The Challenges and Rewards of Writing Fiction, Tracy Falbe: Guest Post 6.29.09

Got a special treat with for you.  Tracy Falbe of Falbe Publishing and author of The Rys Chronicles has stopped by The Book Faery Reviews.  I am often asked to find out how aspiring authors can get started in the book field or just want me to find out more about what it is like to be a writer.  I try to get authors and publishers to share their experiences and tips.  So Falbe is here today to talk about the challenges and rewards of writing fiction.  Thank you Tracy for working with me on this special post during your recent move!  I know how difficult and tedious a move can be but you were quick to get back with me and do this for me.  Now on to her guest post…

Why are novelists possessed to spend weeks, months, and years making up fiction? I ponder this compulsion of mine and realize that the deep need of humanity for stories requires some people to create them. A gripping narrative that resonates with our emotions is utterly compelling to us. We crave fictional settings that teach us, that excite us, and that let us imagine completely new perspectives.

I accept that fulfilling this need for fiction is my calling, and I’m happiest when I pursue it. The act of writing is therapeutic for me. Once I get in that fiction writing groove, I experience a release from my normal daily concerns. After a writing session I feel renewed and unburdened, which proves to me that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.

My writing process is fairly flexible. I don’t have to be in a certain room free of distractions. No distraction is helpful, but I am able to filter out a medium level of mayhem in order to write. I don’t need to write in any particular location or at any particular time. For the last couple years I’ve been using a portable word processor called a Neo that lets me write anywhere. I write in the house. I write on the porch. Sometimes I go to a library and write. I write in the morning, afternoon, but most often at night.

When I write, I generally compose straight from my head. Occasionally I’ll have some notes worked out ahead of time and maybe a small outline, but these tools are employed only for particularly complex chapters or when I’m concluding a novel and have many loose ends to track and tie up.

Sometimes during composition I enjoy a good flow and good things just seem to happen. But at other times I have to work at it. Besides figuring out what is actually going to happen, I must consider whether I’m being clear to readers. Explaining something while avoiding over explaining it is a fine line. Readers need to know what I mean, but they do not need me to beat them over the head with it.

After the composition stage, begins the editing. Editing and rewrites take more time than the initial draft. Each chapter will go through at least three edits in which I hack out wordiness and fine tune the action and dialogue. I also scrutinize the characters, making sure their motivations are clear and they are behaving as they should. I also track and check details and make sure that I’m not contradicting myself or forgetting something that happened earlier in the story.

During editing I also spend time simply reading what I wrote. This lets me experience the story as a reader might. Of course I always know what will happen, so I am testing it to see if I can enjoy my writing even while knowing what will happen.

As I proceed with polishing my novels, I end up rewriting whole sections and chapters. I estimate that about 30 to 40 percent of a first draft has to be substantially reworked.

Many challenges surface while I progress through composition, editing, rewriting, and proofreading. Wordiness is always the enemy. I am continually discovering that three sentences can be refined into one sentence. It’s important to make every word, sentence, and paragraph serve a purpose whether it’s revealing character, explaining motivations, advancing the plot, setting the scene, etc. Reducing wordiness helps to alleviate the dreaded story drag. I try to always have something going on, but this does not mean that I don’t vary the pace. Action and adventure drive my novels, but it’s good to remember that sometimes readers want to slow down and take a break with the characters. These lower gear scenes provide good opportunities for developing back story and revealing character motivations.

The reason I do these ridiculous amounts of writing, editing, and pondering is most easily explained by saying that it’s harder not to do it. When I’m not writing novels, I am plagued by an inescapable angst. This is relieved by writing. Even writing blog posts or sales copy makes me happy, but nothing satisfies me like writing epic fantasy. This is my creative outlet and my rewards are numerous. I get to create interesting characters and situations and play within a fantasy environment with magic, adventure, and rampaging ambition. After I entertain myself, I ultimately hope to entertain others. This is when publication becomes necessary.

Writers have two paths to publication: self publishing or being produced by a publishing company. Self publishing is open to anyone who wants to try. Signing with a publisher who is in business to make money is incredibly difficult to achieve and probably depends on luck. I chose self publishing. Now I am building a business around my creative pursuits. I have almost daily sales of my epic fantasy series The Rys Chronicles and many readers have been kind enough to express their pleasure with my work. Often they ask when I am going to write more books. Now I’m doubly motivated to write.

Fiction writing is a tough and lonely pursuit. I believe that novelists are people who love stories so much that they need the more intimate experience of writing them. To encourage other writers, I say that you should enjoy every word, every scene, and every chapter that you create. The creating and polishing of your work should be a labor of love both to please yourself and please readers.