Mission Impossible…or Quality vs Quantity

By Debby Giusti

If you’re like me, you’ve probably grappled with the Quality vs Quantity question. At first, my focus was on improving the quality of my writing. I studied craft and worked to ensure my stories had all the key facets that would make them shine. After writing a number of books, my pace increased, although quality was still more important to me than my rate of production.

Some of you may remember a study on the quantity/quality issue (ART & FEAR, David Bayles and Ted Orland, Image Continuum, 1993) I referenced in a previous blog. An art instructor divided her students into two groups. One group was told to work on only one piece of art during the entire semester. That piece of art would be submitted at the end of class for a grade. In the other section, the students were told to produce as much art as they could in the same time period. Those who created numerous works of art ended up with higher grades, and their work was far superior to the group that spent all semester on one project. From the study, it’s easy to deduce that increasing production, or quantity, also improves quality.

One of my writing goals this year has been to increase my production. In keeping with that goal, I wrote two novellas for the Seeker collections, in addition to my contracted Love Inspired Suspense stories. The deadlines kept me focused and on track, and the novellas provided a refreshing change of pace between the longer stories. The only setback came when the story line for my September 2016 book took longer than usual to develop. For whatever reason, the characters wouldn’t cooperate and getting the first three chapters and synopsis into a final form ate up precious time that I needed to complete the rest of the story.

That's when I attended the Georgia Romance Writers’ Moonlight and Magnolias Conference and knew God was in charge when I stumbled into Candace Havens’ Fast Draft workshop on how to write a book in a month. Candace provides lots of motivation for those who sign up for her online program, and I’ll only touch on a few of the strategies she provided in her workshop. Basically, she said to write twenty pages a day for two weeks without editing or revising to produce a Fast Draft. During the second two weeks, edit thirty pages a day. Accountability is important, and she suggests tackling the month with other writers and sharing daily page counts.

Thankfully, I had completed the synopsis and first three chapters, which for me are always the most difficult to write, but with a deadline looming—only a month away—I took what I needed from her workshop and quickly started working. To write fast, I used my AlphaSmart, a portable word processor. Each of its eight files holds 25 pages of text when downloaded to my computer and formatted into Courier New, 12 font, double-spaced pages, with one inch margins. My 55,000-word Love Inspired Suspense manuscripts run about 325 pages, or 13 AlphaSmart files. That meant I needed to fill an AlphaSmart file--or write 25 pages—every day.

To speed me along, I set my kitchen timer for 30 minute intervals and wrote non-stop until I heard it ding. Then I’d break for water, a quick stretch, and start writing again. The days passed quickly, and my Fast Draft was completed rather easily by the end of the first two weeks.

The second two weeks were much more intensive. I edited a minimum of six hours a day. Some sections of the story required more work than others, and I soon found that I couldn’t use Candace’s 30 page/day editing formula. Rather, I worked back and forth through the pages, approximating my progress and praying that I could complete the revisions on time.  What seemed, at the beginning of the process, to be a Mission Impossible turned into a success.  By the end of the month, I had a completed manuscript that was submitted on time.

Towards the end of my Fast Draft month, I saw a quote on Facebook attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi that intrigued me:

  

As you probably know, Francis was a 13^th Century Italian who gave away his family wealth to follow Christ. His quote probably refers to living the Gospel message and performing Christian acts of mercy and compassion, but it applies to the writing life as well.

Oldest known portrait of St. Francis, dating to 1223,
located in St. Benedict's Cave in Subiaco. (PD-US)

We start by doing what is necessary. For me that was creating the story line and writing the synopsis that I used as a guide. Then I did what was possible. I wrote 25 pages a day. Turning the rough draft into a polished story was the hardest step in the process. At first, the task seemed almost impossible, but by working through the pages, day after day, the story came to life.

My goal was to write faster so I could be become more productive. In the future, I plan to use Fast Draft to write the bulk of the story, but I’ll allot more time for edits and revisions.

To unleash creativity, give yourself permission to write without editing. Don’t think of the impossible, think of what’s necessary. That’s the key. Ask yourself, “What can I do today?” Accomplish that first task and then move on to the next goal. Repetition/quantity improves ability/quality. Soon we’re achieving tasks we never imagined possible … and eventually, we’ll be doing the impossible and doing it well.

What’s your impossible? How can you break it down into steps to make it achievable? Remember #NOLIMITS!

Have you thought about your writing goals for 2016? Are you focused on quantity or quality? Are you doing NaNoWriMo, or have you tried Speedbo or any other book-in-a-month program, and if so, what worked for you and what didn’t? Share a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of PERSON OF INTEREST. I’ll also include a writing journal and kitchen timer!

In this season of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for all of you. You’ve touched my life and made it richer in so many ways. May the Lord bless you abundantly and may all your writing dreams come true!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Debby Giusti

www.debbygiusti.com
Visit me on Facebook for Daily Scripture and Sacred Art 

PERSON OF INTEREST

By Debby Giusti

WOMAN ON THE RUN

While babysitting a young servicewoman’s infant, Natalie Frazier hears a murder in the neighboring army duplex. Convinced her former commander is behind the crime, the ex-soldier bolts with the baby. But who will believe her story? Army investigator Everett Kohl deals only with the facts, but this time his gut instincts can’t be denied. Is the attractive Natalie a cunning killer, as his ranking officers believe, or an innocent victim? Ordered to bring her in, Everett has a decision to make. Helping her could cost him his job…but not protecting Natalie and the baby could get all of them killed…

Also available:

A HEARTFUL OF CHRISTMAS, a Christmas collection found everywhere you buy digital stories.

“A Miracle for Christmas,”

By Debby Giusti

Nurse Brigid O’Grady refuses to open her heart to NYPD Officer Tony Calabrese, knowing she could lose him to the gang violence that killed her dad. But, while working to save a patient on Christmas Eve night, Brigid is confronted by the very danger she most fears. Can Tony save Brigid…or do they both need a miracle to make the darkness turn merry and bright?

Order your copies in digital or print format: Amazon.

SPEEDBO – Quality vs. Quantity

By Debby Giusti

Tortoise or hare?

I’m the tortoise. At least, I always thought I was.

Of course, I’m referring to Aesop’s Fables and the story about the race between the overly confident rabbit and the slow-moving turtle. The rabbit gets off to a fast start and seems assured of winning, so much so that he stops to take a nap. We all know the ending. The determined turtle keeps moving forward and wins the race!

Early in my writing journey, I worked at a slower-than-molasses pace. Each page had to be pulled from me. Often it was a painful, bloody process.

In those days, I marveled at the fluid prose that seemed to effortlessly flow from the pens—or computers--of more experienced writers. While I struggled to have my characters lift a teacup or exit a room gracefully, many of my friends were filling pages with pithy dialogue and action tags that transported their characters seamlessly from scene to scene.

I was a college grad who had excelled in honors English and considered my vocabulary to rank at least slightly above average, yet when faced with a blank page, I inevitably reverted to a few tried and true expressions that appeared far too frequently in my writing. He smiled, she smiled. He nodded. She nodded. He shrugged, she shrugged, they both shrugged. Body parts flew. Heads hopped. Infinitives were split and modifiers dangled.

My stories were heavily seasoned with filter words, such as felt, heard, wondered and thought. I told everything, in huge information dumps, because show don’t tell was an elusive concept I couldn’t grasp, along with GMC and POV. When a friend suggested NaNoWriMo, I shook my head, wrapped my arms defiantly across my chest and emphatically screamed, “No!”

 

It's almost Spring!

At that time, I was focused on quality…or the lack thereof in my writing. I didn’t see the need to increase my productivity when I had so much to learn.

Fast forward to after I got “The Call” and was working on a multi-book contract. Productively became important. Working on a deadline meant I didn’t have the luxury of overanalyzing each phrase. I no longer could spend hours and hours on a sentence when the clock was ticking and the editor was eager to receive the completed—and polished—manuscript.

 

From Art & Fear

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I needed an intervention. Enter AlphaSmart, the portable word-processor that allows me to write without editing. Each of the eight files holds approximately 25 pages of text when downloaded to my computer. By breaking my manuscripts into 25-page sections, I can gauge my progress and move more quickly to completion.

My old, but faithful AlphaSmart.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still a tortoise. I inch my way through the first three chapters as I’m getting to know my characters, but by chapter four, I’m reaching for my AlphaSmart and increasing my speed as my hero and heroine bicker and banter and struggle through that awkward, becoming acquainted stage. By midpoint, they’re much more compatible, are working together and falling in love. Danger threatens, and the enemy is preparing to attack. The closer I get to the black moment and climax, the faster my fingers fly over the keyboard. The ending is easy and almost seems to write itself. (A bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.) Once I have a finished manuscript, my pace slows again as I carefully edit and rework that rough, first draft.

 

The Bradford pear in my church parking lot
is in full bloom.

Which brings me to the question of quality vs. quantity.  David Bayles and Ted Orland, in their book, Art & Fear, provide the following scenario. A ceramics teacher divided his class into two sections. One section was to be graded on the quantity of work they created. The second group was told to create only one piece of art, their best work possible, which would determine their grade. On the final day of class, the work from those who had focused on quantity was far superior to those who had worked on only one piece of art. Trying to bring that one piece to perfection had slowed their progress. Those who had created numerous ceramic pieces had improved with each attempt to create something new.

Joe Bunting, in his blog post, “Writing Fast and Slow: CreativeWriting Lessons from Daniel Kahneman,”  discusses the quality vs. quantity topic as addressed in Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow. Kahneman writes about two systems in the brain: System 1 is the creative, fast-paced subconscious; System 2 is the focused, problem solving, conscious side. Both are needed, but at different times. Bunting claims the creative System 1 should be used when we write our drafts, which means writing fast to allow our creative subconscious free rein. System 2 should be used when we edit our work.  

Magnolias are starting to bloom.

So where does that leave us? Probably with two sides of the same coin. At times, we work slowly. For me, that’s at the beginning of a book as well as when I edit. At other times, we need to push ourselves to create more, faster.

Even if our progress is slow, Speedbo encourages us to write. It also provides accountability and a community of support. Increasing our productivity is an added plus.

"The Tortoise and the Hare", 

from an edition of Aesop's Fables 

illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1912. PD-US.

           

Keep in mind, both the hare and the tortoise ran the race. No matter your speed, keep writing! Thirteen days are left in March. Thirteen more days to SpeedBo!

Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of my March Love Inspired Suspense, STRANDED. I'll also include a special, secret gift!

Happy writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

STRANDED

BY DEBBY GIUSTI

AMISH COUNTRY REFUGE

Colleen Brennan has one goal—take down her sister’s killer.  But chasing after evidence leaves her in the path of a tornado and stranded in an Amish community. With the killer nearby, Colleen must depend on the kindness of Special Agent Frank Gallagher. Although the army officer is recuperating from a battlefield injury, he wants to help the beautiful woman he rescued from the tornado’s fury. He can tell she’s hiding something important. But getting her to reveal her secrets may be his most dangerous mission ever.

Order your copy in digital or print format: Amazon.

Debby will sign copies of STRANDED, on Thursday, March 26, from 4-6:30 PM, at Omega Book Center, 100 North Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree City, GA. This seventh book in her Military Investigations series is dedicated to Frank Forth, a Peachtree City resident and member of the Greatest Generation who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Proceeds from the signing will benefit Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, Inc., and Bugles Across America, a non-profit organization that recognizes the service of our veterans by providing buglers who play a live rendition of Taps at their funerals. Hope you can join me if you’re in the area.  Orders can also be phoned in at 770-487-3977, and autographed copies can be held for pickup or mailed.