Friday, January 13, 2012

If You Want Easy...

If you want easy, play Wheel of Fortune. If you want challenge, play Jeopardy.  Not every night, but many evenings, three or four members of our family sit down and watch Jeopardy on TV. My daughter cleans up on the art categories thanks to her AP art history class. My husband is a retired history teacher and has an unfair advantage. Most of the family has some sports knowledge and I specialize in science and health issues. It's fun and competitive, but it's not easy. None of us would beat any of the champions on our own, but we do pretty good as a team.

The challenge of the game is what makes it fun. Having played sports through most of my youth and young adulthood, the contests I remember are the ones where we had to work for victory. Getting to the top of a mountain is more rewarding than climbing the hill in my backyard.

This is my monthly pep talk to myself.  Being a successful writer will be that much more fulfilling for the struggle I've endured to get there.  It's not easy to write a novel.  It's hard work to edit and edit and edit it.  It's time consuming to promote and build a platform.  For me, coming up with stories and plots is the only easy part of the process I find easy. The rest is work, hard work.  But hopefully the end product makes it worthwhile.

What part of the writing process is easy for you? Do enjoy the challenge of the business or does it overwhelm you at times?

20 comments:

Anne Gallagher said...

Oh the Jeopardy contests my mother and I used to have! And I swear I could have beaten Ken Jennings on many occasions. lol

I think the easiest part of writing is the revisions. The book is done and then I get free reign over what I want to keep or take away. I do like the challenge of the entire process. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but what in life is not? Especially kids.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Short-term promotions are easiest for me.

My husband is really good at Jeopardy, but I can beat him in the animal category.

LD Masterson said...

I used to watch Wheel of Fortune with my mum-in-law. She did pretty good considering English wasn't her primary language.

Character development is my easy part. I could play with my characters all day long. Editing/re-writing is my hardest. I'm never sure when I've reach the point where I'm not making it better, just different.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I do pretty good at Jeopardy! And easy is definitely not the first draft. Editing is much easier.

Heidi W said...

The easiest part for me is setting is aside so that I can watch Jeopardy.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Lots of jeopardy lovers among us.

Raquel Byrnes said...

The planning and writing is easy...its the platform/marketing that I find challenging. As a natural introvert its very difficult.
Edge of Your Seat Romance

M.J. Fifield said...

When I still lived with my parents, we'd all watch Jeopardy together. I don't watch it much any more but every now and then, I'll turn it on. My dogs don't give me much of a challenge though...

I'm currently in editing mode which I'm finding to be tiring and tedious and yes, overwhelming when I look at how much I have left to do. But I'm clinging to the idea what it'll all be worth it in the end.

By the way, I love the Sparta picture.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Have you ever played Apples to Apples? It's a fun game with the object being that you are going to demonstrate just how well you know someone else.

Luanne G. Smith said...

I don't find any part of the novel writing process easy. Except the part where I say "I'm going to write a novel." Even my first drafts are laborious and slow, but I gotta admit I still love it. I think I'm wired wrong. :P

And I get about one out of every ten questions right on Jeopardy. Usually during round one. :)

M Pax said...

It sure is hard work to write a novel. Harder yet to build a platform and down right excruciating to market. Yet I love every second of it. Keep going.

Golden Eagle said...

I don't think there's any part of the process that I find really easy, but plot and setting usually come to me first, so I work off of those.

I only watched Jeopardy a few times when they had the Watson computer competing. It was interesting. :)

Jamie Gibbs said...

I completely agree. My motto for most things is "Worthwhile reward is earned through struggle and challenge".

What's the point in getting success if there was no effort involved in getting it - you'd feel kind of cheated.

I find that writing a complete novel to be extremely challenging; it's a hell of a mountain to overcome. It'll make me feel all the better when I finally do it, though.

Misha Gerrick said...

I haven't been through the whole process, but so far I find revision and edits the easiest. :-)

Anonymous said...

I love all parts of writing. Especially the promoting and marketing aspects, of which I am kicking into high gear effective Monday morning.

Talli Roland said...

I love Jeopardy!

Hm... for me, I find the editing and revision process overwhelming at times.

Emily Cross said...

Love the sparta picture :)

Just popping by to say thanks for the welcome back and am now following again :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Stephen, I'll be watching for your promo.
So glad you're back, Emily.
Misha and Talli, it's so funny you have the direct opposite feelings about edtiing. I used to hate but now I like it.

Rusty Carl said...

I heard a funny story about Jeopardy. A local guy, a professor, was the best Jeopardy player they (the storyteller) had ever seen. This guy would watch it on tv and routinely beat the contestants. He went to some tryout, aced the trials, and was invited to the show.

Once there, he lost not only badly, but embarrassingly so. When he (the storyteller) asked the player how he fared so poorly he said something like, 'it's different when the lights come on.'

Sigh. I think I've told that story more than once, it's an automatic response whenever someone mentions Jeopardy.

Anyhow, I love writing a scene. Stringing them together to tell a larger story, that's whats hard.

Jemi Fraser said...

I love playing along with Jeopardy too! I love this pep talk - it comes at a very good time :)