Psychology of Production

Is it cheating if I get a brilliant idea for a post from my writers’ chapter meeting?

Last Saturday I attended my monthly writers’ group, Front Range Christian Fiction Writers where we’ve been systematically reviewing Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer. This book has been around soooooo long, it’s easy to overlook, but don’t! It was one of the first reference books I bought when I decided to begin my journey along the road to publication, and despite the slew of how-to books on the market today, I still pick through this old classic when I need to sprinkle a spark of something into my writing.

This month, Candee Fick lead a review of chapter 8, Preparation, Planning, Production. For anyone new to the writing adventure as well as those well-seasoned, the points Mr. Swain reiterates in this chapter are well worth review time and again. He summarizes the process of novel writing, not only reminding us of the joy of writing, but urging caution against the frustrating elements inherent in the process.

Candee lead us in a discussion that spanned 2 hours, so I’d be writing clear into tomorrow if I tried to touch on each important point (hint: go get your copy or buy is, turn to chapter eight, and read all 51 pages). For brevity sake, I'd like to recap Mr. Swains final thoughts referred to as:

The psychology of production.

“In the good hours when words are flowing well,” remarks Herman Wouk, famed author of The Caine Mutiny, “it seems there is hardly a pleasanter way to spend one’s time on earth.”
How true. Production gives a writer his greatest satisfaction.
Only then Wouk adds, “Never mind the bad hours. There is no life without them.”
Well, as a philosophical attitude, that’s fine. But what a working writer needs when he’s stalled is help; practical help. Techniques of the Selling Writer, D. Swain, University of Oklahoma Press.

Swain breaks down his process of reclaiming your groove, so to speak, into 16 points well-worth investigating when your mind goes blank.

Separate creative impulse from critical judgment.
As you write your first draft, silence your internal editor. Promise him/her all the critical reviews of your work as needed after the first draft is complete. Until the first draft is done, stick with impulse.

Face up to your fears.
No one is perfect and learn to recognize that criticism of your work is not necessarily a diss of your talent.

Build you self-esteem.
If you act as if you were a competent, confident, successful person…then frequently, you’ll become just that.

Don’t demand too much.
Skill is something you develop over time. Understanding the writing process and incorporating it into your work doesn’t happen overnight, so don’t berate yourself when technique is taking too long to learn.

Keep your own counsel.
There’s always that temptation to share too much of your excitement over your new WIP. Dangerous because a) you might live the moment of an important scene like the first kiss before you’re ready to write it and lose the full flavor of the emotion; b) you’ll be influenced by the slightest raised brow or hesitant nod, and begin to doubt your initial impulse (see #1).

Follow your feelings.
Swain says it best: “Writing isn’t a logical process, thank heavens. And consistency is the hobgoblin of petty minds.” In essence, emotions, though not completely reliable, are well worth listening to.

Fall back on free association.
When stuck, spill words. Any words. Keep them coming until they begin to massage themselves into some kind of order, and voila! you’re back in business.

Draw confidence from knowledge.
You’ve learned, or are learning, the elements of fiction writing. You look to the experts in the field and incorporate their methods. Trust them to lay out the road map of plotting, characterization, conflict, etc. This knowledge will help you through any production breakdowns that might arise.

Soak yourself in your subject.
When in doubt over a detail or process, talk to the experts.

Incorporate present interests.
Writers are creative creatures. If a new interest steals your attention and you grow bored of the book you’re writing because you want to move on to the next idea, don’t wait. Incorporate your new ideas into your present plot. You might be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Take the bull by the horns.
“If you haven’t got a good idea, start a story anyway,” suggests mystery writer William Campbell Gault. “You can always throw it away, and maybe by the time you get to the fourth page you will have an idea, and you’ll only have to throw away the first three pages.”

Stay with the cattle.
God granted you an inborn desire and talent to write. It doesn’t drain away or evaporate.You develop skill, build on it, work, study and experience it. It won’t vanish in a puff of smoke.
You can always quit. But in some people determination, dedication, commitment—staying with the cattle, in the old range phrase—are character traits too deeply ingrained to be brushed aside easily.

Finish every story.
Completion of any story, however bad, is in its way implicit proof that you’re better than most people who talk of writing.

Set up a private checklist.
When you stall out in a story, chances are something about the story itself is wrong. Be honest and make a list of your literary weaknesses. Why? Because we all tend to repeat our mistakes. If you’re aware of your weaknesses ahead of time, when that “block” hits, you have a ready checklist to compare to your current work, much like a mechanic has for your car.

Give yourself a break.
When you spend too much time at your computer, words may begin to come harder. When that happens, take a break. Abandon work for a couple of days, replenish your well with fun and experience. You’ll be surprised at the change of attitude when you sit back down to work.

Avoid crutches.
When the going gets tough, prove you’re tougher. Don’t ever forget to pray through the whole process. God gave you the talent and desire to write and He’ll see you through if you only ask Him.

So there you have it, a simple checklist to keep you tooling along the road to publication, courtesy of Dwight Swain and his infinite wisdom on the subject.

Out of the sixteen roadblocks we talked about, what is the problem you seem to encounter the most?

I know you've come to expect Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory chocolates as give aways in honor of my January 2011 release, Rocky Mountain Hero. Don't worry, when the the weather cools down, there'll be more chocolate to be had : )

This time as we share our highs and lows, one lucky commentor will receive a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. This giveaway is to appease item #1, since afterall, you did promise your silly internal editor he/she could devour your work only AFTER you got it all down on paper : )

Happy writing!