Aline Soules

Poet and Fiction Writer

craft

Writing at the Beach

There’s something about a beach that changes us.  We “un-lax” as opposed to relax, letting go of all but the most basic elements of our lives.  We wake, eat, sleep, walk the beach, go in the water (if it’s not too cold), and generally let time take care of itself.

And then there’s writing.  I took a week to go to the beach and write.  I doubt any of this will be Pulitzer-prize winning prose, but my goal is to complete a messy first draft of Part II of my novel before I leave here.  I came with about 90 pages and I’d like to go home with about 160-170 pages—enough to enable me to start shaping what I hope will be a good novel in the end.

Today, the temperature’s going up to 97F (clearly an off-shore wind), so I anticipate sweltering through the day, but the house I borrowed (such kind friends) has a cooler downstairs, so I may spend the afternoon in the gloom of the lower level in order to keep writing.  And that’s the key—keep writing.  Don’t go back and fix.  Don’t decide to change direction (or change direction but don’t go back and “fix” what came before).  Just keep going.  What happens next?

I completed the first part of the novel intermittently.  I still work full-time and I have to sliver my time into slots to keep going.  I decided this wasn’t the best way to operate for Part II, so I’ve taken the plunge (literally) and am determined to write the worst draft ever of Part II before I head for home in the middle of next week.

Sometimes, I get stuck, but then I remember something I learned from Ellen Sussman at a recent writing camp:  the rule of 3.  If you’re stuck, write 3 possible options for what happens next, even if those options are the most outlandish possible.  Surprise yourself, which is the key, isn’t it?  Surprise yourself.  If you don’t, you don’t surprise your reader and nothing keeps a reader going than being surprised into turning another page.  Thank you, kind friends.  Thank you, Ellen Sussman.  Your gifts make my writing possible.

[Image credit:  http://globe-views.com/dreams/surprise.html]

Revision

revisionWhile NaNoWriMo is the 10% process of spilling your words on the page, revision is the 90% that comes after.  If we spend November on our first drafts, (optimistically finishing the first drafts of our novels) we will be confronted in December with the end results, and this means revision, revision, revision.
I read somewhere (forgive me, I can’t remember where) that more people prefer revision to creating the original draft on a blank page.  If that is the case, then December and the following year should offer a lovely present in the form of lots of raw material with which to work.  For the rest of the writers, the detailed task of revision may be less pleasurable.

Regardless, for any NaNoWriMo first draft novel to be viable, revision is essential.  Revision, however, involves many layers:  Developmental (or Content) editing; Substantive Editing; Copyediting; and Proofreading.  Further, multiple revisions will likely be required, unless the writer is a fabulous first draft writer or reviser.

I plan to participate in NaNoWriMo, but I’m well aware that the end result will be only the tip of my writing iceberg.

Poetry Contests

poetry_contestsFor years, I’ve submitted to contests, fully aware of how serendipitous the results may be.  Hope, however, springs eternal, and I’ve had success over the years, even as competition increases.  Recently, I’ve been involved on the judging side of a number of poetry contests, both for adults and also for young people.  It has been a privilege and a pleasure to be asked to read and engage in such work, but also an eye-opener.  My process has been to begin by reading the submitted works, just to have a sense of the works and read for enjoyment.  Following that, I read again and separate the submissions into three groups:  yes, maybe, no.  I usually end up with more in the ‘yes’ pile than there are awards (generally, awards include 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 1-2 Honorable Mentions).  I re-read the ‘yes’ and ‘maybe’ piles to cull further and I write notes about each piece at this point.  I keep reading and culling as many times as it takes to winnow down to a final decision, knowing that no matter how hard I try, I cannot achieve full objectivity, but at least having clear reasons for my choices.  The process has taught me how much time and effort goes into the judging process and has given me a new respect for the process when I submit to contests myself.

How to be a "Successful" Poet from a former UK Poet Laureate

bbc-blocks-dark  I recently came across a BBC article that shares Sir Andrew Motion’s “Top Ten Tips for being a Successful Poet” (11 October, 2014).  While this article came out a while ago, what I most like about the article is Motion’s assumption that success relates to the quality of the poem, not to one’s “success” at being noticed, making money (hardly likely with poetry), or anything else that isn’t directly related to being a better writer and, specifically, a better poet.  I’m sure the headline is a teaser to draw readers, but it could just as easily have been called “Top Ten Tips for being a Better Poet.”  The focus is on the work—so refreshing.  Motion was the UK Poet Laureate from 1999-2009 and it’s easy to see why.  He is dedicated to his art.  Take a moment, click on the link, and be inspired.