Outlining is the Miracle Drug

I don't normally outline a piece of work before I begin writing. I just don't, that's all. Outlining is something I associate with school essays, not necessarily with something creative and fun and so it's not a technique I lean on. At least until today that is.

As I have mentioned on this blog I have been dealing with writers block for a few weeks now, and my current work in progress, Revival, has been sitting to one side while I get on with everything else. It had started so well: a clear vision of the story's spine, a set of characters that I understood, an initial situation to get the action rolling and a quest. Pretty much everything a writer could ask for, all neatly laid out and served on a silver platter. But I ran out a number of plot lines, had at least two story-lines running in parallel, I switched jobs in the middle of all of this etc. Bottom-line: I lost track of my story.

So how to recover from this? Outlining seemed like the very answer I was looking for, a systematic way of tracking the arc of the story and ensuring that I wrote down what I meant to say (which sounds easier than it is in practice). I read through my work in progress and outlined the eleven chapters I had so far; they made sense, the work was coherent, and I liked it. Now I am outlining the rest of the book, the road home, and with tasks laid out before me I think I should be able to get back on track and finish the first draft.

Running To Standstill

It's been a while. Funny how things catch up with you, roll over you, put you through the spin cycle... Life has been a whirlwind for the past few weeks. First I broke my collarbone and separated my shoulder. Well, if you're going to do this you might as well go the whole hog. Then I started interviewing for jobs, with arm in sling, and doing two or more interviews a day for a while. Then I landed a new job (a great job too), and was whisked off to Utah for a week of intensive training. Then I came back and started the new job and have been working a lot of hours for the past couple of weeks. All of that is by way of apology for not posting more often over the last six weeks. But there's more...

I'm blocked.

I had heard of writer's block, of course, but had never experienced it before. It's not a day at the beach. I'm halfway through my current work in progress (Revival) and the characters are dying on the page, all blank stares and asphyxiation, and there's nothing I can do. This group of characters that I have come to know and to love have nothing to say, I'm losing touch with them and the creative edge of the story, and I'm not sure where to go from here. But I have to save my book. I have to figure this out.

Thoughts, advice, suggestions are welcome on this blog or on Twitter.

Patti Roberts - Book Blog: free ebook for review - Interview with Alan Parr - Author of "Renewal"

It's been a while since I posted, and I can only say that having my arm in a sling did little for my words per minute average.

To get back into the swing of things, here is Patti Roberts - Book Blog: free ebook for review - Interview with Alan Parr - Author of "Renewal"

The title of the piece says "Free eBook for Review" and what that means is (if you read the interview) that I am willing to donate free copies of the book if I can get reviews from the readers. Sounds like a deal? Possibly the best offer you will get all day? So how do you get in on the action?

Contact me via Twitter (my link is shown on this page) and mark your tweet with #renewalreview and I will send you a coupon for a free download from Smashwords in the format of your choice. Simple.

Free Download of my eBook "Renewal"

Free.  That's right. Free. Gratis. For nothing.

Visit Smashwords and download my new eBook for free this week only! It's available in a number of formats, including PDF so you can read it on PCs and Macs.

Click this link to download the ebook, and use the coupon code DA59R

If you like it, consider giving me a review on Smashwords.

Enjoy!

Vision Without Obstruction: What We Learn From Steve Jobs

I really liked this article Scott Belsky wrote about Steve Jobs, and about his ability to stay true to his vision.

Holding on to a vision, maintaining clarity, and beating away self-doubt is no easy thing. Authors know this. But at some point you need to decide to go for it. Here was what Jobs had to say on the matter:

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

There is nothing to lose in holding onto your vision until you can make it reality, nor is it too late to start. What would be an issue, I think, is deciding that you have nothing to offer, or that what you can create isn't as good as what other people have done, or that you don't have the time. Twyla Tharpe has the best advice to offer here: get over yourself. Have a go and you may be surprised at what you can do.

I have to confess to being a big fan of Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ives and Apple. They foster creativity and great design in all they do. I wish Steve Jobs well.

My Author Interview with Patti Roberts

Since publishing Renewal, I have been asked to do a couple of author interviews.  The first is with Patti Roberts on her book blog. You can check out my author interview with Patti Roberts here. Thanks for the opportunity Patti!

New Book Released: "Renewal" on Smashwords

Somewhere, my English teacher Ms. Jane Forshaw is crying real tears.

I just watched Smashwords upload my Word document and churn it through Meatgrinder.  The result?

Renewal, by Alan Parr

I'm so happy! This is my first work of fiction (I've published non-fiction work before) and this book was my baby for a long time.  I started writing last summer and got stuck, and put my story away. In April this year, I took it out again and liked what I had written (always a good thing when it happens, which is not always) and knew where the story wanted to go. I just had to write it all down.

Renewal is the first book in a series that looks at Humanity's relationship with Technology (a slippery affair at best) as viewed through the experiences of a boy called Stig and his iFriend.  It is a humorous science fiction and fantasy story, simply because those are the kinds of books I like to read.

So today is a happy day, and I will kickback and enjoy a glass of wine tonight, and consider the misty future through a rose-colored blindfold. And now Ms. Forshaw, I have to ask why you never taught me anything about marketing my stories once they were published?