Cyn

I was thinking today that although I love writing, writing is also work.  Just like a job, you have to prioritize different components of the work. 

The biggest priority I see is time.  If you were working a traditional job, you would work set hours.  We need to do this with our writing as well.  It is too easy for other things to steal into our writing time so we must make it an unshakeable priority.  No excuses.

With a lot of jobs, you need to prepare as well.  Sometimes this is taking refresher classes, or getting certifications, maybe meeting a new educational requirement.  In writing, we need to prepare also.  We need to prepare our characters, knowing them inside out, as well, if not better than we know ourselves.  We also need to seek out further education regarding our craft.  There is always something to learn, someone to read or study to find out more about how we can be better writers.  Right now I am reading Story by Robert McKee and am learning, or perhaps relearning some basic tenets that belong in the concept of story.

We also need to know when to quit for the day.  Just like punching out, quiting at 5 to go home, writers need to learn to set some limits on their time so they can get away from the computer, refill their wells of creativity and relax.  As writers we need to read and we need to keep expanding our experiences.  Can't do that fastened into the desk chair.

As writers we are lucky.  We are lucky because we love our jobs.  We love sharing in our particular way our own truths through the vehicle of story.  We have one of the best jobs in the world.

My family and I are real movie fanatics. If it is remotely interesting to us we make plans to see it, often on opening day. We’ve seen all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, all the Lord of the Rings movies, all the Bourne movies, all the Die Hard movies. Action adventure, historical, fantasy, futuristic…the genre doesn’t matter.

Why? It’s the story.

The kids are coming to realize that a lot of the excellent films they view were novels first. My youngest read Eragon and critiqued the movie on all its flaws. My middle child decided to see the Harry Potter movies first, because she knew the books would be even better.

Why do movies like The Blood Diamond, The Wizard of Oz, Sense and Sensibility and Children of Men stand out in our memories? It’s the story.

There is much to be learned from films. Many of us have read Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon and have seen how she’s dissected the film, The Wizard of Oz. Many of us have attended an all day seminar with Robin Perini and Laura Baker to Discover Story Magic and have dismembered the movie, Jerry Maguire. And for sheer mastery of example upon example, the information divulged by Robert McKee in Story is unrivaled.

If you look carefully at your favorite film, you can see the various plotting techniques used. It doesn’t matter if you use a “W”, a grid, an outline, note cards, a synopsis or even Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey.

Yet, saying it’s the story that brings you to view a movie or read a book more than once isn’t totally accurate. Because, what is really resonating with the reader or viewer isn’t whether or not Dorothy gets home or Jerry lands a client or the last dragon survives, it’s the emotion that is evoked by the characters’ struggles that we can relate to. It is the ability to be in their shoes, to live vicariously through their efforts and learn the lessons they learn.

Some call it the theme, the point, or the purpose of the story—whatever you find to be your universal truth. If you can state this element in a single sentence you are well on your way to tapping into the emotion necessary to make your work stand out. It’s the difference between making something read like a history textbook and a private journal.

So, you have story, and you have emotion. You’ve studied and applied craft (You have figured out a way to deal with that pesky backstory, haven’t you?). Your writing is technically perfect.

But sometimes that isn’t enough. Something is missing. That missing something could very well be you.

You?

Yes, you.

Are you passionate about what you are writing? Are you writing to fill someone else’s expectations of what you should write in order to sell? Are you writing passionately because it is something you absolutely love?

If you believe the ghosts of a cruise ship haunt the vessel, attacking adulterers as the spirits seek a way to be reunited and thus free their souls; if you are passionate about this story idea, have written it filled with the potential emotion such a situation can create do NOT let anyone tell you that the story would be “okay if only you would” change the ghosts to vampires, keep them from attacking the adulterers, put them in Manhattan and not on a cruise ship etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

If you make such changes and your heart doesn’t support those changes, the reader will know.

Now, that is not to say that you should ignore the structural changes an editor gives you. If something doesn’t make sense, is out of sync, illogical or has other issues, trust your editor to guide you. However, should your editor request changes as mentioned above that fundamentally change the vision you had of the story, you must decide on two things: 1) do you want to change the story that much to keep it with that house and 2) have you submitted your story to the right house to being with?

Your passion for the story and its theme must show through. Passion for the story is what takes an unknown Christopher Paolini from self-publishing to a three book contract with Alfred A. Knopf. Passion is the essential ingredient to make your book stand out when all other writing elements are in place. Passion is what helps writers give believable, multi-faceted characters that a reader emotionally connects with, is the very thing that makes them read a novel over and over.

“The secret of success is dazzling readers—spinning them a story they will never forget.” Donald Maass.

Believe in yourself, in your work, in your theme. Let the passion and emotion pour through each and every paragraph and you will create an unforgettable story.

Our dear encourager, Emma, from the UK, asked about writers and traveling.  Her questions were as follows:

Have you done much travelling at all, if so where was the

a) best place you've ever been to and why?

b) the worst place and why?

c) the weirdest place and why?

d) did you incorporate any of your experiences with travelling in your books at all?

To answer Emma's question I would have to say that Ireland was one of the most awesome places I've visited.  I loved the countryside, loved the ocean, the green, the castles, the people.  Wasn't too fond of the food, but I suspect if you lived there you'd find a way to adjust!

I've also traveled to several of the former Eastern Bloc countries.  I loved Prague, but I truly thought the area around Warsaw, Poland was stunning.

The weirdest place I've been?  I'd have to say the Dublin, Ireland airport where I "witnessed" an armed robbery.  That might be tied, though, with the taxi I was in when I visited New York City that backed up on the highway to get off on an exit!

The worst place?  I can't say there was really a "worst" place although I have no overwhelming desire to return to Berlin.  It just didn't impress me all that much.

So, do I use the places I visit in my novels?  Absolutely!  Watchtowers Water was set in western Ireland and so was Reynardine.

What are the biggest misconceptions people have about being an author?

There are several misconceptions people outside the writing community have about being an author. One is that we make oodles of money. Writing and selling is a lot like being an actor and acting. Most people aren't mega stars and need to supplement their writing with other work. A few are lucky and have a significant other that enables them to pursue their dream.

Another misconception a lot of authors hear is "I could write a book too, if..." I think for a lot of writers this is a real burner. Writing a novel is not easy. It takes a lot of perserverance to finish a story, a lot of bravery to let another person read your work, even more guts to send it off somewhere, and then to survive rejections. Even those fortunate enough to miss being told their work isn't right at this time have to go through the huge learning curve regarding contracts, edits, getting the next novel written and doing promotions. Writing takes a lot of time. And that's when you have a clue what you're doing. Terry Brooks, John Grisham and others, before they were "discovered" got up in the wee hours of the morning, wrote, then got ready for their 40+ hour work week.

A third misconception is that of the life of ease and that writing itself is easy. Sure, maybe some writers have it easier than others; perhaps they dictate to a secretary, a tape recorder, or maybe their computer, but those writers paid their dues getting there. They had to learn like the rest of us; had to find work arounds for carpal tunnel, they read books about the craft, maybe attended seminars and workshops and conventions. Writers don't sit at home eating bon-bons. Frequently, especially for beginning writers, the work is lonely. You don't realize there are organizations to help you connect with other writers, people who can be your friends, mentors, and role models.

Make no mistake. Writers work hard. It takes guts and perseverance to finish a work and submit it and even more work to promote a novel.

These questions were asked by Elisabeth Keatley early this morning

Q) What is the definition of a “Romance” book?

Q) Does there always have to be a”happy-ever-after”?

Q) What type of genre is the best for “Romance”………..

Chick-lit,
Sci-Fi
Horror
Fantasy
Historical
Contemporary
Shape-Shifter
Murder-Mysteries
Comedy
A Battle of the Sexes
Thriller………………….and does it matter?

First, I believe there is going to be a different answer for nearly every different writer out there

For me a romance novel is about the course of true love. Two individuals that find each other and discover happiness by being together. But we all know the course of true love never runs smooth, and few of us are with the person we first fell in love with. So, does a romance story have to have a happy ever after (hea) ending? N0. But, I believe it does need a happy for now ending at the very least.

Any genre can work for a romance. This really depends on the interest and skill of the writer. Currently, even though I’ve been asked, I can’t write comedy, so that sort of romance novel would not be one I’d atttempt. I’m much more adept and murder, mayhem and life/soul threatening situations. Maybe its my military background, maybe its because I enjoy reading science fiction and fantasy, maybe it was because I thought Basil Rathebone as Sherlock Holmes was about as cool as you could get when I was a teen. But comedy is out for me…right now.

No writer knows quite where they will be taken in the future. I won’t rule out comedy forever, because you know as soon as you say you will never do something you have to.

Sometimes, you do it all right, follow all the submission guidelines, take the classes, practice your craft and still nothing happens.  It happened to Robin.  She’d been writing for eight years, following the advice of those who’d gone before, and wasn’t getting anywhere.  Then, six years ago, she finally got “the call”.

During the intervening years she developed strategies to help her survive the wait, strategies that helped her continue to write and hone her story telling.  The first strategy she created was to define herself as a writer.  Make this definition a part of your core identity; come out of the closet with your writing.  This enables you to gain support from people who care about you.

Second, get goals.  Make these goals things that are in your control.  You can’t control who buys your book, but you can control how many pages/words you write.  Have easy, moderate, and difficult goals.  When you achieve an easy goal you can press toward another goal, eventually stretching.  Write them down.  The act of putting them in writing makes them more “real”.  Achieving a goal makes you feel good.

Third, eliminate the negative.  Check your physical state and environment.  Is your work station too neat, too messy?  Is the light right?  Are you in a good ergonomic position?  Do you work at a computer for your day job?  Can you change your screen to something that doesn’t resemble work?

How is your mental state?  What deters you from writing?  Bills?  Correspondence?  E-mail?  Are you procrastinating?  Why?  What are you doing instead?  If you really must play that game, set a timer and use it to either limit your activity or use it for a minimum writing time and then reward yourself with the game.

Rejections also impact our mental state.  It hurts and our inner self is like a child.  Allow yourself to deal with the rejection, then move on.  Some writers have rejection rituals where they write letters to the person who rejected them and then burn the negative energy in the sink.  Perhaps it isn’t you or your writing, but circumstances totally out of your control.  Rename your rejection letter to a “declination” letter.  It doesn’t sound as harsh.

Muzzle your inner critic.  Find out what s/he is yammering about by writing an affirmation ten times and being aware of the negative thoughts that surface.  Deal with this thought by determining what happened in your life that planted that negative seed and then create a positive affirmation that you repeat when the negative blurt makes its presence known.

Forth, accentuate the positive.  Save the good reviews, comments from critique partners and other complements you receive.  Free write and get your whining out of your head and onto paper.  Find affirmations, statements that encourage you.  A book like Walking on Alligators will help you find some.  Keep pretty things around you. 

Validate your best efforts remembering that you are growing in your abilities.  What you wrote five years ago won’t be as good as what you write in five years.  Rely on yourself for validation with statements like “I wrote the best book of my heart with the skills I had at the time.”  Don’t rely on others for validation.  Doing so is an addiction that never satisfies. 

Find some Never Quit cards. Practice your own unique writing ritual whether it be lighting candles, listening to music, stretching, taking cleansing breaths, moving to another room.  Practice your craft every day.  Find support from other writers in writing groups, critique groups, contests.  Write, write write.  The act of the work will get you through even when you are depressed and wondering if you’ll ever receive “the call”.

The bottom line?  Ask yourself some basic questions.  Are you happier when you write?  If someone gave you ten million dollars to never write a creative word again, and promised to exact a dire punishment on you should you break that promise…could you take the money?  If you knew you’d never be published (or published again) would you still write?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you Survive to Write and Write to Survive.