TRUE GRIT--do you have it?

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I always remind my pals: why do you think they call that thing a “cursor”?  Because writing is work. And our wonderfully talented guest, Connie Johnson Hambley, has figured out what we need to do it right:

 

TRUE GRIT

  By Connie Johnson Hambley 

Thank you, Hank, for having me as your guest. I’m so excited to be here on Femmes Fatales! I love the blog header. Ferocious women are my kind of gals.

I get a kick out of readers who think writing books is such a joyful, fun process that it does not qualify as work. Some think we authors wake in the morning when our muse kisses our cheek and off to the keyboard we skip, dewy eyed, fresh, and filled with wondrous words.

 If you share this perspective, grab a hold of whatever screen you are reading this on and slap yourself over the head with it.

 Good job. Now listen up.

 Writing is work. Admittedly, it’s work that gives great joy and satisfaction, but if writers waited for a muse to put them in the proper mood before attempting to craft a sentence, nothing would ever be written. A trait I’ll bet all of the Femmes Fatales authors share is grit.

 "Grit" is defined as possessing courage, resolve, or a certain strength of character. It manifests as a "stick-to-it-ness" and perseverance that neutralizes the alternatives of giving up on, or drifting away from, a task.

 One of the best discussions of the power of grit was given at a TED talk by Angela Lee Duckworth. In it, she discusses how innate intelligence is not enough to guarantee success, but that grit is the better predictor. She describes her successful math students (who already demonstrated considerable discipline) as those who actively and continuously engaged in a task until they mastered it. IQ did not matter. Sticking to it did.

 In a recent conversation about completing a difficult and tedious job with a certain college-aged child who shall remain nameless, I heard myself say, "The heck with motivation! What you need is discipline." The sentiment was oddly familiar if the voice less so, but I looked over my shoulder to see if my dad was in the room just to be sure. The next eerily familiar statement uttered was, "If you wait until you feel like doing stuff, you’re never going to get to square one." 

 So true, Dad! Motivation is a mood. Discipline is a process that we learn through repeated attempts.

I argue we need more than merely discipline and the right mood to produce creative work. Discipline helps us say "no" to temptations and time sinks (like water cooler chats or vacuuming under the couch one more time). Discipline parks our butts in the chair while waiting for the muse bus to arrive. 

 Grit is different from discipline. Grit makes you an active participant engaged in being productive. Grit makes us put one foot in front of the other and forces words into sentences. It makes us sideline our fears and supports us in stepping up to the task. Grit helps us realize that we are the only ones who can make it happen and then makes us take those small steps forward to our goal.

 I see examples of grit every day. I see it in the writer who stays glued in her seat until she meets her daily word count–even as she knows that day’s work won’t survive the first edit. It’s in the artist who allows herself to begin a piece of art with a crappy idea only to begin molding it into something fresh and new. It's the executive who gathers her team together one more time for an ad hoc brainstorming session even as she dodges the deathray stares.

Grit is also something readers love seeing infused into their favorite characters. We know her as the protagonist who keeps on pushing forward despite the odds. I believe the most interesting characters are those who have every reason to quit or to believe in their failure, but continue chipping away.

 Oh yeah, now we’re talking! And when a ferocious woman writer squares back her shoulders when she sits at her keyboard or grabs that pen, you can bet her work is going to be good.

 She won’t stop until it is.

 HANK: YAY! Just what I needed today! Thank you! How about you all?

(And I have seen those deathray stares, that's for sure!) 

 

************************************

 Connie Johnson Hambley  grew up on a small dairy farm just north of New York City. When she was a child, an arsonist burned her family’s barn to the ground. Memories from that experience grew the stories that have become The Charity and its sequel, The Troubles.

Hambley uses every bit of personal experience to create a story that is as believable as it is suspenseful. Leveraging her law and investment background in ways unique, creative, but not altogether logical, she has enjoyed robust professional pursuits that include writing for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Massachusetts High Tech, and Nature Biotechnology. Proving that truth can be stranger than fiction, her experience at a major bank in Boston introduced her to the clever schemes people dream up to launder money.

Hambley writes about strong women from their perspective in situations that demand the most from them. No special powers, no gadgets, no super human abilities. Just a woman caught up or embroiled in something that she has to get out of, hopefully alive.

Follow her on Twitter at @conniehambley and look for updates and information on www.conniejohnsonhambley.com.

 

The Troubles:

Second in the planned series The Jessica Trilogy

 

Jessica Wyeth is no longer a fugitive hiding under assumed identities. Through sheer grit, she has reclaimed her life only to discover what she fought for was an illusion. She is not the child of the picture-perfect New England family, but an unwanted castaway. Her frail and reclusive aunt died without exposing the secret that she was Jessica’s mother. Jessica travels to Ireland – her mother’s home – to learn why.

 When Jessica rides a world-class steeplechase, she is unwittingly used as an accomplice for a devastating bombing in an English shopping mall. The group behind the bombing is the Charity, a generations old support network of the IRA. Michael Conant, reluctant heir to the Charity and Jessica’s lover, must choose his allegiance to his violent family legacy or the woman he loves. Meanwhile, Jessica’s fight for her life leads her to uncover her mother’s secrets and the divided soul of the Irelands.

The Troubles is a high-concept suspense novel that views the conflict in Northern Ireland through the prism of American involvement. This sweeping, multi-generational tale allows readers to witness the delicate and dangerous layers inside an ever-unfolding world.

 

Comments

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

You are such an inspiration! DO you write every day? Do you have a specific time?

HOw do you keep track of your goals?

So great to see you here--and congratulations on the book!!

[ConnieHambley]

Gosh, Hank. Who is inspiring whom around here? (Yes, I did a quick who/whom check here and still hope I got it right!)

I write every day even if it's only staying current with social media. When I'm actively crafting a book, I keep to plot point measures, like creating a particular scene, not solely word count. But keeping up with overall goals is harder to measure. Since launching a book and writing career is like starting a business, I've created a personal business plan with milestones every two years.

Thank you for the congrats! With the launch of "The Troubles," I'm right on schedule!

[catriona]

Yes! Thank you, Connie. I'm ready to attack my day like a Rottweiler now.

[ConnieHambley]

Ah, Catriona, rottweilers have such great smiles, don't you think? But sometimes that smile does not quite reach the eyes. Hmmmm.

[Tracy Wells]

Hi Connie,

I am a big fan of your books and am particularly impressed with how precise and detailed you are in regard to describing "the scene of the crime" in your novels. Either you know a very seasoned criminal or crime scene detective or you have a secret life that allows you to bone up on all your exquisite detail. In other words, how do you know all that great crime info?

[Thomas Ridgeland]

Hi Connie,

I found you by complete accident at a book signing last year and was surprised to say that I really enjoyed your book as much as any best seller I have read. As I am sure you are aware, the world of self publishing allows everyone and their grandmother to publish books. How difficult has it been for you to set yourself apart from the novice/weekend writers as a truly great writer with best seller possibilities?

[Susan Carter]

Connie,A friend of mine gave me your book to read last year and I initially turned it down; I am a devoted chick lit reader and any book sold under the category of thriller usually makes me cringe...but yours was a great read!It had all the juicy parts of a chick lit novel that I would never associate with a thriller but it also taught me a few things about the world and espionage as well. Do you have plans to market your books in a way that might appeal to chick lit devotees like myself? I think you should!

[D]

Hey Connie, As one of your beta-readers for both The Charity and The Troubles, I have seen first-hand what grit, determination and sticktoitiveness (possibly not a real word!) has done for you. As a writer who has many other responsibilities I know that sticking to it can get very sticky, at least as far as time is concerned. Motivation always needs the companionship of determination and time-management. Looking forward to book three!

[ConnieHambley]

Hi Tracy, Thomas, and Susan! Welcome to the conversation! I don't have a (public) criminal past, Tracy, but I do try to have fun with my details. Most writers will tell you that they read everything. Readers can sniff out a far-fetched idea that takes away from skin-tingling realism. Voracious reading and thorough research helps with "getting it right" in the publishing world - traditional or indie. As for romance? Sure, Susan! My books have a bit too much edge to be billed as 'romantic suspense,' but many readers of that genre enjoy them. Thanks for the questions!

[Ray Anderson]

Nice job, Connie, with Hank. What a duo you guys make!

[ConnieHambley]

Hello D! (That stands for "Determination," right?) You know it! Very few authors are "one hit wonders." When the decision is made to enter into publishing, implicit from Day One is the fact more than one book will be written. Initially, I had planned to write a very different book for my second, but readers wanted to hear more about Jessica and Michael, the main characters from "The Charity." Emerging authors are strongly encouraged to write series, as that is what helps readers find you and is a way to efficiently leverage a public presence. Fortunately, I knew J & M's story had a lot more fuel, so a sequel is where my efforts landed! Thanks for stopping by and for your ongoing support! It's greatly appreciated.

[ConnieHambley]

Hi Ray! Thanks for stopping by. I clicked your name and saw your hiking blog. I'll be hiking the Long Trail this summer through Vermont. Maybe I'll see you there!

[Kathy B.]

Great blog, Connie! What was the most difficult part of writing the second book? What was the best part?

[ConnieHambley]

Writing a sequel is like playing a game of bumper pool. You know you want to sink that ball into the corner pocket, but there are the hard stops of pre-defined characters, plot continuity, and (in my case) Northern Ireland history that block the straight shot and make the game more difficult. The best part is that a more interesting story emerges as a result. Thanks for asking Kathy B.!

[Dale T. Phillips]

Nice post, and true words. People look at my book output of the last 4 years and think I'm a production maniac, but it's just doing one thing after another. Books don't get written and published without that grit. And I still feel like a slacker!

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Connie, you are terrific! Thank you so much for a wonderful day...and I am so thrilled about your mad success!

(and Dale! SO great to see you! xoxoo)