New Beginnings

With the new year around the corner, what will you move forward with regarding your writing? What you will choose to accomplish? 

I find that we would rather hold back our passion than suffer judgement from others. I completely get that! Who wants to endure the haters? Who really wants to get stepped on? 

I have mentioned in past posts that, no matter who you are, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, or Anne Rice, you will have your work ripped apart. It happens. 

The fact is, you have to not care what others think. Of course, always measure constructive criticism with logic. But, you are the one writing the book...it's yours and yours alone. When you come across someone who doesn't care for your work, it means it didn't resonate with them. And, that's okay. 

So, what do you do? You keep moving forward, and, with the new year starting, it's time to decide how you will move forward. Will you decide that your writing is important and deserves your undivided attention? Will you decide that, no matter what, you will make your writing as important as eating? 

Dear friends, take the time right now to decide how you want next year to look. You, and only you, can create it. 

Keep on writing! 

Moving On After a Crappy Review

No matter what you write, you are going to come face to face with those people who disagree with it, hate it, love it, or view it in a completely different way than what you intended. 

Here's the thing about the perspective of the reader: it is subjective. Everyone has a different viewpoint on what they are reading and experiencing. Some will find that what they are reading triggers something in them that they can't understand or choose not to face. Some might think the writing is degrading or possibly cheesy. Maybe they feel the writing is forced. Whatever the reason, people will always have their own opinion. (See previous blog post on pleasing others.)

Just remember that, whatever happens, you cannot take this personally. Attempting to get everyone to like you and your work will eat up your time best spent writing. Let's focus on what's important here: the writing part. 

This isn't to say that you shouldn't take into consideration what the reviewer said; we all can benefit from these experiences. However, make sure to ask yourself if the reviewer is providing constructive feedback or do they simply love to hate?  Are they saying something that will help enhance your writing? Sometimes people come into our lives to help us expand our viewpoint, and it's in that moment that we are taken to another level. 

Your writing will always be changing, evolving, and growing. This is a good thing. Just keep moving forward and keep on writing.

Nanowrimo is Over... Now What?

Now that Nanowrimo is done for another year, how do you feel? 

Are you upset because you didn't make 50,000 words? 

Are you upset because you feel that you've written crap? 

What do you do with yourself now that the frenzy is over? 

What do you do with what you've written? 

Well, firstly, if you didn't make the 50,000 word limit, don't beat yourself up. In the 5 years (I think it was 5) that I participated in Nano, I completed it once. Do I care? Nope. Not really. My life is busy. I have a job, kids, a household to care for, and other writing clients...it's a juggle. 

Secondly, if you feel you've written crap...well, ya, you probably have. You just clumped together 50,000 words in a short period of time, there's a good chance that it won't be a cohesive story at this point. That's why you have to edit, proofread, etc, etc. You've laid the foundation, now you have to build on it. 

Thirdly, do not bother beating yourself up about not doing it all in 30 days... it's not worth it. What you do next with your writing is what's important. 

What will you do next? Maybe take a break from that project to refresh your mind. Maybe start a different project. Then, a month later, come back to your Nano story and start re-working it. 

The main thing is to keep moving forward. 

Nobody But You by Charles Bukowski 

nobody can save you but

yourself.

you will be put again and again

into nearly impossible

situations.

they will attempt again and again

through subterfuge, guise and

force

to make you submit, quit and/or die quietly

inside.

nobody can save you but

yourself

and it will be easy enough to fail

so very easily

but don’t, don’t, don’t.

just watch them.

listen to them.

do you want to be like that?

a faceless, mindless, heartless

being?

do you want to experience

death before death?

nobody can save you but

yourself

and you’re worth saving.

it’s a war not easily won

but if anything is worth winning then

this is it.

think about it.

think about saving your self.

Keep on writing, my friends. 

Much Ado About Nothing

Over the last week and half, I've been struggling with finding creativity. Constant distraction at home and re-learning grade 7 science and math (to help my son) has made this woman tired and brain-dead. The writing muse does not want to come out when I'm stressing about rocks and tectonic plates. 

So, how does a writer manage to let in the creative muse when distraction abounds? How does a writer focus when a small child wants to do her own work in the same room as you, promising not to make a sound...but still chats? Headphones seem to work really well. Unfortunately, they don't permanently solve the problem because said child will still tap your arm to get your attention. 

There's always learning the fine art of becoming desensitized to the incessant noise. However, that only lasts so long. It's a juggling act. It's fitting in moments of inspiration when they arise and when you can grab the chance. If the moments aren't there, then you are stuck with writing that doesn't even have a pulse!

I don't think there is one antidote for when distraction has you cornered, nipping at your ankles. We are all somewhat alone in this, searching around in the dark, trying to find the right combination that will help alleviate frustrations and get us writing again. 

Writing my feelings out in this blog seems to help. Maybe that's all that needs to happen. And, if it means staying up late to gain a sense of accomplishment, then bring out the midnight oil!

“To be a well-favoured man is the gift of fortune; but to write and read comes by nature.” 
― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

Keep writing, friends....even when the muse is taking a nap!

Upping the Ante

As some of you are entering into the second week of Nanowrimo, you might feel some resistance to finding the right flow and words to your story. Quite possibly, your story has come to a complete standstill. 

Sometimes writing is tough and painful. Sometimes the words just won't come. Sometimes the characters refuse to talk to you; it's almost like they are giving you the silent treatment. What did you do to them anyway? 

Maybe it's time to turn up the heat with your characters, and throw them to the wolves. Your characters have become stagnant and they are waiting around for you to do something with them. 

Who can you throw in front of your characters' path to make them have to work for what they deserve?

What event or mishap can you write to make things more difficult?

It's about upping the ante in your novel. Your characters need to work for the reward that comes at the end. By doing so, you will surprise your readers by giving them something more than the standard. 

We all love our characters. We grow attached to them, and really don't want to see anything bad happen to them. However, your characters need to grow by facing contrasting situations, and you get to decide how they are going to work their way out of it.

It's time to release the hounds!

Happy writing! 

Nano Inspiration

Since many of you are engaged in Nanowrimo at the moment, I will keep this short and sweet.
Here is a writing prompt for those who need a kick of inspiration:

"Your character is walking down the street when something catches his/her eye. He/she turns and realizes someone he/she knows is walking toward him/her. Your character feels the fear pounding through his/her veins at the sight of this person."

Happy Writing! 

To Nano or Not To Nano?

You may have seen a couple of articles floating around the web encouraging writers not to 'Nanowrimo'. Reasons include:  'If you are a serious writer, you would just write anyway', or 'only non-serious writers would participate', or 'expect to write a crappy story in 30 days'.

I'm of the mind-frame that if this is what will motivate you to write, then do it. I know that life gets busy; I certainly struggle at times to find a moment to write between juggling the kids, the household, my job, and my writing clients. Sometimes, we need a group of writers to encourage us and a challenge to motivate us. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

However, as Nanowrimo closes in, keep the following in mind:

Your Nano novel will not be ready for publication by December 1. Your novel needs to go through numerous drafts before you self-publish, or send it to a publisher/agent. It needs to be put away for a month, maybe two, and then looked at with fresh eyes.... and then re-written again. If you want to be lauded for your work, then take the time to make it exceptional.


Keep on writing!