Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement or anything really about their writing. A different question is posed each month, as a writing prompt for IWSG members. Answering it is optional. For March, the question is “How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal / finish a story?”
This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner. Feel free to swing by their sites.
My answer to the question (“How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal / finish a story?”)
I’m not a big celebrator. My husband and I celebrate birthdays. And Thanksgiving, based on our location. Oh, we did toast to Neptune when we crossed the equator on our sailboat Irie in 2013, with rum and coke and Belgian chocolate. R&C for Mark, a shot of rum for Neptune, and just coke for me, since I was on watch. That being said, whenever I achieve a milestone in my writing (as in: finish my memoir), I’ll be sure to celebrate!
My book progress
I have no idea what is happening in 2018, but a giant creature from outer space must have descended upon earth and devoured January and February, because, all of a sudden, those months are gone. This is how my February looked like:
- Week 1: editing the introduction and the prologue of my memoir, posting a writing update for January.
- Week 2: wrapping up our house sit in San Diego (cleaning and prepping the camper van, cleaning the house, organizing, moving everything in the van, meeting friends one last time, taking care of Frida and Elvis, walks, yard work) and posting a blog.
Meeting Amy and Skylos for a last walk at Sunset Cliffs
- Week 3: moving between house sits; a road trip from San Diego, California to Albuquerque, New Mexico. And posting a blog.
Somewhere in the Arizona desert
- Week 4: settling in for our new, six-week house sit, taking care of two big Labradors, Gunner and Beckwourth. Rereading all the chapters of the second draft I edited in San Diego to get in the groove again. Posting a blog.
Cuddles with Gunner and Beck
Luckily, the first Wednesday of March falls late, so I have been able to pick up my memoir again and continue the editing process, one chapter at a time. Unfortunately, I am not able to cut the manuscript in half, which is what is required. I read a chapter a day, make minor changes, fix some typos, and end up with a word count that is, maybe, a couple of hundred words less instead of a couple of thousand. Each time I think “I’m just going to cut this whole chapter, that will be the easiest,” I start reading it and decide to keep it. Yeah… I guess getting rid of hard (writing) work is not my strongest point. I’ll have to figure something out.
My current office for six weeks
Memoir excerpt
Last month, author and blogger Jill Weatherholt wrote in the comments: “These updates are great teasers.” Her remark encouraged me to introduce “real” teasers of my memoir in these monthly updates. So far, I have only done this once before, when introducing the antagonist in my story here. It is an important scene in the memoir. The protagonist, of course, is me.
Here is an excerpt from the prologue of my memoir:
“You gotta be kidding! I’m not ready to sell the boat yet. We just entered the Pacific. The best part is still to come,” I plead. “We have to spend a few years here after all we’ve been through!” I look at my captain with a faint smile, struggling to hide my own discomfort. I swallow hard to push back the half-digested crackers I had for lunch. Fume is coming out of his nose, steam out of his ears, and blood out of the new gash on his forehead. He stares back with non-negotiable fury. If there was a place to go, it would be wise to get out of here right now. And not only because of his temper. All I see is water.
He used to be the sailor, and I the burden on a boat, any boat, hiding in my bunk doubled-over, intently staring at the wobbly horizon or hanging over the rails feeding the fish. Now, in the name of love and adventure, I pull my weight. I still get sick, but usually continue the sail handling after my unpleasant release. Albeit with a pale face. You have to be a little tough to cross oceans on a small sailboat, but these days, it is tough to be tough. That ever-important sense of freedom I strive for tastes a tad salty and feels quite confined right now. And, that man I’ve been with, through sickness and health, frustrations and despair, peace and madness, anger and passion? He increasingly makes me unhappy, crushing my dreams, belittling my choices. Maybe he should get off this boat and leave me in peace, when we make landfall.
“We can do this. All of us. Together,” I say to nobody in particular, despite the fact that our family has shrunk over the years. I don’t want to dwell on that; I have more imminent things to worry about.
Bang! Another deafening sound and abrupt movement jerks me out of my wonderings. The fiberglass creaks and the boat stalls. Is this the end?
Any comments – especially tips/improvements in regards to the excerpt – are highly appreciated.
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March 7, 2018 at 10:18
I could get hooked on this! Keep going…! ~ Lynn
March 8, 2018 at 13:49
Thanks, Lynn. Loads to cut…
March 7, 2018 at 10:25
Oh, my goodness – I love, love, LOVE this! Keep the excerpts coming. This is great for a prologue. I think it’s going to draw people in and have them wonder how your relationship ends up and wonder about your family shrinking and then they’re going to want to keep on reading. I know I do 🙂
March 8, 2018 at 13:51
I am so excited about your positive feedback, Ellen. This is all so new to me. The manuscript needs so much cutting down and rewriting, and then, it will require more polishing. There are good days and bad days, as you are aware! 🙂
March 7, 2018 at 10:28
Okay, now I REALLY want you to finish this edit and get this book in the hands of some readers. I’m hooked and you only gave me a vague intro!
March 8, 2018 at 13:54
That is so great to
hearread, Ryan. 20 more 6000-word chapters to edit begrudgingly, then my husband reads them and scraps pages (which is what I need), but still not enough. Then, I need to rework and polish, then, I will be ready for beta readers, before getting it into the third draft. Phew! 🙂March 7, 2018 at 10:36
Wow! What a great excerpt! It’s a terrible tease…..I want to keep reading!
March 8, 2018 at 13:55
Awesome, Lucy! There will be some recognizable things in the story. 🙂
March 7, 2018 at 11:13
Hi, Liesbet – I am totally with the other commenters. I want MORE!
March 8, 2018 at 13:55
And, you will get more, Donna. 🙂 Just not sure when and how… Lots of work.
March 7, 2018 at 13:04
So THAT’S what happened to January and February. I was wondering about that!
Your life looks so fun and exciting, and you manage to get some writing in too. That’s great! Here’s to lost of success in 2018 for you.
March 8, 2018 at 13:57
Haha! You and I (and apparently quite a few other IWGS’ers) share similar feelings about the first months of this year, Megan. Let’s hope time slows down, we can take a breather, and get lots of work done the rest of the year.
March 7, 2018 at 14:43
I echo everyone else’s comments, Liesbet. Your excerpt is terrific. If the rest of the book is like this, no wonder you’re having trouble cutting.
Is there one person you can trust to help you “kill your darlings” (cut some pages)? Or can you try summarizing each chapter with a single key point or lesson or experience you want readers to take from it? Then you could read through each chapter, weeding out whatever didn’t address that key point.
That’s all I’ve got. Thoughts to help with editing. I can’t suggest a single thing for your excerpt.
March 8, 2018 at 14:02
I mostly like the prologue (which I only provided about a third of) as it is now, Karen, but it is more exciting than most of the rest of the book. I assume that’s OK. My husband is now helping to cut the chapters down some, which is great. Still such a long way to go.
I like your idea of focusing on one experience or lesson in each chapter, as I am still covering way too much. But, the whole story needs to flow and, like someone else commented, I am so involved in it all that it is difficult for me to know what is worth keeping and what not. But, he and I have to go through this cutting process first, before we let others read and help out. Nobody would be up to beta read a 160K manuscript! Thank you for the suggestions!
March 7, 2018 at 14:45
Ack! What a cliffhanger, Liesbet! I’m so happy you decided to share an excerpt. Hopefully, you’ll share more down the road.
Boy, those Labs look real happy to have you and Mark holding down the fort. Keep up the great progress on your memoir!
March 8, 2018 at 14:03
I will share more down the road, Jill, at least once a month on IWSG day. Thank you so much for the suggestion! And for the encouragement to keep going. The dogs are great, but a bit of work. 🙂
March 7, 2018 at 15:20
What a teaser! Keep on pushing forward. 🙂 January and February went by in a blur for me too. Now my son is on spring break next week and then it’s almost the end of the school year. Where did it go?!
March 8, 2018 at 15:59
Now that is a good question, Christine. Time seems to fly faster every new year we enter. And, you are right, as we jump from one event to the next, summer will soon be upon us again. I love the weather that time of the year, but I don’t love another fast forward of three months!
March 7, 2018 at 15:59
Great excerpt. I’d read that book. Keep going. Best wishes.
March 8, 2018 at 16:00
Thanks, Diane. Coming from you, that means a lot. I’ll attempt to remain positive and encouraged. 🙂
March 7, 2018 at 16:11
Love the teaser. It has left me wanting more. Keep working on that editing!
March 8, 2018 at 16:01
Great, Ingrid. I’m starting to feel like summer is my deadline, so I better get a move on. Continuously and consistently…
March 7, 2018 at 16:38
Maybe that memoir is supposed to be that length anyway?
No idea what happened to the first two months…
March 8, 2018 at 16:03
I have a feeling most readers might not agree with you. Unless it is written as a 160K-word bestseller… Which, for someone who did not grow up with English and has never had any literature or creative writing classes, seems pretty unlikely. 🙂 It is tempting to keep it longer than the “average memoir”, though.
March 7, 2018 at 17:58
I echo everyone else’s comments, Liesbet. It’s tough to edit your own writing when you’ve experienced all of the events and they’re your memories. Best wishes with your book.
March 8, 2018 at 16:06
You are so right, Natalie! When writing the first draft from scratch, I did not have this feeling. But now, after rereading and reworking a few chapters multiple times, my eyes glaze over and I have no idea what is important for a reader. My husband is currently helping with that, but he has lived (most of) the story as well. A third keen pair of eyes would certainly help, but the manuscript is still too long and “all over the place” for that. Thanks for the wishes and positive comment!
March 7, 2018 at 19:04
Hi Liesbet
Wonderful. I love the teaser. I’ll take more, please
And yes, this year is flying by. It’s been a month since I posted. I don’t know where the time went. I’d better get my rear in gear. I like the way you did the recount of February, week by week.
Keep writing
Laura
March 8, 2018 at 16:08
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for your comment and encouragement. Don’t we all wish we had more time? Since everyone’s life is made up of the same 24 hours a day, I guess the issue lies with ourselves and how we allocate that precious time. It’s all about priorities. I try so hard to focus on this book, but life involves much more than sitting behind the computer. Maybe for good reasons? 🙂
March 8, 2018 at 02:54
I echo the above comments. The moment of crisis and the shrunken family are both great hooks. Keep going. Advice I have found useful is to give the reader space to draw their own conclusions. The engages the reader with your story. So if anything you have written is something the reader could have guessed from the context or the conversation or part of the description, then cut it out. Beware the ‘something and something’ phrases, especially if you want to give a passage a punchy feel. As this is a prologue you want that snapshot feel.
March 8, 2018 at 16:15
This is great feedback, Hilary. Thank you! I love your advice of giving the reader space to draw their own conclusions. I have a tendency to explain too much and want to make sure there is no confusion. My husband cut quite a bit out of the first chapter today, and he used your technique for some of it. I’m still a bit on the fence about what to dismiss and what is needed to understand that particular part of the journey. I guess it takes practice. One goal I hope to achieve with my book is that the reader is going through life like me, not knowing what comes next. That’s why I am writing in the present.
With your comment “Beware the ‘something and something’ phrases”, do you mean using too many descriptions? I’m not sure I understand what you mean by this. Could you give me an example (from the prologue)? Do you think parts of the excerpt could/should be cut? Once again, I really appreciate your insights on this.
March 19, 2018 at 14:49
Sorry, I didn’t see your reply! I’m glad you found any of my comment helpful. Re the ‘something and something’, I have been taught to avoid the temptation to give two (or more) adjectives or adverbs where one ought to do e.g ‘sickness and health, frustrations and despair, peace and madness, anger and passion’, and better to give single specific instances – when writing. In oratory these kind of repeated cadences with big, inclusive words work really well. Of course, there are times when they work well in writing too. There are no rules for writing, only suggestions, tastes and trends. Keep writing, keep deleting. You’ll get there.
March 21, 2018 at 11:08
Hi again Hilary! No worries… Thanks for the explanation. I guess it is a little bit like being repetitive, with the two word combination. I could see it work well when giving oral messages, or even on paper once in a while when expressing something purposefully. Another good tip.
I have been thinking more about your other suggestion (letting the reader fill in gaps and using some imagination), even at night, when my mind goes crazy. And, I want to incorporate it more in this second draft. It might actually help really well cutting a bunch of “crap” out that the reader either can assume, or doesn’t care about. Thanks again!
March 21, 2018 at 14:16
I find letting the reader draw their own conclusions is quite difficult as, like you, I want to make sure the reader draws the conclusion I had in mind, but it is definitely involves people more and does cut down the potential for boredom.
March 21, 2018 at 14:16
Sigh! 🙂
March 8, 2018 at 04:07
Although I grew up in the Caribbean and sailed on many a boat, I never have had a desire to live and travel on one. I admire those who can do it. What adventures! Great excerpt.
March 8, 2018 at 16:19
Thanks, Bish. Growing up in the USVI, you must have met many a (long-term) sailor! St. John is just awesome. Do you split your time between the mainland and there now, Bish?
March 8, 2018 at 07:19
Maybe you need someone else to help you edit the memoir down. Hire an editor?
Your life sounds fascinating. I’m sure every chapter is rich in detail.
Mary at Play off the Page
March 8, 2018 at 16:24
I have come to realize that it is impossible to cram a decade of one’s inordinary life into a memoir. Yet, that is the period I’d like to cover, so I really have to focus on my themes and not ramble too much about other facets of my lifestyle. That’s the biggest problem. I want to share too much. Living as a nomad for ten years could produce five or more memoirs. 🙂
You are correct that I could use the help of a professional editor, Mary, but financially that is not feasible (yet). I feel like I need to cut it down myself first and get the input of a few beta readers after a revised second draft, before pursuing professional help. Since they charge by the page, the first steps of reduction are important. 🙂
March 9, 2018 at 21:15
Great post, Lisbet! Good on you for tackling a memoir, it must be so hard to do. The best advice I could give you, is just keep going 🙂
March 11, 2018 at 11:25
Thanks, Yvette, for visiting my blog and for the encouragement. I guess writing a book is one of those projects where the end is never in sight, so you steadily keep working at it, and then, one day, you realize you have arrived at “the end”. 🙂
March 10, 2018 at 17:23
I’m with you! What happened to January and February? I feel like I’m just now getting my 2018 feet under me. You have your work cut out for you to cut your memoir in half. Good luck! You can do it!
March 11, 2018 at 11:29
Maybe 2018 should start in March and finish the end of next February! It seems like quite a few writers and commenters might agree with that this year. 🙂 I assume I will get there with the cutting, but I”m starting to regret now the idea of putting as much as possible in it from the start… It would have helped to focus on a certain theme (or a few) from the beginning, but I had no clue how this book would turn out or what to focus it around.
March 14, 2018 at 00:33
Sounds great! Can’t wait to read the rest. Have you considered hiring an editor to help you trim the word count once you’re ready?
I’ve found the months are flying by too.
March 14, 2018 at 10:02
I am considering hiring an editor at some point. And, I know where you and Chris “live”. 🙂 But, first, I need to cut this baby in half or so…
March 16, 2018 at 09:37
Liesbet, with everything going on in your life, I admire your persistence in working on those revisions. I confess that work on my novel has completely ground to a halt. I am so close to having a complete first draft, but it won’t get written if I don’t sit down and write. When it comes to revisions, I have the same problem that you do— I find it very hard to cut.
Jude
March 21, 2018 at 10:58
I hear you about the revisions (and the sitting down to “do it” – there always seems to be something of higher priority vying for my time). I’m kind of “brushing” the chapters right now, not really changing much. Not helpful… I sometimes wonder what’s more fun, just writing everything down and actually creating a manuscript, or revising and attempting to tighten it. I – and you – will get there! Now, go on, Jude, work on that novel a bit. Once you get into it again, it will flow. I promise! 🙂
August 23, 2018 at 07:29
Hi Liesbet, I’ve been in the UK for nearly five weeks, and so have been deleting/catching up with thousands…of emails,Facebook, Twitter, etc., and came across you again. Have you really stopped writing? Hope not. If you’re having a long break, so be it, but please don’t abandon your memoir. All the best. Cheers! Joy xx
August 25, 2018 at 11:03
Hi Joy! Thank you for the encouragement. I haven’t abandoned my memoir project. As a matter of fact, I’m receiving all the feedback from my beta readers now and I’m exciting to dive in again and start the rewriting process. “Problem” is that I live on the road full-time and it is not as easy to find the time, resources and space to write and work on my book, like it was when house sitting. And, a 19 ft camper is a small space for two people. 🙂
There is also a lot to see and do where we are traveling this summer. Right now, my priority is sightseeing, but once the weather gets colder and we find a cozy place to sit for a while, my focus will turn to my book again. I hope you’re having a nice time in the UK. I’ve heard the tropical temperatures have turned into fall-like weather. Enjoy the rest of your visit!