novel writing

I’m excited about the upcoming release of my first contemporary, My Life as an Extra, a humorous women’s fiction novel in which Chicagoan Marla Goldberg learns to feel special despite a divorce, working as a movie extra, dipping her toes into the discouraging dating pool, being unappreciated in her day job and dealing with her successful siblings.

I had a wonderful time writing this and the sequel, My Life as a Star, and Marla made LOL many times. But preparing to release these books presented several challenges that my other books didn’t.

Contemporary: When researching and writing my medievals, I pored over many sources, doing my best to provide historical accuracy. Yet I was happy when those sources said, “No one knows X or Y,” leaving me free to make certain things up to fit the story. And a “new” invention would stay new in the 1450s, but something trending on social media today, the hottest cell phone features or #1 pop star may seem out of date or be has-been within months when frozen on the pages of a book. Even writing about current locations within Chicago took extra care because things change rapidly (Sears vs. Willis Tower, anyone?)
Not a romance: Amazon, reviewers, and advertising/promotion sites ask authors to classify their books, often literally by checking a box. MLE is not a romance, but could be mainstream with romantic elements or humorous women’s fiction, or, by some definitions, chick lit. It’s a challenge finding as many places that accept a slightly outside of the box category.
Wanting to use many real celebrities, films and pop culture references: I’ve worked as an extra in more than 70 movies and TV shows filmed in Chicago, so my path has crossed those of many A-list, household-name celebrities. Consulting with attorneys and researching our litigious society, even when the author is legally within his/her rights and ultimately prevails, made me leery. Making cuts was painful. Not only that, I didn’t want to date the book with many actual movie titles. I also wanted to use a few song lyrics, but cut those because of the time and effort to track down and ask for permission from multiple rights holders, which may not be granted. To me, the downside of creating new films and changing stories means less instant recognition for readers and more of a challenge for me to convey the mood, tone, or whatever Marla wants to get across.

I’m awaiting my first reviews with bated breath…..

I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo, aka NaNo, which starts
November first, for the first time. The goal is to write 50,000 words in a month. Here’s what I’ve done to prepare and what I recommend.

1) Cleared some tasks due in November off my plate, such as a writing column, to free up more time and brain space/energy to write.
2) Limited extraneous activities, while still making room for some social activities. I think some down time helps refill the well and lets the subconscious generate more ideas.
3) Chose the project to work on and did a bit of preparation, such as jotting down thoughts.
However, I’m sorry to say I’m still waffling on this. I wanted to write the second book in my new series. But I keep wondering if I should choose a more popular romance subgenre or another project I’ve been wanting to work on.
4) Plan to write with a friend or go to a few write-ins, where participants gather at a coffee shop or other location to help each other stay on task and feel less isolated.
5) Told family/friends I’m doing this and that it’s important to me. I still have a few more people to tell.
6) Signed up online to keep track of my word count and put it out there publicly that I want to do this. They say goals should be written down and shared…. And there’s a lot of helpful information and encouragement on the NaNo site.
7) Put writing appointments on my calendar, especially mornings because I’m a morning person, so I can reach the 1,667 word count early in the day and even get ahead if I make more time to write later in the day. This approach should help in case I have to miss an entire day or two because of paying commitments.
8) Decided to bring my laptop or use the handy stylus on my phone when I’m on the bus so I can get in more words and time.
9) Joined a Word War, in which groups compete to complete the most words. To some this may add a layer of pressure, but I think it adds motivation. I don’t want to let my group down.
10) Believe I can do it.

Something I learned that surprised me: While there are very successful books written/begun during NaNo, the vast majority of participants and winners (those who complete the 50K in time), never even finish their projects. I mistakenly assumed that most people did NaNo to get a head start on something they wanted to complete and sell, rather than participate (and succeed) several years, but not finish any of the books.

What’s your best NaNo prep tip?

My Life as an Extra – preparing for release

10 Tips to prepare for NaNo!