Day 54 — Crunch Time!

DAYS TO DEADLINE: 23   WORD COUNT: 40,661

I have a love-hate relationship with tight deadlines.

I hate the stress that goes with them, but I really do write better when I’m facing one. There’s something about a deadline that increases my focus, forces me to organize and manage my time better, nudges me to hold myself to a disciplined writing schedule. Even in college, I loved deadlines–sort of. I was one of those infuriating people who could start writing a term paper the night before it was due and get an A on it.

The deadline for “Terror by Night” is looming, but I’m quite pleased with where I am at the moment. The writing is going well and everything is coming together very nicely. It will be a tough push over these next three weeks, particularly because my first grandchild is going to be born somewhere in there. So there will be a very happy distraction as we travel to Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana to be there when the baby’s born. But even then, I’ll be writing most of the time.

Have laptop, will travel!

Oh, BTW, we have a cover now! How do you like it?

Day 39 — Plotting a Nonfiction Book

DAYS TO DEADLINE: 36  /  Need to average 10,000 words a week from now till June 15th to make deadline.
CURRENT WORD COUNT: 27,514

When I write novels, I’ve never been one who likes to do a detailed plot outline in advance. I’ll generally write a couple of pages and paint the outline with broad brush strokes, as it were. Main characters, major plot points, ending, etc. But in the actual writing, I enjoy the process of discovery. I like to let the characters go and see where I end up. Sometimes that works well and sometimes it doesn’t.

With Terror by Night, of course, the process is a little bit different. I’ve been meeting with Terry Caffey just about every week since the idea for this book was conceived back in February. Back when the book was in the proposal stage, we hit just the major elements of his story. Again, painting with those broad brush strokes. For the actual book, however, we’ve had to go into a lot more detail.

I spent a lot of time with Terry on Wednesday plotting a timeline of all the various events that will be in the book. We worked it out on a large wall-calendar. Then on Friday I spent most of the day “plotting” the rest of TBN. I sorted through all the information I’ve gotten thus far, plus I made use of Terry’s journals and several news sources, coordinated it all with the master calendar, then laid it out chapter by chapter. I ended up with 28 chapters (not counting the prologue, intro., and epilogue), and well over 100 separate events or ”scenes”.

Most of the scenes will be in the book sequentially; however, some scenes (such as family background material and stories about the Caffey family) are sprinkled throughout the book to add color and provide an occasional break from the narrative.

My completed “master plot”, will serve as the basis for more detailed interview questions as I work with Terry each week.

Don’t forget to visit my fan page on Facebook:  www.tinyurl.com/jameshpence. If you register as a fan, you’ll be eligible to win a free autographed copy of Terror by Night in my monthly drawing. The next drawing will be on June first. I’ll continue giving away a book a month until TBN releases in September.

James H. Pence

Finding My Groove, pt. 2

Another part of finding my groove comes with feeding my imagination. That’s been particularly challenging with this project.

When I write a novel or story, I spend a lot of time thinking and visualizing scenes in my mind. When I’m really in the groove, it’s almost as if I’m watching the events of my story happen and just taking notes. The problem with “Terror by Night” is that it’s nonfiction, so I don’t have the option to make things up. Nevertheless, I still need to feed my imagination so that I can visualize the story as I write it.

Before I ever write a chapter, I go back over my notes from my interviews with Terry for that chapter. Plus, I have a list of questions that he has given me written answers to. Finally, I have audio interviews, which I have put on my iPod. I listen to those, and then I write out a storyboard, just as I would for a novel. I think through lighting, sounds, props, people on “stage”, dialog, climax, etc. Once I have planned all that out, it’s time to write.

When I’ve done sufficient planning in advance, the writing goes fast; if I haven’t, it’s like sludging through a vat of molasses.

I’m editing today and tomorrow. Hope to get the first 1/4th of the novel off to Tyndale sometime tomorrow.

Day 24 – Finding my groove

DAYS TO DEADLINE: 51

For me, writing a book like this in such a short time requires getting into a groove, a rhythm. The books I wrote for Osborne/McGraw-Hill required just such a rhythm. With those books, I had to turn out a chapter each week, usually between 20 and 30 pages. But part of that process also involved writing the code for sample web pages and then creating the illustrations and screen-shots too. But in writing those books, I learned to set up a production schedule and stick to it day after day.

That’s the way this book is unfolding, too. Since I only have till June 15th to complete it, I can’t afford the luxury of “writer’s block”. That’s not to say I haven’t had a few days where I didn’t get much done. But I can’t afford very many days like that if I plan on finishing on time.

So, the first step has been deciding how much I need to produce each day. Generally I go by word count, but sometimes my goal will be to complete a chapter by a certain time. My average word count per day needs to be in the 2 to 3 thousand range. The way I accomplish that is to segment my day.

I break the day up into three parts: morning, afternoon, and evening. My goal is to complete at least 1000 words in each of those writing sessions. If I do that consistently, I’ll stay well on target for completion by June 15th.

There’s more involved in finding my groove, but I’ll share that in Wednesday’s post.

Here’s a status update:

TODAY’S WORD COUNT – 2400
TOTAL WORD COUNT – 17,149 (18,750 = 1/4th complete)
I’m still on track to finish through chapter 8 by the 1st of May.

Day 21 – Photos, Photos, Photos

DAYS TILL DEADLINE:  54

Terry and I usually get together to work on the book on Wednesday afternoons. He still works full-time and so we have to carve out what little time is possible for us to be together for interviews. The rest of our communications are mostly by email. But today we didn’t get much interviewing done. Instead, our focus was family photos.

Tyndale is already working on the cover design and wanted some pictures of Terry and his family to give it a more personal touch. In ordinary circumstances that wouldn’t be a problem. But Terry lost everything in the fire–including all his family photos.  The only undamaged picture he still had was an outdated family portrait. But thanks to the kindness of some friends and family members, he collected about twenty-five pictures and brought them up for me to scan.

That would have been a simple task–if my scanner felt like cooperating. But, of course, my big scanner decided to go on the fritz. We have two others, but the one in my office wasn’t installed and the other is hooked up to my wife’s computer. So we piled into the living room and finally got all the pictures scanned. Then I added in some other pictures that I had of Erin. [Our daughter Charlene spent a lot of time with Erin and stayed at the Caffey's house frequently.]

Tyndale also wanted me to take a couple of shots of Terry for possible use on the cover. I have many creative gifts, but photography is not among them. I took a few shots, but IMO they’re not very good. But you never know, if they use one, maybe I’ll have launched out on yet another creative career as a photographer.

I hope not. I’m too busy as it is!

Current Goal:  To finish through Chapter 8 by the 30th.

Check out my book-watch page on Facebook. If you sign up as one of my fans by April 30th, you’ll be eligible for my May 1st drawing for an autographed copy of “Terror by Night”. You can find my page here: http://tinyurl.com/jameshpence

I’ll post again on Saturday.

Day 17 – Progress report

DAYS  TO DEADLINE: 58

Well, I’ve got a little under two months left, so I thought it was time for a quick progress report. My word count stands at approximately 11,000. I’d like to be farther along, but I’m comfortable with that right now.

I’ve found that these first few weeks have been more focused on gathering information. I can’t write out of a vacuum; I’ve got to help Terry get his story out before I can put it on paper. So, we’ve experimented with a number of different ways of getting the details, and we’ve been making good progress. My goal is to finish through chapter 8 by the end of April and possibly through chapter 10, and I believe we’re on track to do that.

As for getting my ducks in a row, here are some of the changes I’ve made in an attempt to maximize my writing time:

• Cutting expendable activities: I shut down my homeschool art classes two months early. I really hated to do this, but this was one area where I didn’t have anyone who could take over for me, and these required preparation time in addition to teaching time.
• Getting help with other activities: I turned over my karate classes to my two very capable assistant instructors for the duration of the writing process. I still go to the classes so that I can maintain a presence among my students; however my other instructors do all the teaching while I work on my laptop.
• Multi-tasking: When I have to get a black-light picture ready for a chalk drawing, I listen to my recorded interviews with Terry to keep my mind focused on the book. Also, when I’m at karate class, I use that time to work on my other gigs (tech editing and prison correspondence).

I’ll be working on chapter 3 today, at least until about 1 p.m. Then the rest of the day will be about chalk-art and music. I’m going to be commencement speaker for a homeschool graduation this afternoon, and I’m speaking at Abiding Grace Fellowship in Grand Prairie, Texas tomorrow morning.

All for now. Back to writing.

Day 14: Getting My Ducks in a Row, pt. 2

DAYS TO DEADLINE: 61    CONTRACTED WORD COUNT: 75,000

This is turning out to be one of those “ducks in a row” weeks.

This is Wednesday morning and my duties for the rest of this week (in addition to writing “Terror by Night”) include:

• Playing catch-up with my Osborne/McGraw-Hill tech editor gig.  (I’ve got four chapters to edit and get back to the author.)
• Doing two chalk-art/music programs
• Preparing for those programs
• Filing my annual request for extra time to file my tax return. (I always file my return by October 15th, whether I need to or not!)
• Meet with Terry Caffey for some more interview time.
• Squeeze in another karate and mma workout
• Get out about 20 letters to prison inmates who are in my Inmate Bible Institute program.

Yep, I’m definitely learning about time management in this process.

Current progress and goals: I’m hoping to wrap up through chapter 4 by the end of the week and chapter 8 by the end of the month. I’d really like to be through chapter 10 by the end of this month, and that’s what I’ll be shooting for.

I’ll post again on Saturday and let you know how things have gone.

Day 11: Learning the Art of Collaboration

DAYS  TILL DEADLINE: 64  / CONTRACTED WORD COUNT: 75,000

I have heard the cries of the masses (actually just a few friends) and have broken my 9-day posting silence. So what have I been doing since my last post? Mostly learning the art of collaboration.

I’ve written three computer books and two novels, but “Terror by Night” is new territory for me. As with my novels, I am telling a story, but unlike my novels, this is a true story. With fiction I can just sit around and make the story up. Yes, I have to do some research so that the novel will ring true with readers. But for the most part, I create the story in my imagination. For me, it’s important to be able to visualize the action in my mind as I write it on the page. I’ve told people many times that sometimes I feel like I’m just watching the story and writing down what I see.

Because “Terror by Night” is a true story, and someone else’s story, I can’t just sit around and make things up. I have to record the story accurately. So over the past week, Terry and I have been learning how to work together to get his story on paper. As with a novel, I need to see the story in my mind if I am going to be able to write it effectively. So, through a series of recorded interviews, written questions, and email follow-ups, we are moving chapter-by-chapter through the book’s outline. I haven’t made great strides in word count yet, but we’re laying a necessary foundation.

I told Terry the other day that the real irony with this is that by the time we’ve figured out the best way to collaborate, the book will be finished.

News:

• Terry and I turned in “head-shots” for the Tyndale catalog last week.
• I have two chalk-drawings to do next weekend, so time management is going to be important this week.
• Hopefully, I will have chapters 1 through 4 completed  in the next day or so.

Day 2 – Getting My Ducks in a Row.

DAYS  TILL DEADLINE: 73   CONTRACTED WORD COUNT: 75,000 

For me, the biggest challenge of this project is going to be managing all of the different things I do in addition to writing. I’ve always been one of those people who gets bored doing just one or two things. As a result, at 53 years old I am, among other things, a husband, father, writer, speaker, performance chalk artist, singer, Web designer, karate instructor, and art teacher. Between now and June 15th (my “D” day), I’ve got about 10 speaking engagements scheduled (most of those are chalk drawings, which require extra prep. time). I also have two karate classes to teach each week. I have to prepare to be a camp missionary at one summer camp to speak at another camp (right after deadline). On top of that, I’m working as a tech editor for the 5th edition of “HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference” by Thomas Powell.

You would think that as busy as I am, I must be very organized. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. I am definitely a “type B” personality. I don’t have a filing system, I have a piling system. A pile for everything and everything in its pile. I’m not great on time management either.

All of that will have to change, at least for the next 12 weeks or so. So, it’s time for me to get all my ducks in a row. Because being organized and efficient in the use of my resources and time is the only way I’ll complete this project.

TOMORROW’S TOPIC: The Challenge of Collaboration

Day 1: Time to Write — Fast!

DAYS TILL DEADLINE: 75  CONTRACTED WORD COUNT: 75,000 words

A few days ago, I was explaining to a friend some of the things involved in getting my current book contract. He said that he enjoyed seeing the publishing industry from sort of a “behind the scenes” perspective. I began thinking that, since this book is being produced on an accelerated schedule, it might be fun to keep a journal of sorts so others can follow the process of producing a book from start to finish. Thus, my new blog “Birth of a Book” was born.

As I write Terror by Night with Terry Caffey, I’ll try to give you my honest reflections on the writing process as well as some of the struggles I face. Writing a book can be stressful under the best of circumstances, but in this case the book has to be produced in record time, at least for me. My first three books were computer books, written for Osborne/McGraw-Hill. Those books were written on an accelerated schedule, but even with them I had about 20 weeks to finish the manuscript. This one will need to be done in half that time.

So come along for the ride. Leave comments and questions if you’d like.

And, please, keep me in your prayers! This is a God-sized task and without His help, power, and wisdom, I’m sunk.

Unless the LORD builds the house,its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 
² In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to ^[a] those he loves  (Psalm 127:1-2, NIV – from www.biblegateway.com)