Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: Staring at the Abyss

For me, writing the beginning is always the hardes...

2010-02-28T07:06:13.325-08:00

For me, writing the beginning is always the hardest part. So when I'm starting a new novel, I pick a random place and start, usually doing the beginning last.

I would say that when I start a new project, I run...

2009-12-31T11:11:40.749-08:00

I would say that when I start a new project, I run and jump. Just sticking one toe in slowly kinda makes me nervous, like when a nurse preps your arm for a shot then you look the other way waiting for the needle to poke into your skin... sweaty..sweaty..ouch!! that sucked.
so, writing goes this way for me...run and jump...work out the kinks in the end. It's more exciting that way!

Nathan, I actually have no idea what I'm going...

2009-12-27T23:04:22.728-08:00

Nathan, I actually have no idea what I'm going to write until I sit down to the keyboard. My WIP's just flowed onto the page (2 with an outline, 2 without). I definately think an outline should be used for non-fiction.

The problem I have is sitting down to the keyboard. Because I'm an obsessive writer, I am leery about writing. I have a job! I can't stay up until 2:00a.m. writing.

So for me it boils down to typing and not thinking. I can make corrections later.

What worked well for me on the first book and is w...

2009-12-27T14:38:18.576-08:00

What worked well for me on the first book and is working so far on the second (which I'm a little over half done with) is having a clear daily word goal and a sense of how long I want the book to be. So this time it's 1000 words a day, and I want to land somewhere in the 80-100K range. Which works out to 3-4 months for the first draft. Which is not so long, really, when you think about it - only a third as long as being pregnant with my daughter!

The other thing that helps is to plan on the book being funny. It might not turn out that way, but if funniness is your intention (and what a worthy intention!), it will be a lot funner to sit down and write, and instead of having jitters you'll look forward to those 3-4 months!

Nathan, I hope 2010 will be wonderful for you. I...

2009-12-23T10:27:05.265-08:00

Nathan,

I hope 2010 will be wonderful for you. I just finished my second book, and am working on the dreadful querying process. I am anxious to begin my third. Remember to focus on the characters and their story and your second book will come alive under your fingertips.

Hey Nathan, Maybe this isn't an option once y...

2009-12-23T10:05:27.693-08:00

Hey Nathan,

Maybe this isn't an option once you become a career writer, but after finishing one novel, I find it best to take a little vacation. I can write if I want to, but no one's enforcing it. I can try to start a novel, but as long as it's under 10K, I don't make myself get in the zone and finish. Time between novels should be a time to replenish and play around. It's hard to just pick an idea and become excited about it; the excitement happens, and that's how you know which novel to pick.

Sounds like you just have some second-novel jitters. Take your time and try not to flip :)

Hope that helps!
-CA

Nathan, I think the abyss you are now facing is pa...

2009-12-23T01:34:01.820-08:00

Nathan, I think the abyss you are now facing is particular to your situation. Meaning, the second book syndrome. Your fears (and what writer doesn't have them?) are different now.

My first manuscript hasn't sold yet. I am hoping my agent will do what you said on the forum - he'll sell it after the second book sells and it will be a better deal then. But I face a different abyss.

All we can do is jump. It is a fun ride. Word by word, page by page.

Ideas tend to consume my soul when they strike, to...

2009-12-22T22:00:55.813-08:00

Ideas tend to consume my soul when they strike, to the point where I find myself writing/outlining/jotting them down without consciously realizing what I'm doing. I also work best under pressure, so that helps with the jitters. Give me a deadline and I'll do my best to get it done before then!

I love the process from start to finish, and my characters talk to me in ways that keep me endlessly entertained. Even when I don't know where I'm going, I know I'm heading somewhere. Knowing the end keeps me going through the dark valley that stretches before me.

Which reminds me. I have a dark forest to conquer! Happy Holidays, and good luck writing!

I have no abyss. I have book ideas stacked up one ...

2009-12-22T20:14:48.782-08:00

I have no abyss. I have book ideas stacked up one behind the other. I just need more time in the day. LOL

Is the reason you're hesitating because it'...

2009-12-22T19:56:49.286-08:00

Is the reason you're hesitating because it's a sequel? Sequels can be rough, like someone else here said, especially if you weren't planning on a sequel. Thinking that you *should* write something is a sure-fire way of killing enthusiasm. After all, we *should* do homework, we *should* pay our bills. Writing is always a pleasure--never a *should*.

Word count goal. Set one. Keep it. It's the...

2009-12-22T18:05:20.537-08:00

Word count goal. Set one. Keep it. It's the only thing that's worked for me.

I can't write a whole 100K word book, but I can churn out a reasonable limit each day. As the sage tells us: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (it took me a while to figure out that the sage was trying to tell me to go away... far away, but the observation is still sound).

I stand at the edge of the abyss for a loooooong t...

2009-12-22T16:46:19.760-08:00

I stand at the edge of the abyss for a loooooong time, staring down into it until I feel reasonably confident the jump won't kill me. This is my outlining process, though I know will not be strictly followed. After, I painfully begin the first page, which really does feel to me like jumping over the edge (oh that scary first page!). After a few paragraphs I settle in with the feeling that my parachute has not failed me, until around chapter three, which always seems to be when the parachute snags on a rock.

I love love love starting a new book. I write and ...

2009-12-22T16:42:26.561-08:00

I love love love starting a new book. I write and write and just can't stop dreaming of it until about halfway through when I realize what I'm putting myself through. Again. But seriously, I do it for the love of it and the creation is my favorite part, especially in the very beginning. Revisions are a whole other story.

I had a nighmare that I was visiting Komodo Island...

2009-12-22T16:42:23.075-08:00

I had a nighmare that I was visiting Komodo Island and a Komodo Dragon bit me on the ankle. I asked the tour guide if I was going to die. He said no, but it was going to hurt like hell. I'm not totally sure what it all meant, but the next day instead of revising my first book, I wrote the first two chapters of my second book--which is about Komodo Dragons. Every week I try to write another chapter--just to be sure they don't bite me again.

Nice...never thought of writing a book as an "...

2009-12-22T15:02:39.588-08:00

Nice...never thought of writing a book as an "Abyss"

When I stare at the Abyss, I see adventure. I stand a little closer to the edge of Never-Never Land and raise my arms waiting to be carried off into another adventure where only I may travel.

Starting, middle, editing and even finishing a book is no challenge other than time. Time is a mighty foe that cannot be stopped.

Starting's easy. Everything's new and fre...

2009-12-22T09:48:48.713-08:00

Starting's easy. Everything's new and fresh and exciting. It's once you get past halfway but not quite to the end that's difficult for me. I too just try to chip away a little at a time, even when it seems it's taking forever to get there.

One day, the kids from Wonderbar were walking alon...

2009-12-22T09:36:44.444-08:00

One day, the kids from Wonderbar were walking along and, splat, there was a crazy crater that just opened up right underneath them. They were hurling down the abyss WHEN they realized that the flying shoes really worked. The one problem was that the flying shoes went up and they were flying upsidedown. Man, if there was ever a time for a corndog...

Staring at the abyss isn't the right metaphor ...

2009-12-22T09:01:58.883-08:00

Staring at the abyss isn't the right metaphor for me either.

But I agree about the scary part implicit in that metaphor. It's scary to start writing, you never know where you're going to end up.

In fact, for me another metaphor would work better: writing a new book is more like sculpting, i.e. CHIPPING AWAY AT A PIECE OF CLAY (hoping that you're actually working in marble - but that's not always the case...).
At first, you can't quite see the shape. You have an idea in the back of your mind, you know what it OUGHT to look like, this damn sculpture, but you can't quite force it out of that big, shapeless lump. It's hard work, and you need to chip, chip, chip away every day...

It must be the country you live in. I live in the ...

2009-12-22T08:23:47.810-08:00

It must be the country you live in. I live in the Netherlands and here we have no abyss. Our country is flat. So, to me starting a new book is not like staring at the abyss. I love starting a new book. Once the ideas are rolling along in my head, I can't wait to sit down at my desk. Get my fingers on the keyboard - wonderful! After all, if you love writing what's to be scared of?

Starting doesn't bother me- that's probabl...

2009-12-22T08:18:55.141-08:00

Starting doesn't bother me- that's probably my favorite part. I put down a few hundred words on a new concept last night, in the middle of revising my current Most Important WIP.

It's the middle of the first draft that's the abyssal plain for me. I usually just plow through, and work out the problems in later drafts. Or while baking, or in the shower, or driving or something. (because when are you ever really NOT writing?)

Luckily, I have no problem highlighting huge chunks of text and hitting "delete".

No pressure, Nathan. But... Unless you hit bests...

2009-12-22T07:35:45.701-08:00

No pressure, Nathan. But...

Unless you hit bestseller status first time out, your second book NEEDS to be at least twice as good as the first one.

Do they make footlong corndogs anywhere?

Happy holidays all!

Starting the book is the easy part. It's that...

2009-12-22T06:45:44.586-08:00

Starting the book is the easy part. It's that whole finishing the book piece that I have issues with!

I have the exact opposite problem. In the middle o...

2009-12-22T06:13:35.342-08:00

I have the exact opposite problem. In the middle of my fourth pass at revisions on a 100,000 word novel, I can hardly focus on the material at hand. Instead, I find my mind longing to get a grip on the new idea. I can only hope the first story is really complete aside from editing because my creative energy has already moved on.

Never. Starting a project is easy for me. I get an...

2009-12-22T06:08:19.196-08:00

Never. Starting a project is easy for me. I get an idea and I can't wait to start, so much that I can barely concentrate on anything else. It's finishing it that's another matter entirely.

A new project always intimidates me. I actually wr...

2009-12-22T06:03:56.528-08:00

A new project always intimidates me. I actually write picture books between novels so I can "play" a bit. It's nice to also work with this shorter format for a time.