I start finding the same things again and again, I know it is time to stop. Maybe that is how I will know when it is time to stop reading. But that seems like a lot of reading and very little writing. Maybe just a few rules are enough to get me going, earning experience a page at a time.

So, until I think of a better plan, I will try both reading and writing. I am currently reading Storyteller, Creating Short Fiction, and How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. I have also started a notebook for capturing ideas for short stories and maybe even a novel. Next step: look for a writers group that will welcome an amateur interested in science fiction and fantasy?

I will keep you posted. Until next time, I will leave you with this bit of advice for newbie writers:

(Image originally posted here, and the always wonderful Neil Gaiman's blog can be found here and followed on Twitter here)

Getting to know me

I am a lawyer, and like many lawyers, I have wanted to be a writer for years. And here I am, thirty years old, and still not a writer. So I started this blog to chronicle my steps from “I want to be a writer,” to “I am writing,” to (hopefully) “I am a published writer.”

Oh sure, law school will teach you how to organize your thoughts, choose your words carefully, and make an argument. I have learned to write like a lawyer, edit for an audience of lawyers, and I have even been published in a legal journal. But I think we have all seen many examples of legalese that makes your eyes glaze over and your attention wither. Law school may teach you how to write well, but it does not teach you to be a storyteller.

So when I say that I want to be a writer, what I really mean is that I want to be a storyteller. I want to engage readers, fire their imaginations, and make them wonder what happens next. And there is only one way to make that happen: write, edit, and write some more. So here I begin.

I am sure this will be a long journey, but so long as I am writing, learning, and growing, then I will be happy. I will post my thoughts, my lessons, my successes, and my failures. I hope you will enjoy the journey as much as I will.