Are You an Evie or a Millie?

Blog readers, meet Evie:

 She is obviously adorable.

Although when Evie plays she totally spazzes out and makes me a little scared for her intelligence, for the most part Evie is extremely methodical. She chews her food carefully. She burrows into the covers for hours on end until she finds the right amount of coverage. She nudges and prods me over and over, minute after minute, while I'm trying to write and get important blog posting done, and it drives me totally insane and then I yell at her and scare her and she runs away, but since she's obviously adorable I feel terrible so I call her back and tell her I'm sorry, and the whole thing starts all over again, until she finds just the right spot by my supple body to snuggle. She's a planner.

Now, blog readers, meet Millie:

 She is also obviously adorable. And yes she's wearing a t-shirt. We are so Those People.

Millie scarfs down her food in about two seconds. She gets under the blanket with one swift nudge of her nose. She moves right in next to me because she knows exactly where she wants to sit - no planning required. 

When I was thinking about the vast differences in my two dogs today, it occurred to me that their personalities perfectly mirror the two kinds of writers. And if I were to talk about this on my blog, I would be able to post pictures of my dogs. Who are obviously adorable.

Some writers outline. They work through their plot scene-by-scene, thinking what will happen when and to whom, so that when they start writing they have a plan. They might even exchange the outline with a trusted crit partner to see if the book has a leg to stand on before they start writing. These are the Evies of the world.

Other writers don't outline. They just open up the Word document or their Pages (I'm a Mac user now, remember) and start typing. Of course, they have an idea in their head, and I'm sure they have a line or two written out, and a general sense of where they're going. But for the most part they just find of write, and let the story grow organically and see where it takes them. These are the Millies of the world.

When I started writing my current project, I didn't outline. I definitely knew where I wanted the story to go, but I didn't write it out. I think I had too many bad memories of writing outlines from school - and I'd never outlined in school, either. (Here's a confession, in case any of my former English teachers are reading this: I used to write the rough drafts before the outlines. Then I'd turn in the outlines as if I'd written it first. I just liked it better that way. Go ahead, revoke my diploma.) Not outlining kind of worked for me. Two of my most vibrant characters (and ones that my crit partners have loved) popped up as I was writing, and were totally, completely unplanned. I'm not sure if that could have happened if I had an outline.  

But now that I'm starting to think more and more about my next project (even though, don't get me wrong, I am still no where near done revising this one), I think I'm going to give outlining a try. I'm not going to go all crazy and snowflake or anything - that's intense. (Plus I live in Florida. So obviously I'm not a fan of snowflakes.*) But I will try to write out the major scenes, characters, that kind of thing. I definitely see the merit in it, and how it might help me identify some of the weaker scenes in the book before I waste the time writing them. Of course my rough draft might still be a mess, but as someone who's new to novel writing, I think it can't hurt to try something new.

So...are you an Evie (a planner) or a Millie (a non-planner)? Why? 

Or, are you a little of both?

 

This is an old picture, since my hair is long and that's my crappy old Dell and not my awesome new MacBook. Also it's not a very good picture. But apparently I'm not a good dog mom because there are approximately 0 other pictures with both dogs in them. Oh well.

*Actually, that's a lie. I effing love snowflakes.

Why I love the delete key

Everything was going great tonight. I came home from work, snuggled on the couch with my dogs, and watched a few episodes of Arrested Development on DVD took a nap in front of the TV before booting up my laptop for another night of revisions to my WIP.

Of course, before I got started on my book, a little thing called REAL LIFE got in the way, and my pleasant life turned into a total crapfest. An email here, a reality check there, and before I knew it I was in a BAD MOOD.

My husband tried to console me. My doggies tried to cuddle me. Even M&Ms couldn't do the trick. The only thing that made me feel better was editing my WIP.

My characters are way luckier than I am. They get a delete key. Sure, bad stuff still happens to them...admittedly way worse than the stuff that happens to me. But their fates aren't totally sealed until my book gets published. Until then, people can rise from the dead, boyfriends can decide not to cheat on their girlfriends after all, and that cute girl across the street can turn out to be just a normal chick instead of a crazy psycho demon spawn intent on destroying all of mankind.*

And even when the bad stuff stays around, at least it sounds pretty. In real life, someone getting suspended because they did something bad at work (not what happened to me, at all. I'm a mostly model employee.) might sound something like this:

We're disappointed in you, Bob. Take the rest of the day off, without pay. Come back ready to work.  

But in my WIP, that scenario sounds like this:

“But,” he interrupted me, “you must work in the allocation room for one month to make up for your crime, and to help you detach yourself from this miserable regard you have for life. Life would not exist without death – the sooner you realize that, the better.” He looked me over one last time. “You will also be suspended for the night, without pay. Come back tomorrow, to the allocation room.”

 Clearly, things are way cooler in novels. So when I'm having a bad day, I'm going to edit my novel - I can't revise my own life, so I might as well revise someone else's. 

*These events may or may not be pulled from my book. Mostly not. Kaia really is too busy for a boyfriend, and if she had one, he'd be too busy to cheat on her. Plus then she'd kick his ass. 

My Muses

Every writer should have a muse. Something that motivates them and keeps them going, something that inspires them.

One of my muses (or I guess two) are my dogs. As silly as it sounds, they keep me going. All day I look forward to just snuggling on the couch with them, and they happily sit beside me as I write. Usually it will only be one or the other of them, tucked under my arm as I sit with my computer across my lap. Observe, Evie in her natural habitat:


Please, no comments on the fact that my dog is wearing a sweater. I realize I live in Florida, but we never run the heat, and the dogs shiver or bury themselves in blankets. Plus those sweaters have LEGS. How cute is THAT?!

Sometimes, when I'm really lucky, I'll get one under each arm. I'll admit, it is a little more difficult to type when they arrange themselves that way, and I have to reach around them to get to my keyboard. But it is totally worth it for two reasons:

1. It is absolutely effing adorable.
2. I don't want to disturb them when they get all cozy like that next to me, so I don't get up, so I tend to write for a lot longer.

Unfortunately, Millie, my other little Italian Greyhound, wasn't cooperating tonight. She is still sitting, all by her lonesome, on the other side of the couch on top of a large pile of fleece blankets. But she's been around longer (7 years), and she usually sits with me better (Evie has a tendency to stand in the way of my screen, move around a lot, and be a general pain in my ass, but Millie will just plop for hours on end). It didn't feel right to leave her out of the post, but it also didn't feel right to put up one of my normal pictures of her with proper lighting and focus. So I took one of her with my camera phone so it would be just as grainy as Evie's. Enjoy! (Ignore her demon eyes...it's the flash, I swear.)

Ugh, they are SO much cuter than this in person. Oh, well.

If you're a writer having a hard time getting inspired, try changing locations or sitting in a new place, or just sitting with a new person. They don't have to say anything (of course it's better if they don't), but just their energy or their presence might motivate you in a new way. Or head to your local rescue and adopt a pet! (hehehe)


UPDATE: About an hour after I posted this entry, I fed the dogs. Millie is actually a pig, not a dog (excellent example: she just burped right into my face. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried), so she always finishes her dinner first. Since she came over to sit with me, I thought I would snap a (terrible) picture. Now I'm trying to coax Evie girl over to join us. If it happens, you can bet I will post another update with more pictures. I am going to be SO obnoxious as a mom.


SECOND UPDATE: SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!! Awful picture, delightful cuddling. I really need someone else here to capture the adorableness that this whole thing is. It's amazing.