Is it possible for a writer to run out of imagination?

This morning I came across this quote from novelist Will Self (hat tip to Advice to Writers):

Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea forever.

At first glance, that looks like pretty good advice. But after a moment's reflection, I'm not so sure. While I've been known to carry notebooks, and have sometimes found myself scrambling for paper and pen because I was not carrying a notebook, I believe Mr. Self should rethink emphasizing that always.

Imagination is not a river that runs dry. It may flow swiftly at some times and sluggishly at others, but it's always there to draw from as long as a writer can calm her nerves and discipline herself to stop whining about being "blocked" and just sit down and write something, anything, even if it's garbage. Because even when our writing is garbage, that garbage comes straight from our imaginations. And we'll have plenty of opportunities to clean it up as we continue to hammer out our stories.

I agree that it's a good idea for a writer to carry a notebook. After all, she might be standing in the checkout line at a grocery store when she's struck by a fantastic idea for Chapter Three. And if she's unable to write it down, she might forget it before she gets home. But I disagree with Mr. Self's assertion that a writer must always carry a notebook and his implication that it's such a terrible, terrible thing to lose an idea.

I'll admit to being annoyed when I've lost ideas. Just yesterday morning, I lost one because I was in the shower and didn't have a Moleskine notebook handy and I didn't want to jump out and run for one without first rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. But it was no big deal, really. As someone who exercises her imagination on a daily basis, I know good ideas are a dime a dozen. So what if I lose one now and then? Another one will be along in a minute or two, and it might even be better than the one I lost in the shower.

I'm not saying writers shouldn't carry notebooks. I'm just saying we shouldn't obsess over having pen and paper handy at every moment of the day. Because nothing hampers creativity more effectively than the fear of losing it.

Because I can do better, that's why

I've never shared this story except with my family and a couple of my writer pals, but I did something rather unusual after turning in my last contracted manuscript to my Harlequin "Love Inspired" editor: I admitted that I didn't believe what I had given her was my very best work.

I'd been laboring under a tight deadline, and I'd run out of time. So the day before it was due, I overnighted my manuscript to New York City. It wasn't perfect, but I figured that was okay because my editor was bound to ask for one or two small revisions. When I addressed those, I'd have an opportunity to tighten up the story. And then by the time I mailed in the revised manuscript, I'd have produced a novel I was as proud of as I was of my first three books.

Things didn't go according to my plan. My editor called to say that she "loved" the book and that she was sending off the paperwork so somebody would cut me a check for the "on manuscript acceptance" portion of my advance.

What followed was the most humbling experience of my career. I admitted to my editor that I wasn't satisfied with the manuscript I'd sent her. Then I asked if I could have it back for two weeks.

Not necessary, she said. I love the book you've written.

But I can do better, I insisted. Please let me have it back.

She was plainly shocked. She was very familiar with authors requesting deadline extensions, but I gathered it was the first time an author had asked for a manuscript back after she had accepted the final submission. She tried to talk me down from what she no doubt believed to be an odd case of nerves for a previously-published author, but in the end she gave me two more weeks. I worked twelve- and sixteen-hour days, but when I sent that puppy back to New York, I was happy with it.

That book, At His Command, was published in the autumn of 2008. While it's my least favorite of all my books (because it was Book Three of a six-author "continuity series", and I had to weave in subplots and minor characters that appeared in the other books), I'm still very proud of it.

Those of us who aren't kids anymore can remember the TV commercials Orson Welles did for Paul Masson wines some thirty years ago: "We will sell no wine before its time." Well, I promised you all a brand new novel this month, and the month is almost over. Until this morning, I still thought I could pull this off: I'd simply run through the manuscript one more time to check for typos, and then I'd spend the next couple of days formatting and uploading it to Amazon's Kindle Store and Barnes and Noble's Nook catalogue and so on. But I've been uneasy about this planned release for the past week or so, and my conscience is now demanding that I give the book some more time.

Look, I know I don't belong on stage with the world's best romance writers. But I like to think I'm a decent writer who has occasional flashes of brilliance, and more than a thousand of you (yes, really!) have written or e-mailed to tell me that you have enjoyed my novels. So please take me at my word when I say this new book is simply not finished yet. "Good enough" is not good enough for me, and I don't think it's good enough for you, either. So if it takes two more weeks or even a whole month of polishing to make sure this novel is the best I'm capable of offering you, then I am going to take that time.

Your understanding and patience will be very much appreciated. If you want to follow my progress, be sure to watch this blog and my Facebook page.

Want to write better dialogue?

I just happened upon this over at Jon Winokur's Advice to Writers:

1. Dialogue should be brief.

2. It should add to the reader’s present knowledge.

3. It should eliminate the routine exchanges of ordinary conversation.

4. It should convey a sense of spontaneity but eliminate the repetitiveness of real talk.

5. It should keep the story moving forward.

6. It should be revelatory of the speaker’s character, both directly and indirectly.

7. It should show the relationships among people.

--ELIZABETH BOWEN

This advice is clearly for aspiring authors, but I figured it wouldn't hurt me to go down the checklist and make sure I've been staying on target in my own writing. I must say, though, that dialogue is the part of novel-writing that has always come easiest to me. Even as a beginner, I had no trouble with points number 3 and 4, which seem to be the ones that trip up almost every other inexperienced writer. I've had to work hard in other areas (description, for example), but I can write dialogue in my sleep, and that's probably why I got published. (I am not a strong plotter, but I can write a compelling conversation, which is a must for anyone submitting character-driven romances to the traditional publishing houses.)

If you're not sure what Bowen means by "routine exchanges of information" here's a hint:

"Jack, it's been ages! How have you been?"

"Just great. How about you?"

"I can't complain. How are the wife and kids?"

"Good. Yours?"

"The same. How are you liking that new job?"

"Lots of new challenges. I miss the old place, though."

"And we miss you, believe me."

All right, enough. I'm afraid I'll injure my brain if I force myself to write any more of that drivel. But you get it, right? Jack and the other guy used to work together and they haven't seen each other in a while, so now they're catching up. The above conversation reads like it was transcribed verbatim from a real-life exchange, and that is precisely what's wrong with it. It will not work in a novel because novels aren't about real-life conversations any more than Van Gogh's paintings are about sunflowers.

If you're writing dialogue today, you might want to bear in mind that suggestion is one of the most powerful tools a writer can wield. You don't have to write a full conversation at all. Just make your readers believe that you did. Here's an example:

He hadn't seen Jack in more than a year, not since he'd left his old accounting firm, Bean, Bean, and Bean. They exchanged a handshake and asked about each other's families, and then after a nervous glance around the coffee shop, Jack leaned forward and spoke in a low, urgent voice.

"What have you heard about the investigation?"

"All I can tell you, Jack, is that the SEC asked me a few questions. But we expected that, didn't we?"

"You didn't tell them about--"

"Of course I didn't tell them. I'm not a fool, Jack!"

See the difference? Hurry past the inconsequential stuff and get straight to the juicy parts. That'll keep your readers reading.

Great video: 29 Ways to Stay Creative

I'm posting this especially for my writer pals, but I think the rest of you will appreciate it, too.

Now, everyone get out there and have a great weekend!

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

First things first: opening lines

I'm sure no sentence in any novel is tweaked, rewritten, twisted, pared down, built up, thrown out, reinstated, and in general, agonized over as much as the first line of Chapter One. (Look! I'm clairvoyant! I see scores of writers emphatically nodding their heads!)

As of yesterday, I've rewritten the opening sentence of my upcoming novel at least a hundred times. And while regular readers of this blog are aware of my sad tendency toward hyperbole, I assure you all that this time, I'm not exaggerating. Not one bit.

A hundred times, did I say? No, I'm very sure two hundred is closer to the truth.

I've been happy with the first line of this book dozens of times. But I've always awakened the next morning and thought, no, it's just not there yet, and tweaked it again. But today I've had a breakthrough. Today I liked it even more than I did yesterday morning, which was even more than I liked it the morning before that, and that never happens.

And no, it's not that I'm just sick of writing it and willing to settle. I'm happy with it. So I'm pausing just long enough to write this triumphant post, and then I'll get back to my editing.

This has been an extra-difficult first line to write because this book is a bit different from the four books I've written for Love Inspired. One of the main differences is that you won't see the hero and heroine meet in Chapter One, which is something Love Inspired editors insist on because market research has shown that's what their readers want. So if I'm going to throw you nice people that kind of curve, I'm going to have to engage you right from the start on such a deep level that if you notice at all, you won't stop reading.

Yep, that's a lot of pressure. I must begin weaving that magic from the very first sentence. But as I look at this sentence now, I'm thinking, yeah. This will do it.

Can you see me now?

Are you following NRJW via daily e-mails or a feed reader? If so, you're missing my stream of Facebook status updates in the blog's sidebar.

Hey, it's no biggie. I'm just posting things like fun and interesting links and videos plus a few pictures of my flower gardens. But if you're a Facebooker and would like to view those little gems, may I suggest that you click right here right now and "like" my Facebook page?

There. I don't know about you, but I feel much better now!

A fitting memorial

At six o'clock this morning, I was awakened by the sound of cannon fire.

It happens every Memorial Day, when the men at our town's local VFW hall (which is just three blocks from my house) fire the old cannon on their front lawn. It surprises me every time; I'm startled awake and after three or four shots I recognize the sound and realize it's Memorial Day again.

There is never any warning. No notice in our local paper that the old guys will be shooting again this Monday in the morning twilight. And there are never any photographs of it afterward. Nobody gets their name in the paper for having participated. I can't even tell you how many shots they fire, because I'm always asleep when they begin, and after that I'm too confused to count, having been so abruptly awakened. Five or six, maybe. I like to think there's some signifigance to the number, whatever it is.

There's something about the abruptness, the complete lack of warning before and absense of explanation after, that touches my heart. The booming of the cannon reminds me of the shocking devestation of war, the horrendous loss of life. And so this annual early-morning observance seems very appropriate to me.

So this morning I was comfortably asleep in my warm bed when I was once again jarred awake by the sound of cannon fire. After a few seconds my confusion dissolved and I thought, Oh, yes. I'd forgotten. It's Memorial Day again, isn't it? And then I imagined the response of those veterans floating back to me on a morning breeze that also carried the acrid scent of gunpowder:

Yes. It's Memorial Day. And we have not forgotten.

Going digital

This past week my publisher released a digital version of my long-out-of-print first book, Finding Hope (Love Inspired, 2003) in all of the major e-book formats. I figured that in a week or two, I'd get around to doing some low-key promotion for it. You know, make an announcement here on the blog, and so on. But to my surprise, the book has been selling itself quite well (at least at Amazon's Kindle Store, which is the only one I watch.)

I can't explain that. My 2006 release, A Family Forever, was digitized earlier this year, also without promotion, but that one hasn't taken off (again, I'm talking about the Kindle Store). In my opinion, A Family Forever is the better book. But like so much else in publishing, what sells and what doesn't and why is a mystery to me.

With this latest release, all four of my Love Inspired books have now been digitized. I'm happy about that because I'm tired of apologizing to readers for the paperbacks being out of print and unavailable except from resellers at Amazon, eBay, and the like. From here on out, I will suggest to interested readers that they simply download my e-books. After all, it's not necessary to have an e-reader as long as you have a computer. PC users, for example, can snag Amazon's free app, Kindle for PC. (It's a quick and easy download. Get that and one of my books and you can be reading in less than five minutes.)

My other two books, A Season of Forgiveness and At His Command, were released simultaneously as mass-market paperbacks and e-books in 2007 and 2008, respectively, so they've been out for a good while now. I just mention them so everyone can round out their collections. (Who, me? Humble? Not in the least.)

Perhaps you've noticed that all of these highlighted titles will take you to the books' Amazon Kindle pages. Yes, I'm an Amazon affiliate, but I make only pennies on these referrals, so that's not my motivation. It's just that I'm a longtime Amazon customer and fan, and this keeps things simple for me. Of course the novels are available at Barnes and Noble and at all kinds of other e-book stores.

Less than two months from now, I plan to release a brand-new novel as an e-book. It'll be similar in tone to my Love Inspired books, but quite a bit longer. And it'll feature a rock-star hero, which is the reason Love Inspired declined to publish it. (Don't fault my editor: market research has shown that many of the older Love Inspired readers just aren't sympathetic to famous heroes such as actors, pro-sports players... and rock stars.) But you'll be hearing more about that book here on the blog very soon, trust me.