I came across a fun post from Clarissa Draper yesterday. She mentioned that designing a cover for a WIP can put her in the mood to write it.
I think designing a cover would be an exercise in frustration for me, since I’m graphically-challenged (I picked the ‘minimalist’ blog theme for this blog, for example.) :)
But there are other ways I put myself in the mindset to start a new project:
Put a deadline on my calendar—I have an official deadline (publisher-set) and I have an unofficial one that I shoot for.
Write the back cover copy for the book. Can’t imagine why, but the copywriting department never seems to use my copy! I enjoy writing it, though, and it helps remind me where I’m headed with the plot.
Come up with a title for the book. Even if it’s changed later, it makes the project more real for me if it has a title.
Make an official home for the book on my laptop. I have a folder with the working title of the book. In that folder goes a cast of characters document, a document of brainstormed ideas, and the WIP itself.
Start thinking of it and referring to it as a real book. Even if I’ve only finished the first two paragraphs. Because it is…it’s a book in progress.
How do you make your WIP real? How you put yourself in the mindset to write it?
I know having a deadline works because I have participated a 50K in 30 days writing challenge. I think having the book cover and name definitely help too. Sometimes, a walk in the park is the best method to put me into the writing mindset.
Every Savage Can Reproduce
I really like these ideas. I think I will steal all of them! I especially like the idea of a working title from the beginning. Many times I’ve neglected to do that. I also like the idea of the story having its own home. All stories go in my writing folder and then within their own folder, but a folder staring at me from my desktop would serve as a reminder to get back to work, lol. Great post, thanks!
Elizabeth – No doubt about it; unless you think of a WIP as a book, it’s harder to take that next step. What works for me is creating a file and sub-files for it in the “books” section of my hard drive. Once it’s got that identity, I start thinking of it that way. When I really need a kick in the pants I put a shortcut to it on my desktop to remind me.
The title is often the thing that triggers the ‘it’s a book’ feeling in me.
Covers trigger me, yes, of course, as do images of any kind (I’ve written about that – I can end up not writing at all as I browse through old photographs which inspire me.)
Little rituals, though, are the sure-fire thing, day-to-day. I had a screenwriting instructor who admonished her students not to smoke while they wrote, because then they’d become dependent on the ritual of lighting up to get started writing, and could never quit. (She appeared to be speaking from experience.)
If I am serious about a book’s beginnings, I make a document and put it up on my desk top. I always have a picture to go with it like a front cover.
I sometimes go out and buy an extravagant notebook to keep notes in. Since I work by day at a job I bring a notebook or a recorder in order to record ideas and notes. Once the ideas are really jelling and I feel excited about it, I will go ahead with finding a title for it too. Even if it is changed later.
And to make it really real, I may begin to blog about it too, and post excerpts from it, which then also gets me excited when someone makes a comment about it :P
Hi Elizabeth! I found your blog through Jill Kemerer’s ‘5 Easy Questions’, and I love it!
Once I’ve bought a binder for my printed research materials and early chapters, and a notebook for my purse to jot down ideas while I’m out and about… that’s it! I’m in there! (I keep everything in a folder on my desktop, but I’m still an office supply geek.)
I like the back cover blurb idea. I always have a working title, but a couple of sentences or paragraphs tacked to the cork board above my desk would be something fun to inspire me when I sit down to write every day! Thanks!
I guess a completed outline usually does the trick for me. And names for the main characters.
Really? I think I´ll create the next cover for you, and then you can write the back cover for me. I absolutely loathe writing anything that smacks of a sales pitch – it is so much funnier to write the whole book. The best part is coming up with the plot and the characters. I can hardly sleep for excitement at that stage.
I also have to start with a title. I also imagine the characters as if they’re real people.
I’m like you on the covers–totally have the wrong brain for that… I’m not particularly visual.
I generally start with brain storming–setting up complex relationships and thinking of backstory and twists… then I timeline.
On my current project, I have a series of ‘cons’ my MCs are going to run, so I’ve been doing one sheets on the story BEHIND the con and how it goes (it will be written during NaNoWriMo and this just seemed like detail I needed ahead of time)
For me, your post is timely. Having just trunked one novel, I’ve decided to use the final 100 days of 2011 (i.e., starting today!) to get through the first draft of one that I aim to sell. That seems like a good deadline to me.
Enid–Great idea! I need to exercise more..sigh. :) Maybe I can make myself believe it will get me in the writing mindset!
S. M. Worth–Steal away! Yes, a huge folder full of docs has a way of making a book very official!
Lorelei– Blogging about a WIP is a great way to make it real! I like your idea of having just a regular picture that goes with the document on the computer. I could do a picture, just not a cover!
Margot–Oooh…shortcut on the desktop. Good idea!
Ayda–Thanks so much for coming by! I love binders, just can’t transcribe longhand writing to the computer fast enough (even though I’m a very fast typist.) But I’m with you on the office supply stores! I have to be dragged out of those places. :)
The snappy back cover copy is just kind of fun. But it’s amazing how it gets to the essense of the story and can keep us in line.
The Daring Novelist–I like to have a big working title on my WIP, too. Again, not that the publishers ever like my titles! :)
I can see where smoking would *not* be a good writing ritual! I guess the same could be said for drinking, too.
Alex–Naming the characters is a big one. Sometimes I’ll rename them, though.
Mary–I do that, too…sometimes I’ll have an image file of what I think each character looks like (just pictures from the internet of look-a-likes).
Hart–So for you, it’s thinking through big ideas in advance so you can quickly move through a draft. Good idea!
Matt–Ooh…a 100 day challenge. Sounds perfect, actually. Good luck with it!
Great information Elizabeth. Sometimes I get an idea for a scene and I’ll write it down even if I don’t know what to do with it. If I find myself thinking about it day in and day out I know I have something to pursue.
Dorte–Plot and characters are definitely more fun! I’d originally planned on going into advertising, so maybe that’s why I like it. :) Different sort of challenge. I’ve also written the 20 word catalog copy for my books before and that was almost like doing a crossword or a Sudoku or something!
Forensics 4 Fiction–That’s a great sign you’ve got something intriguing to work on!
TOTALLY OFF TOPIC but I thought I would let you know that pic of the yellow helmet looks like a butter sculpture. Why? Maybe the recent butter sculpture from the NYS fair is still on my mind, but that sure does look like a butter helmet to me. That is all. : )
Great suggestions! The deadline thing is one that’s always been great for me, which is probably why I love NaNoWriMo so much. I also love drawing (or having my extremely talented artist friend draw) my characters. It makes them so real! I hang the pictures on my wall and when I get stuck I look into their faces to know what to do next. lol
BettyZade–Ha! You know, there was something odd about that construction helmet to me, too! I kept looking at it (it’s from MorgueFile.com –free photos for creatives.) I wondered if it were a kids’ hat? I totally see what you mean…
Tiffany–I wish I could draw! I think I’d rather be able to paint or draw than write, actually. Sigh. Maybe in another lifetime… :)
OMG. You noticed that too Betty? The second I saw it, I thought BUTTER!
Great post. This is what I needed; a boost from fellow writers. As soon as I start a writing project and instead of climbing a mountain, I find my enthusiasm plummeting until I ditch the whole project and start working on something new. So, I’m gonna try these tips and see how they’ll work for me.
Fingures crossed!