Writing with the Mythological Voice; Learning from Natalie Reid

One of the best writing experiences I've ever had was the opportunity to take an all-day workshop with author and teacher, Natalie Reid.  Natalie teaches a technique she calls "writing with the mythological voice" and it is, in my opinion, the quickest and easiest way to find your authentic writer's voice. 

The Spiritual Alchemist: Working with the Voice of Your Soul is Natalie's complete presentation of her ideas and exercises you can do alone at home or with a creative group (preferably with people you trust and feel comfortable with).  The book even includes a beautiful CD to guide you along so that you don't have to break out of the creative flow to read about "what to do next."  There is so much I could say about the book:  it is fantastic; it is motivating; it is educational, but I think I would rather just offer one of the myths that I wrote during Natalie's class.  I called it, The Woman Who was Fast.

There once was a woman who was fast.  She could cook in three minutes flat the best of meals.  She could paint the living room before breakfast.  She could type 230 words a minute.  She could speak without breathing, run marathons in under an hour, make the bed with one hand, and listen to her own voice while hearing the problems of others.  She was so full of speed and energy it took the greatest powers of control to keep her feet on the ground and the clouds out of her hair.  There was nothing she couldn't do in record time or better, and soon she found her fame and speedy accomplishments whizzing around the globe and shooting out of the TV and computer screens.  There were instant blogs and short sound bites that praised her efficiency and miraculous abilities to go and go and go and never complain or take time out for rest.  Soon she learned that she could go even faster if she mopped floors with one foot, worked her time-saving generator with the other, dust with her left hand and write with her mouth.  In her right hand she could turn the pages of a book and read separate books with her two different eyes.  Faster, faster, faster she urged herself when she felt herself lag by a minute or two.  Time is money and money is all that matters in the end because without money how could any of the world's problems be solved?  Where would the food come from?  The clothes, the teachers, the houses, the machinery for war?  She couldn't let up for a second.  There was so much to do and she was good at what she did because she was fast.  She was so fast she could speed up her heart and she learned to love and hate and cry and speak with the same breath and all the while her heart pumped and pumped and pounded and thrust until her heartbeats became a distant whir and she woke up from the fastest dream of her life--no more than .002 of a second--in a cold sweat and sudden panicky fear that her heart was so fast she could no longer hear it.

It's been over two years since I wrote this piece in Natalie's workshop.  Unfortunately, like all myths, it is is still rings true.  Oh, dear...

Tip of the Day:  Wondering who your writer-self really is?  Go on the equivalent of a writer's vision quest with The Spiritual Alchemist: Working with the Voice of Your Soul.  The answers will surprise--and inspire--you.  You can also learn more about Natalie at her website, http://www.thespiritualalchemist.com/.  Best wishes on your journey.
 

Adding Depth to Your Writing: Past, Present, and Future

I'm always looking for ways to go deeper into my writing.  Over the weekend I began finalizing my first book trailers--the subject of a whole 'nother post coming soon--and as I searched through my images I realized that to display the full "flavor" of a story, I needed to know the past, present, and future of my characters in an entirely new way.

Usually when I talk about past/present/future with my writing students and clients I'm talking about tense, e.g., try not to switch from past to present tense in the same paragraph, or, maybe 800 pages of present-tense-only is a little tedious.  But this time I wanted to use the concept to explore where my characters came from, where they are in the story, and where I want them (and the reader) to be at the end of the book.  Thinking along these lines has added a fresh new approach to my usual "character biography." For instance,

• Fully examining your characters' pasts can give you the core or real story you are trying to tell. The place they’ve come from is a huge influence on all of their future actions, motivations, and goals. Know that place inside out.
• Knowing where your characters have come from can help with your pitch and marketing materials: “A girl from the wrong side of the tracks…” “Born into the royal family…” Ask yourself what you really know about “the wrong side of the tracks” or what goes on behind closed palace doors. Find out and use those details to enliven and enrich your presentation.
• When you can write about your character's past with a strong degree of empathy, you immediately create a bond with your readers, some of whom can identify with a similar past or birthplace.
• “You can take the girl off of the farm…” We always take a little bit of where we’re from wherever we go. Tiny, telling details your characters carry with them can add volumes to your tale in minimal words. For instance, a habit of liking a certain kind of candy only available in a certain town, or flowers that only grow in the mountains of Tibet…  Speech patterns are especially telling.  Any colloquialisms, small phrases, or accents that can’t be abandoned can and should appear , especially at the most inappropriate times.
• The past, for good or bad, can be something we all cling to.  Despite the need to change, having your characters attached to the past for comfort or out of bad habit will increase their difficult journey toward growth, and will add to your conflict.
• There’s nothing like secrets to enliven a plot. Having your characters do their darndest to keep those secrets from the past hidden in the present can add a lot of literary oomph.
• The present can be (and perhaps should be) a complete contrast to the past. If your character has come from warm and cozy, make sure his or her present life is hard and mean. A character from poverty suddenly thrust into fame and fortune can long for the days of scrubbing pots below stairs. An unfamiliar present can be a great source of misery.
• Future goals are the impetus of your story; characters should keep their eyes on the prize at all times. The future should be a delicious dangling carrot or strawberry bon-bon always just there, in sight, tormenting and goading your characters into action.
• The future can also be a bad place readers don’t want your character to go, e.g., into the arms of Mr. Wrong; that trip to Antarctica everyone knows they shouldn’t take; stepping into a dark basement without a flashlight or baseball bat. Increase readers' fears for your characters whenever possible.
• As much as readers love to agonize and worry for your characters, readers also live for the hope that everything in your story is going to end happily ever after. Keep that hope alive as long as you can. And if you must re-stage Hamlet in outer space, at least make a body-strewn ending literary, satisfying, and “just right."
• Sometimes the best endings fill readers’ heads with all kinds of possible alternatives. In my book club I know we love to speculate: Did Claire and Max get married? Do you think Rosie got the job she wanted? Does the world really end in 20102? Readers like to extend the story in their minds; it's part of what makes a plot “unforgettable.”
• At the same time, don’t forget you can spin out your story into a near-never-ending future with a sequel or perhaps a complete series.

Tip of the day: Go through a manuscript you are still writing or one you have already finished. How can you pump up “past, present, and future” to reinvigorate your pages or to enliven your query, synopsis, and pitch?

Total Chaos or Creative Storm?

For the last few days I've been so scattered I could cry.  Really.  My writing room is a mess, my ideas are coming in too fast and furious, art projects are spilling out the door, my goals seem insurmountable, I owe dozens of return e-mails, and I'd rather be sleeping.  In other words, it's nearly that wonderful midway point of the year when I look at my creative life and wonder why on earth I ever wanted to do any of this.  Except that it's so much a part of me now I can't imagine any other way of living or being.

Two days ago while I was listening to possible music tracks for my upcoming book trailers (more projects, more goals) and staring at the chaos on my writing desk, something very weird happened outside my open window.  Three feet away on my patio a beautiful white and brown hawk swooped down and killed a dove.  I don't think I could have been more stunned if it had sailed right through my window and landed on my lap.  For several surreal minutes afterward the hawk and I sized each other up, the deceased dove between us.  I was too frightened to move; the hawk seemed to be rather proud of itself, showing me the undersides of its wings a lot and making quite a few victory noises.  A ridiculous part of me wondered if the hawk would next come inside the house in search of another snack (I had a wild parrot do that once).  My curiosity, on the other hand, wanted it to stay in place so I could keep watching this beautiful and ferocious bird that had somehow managed to infiltrate my small, inner-city backyard.  I mean, this is downtown Albuquerque, not a PBS nature program!  Eventually, though, the hawk decided I was far too insignificant for further conversation.  It marched toward the dove, picked it up in its talons, and flew off in an elegant and eerie departure skimming the treetops.  Just thinking about it now still gives me the shivers.

In her book, The Secret Language of Signs, one of my favorite nonfiction authors, Denise Linn, writes that seeing hawk imagery refers to the need to focus on your goals and to go after them with powerful single-mindedness.  Wow.  I didn't think I needed to be hit over the head that hard.  After I posted my woes on Twitter, blogger Kathleen Nolan at A Longer Letter Later  suggested that what I saw as the chaos in my life just might be a "creative storm."  I like that; it makes me think of the kind of storms we get here in Albquerque--torrential rain hitting parched earth, followed by a magnificent flowering of  every twig in sight.  Paired with all that rain and thunder I can easily imagine the hawk as my guide to the eye of the hurricane, helping me to see my goals in a "single-minded and powerful way" no matter the tempest around me.

Last night I made a list of what I hope to accomplish by the end of the summer:

• Line edits and revisions for my upcoming fantasy novel, Overtaken.
• Book trailers for 2 of my other books as well as for Overtaken.
• Get the "Look Inside the Book" feature in place for the same 3 books on Amazon.com.
• Fully transcribe the hand-written draft of my new nonfiction manuscript.
• Remember to set aside my weekends for artwork:  collage, pottery, watercolor, or drawing.
• Re-commit to a daily practice of writing morning pages.

When I wrote out my list, it all seemed very do-able.  And calming.  I think I may actually get through the rest of the year with some much-improved focus.  Now to clean up my room.  Even signs and wonders can use a little dusting.

Tip of the Day:  What symbols, imagery, or metaphors are guiding you toward your creative goals?  Brainstorm a list of associations; the messages may surprise you.  (And don't forget to check out Kathleen's great blog A Longer Letter Later.  Thanks for the input, Kathleen.) 

Food for Thought (and other Creative Work-outs)

My husband and I are vegetarians. Which doesn’t mean we don’t like chocolate, red wine, foreign food, exotic cheese… In other words, we don’t live on lettuce alone, much to the surprise of our meat-eating friends who constantly ask: “But how do you SURVIVE?" 

The whole idea of survival must have been on my husband’s mind the other night when I came home from writer’s group only to be greeted by the words: “You have to save Josh’s life!” After my initial scare (What? CPR? Give blood? Huh??) I learned he was referring to the 12-year-old son of a good friend. Josh has apparently made the decision to go vegetarian (yay, Josh!) but his family has no idea what to feed him. The poor kid is bored to tears for lack of yummy meals, and his mother needed a list of quick and things she could prepare alongside the rest of the family’s meat dishes. 

As I was making my list, I couldn’t help but think about how often I am asked how I juggle writing, work, and cooking dinner every night. One answer is that I keep things pretty simple on weeknights, mostly preparing the meals I suggested Josh’s mother try. Then I thought you might like a copy of the list too. Not only does a vegetarian diet save a ton of time in both preparation and clean-up (thereby allowing for more writing/creative time), but I believe it’s the perfect diet for what is, let’s face it, the writer’s sedentary lifestyle. So here’s what I sent Josh’s mom,   

THINGS FOR JOSH TO EAT: 

1. Salad made up of dozens of things, not just lettuce. In fact, leave out the lettuce sometimes or use spinach instead. Good ingredients are canned pinto, kidney, garbanzo, or green beans (just cold from the can); bell peppers; radishes; cilantro; parsley; celery; roma tomatoes; grated carrot; grated or sliced cheese; walnuts; pecans; raisins; cottage cheese; cooked beets. Use any kind of dressing. 

2. With a main meal salad you can then include: boiled, mashed, roast, or baked potato. Can do the same with sweet potato. French fries (sweet potato ones, too). Hardboiled egg. Fried or scrambled egg(s). 

3. Any kind of pasta with any kind of bottled sauce that doesn’t include meat. There are so many,  from tomato sauces to Alfredo/mushroom recipes, etc. Plain pasta tossed with a little pesto sauce is good. Or gently cooking some garlic in olive oil and then pouring hot oil over the pasta. Top with a spoon of peanut butter (!). 

4. Frozen cheese raviolis or tortellini are excellent to always have on hand. For a change after cooking the usual way, lightly fry them on both sides to turn them crispy. 

5. So many great veggie burger/hot dog brands. My favorites are Morningstar Prime Grillers and Tofu Pups. With the Tofu Pups you can slice them lengthwise and just fry them. They become almost like bacon. (I like to treat all these in the same way you would prepare a serving of meat with sauces, gravy, vegetables, salad, etc.) 

6. Omelettes/frittatas. For one portion, just use 2 beaten eggs with a spoonful of water and dash of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (a healthier alternative to soy sauce). In a small frying pan, stir fry either chopped zucchini, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, spinach, left over cold potatoes (or any combination) until cooked. Then pour the egg mixture on top. Cook until lightly set; top with sliced or grated cheese and put pan under the grill until cheese is melted. If you make a larger portion using more eggs and a larger pan, cold omelette can be kept in the fridge and either reheated or eaten cold, even sliced up for a sandwich filling. 

7. You can add extra vegetables such as carrots, onions, zucchini, or celery to Progresso Lentil Soup for an amazing casserole-type meal. Serve with rice or potatoes. Same with any brand of vegetarian baked beans, or vegetarian chili. Of course, any one of these is just fine on its own without added ingredients. 

8. Quesadillas. I just put salsa or similar on a tortilla, add cheese, any leftovers, top with another tortilla (or fold a single tortilla in half) and cook on hot griddle (no oil).  Take it a step further and you can make any kind of bean/cheese burrito or enchilada depending on your type of tortilla and choice of sauce. (Note: use vegetarian refried beans; the regular ones have lard.) 

9. Macaroni cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches with extra things inside like corn or tomatoes, or smoked/roasted chilis. 

10. Pizza without meat. You can make individual ones with a Boboli base from the grocery store—they have small sizes. You can do all kinds of interesting things with them just with vegetables and cheese. 

11. For added texture with all these meals, rough grainy bread can help a lot for something to “bite.” Add cream cheese spreads to make great vegetarian sandwiches, especially when you add sliced tomato, cucumber, or pickles.  

12. For more easy ideas, Sunset Vegetarian Cooking is the best vegetarian cookbook ever written. It’s filled with recipes that are sensible and don’t require difficult-to-find ingredients. 

Tip of the Day: Eat your veggies! I find a meat-free diet helps avoid that “heavy” feeling after eating that can interfere with creativity, making me want to sleep or read instead of write or draw. Even a few meat-free meals a week can make a big difference in your energy levels.

Book Review; The Tropics, by Mary Deal

I love finding books by sheer accident. Sometimes I luck out by focusing solely on the lower shelves at the library, or by hunting up and down the bargain aisles at Borders or Barnes & Noble. But finding a book via the Internet is a new one for me, and that's precisely how I found author Mary Deal. I'm so glad I did. 

I discovered Mary's website writeanygenre.com while I was researching how to write a novella, a form I feel suits my current WIP. When I put "novella" into my AOL search engine, Mary's site came up almost right away. The wealth of information on the site intrigued me. Not only did I learn more about writing novellas, I found all kinds of great pages on poetry, nonfiction--well, any genre! Just as valuable were the links to Mary's books, the first being The Tropics: Child of a Storm - Caught in a Rip - Hurricane Secret, a series of novellas published under one cover. I ordered the set immediately, and then of course had to read them even more immediately. And I haven't been quite the same since.  As a reader and a writer, I absolutely loved these stories for the following reasons: 

1.  Mary Deal writes with an exquisite sense of place. Whether it's Puerto Rico or Hawaii, "I was there." The rain, the wind, the ocean: I lived through these stories so intensely I was truly lost in a storm--for hours, for days. 

2.  If it's true that a novella should be about emotional intensity, then Mary Deal should win a prize. Each of her separate novellas contains a strong core of emotional conflict that is never far from the surface and haunts every line. The sense of dread coupled with hope is powerful. 

3.  The external action mirrors the internal emotion. The stories never go off onto unrelated or unnecessary tangents. Every story event is connected and vital to the overall theme. 

4.  Along with the plot lines, the two main female characters, Ciara and Lilly, are unforgettable. They are such a study in emotional contrasts and needs that I still cannot separate from them. 

5.  A good book should be a page turner and I found myself unable to put The Tropics down. At the same time, I wanted to savor the story, not just gulp it down--but I was so torn. At times I read fast, then slow, then I'd read it all over again. The characters were drawn so well I began to dream about them. 

6.  Alongside the various story events, there were always deeper questions that made me want to journal, collage, and contemplate the answers and apply them to my own life. They were the kind of questions that are also perfect for book club discussion, too. 

7.  When I was finished reading, I couldn't stop crying. Okay, that is a very strange reason to recommend a book. But I once heard someone say that when a piece of art or writing makes us cry, it is because those images or words are true. Mary has written such a profound work of “truth as fiction" I was knocked sideways. The Tropics is a book that is always going to be with me. And isn’t that always the best kind of book? 

Tip of the Day: Check out Mary's website writeanygenre.com for great writing tips and to learn more about her other books. I've just bought two more of her titles: The Ka and Down to the Needle. I can't wait to start reading!

Write Your Memoirs--You're Never Too Young to Start

You don’t have to be famous to write your memoirs. Neither do you have to pass some kind of age-related test that pronounces you “long-lived and qualified to tell all.” In today’s book market where nonfiction sales still outrank fiction titles, there are lots of good reasons to consider writing your life story. Some of these reasons include: 

•  Leaving a record for family and friends.
• Surviving a traumatic experience and wanting to share how you coped or  managed.
• Encounters with fame and/or fortune and the impact that had on you.
• A unique adventure—on the road or right at home (We Raised Lamas in the Bathroom!).
• Self-discovery through a spiritual or creative path.
• Desire to pass on a valuable life lesson.

Memoir styles vary from the tragic to the humorous and anywhere in between. A good memoir, however, goes beyond “I remember…” Rather than looking solely into the past, the well-written memoir propels readers into the future, inspiring them to change or live in a new and meaningful way. For me, the best memoirs celebrate life—no matter how difficult that life may have been or will continue to be. If you’re interested in sharing your life story, here are some tips to help you get started:

1. It’s never too early to begin writing. If you have something important you want to say, start writing in your journal as soon as possible. You can always edit, revise, and change your point of view later on. The thing is to get your first thoughts and fresh impressions down on paper, even while events are still happening.

2. Age has nothing to do with memoir or autobiography. Look at Miley Cyrus and the dozens of other young people who have written about their journey onto the world stage. Young lives, big challenges.

3. Sometimes the best place to start is from a particular memory—not just the date of your birth (and how many of us really know what happened that day?) How about your first memory? Your favorite? Your worst or most embarrassing?

4. Rather than explore and divulge your entire life, choose a theme: holidays; recipes; travels; movies; books; cars you’ve owned, clothes you’ve worn; classes you’ve taken; people you’ve met.

5. Employ fiction techniques and strategies to enliven your story. I’m not suggesting you make things up, but that you simply look at events through a novelist’s eye. For instance, how have you changed from the events in your life? Looking back, how did Event A create Event B and so forth? Pretend that your story is fiction and you are the main character: What did you want more than anything; what prevented you from achieving your goal; and what did you do about it? How does that angle change your viewpoint?

6. Before you begin writing, decide what it is exactly that you want readers to know, learn, or feel when they are finished reading. Do you want them to be uplifted, more careful, or motivated in some way?

7. A “memoir” doesn’t always have to be about you. You can always write about someone else, even using that individual’s voice with first person point of view.

8. Break the mold: a memoir doesn’t have to be in the form of a book-length work. Perhaps all you truly want to write is an essay, a series of vignettes, or a children’s picture book. And who says you have to go to print? A memoir blog or website could be the perfect medium for your message.

9. That said, why limit yourself to prose? Memoir poetry could open an entirely new perspective for you and your voice.

10. Stuck? Don’t know where to start? Take an object that you have had for a while, ideally something from your childhood or an ancestor, or a special gift you received. Hold it in your hands. Close your eyes and sit with it for several minutes. When you are ready, start writing about that object. First describe it in detail. Then try to recall everything about where it came from and why it has significance for you. Capture the feeling associated with that object. Try this several times with various items.

11. Another way to tackle the memoir is to intentionally embark on a fresh adventure or experience you have never had before: travel to a foreign country; going back to school; starting a new career; becoming an empty-nester; experimenting with a new diet. Take detailed and daily notes as you go along. These will become the foundation if not the entire manuscript of your memoir.

12. While you’re writing, don’t overlook the importance of collage and other forms of artwork when trying to gather and collate your memories. Family photos and documents creatively arranged on a board or a wall in your writing room can be a constant source of inspiration. Having them close by can help you to stay focused, and who knows—they may even spark a new direction for yet another type of memoir.

Tip of the Day: Read a few memoirs to get a feel for how other authors have attempted the genre. Then explore your own background and see if there is something special and/or unique for you to focus on and write about. It may help to start in small segments rather than attempting a book-length piece.

Review of Zigzag Paz, A Memoir

My favorite books share two essential qualities: they make me feel “I was there” and they make me feel I’ve been changed in some meaningful and important way when I’m finished reading. The new memoir, Zigzag Paz by first time author, Pamela Anne Zolkov, is no exception.

There are so many fine points to Zigzag Paz that I hardly know where to begin and I don’t want to spoil the story by telling you too much. What I can say, however, is that the book is about a journey, but it’s not just any old travel story; it’s about a mystical journey of the mind and soul and heart, leading ultimately to the synchronizing of those three entities. Perhaps more importantly, the book as described by one of her earlier readers is “a love song to life,” and according to Paz it is the ultimate spiritual and mystical love story. 

Throughout Zigzag Paz, Paz shares the many experiences she has gone through to understand and accept the challenges Life wants her to learn from; things that are often just as beautiful, glamorous, and exciting as they are disappointing. But rather than accept defeat from her setbacks, Pam tells her story in such an optimistic way you know this is a person who will always conquer rather than be defeated by obstacles. Pam’s journey is honest, inspiring, and hopeful. While reading the book I constantly had the impression that she was speaking directly to her readers with compassion and kindness.

Much of the writing and especially the descriptive passages of Africa in particular read like poetry. On just about every page I could hear, taste, and feel the various countries or cities Paz has either lived in or visited. I’ve always enjoyed the classics Out of Africa, West with the Night, The Flame Trees of Thika. Zigzag Paz definitely follows in this line-up. Five stars from me!

Tip of the Day: Get a copy of Zigzag Paz today! Ordering information can be found at Lulu. While you’re reading, consider attempting your own memoir. Next post we’ll explore some suggestions for getting started.

12 Reasons to Try Script Frenzy

Today marks the start of Script Frenzy, another 30 days of nonstop writing fun and madness, only this time the emphasis is on screenwriting. Unlike National Novel Writing Month (the inspiration behind Script Frenzy) and its required 50,000 words to "win," Script Frenzy asks only that you write 100 pages of movie, television, or theater script.

This is my second year of going for 100. My first year was also the year Script Frenzy launched and back then it was held in July. Regardless of the season, I loved meeting with my writing buddies and staying up late as I drank one ice coffee after the other and plowed through my first attempt at romantic comedy, a genre I had never tried before. This year I'm looking forward to much of the same except this time I'm writing a suspense-drama with the working title, "Day Moon." I'm also a lot more prepared than I was several years ago. Besides having already made my story boards to illustrate the various scenes I want to write, I've also got an outline and some character bios pre-written to help keep me on track. So I'm ready to go--all that's missing is you! Here are my 12 top reasons of why I think you should join me for one of the best writing months you'll ever have:

1. This is your big opportunity to write that screenplay you've always had in the back of your mind--whether it's adapting your latest novel or fleshing out an idea you've had since 12th grade.
2. Even if you have no interest in screenwriting, this is a chance to re-envision your WIP and give it an entirely new twist.
3. Script writing can give you a brand new perspective on what Beginning, Middle, and End really means when you write strictly to a 3-act structure.
4. Scripts teach you to write tight. Screenwriting is lean.
5. Your WIP can benefit from a visual storyboard and outline.
6. S-T-R-E-T-C-H! Trying a new genre or form builds creativity muscles.
7. You might discover a whole new interest and talent you never knew you had. One you absolutely love.
8. And you might even be able to take that talent to the bank. Sure it can seem difficult to catch an agent or producer at first, but you can't sell what you haven't written. "Luck" awaits those with product.
9. No matter what you write--good, bad, or indifferent--there's nothing quite like being part of a world-wide writer's group of 16,000+. And you can have all the ice coffee you want.
10. You only have to write 3.33 pages a day for 30 days. 3.33 pages with lots of blank space on them!
11. Get new respect from your peers. For the entire month of April you can tell everyone you're a screenwriter.
12. At the end of the month you can consider yourself a success. You can be proud to have another full draft under your writing belt. Hurray for you!

Tip of the Day: What are you waiting for? It's not too late; sign up for Script Frenzy today.

Writer's Groups, Part II

Last week I wrote about choosing the “right” writer’s group. This week I want to talk about how to start and maintain a group of your own.

Before you begin, however, the first thing you’ll need to figure out is whether you want a critique or a support group. A critique group meets to help members achieve excellent writing through editing. While it can be invaluable to know you’ve named a character “Zena” on page 17 but then her name changes to “Drusilla” on page 24, or that your sentence structure in Chapter 10 is just awful, you and the others in your group may not be ready for—or want—this kind of editing. You might still be in the rough draft stage, or still finding your voice and style. That's when a support group can be more helpful, encouraging members to freewrite or experiment without fear of failure. If you do choose a critique group over a support group decide early on what kind of critiques you will give: line by line (time consuming); general warm-and-fuzzy (can be vague and not very helpful); or no praise at all (I belonged to this kind of group only once and it was the least successful).

After choosing your group type, your next job is to find members. This really isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Placing ads at your library or local bookstore can work well. Many of the professional writer’s organizations will give you free space in their newsletters to advertise your group needs. If you’re enrolled in a writing workshop, ask the others if they’d like to continue meeting after the class is finished. Or simply ask your friends. You’ll be amazed who is secretly writing and never told you.

Deciding where you will you meet can often be your biggest dilemma. Meeting in your own home may not be the smartest choice, at least not until you get to know the other members. My favorite meeting places are the same as those where I’ve put up notices seeking other writers. One drawback to the library, though, is you must be willing to let in the general public. I once had to contend with someone who insisted on barking, as in, “Woof, woof,” for no apparent reason. (Yes, it was very disrupting.) If the thought of strangers and their quirks makes you nervous, a bookstore café can be a nice mix of both private and public space.

When will you meet? Meeting at a set time every 2 weeks or similar lets people know when the meeting is without you having to remind them. If one or more members have to miss a meeting, it’s never a good idea to try to accommodate their schedules—all you’ll do is confuse everyone else. Just keep to your regular date and time even if only two of you show up.

Belonging to a group can be one of the most fun experiences of your writing life. A group can help you write better and more often, and with more enthusiasm. But to really work, the most successful groups agree on the “rules” from the start. For instance, if you only want to critique westerns, or screenplays, or narrative poetry—say so right up front. Don't set people up for disappoint down the road because they love science fiction pantoums and you don't. Personally I like groups that allow all types of writing, but I’ve also belonged to groups that kept to strict genre lines and they were some of my favorites.

As fun as groups are, though, it's important to recognize when a group is in danger of falling apart. A toxic group wastes and drains everyone's time. Signs of trouble and how to fix them include:

The Dominator. This is the member who believes the meetings are all about and only for her (or him!). She brings 12 pages instead of the agreed-upon 4; talks off-topic; is catty in her critique style because “she knows best.” Solution: If the rules are 4 pages, she can only read 4 pages. It’s never okay to read more. Don’t make exceptions “just this once.”

Going off topic. Influenced by the Dominator, other members also talk about work, their family, and social life. Solution: Rather than singling anyone out, set an established time for “personal news.” For instance, everyone gets 3 minutes each at the start of the meeting to share whatever they feel is important.

Unhelpful critiques. “I like it,” “I don’t like it,” without explanation. Or critiques are based on personal taste: “I hate cats!” “I can’t stand war movies.” Or “critique” is confused with “attack and shame”: “Oh my God, that’s a perpendicular parallel past tense modifier split invective! And you didn’t even notice? What’s wrong with you?” Solution: Remind members that critiques are based on opinion—the same yardstick most agents and editors rely on as well. To keep critiques helpful and on track, ask that they be based on at least these 4 questions: What would I like to see more of? What would I like to see less of? What is just right? And why? Ask that any copyediting or proofing be done on the actual manuscript and given back to the writer later without needing to discuss as a group.

The Rule Police. “You can’t start a mystery without a dead body.” Many times the police are right, but not always. Acknowledge that their information is correct, but it’s up to the individual writer to decide how creative he or she wants to get with established precedents.

Crazymakers. “This would be so much better without Chapter 7.” Next week, “Why did you take out Chapter 7? Now the whole book falls apart!” Solution: Let members know they don’t have to take every piece of advice they hear. If Chapter 7 is disliked by 4 out of 5 members, then there might be a good reason for making a change. However, if only one member continues to go back and forth, I’ll bet she’s the dominator too, and it might be time to ask her if she’d like to join another group.

Scary as the above pitfalls might sound, I can’t stress enough that they are rare occurrences. If you do come up against one or more of them, don’t think the only solution is to give up. A much better approach is to ask group members to write down what they want from the group and why. Before you know it you will have a mission statement that everyone has participated in and will want to keep.

Tip of the Day: The best thing you can do to start a group is to commit to a group of one—yourself. You don’t need numbers to make a group work; you just need to show up and on a regular basis. Remember that even if it’s only you and one other writing buddy meeting over coffee to write together and share market news, you’ve laid the foundation for a great and productive group. Good luck!

Choosing a Writer's Group, Part I

Hi Valerie,
I took your writing class a few years ago and was working on a children’s book at the time. I’ve finished that book and now am writing a YA. I’d love to join a writer’s group. Do you have any suggestions of where I should start? Thanks so much.
Terry H.
Thanks, Terry, that’s a great question. Joining a writer’s group is an excellent way to keep on track with your writing. Groups can provide you with feedback on your manuscript progress as well as help you maintain a consistent writing schedule.

The first thing I can tell Terry and anyone else in her position is that there are essentially three distinct types of groups: professional organizations; critique groups; and writing “support” groups (for lack of a better term). Professional groups are organized somewhat along corporate lines with a president, a board of officers, bylaws, and the range of the group can be state- if not nation-wide or even international. In Terry’s case I would recommend she join up with a group such as The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. If her YA is perhaps a romance, joining Romance Writers of America would be a smart move too. And because Terry lives in the Atlanta area, she might like to also become a member of Georgia Writers.

The wonderful thing about these organizations and others like them is there really is at least one for every genre or region you can think of. The only possible drawback to joining might be the membership fees. That said, dues often include a subscription to a newsletter or magazine, and members should receive discounts to conferences and other events—events with editors, celebrity authors, workshops, and all sorts of good things only available through that particular organization.

Critique groups are frequently made up of members who belong to the same pro organizations described above. Not only do members hold a common interest in a particular genre or theme, but they probably all met each other at a conference or regional meeting to begin with! However, it isn’t necessary to think you have to belong to the larger group first. The most important criteria is whether you feel you can receive a helpful critique of your work from the group and you feel comfortable with the other members.

Critique groups work best when they are based on the premise that members will bring a certain amount of unpublished manuscript pages to the meetings and everyone participates equally in the critiquing. One of the best critique groups I ever belonged to met every two weeks for an 8-hour session (we brought our lunch). We were all writing novels at the time so members brought copies of their current chapter to each meeting. The person being critiqued read his or her manuscript pages aloud while the others followed along, pen in hand, making notes on typos or awkward sentences or just things that drove them crazy. When the reading was finished, we went around in a circle and discussed our notes. Then we gave the marked-up copies back to the writer being critiqued. It was a long day but oh, did we learn. And write. The screenwriting group I belong to now doesn't have the luxury of an 8-hour day and we meet in the evening. To save time we email our manuscripts to each other for critiquing at home. Then we bring our notes to the meetings for discussion.

My freewrting/support group is a whole 'nother kind of animal. Not only do we forego critiquing, we use the meetings as a time to experiment. Our format is simple but effective: as soon as we’re settled with coffee (we meet at a local bookstore cafe), we choose a writing prompt from whatever’s handy, e.g. a book title, a mood, or something already selected from a magazine cut-out. We then write on that topic in silence for 20 minutes. When the time’s up, we go around in a circle and read our pages. After that we spend a few minutes sharing personal or professional news, followed by the reading and sharing of our bi-weekly “assignments.” These are based on a prompt or theme chosen at the last meeting. Topics range from the philosophical, “What is art for?” to the evocative, “Into the woods…” We limit ourselves to five pages each so our meetings don’t go on too long.

Lately we’ve had the wonderful idea of including illustration to go with our writing. Members have been painting, collaging, drawing, photographing…it’s been thrilling to see how far we can go beyond words. We also welcome any genre or form of writing, from screenplay to poetry to personal essay. This year we’re doing most of our work in art journals to more easily accommodate both writing and artwork at the same time. I love it!

But what if you’re thinking, well, this sounds very nice but I don’t live anywhere near other writers, or, I’ve tried a couple of critique groups and just didn’t feel “right” about being there. I hear you loud and clear. Next post I’ll address these concerns and discuss how to start a group of your own while avoiding that great time and energy drain: the toxic group.

Tip of the Day: If you haven’t already, do consider joining a writers’ group. The most important thing is to decide which type is best for you.

Finishing Line

One of my favorite classes I teach is called “Write that Novel (and Finish it Too!)". It’s always been a strong belief of mine that the only books readers want to buy and read are the finished ones, and that probably holds true for agents and editors as well. But like many writers, I have to admit that not every one of my manuscripts is finished. And guess what? They’re the ones I haven’t sold.

The problem came home to me the other day when I was inventing excuses to explain my reluctance to work on the current WIP and wondering if I really had to write it (you mean I do have to figure out those old family connections and why my MC is so terrified of change and…?). Well, you get the picture. After the heady fun of first draft write-whatever-comes-to-mind, second drafts can feel like pure slog and I wasn’t in the mood for work.

While I was wishing the manuscript would write itself, I suddenly thought about my most embarrassing unfinished project to date; not a manuscript but a sweater. Some time before Christmas I started to knit for my husband a fairly simple (or so it seemed) pullover. And then some time before New Year’s I stopped; the reason being that I didn’t know how to begin decreasing for the sleeves. Every time I tried to read the instructions in the knitting manual the words just turned to squiggles and I couldn’t understand any of it. It was as if the entire pattern was written in secret code and I didn't have the code book.

Thinking I would return to it "later," I left it neatly folded on a chair. Except later never came and even with my husband making little jokes: “Is that a cat or a sweater on that chair?” (we don’t have a cat) I managed to avoid any knitting whatsoever until I got stuck on my manuscript.

Last Sunday while I was trying to decide what to do with 200 pages of what seemed like sheer drivel (throw it in the trash?) I thought I should take a look at the sweater—I was that desperate to avoid writing. I went to the chair where it had been folded for a good two months and discovered a spider had taken up where I had left off, weaving an incredibly complex and strong tubular web right across the entire top row. Fitting right in with the whole abandonment metaphor, the web was empty, the spider having moved on and by the dusty look of it, a while ago.

I stood there with what in truth was a very nice and neatly knitted piece of the back and decided that I simply had to find out what to do next. I thought if I began now I could have the sweater finished by the start of next winter, oh happy thought, or worse case scenario, next Christmas. Yes, I would do it.

It took a morning of bright light, strong coffee, and utter silence, but in the end I successfully deciphered the pattern and knitted to the point that my confidence returned and I was able to complete nearly six more inches. Strangely, my manuscript also became a lot more attractive to me. When I put my knitting down and returned to the computer, I was able to see a way out of my current chapter dilemma and how to get back on track.

Later that day I went to my writer’s group and on the way driving there I realized the main reason we leave things unfinished is because we don’t know what to do, and not knowing what to do leads to fear, mainly fear of failure. With that is the unreasonable notion that we’re supposed to figure it all out by ourselves or by magic, a kind of ta-dah moment when everything becomes clear with no effort or research on our part. To understand my knitting pattern I had to take the time to be quiet, read the directions, and experiment until I got it right. The same goes for my manuscript. It’s impossible to know whether Chapter Five should be Chapter Seventeen or vice versa if I don’t try putting those arrangements down on paper. And if I’m stuck or need help, all I need to do is ask—either a writer friend, or look up my question on-line or in one of the several great how-to books I own. There are no secret codes. All it takes is a little effort and a whole lot of willingness to be wrong for the answer to appear, usually right on the page in front of us.

Tip of the day: What creative project or manuscript have you left unfinished, and why? Go dig it out of its hiding place and resolve to make a fresh start. If you’re stuck, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Once you have some answers and solutions, dive back in as soon as you can.

New Blog Award--Lucky 7

It's true--the best things in life aren't "things." Last week I received a blog award (above) from my friend and fellow author, Shawn Murray . The award was especially meaningful to me because Shawn was one of the first writers I ever knew to have a blog. I've always been impressed by her discipline and dedication to her craft, so it's thrilling to have her input on my own efforts. Thank you, Shawn! For this particular award, the requirements are that I share 7 pieces of info about myself and then choose 7 blogs I feel deserve the award too. I'll start with me (yes, it's all about me!!):

1. My preferred writing tool is a Waterman fountain pen filled with violet, turquoise, or brown ink depending on my mood.
2. I studied art history at the National Gallery in London for two years and attended lectures anywhere from three to seven days a week.
3. My bachelor's degree is from Auckland University in New Zealand and I majored in Spanish with an emphasis on Spanish film and literature (we were a very tiny department).
4. I want to go to Japan. Badly.
5. I'm a serious minimalist. My ideal wardrobe fits into a medium-sized suitcase and I only have one small bookcase. Excess or unused "stuff" makes me nervous.
6. I'm a vegetarian and never can follow a recipe, much preferring to invent my own.
7. I love Formula One motor racing and cannot wait for the new season to start.

Okay, enough about me. Now to hand out my awards:

1. http://eugeniaalvarez.wordpress.com/ Eugenia's posts are in Spanish and despite my terribly neglected language skills, the first thing I noticed when I visited her blog is that she writes straight from the heart. I highly recommend everyone getting a English/Spanish dictionary and following along because what Eugenia writes is worth reading.
2. http://olivosartstudio.blogspot.com/ Claudia and Sergio Olivas are two artists from Chile and Mexico (blog is in English). Fantastic artwork and much inspiration for newbie artists such as myself.
3. http://dmsolis.blogspot.com/ Diane Solis's blog is new to me and I wish I had known about it much sooner. Her blog is a work of art and filled with good information and writing prompts.
4. http://dolcebellezza.wordpress.com/ Another blog I only recently discovered and one that concentrates on reading and thoughtful book recommendations. Many of my favorite authors are featured here. This is also another blog that is lovely simply to "look at."
5. http://naptimewriter.blogspot.com/ I admire writer Amber Lough and her persistence to stay in the creative zone despite the challenges of raising two little kids still in footie pajamas. Great writing tips, great sense of humor.
6. http://zigzagpaz.blogspot.com/ Pamela Anne Zolkov has just published one of the best books I've read in a long time: Zigzag Paz. I'm still reading and hope to post an interview with Pam as soon as I'm finished. Wish I had a book award to give her too!
7. http://karilonning.blogspot.com/ Kari is a professional basket artist. Her blog is filled with wonderful photos of both her work and scenes from nature. Always makes me want to start yet another creative adventure.

So that's my list! Thank you again to Shawn Murray and thank you to my award recipients for sharing the art of life.

Tip of the Day: Please take the time to visit and read these great blogs. You'll be glad you did.

Take Twelve

Here’s the best piece of writing advice I’ve heard in a long time: no matter how busy, tired, overwhelmed, sick, depressed, swamped, apathetic, or blocked you are, just write twelve lines. That’s all. Just twelve. But write those twelve lines no matter what.

I love this tip because not only does it work to help keep my WIP in shape in spite of a crummy day, but it’s saved me from feeling that much sicker, more depressed, or more swamped during the times I would previously have thought writing one word was impossible.

Once I started using this technique I discovered I couldn’t stop; even on the good days I began to learn new uses for just twelve sentences. Best of all, the very nature of “write only 12” made my writer self turn all rebellious and eager to keep writing, going for twelve paragraphs or even twelve pages simply to prove I could.

Now I find myself using this trick several times during the day (or night!) regardless of a jammed appointment book or time constraints. Favorite uses of it so far include:

Brainstorming. List 12 “what-ifs” for problematic scenes or chapters. 12 possible actions to include in scene or chapter. 12 lines of dialogue. 12 specific details. 12 character traits. 12 possible character goals or motivations. 12 marketing opportunities. 12 positive affirmations to keep writing. 12 things to add to my gratitude list. 12 possible titles for the WIP. 12 ideas to blog or tweet about. 12 points to cover in a new blog post. 12 points about a book I liked, loved, or hated for review. 12 writing prompts for writer’s group.

Flash fiction or freewriting. Write: a 12-line story. A 12-line poem. A 12- line screenplay. A 12-line letter to the editor.

Why limit the technique to writing when I’m pressed for time? What about: 12 rows of knitting; 12 lines to a drawing; 12 quick photos; 12 magazine cutouts ready for collage.

There’s something special about the number twelve: twelve months to the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve dancing princesses… It’s a number that resonates deep in our creative and cultural unconscious. Which is why it may be the perfect number for getting something done when you feel at your most lost.

Tip of the Day: The easiest way to write just 12 on a bad or any day is to get your notebook, number the lines 1-12 with about 3-4 spaces in between and keep that page open beside you at all times. Every chance you get, write down a line. Don’t worry about making sense or keeping your thoughts “in order.” Fill in the blanks and rearrange or use where you can later.

What Does Your Writer Self Need Right Now?

For me it’s sleep. I never seem to get enough of it. Or when I do, I dream too much, waking up feeling like I've been assaulted by endless action movies. A few meetings back, my writer’s group took on the challenge of freewriting from the prompt “sleep falls" without really knowing where it would lead. For me the word "sleep" was prompt enough to start writing.

The following passage is what appeared on the page after thirty minutes. Just like when I read it aloud at our meeting, this is the unedited raw version and uses the word “all” an awful lot. This in itself is interesting to me. I find word repetition is often a good indicator of some other important theme we want to write and think about. But that’s a topic for another day and as the great writing coach, Emily Hanlon, said to me once when I was asked to read aloud in one of her workshops and I couldn’t stop qualifying: “Shut up and read!”

Sleep falls like a kid glove, brushing across the children’s faces. Put to bed by their nannies, their amahs, they sleep like the abandoned battlefield dead, arms sprawled, faces averted, small hands loosely holding toys and the corners of favorite blankets. Their dreams are innocent: “I was being chased by a gorilla.” “I forgot to bring my homework to school.” “I was at a birthday party.” They sleep from a distance and they sleep alone. The music and voices of grand parties, their parents’ affairs, the shouting after the fourth gin and tonic, the children hear none of it and all of it. Sometimes they move; eyelids twitching as moonlight falls across their hair, their feet, their discarded toys. All is waiting for when they wake up and say, “I had the strangest dream.” But it wasn’t just any dream. It was the stuff of day and nightmare, the hidden voice and message that will follow them subtly, invisibly through all the days of their adult lives. “I had the strangest dream.”

I have never fallen asleep where I fell. All of my life I have had to know where I am. I have to have the same night time rituals: washing my face, brushing my teeth, my hair, setting out the morning’s work, thinking of what I will wear to work, locking doors, turning out the lights, waiting for sleep to fall upon me. I don’t sleep easily or well. I think of too many things, things undone, unfinished, not even started. I see myself as a partial insomniac; I crave sleep like others crave wealth or fame. Yet I keep myself from napping (too restless, too guilty, too busy). I dream too much, volumes and shelves of stories, reels of film, all meaningless. For awhile I tried recording my dreams. The amount of detail bored me.

When I was small I had a bed I pretended was a boat. I would steer it through the confusion and troubled waters of my early childhood. Later I inherited my parents’ old double bed and I would sleep lost in the wide middle of forbidden territory, the sheets pulled to my chin, the streetlights invading my first series of peculiar dreams I can remember to this day. Once I dreamed of going to a house in the forest. Jars of dried herbs and strange potions lined the walls. And I knew whoever owned the small house was planning to kill me. I woke in terror and the images have never left me.

Dreams are the place we can never truly share. “You have to have been there,” is the best we can do. I never liked the idea of death being a kind of sleep. Imagine all those dreams crowding in for eternity and no real way to make them stop. My mother would not let me say the prayer, “If I should die before I wake.” I wanted to die before I waked. It sounded exciting and easy, easier than navigating my way through a world I found incomprehensible at seven. It was similar to when I would stand against the mirror for hours, willing myself to fall through the glass, imagining for brief minutes at a time that I had actually accomplished my goal of stepping into a warped reality that no matter how backward had to be better than the one I lived. That is how I envisioned a sleep-like death. Anything was better than being made to survive an unwanted life.

Now I do my best to appreciate both life and sleep, though not without question. Every few days or months or maybe even minutes I wonder what it’s all for and I’ll never be satisfied with “God’s plan,” or it’s solely to make other people happy. Sometimes I imagine I will be walking down the street, a busy street, a bustling sunny happy street and I’ll simply be struck by the end of my life and will fall like a glove to the pavement: gently, suddenly, magnificently and that will be that. I try to keep my papers in good order so my survivors are not too befuddled by pages and pages of the type of things I’m writing here. I want to sleep, I want to work, the wanting both exhausts and exhilarates me. Perhaps it is as the philosophers say: Life is but a dream; and maybe the thing I long for is to finally wake up, to rise from my bed like Jesus commanded, rise and walk and never look back; to forget everything and most especially sleep—
Tip of the day: Write about the thing your writer self needs most. It could be sleep, it could be time, it could be someone to read your writing with a smile and a warm heart. Whatever it is, freewrite about it for at least thirty minutes, maybe an hour. And then go get some sleep; you deserve it.

Starting the Serious Revision. Seriously.

This week I took the first steps toward revising a book-length manuscript I completed in 2008. Why the long break? Well, one reason is I like to put drafts away for a while before I tackle revision. In this case a little over a year seemed just about right. Another is I have had such a good time freewriting these past and many months that I simply wanted to stay in the zone, exploring and experimenting with a variety of genres and forms. I wasn’t ready to come inside and stop playing. But now with a fairly hefty body of work behind me (a novella, two novels, a nonfiction book, two screenplays, and a collection of short stories), it’s time to get serious and call out the official manuscript clean-up crew. Except there’s one big problem; there’s only one person on the crew and I’m it.

I knew in advance this day was coming; in fact, I set it out in my writer’s business plan under the goals section as part of my Big 5. To kick off this grand plan and perhaps test the waters a bit I chose to work on the novella. It’s my first foray into historical fiction, paying more than a passing tribute to my childhood writing hero, Edgar Allen Poe. So far the manuscript doesn’t have a working title beyond The Gothic Novella but that will do fine; titles get changed anyway and right now my focus is 100% on creating a polished manuscript worthy of any title at all.

On Monday I began my initial read-through of the manuscript to make sure I had my important scenes in order as well as the chapter line-up that made the most sense to me. I especially paid attention to the places where I need to add more writing. These are mainly transitional scenes I’ll have to write to help tie my plot points together. My self-imposed deadline to have a submission-ready manuscript in the mail to an editor is May 31, 2010. Every day that I can I intend to work on a chapter: retyping it into Microsoft Word, adding fresh lines or small scenes where necessary, smoothing out the rough edges. I’ve given myself enough room to do this several times for at least three drafts, maybe more.

In a few minutes I’m going to take the plunge and start typing my way to a real second draft. I confess to being nervous; it’s been a long time since I rewrote an entire book. My over-riding reaction is to be a neurotic version of the three wise monkeys: close my eyes and ears and hold my breath until the book rewrites itself. But I have a feeling that won’t work very well. Besides, the real irony is I do love revision work once I’m into it. There’s a nice sense of order and security once the plot and characters have been set in place and I know my daily writing routine is simply to make them shine. So here goes; it’s time to dive off the deep end which in a funny way has always my favorite part of the pool. Wish me luck; I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Tip of the Day: Do you have a manuscript ready to revise but one you haven’t felt ready or willing to start? Go get it now. Set a date on your calendar that sounds comfortable for you to begin revising and a date to have it finished. And stay in touch; I'd love to know what you decide to do.

Honoring Your Inner Newbie

Last Saturday I started taking an eight-week watercolor class. After the first few minutes I knew I was out of my depth, but I also promised to not beat myself up just because I can’t paint like John Singer Sargent or even like anyone else in the class. I’m a watercolor newbie, and I’m going to make lots of mistakes along the way. And that’s okay, because I’m also going to have the time of my life making them.

Being a newbie at anything is an opportunity to experience a wide-angled sense of freedom and to know first-hand what it's like to live with absolute faith. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I love teaching writing classes to beginning writers. Anything goes, as long as we’re having fun and believe in ourselves. Yes, there are a few rules I set, like: write every day, use specific detail, seize the first and least censored thought blasting through your mind. But basically I do my best to encourage dreams because that’s what I believe all art is: a dream made manifest. To me one of the ugliest things a practicing writer or artist can do is be a nay-sayer, the one quick to laugh at a first-time writer’s innocent grammar flub, or eager to point out how difficult, impossible, slim the chances are of ever finding an agent, getting published, making money. Not only is this “advice” mean, it’s also totally fraudulent. Every--every, every, every--single published author started out unpublished. To believe otherwise is just plain, well, dumb!

After many years of writing with the conviction that the opposite of beginner’s mind is to be “mindless” and who wants that, there are only two things I am certain of: The first is that I can only write if I actually, you know, do some writing, i.e., there is no magic wand that will write for me while I watch TV or hang around on Twitter. Being a newbie doesn’t mean being a fantasist; you have to put in the hours.

The second thing I know for sure is that each new piece of writing does carry the warning label “here be dragons.” But what those dragons are, how to tame them, and what they want from me is never, and will never, be the same. There is no single, universal way to defeat dragons so you might as well learn to be friends with them. The best way to do that is to simply say, “Hello, I’m a new writer (or artist or quilter or pole vaulter). You must be the new dragon. Want a sandwich?”

I think the day that I “know what I am doing” will be the day I will want to stop writing. I don’t write to fulfill some cosmic contract that demands X number of pieces be written before I leave the planet. I write because I can’t stop myself from being fascinated by words, characters, strange happenings, and evocative phrases. I write because I love reading and storytelling and I keep getting these stories in my head that want to be put down on paper.

It’s the same reason I want to take a watercolor class. I have this dream of me painting when I travel, rather than taking photographs. To accomplish that dream I have to start with my Simply Simmons No. 10 round brush and a little tray of Prang watercolors. That and a whole lot of sandwiches for those dragons. I hear they like cream cheese and cucumber. Very cooling.

Tip of the Day: Approach each manuscript or any creative pursuit as a newbie with a beginner’s mind: fresh, hope-filled, and excited about the learning process. The word "mistake" also holds the words: "I make." Make something new today.

Writing With a Calendar, It's Not Just About Dates

I just learned 2010 is going to be the Year of the Tiger, symbolizing among other things a year of “being focused and living in today.” I like the energy behind that thought, and I want to keep that energy alive. One of the best ways for me to do so is to keep a dedicated "writer's calendar" marking my progress.

A few weeks ago I lucked out when I went to the library and picked up a free calendar courtesy of the Albuquerque Water Utility. It's a quality publication, filled with beautiful paintings by New Mexico artists including a piece painted by Tom Blazier, the husband of one of the members in my writers’ group. I always take it as a good sign when that kind of synchronicity appears in my life!

Soon after New Year’s Day I sat down to plan how to use the calendar and how it could help me keep track of my goals and my attempts to achieve them. The first thing I did was divide my goals into four distinct types or levels. These became: daily goals, e.g., word counts, marketing tasks, or choosing the manuscript I want to work on for any particular day; weekly goals, which included things such as “artist’s dates” and writers' group meetings; monthly goals, which basically set out where I want to be with each manuscript by the end of the month; and my yearly goals, or what I call the Big 5: two manuscripts ready for submission; one published book; a completed art journal (which will have a lot of writing, not just art); and a disciplined, engaging poetry practice. For each of these goal types, I’ve created deadlines for when I want to have them completed or at least on the boil.

Essential to making my calendar work is making sure I never use it for anything unrelated to writing; no dental appointments or to-do lists that involve mopping the floor or buying extra milk. This is a calendar for my writing, nothing else. At the same time, I want to keep things flexible—if I miss a deadline for some essential and unavoidable reason, I’ll simply move it ahead to a better and more workable time frame.

Like most calendars, the one I’m using has some extra spaces without dates tacked on to the end of each month. So far these have proven to be a great places to write down favorite writing affirmations. Later on I might use the spaces to give myself some gold stars, or perhaps make a wish list of goals for next year.

Tip of the Day: It’s still not too late to find a calendar for 2010; in fact, now is a good time to buy one on sale. Try to get a calendar that’s sized to fit into your binder or work-in-progress, one that also has large enough date squares to easily write in. Mine is 8 ½ x 11, perfect to keep with my WIP.

What's Your Brand?

I admit I don’t have my own brand, or at least I don’t have one just yet. To be perfectly honest, I’d never even heard of the concept of author branding until a few years ago when I joined the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors here in Albuquerque, NM. The idea of having a unique one-line slogan to describe your writing intrigued me and it’s something I've wanted ever since except for one huge challenge: I can’t for the life of me figure out how to group all my writing under one cohesive umbrella or brand name.

Perhaps because the romance writers I met knew exactly the type of books they wanted to write and why, or else they had already written and sold their manuscripts, it was a bit easier for them to identify their writing styles with a one-line author statement and logo. The practice of branding was something they used to help themselves stand out in a crowded marketplace, useful for both their readers and their various editors and agents. But what if you’re like me, writing across the genres, interested in all kinds of styles and formats, and fascinated by each new writing challenge you set for yourself? How can we describe our writing in a a few pithy sound-bites?

This year I want to figure out what my brand is. Not just so I have something snazzy to put on a gorgeous business card (at one time I toyed with the idea of “Romance Written in the Stars” which I still kind of like if I ever do write a genuine romance) but to help me gather in and identify all my various writing tastes and pursuits. Last night I made a list of what I need to ask myself:

What are my favorite books to read? Why? What is the unifying factor to them? What is my favorite writing style? For instance, if I never had to think or worry about marketability or selling my work, what would I write? And if I'm not writing in that genre or voice, why not? (Maybe it's time I should.)

What are my favorite colors? Favorite clothing? How would I dress if money or messy housework or conforming to a workplace dress code were no object? Do I have any personal symbols around the house or my workspace that identify me? What about favorite songs or music? A favorite painting? A favorite or preferred era in history? Where do I want to travel to? What is my favorite memory and why? Fill in the blanks: “In my dreams I am…” and “My personal statement about life is…”

I want to answer these questions over the coming year. My aim is to find a unifying theme to my work that will help me describe myself to an editor or reader in just a few words; a bio version of the “elevator pitch.” And yes, I certainly want that great business card to go with them!

So what about you? Do you have a brand? How did you find it? How do use it? Let me know, I'd love to find out more.

Tip of the Day: Consider creating your own brand. If you already have one, perhaps you might want to think of more creative ways to expand it to help spread the word about you and your writing.

Starting 2010 With a Writer's Business Plan

I like to start the new year with a business plan. Every January I put together a fresh binder that keeps my various goals, projects, and marketing materials in one place. Not only does this help me stay focused for the rest of the year, it’s a handy tool to take to classes, conferences, and pitch sessions where I can have everything I need to talk about my writing at my fingertips.

Over the years I’ve experimented with and changed the format of my plan until I now have it the way that works best for me. I've used my current arrangement for the last two years and I think it’s the one I’ll stick with. Here’s the way I have the pages set up:

1. Focus of Intention. This is the place where I state what my purpose for writing is going to be for the year. I also include what genres and styles I want to work in.
2. Vision Statement. Where do I want to be with my writing by December 31, 2010?
3. Mission Statement. What will I do to get there?
4. Objectives. What exactly do I want from my writing? This is where I state the specifics of what I want to achieve and why.
5. Deliverables. What do I currently have for sale? This can be published books, manuscripts, classes and workshops, as well as items such as marketing tools, i.e., bookmarks and postcards, or T-shirts.
6. Clients, Customers, Audience. Who am I writing for? Who is my readership? My student base?
7. Financial Requirements. What are the costs I will incur to keep writing? For instance, I will need postage, business stationery, and web site maintenance fees. Don't forget things like writer's organization fees and dues, conference and travel fees, and anything else you will need for the year. Budget accordingly.
8. Skills Needed. What do I need to learn this year? Are there classes I should be taking? Books I need to read to improve my craft?
9. Critical Relationships. Who do you know to help you along the way? Who can open doors, help you connect to other writers or even editors and publishers? Is there someone who can set up a booksigning for you, or simply spread the word that you have a published book for sale?
10. Bio Statement(s). Every submission or piece of publicity material needs a good bio statement, one that is relevant to the individual situation. That's why I like to write several bios to make sure I have one for each new opportunity as it arises. For instance, when I am submitting a request to teach at a conference, I emphasize my years of teaching beginning writers. When I am preparing a 1-sheet about The Great Scarab Scam, I want to mention that I have traveled to Egypt and have been an avid student of Egyptology for most of my life.
11. Published Work. Include everything. Newsletters, articles, even your blog. Take credit for every piece of writing that has your byline. But what if you're not published? No problem, just move on to:
12. Writing Related Achievements/Activities. Taken classes? Been a contest judge? Belong to a writer's group? This is the place to list each and every thing you have done to help yourself become the writer you are and the writer you want to be.
13. Adjectives/Descriptions of Writing Voice and Style. How would you describe your work? List at least 5 adjectives that you would want a reader or editor to know about your voice.
14. Influences/Favorite Books, Authors, Films, Etc. Consider this the long list of your Blogger or Facebook profile. Don't leave any influences out and do add any new ones from the previous year. Is there a pattern that perhaps tells you what you like to read best and therefore should be writing? Perhaps one of the most important uses of this list is to make thoughtful and realistic comparisons of your own work to other books and writers without being grandiose or sounding ridiculous: e.g., no more, "Wow! My book is just like The Exorcist for children with a touch of Gone With the Wind meets Winnie the Pooh!!"
15. Writing Goals, General. I bet you thought we'd never get to this part! But I like to leave the "goals" sections to the end of my plan. I have 3 different categories of goals. The first is my laundry list of everything I want to achieve not just this year, but perhaps during the entire course of my writing life. Naturally it is way too long, way too ambitious, but it's important to me to list all my ideas--even the nutty ones that I probably may never even start.
16. Writing Goals, 2010. This is a much more sensible and doable list. For 2010 I have only 3 goals: To polish and submit a novella I started in 2008; to polish and submit a nonfiction project I wrote at the same time; and to see my new book, Overtaken through publication by September. And of course I would love to sell the first two to a publisher!
17. Other Writing Related Goals. This is the place to list classes or conferences, groups you might like to join, literary pilgrimages you've always wanted to take. Dream big.
18. Marketing Ideas. This is a brainstorming section that I add to during the year. For instance, I list places to approach for booksignings, or lists of things I need to make or do to help sell my work.
19. Loglines for Next Five Projects. Although my goal list for the year is limited to only 3 manuscripts, it's good to be prepared with not just the loglines for these 3, but also to have the descriptions of my 2011 manuscripts at the ready in case I'm ever asked what those are.
20. Query Letters and Synopses. I like to keep copies of my various letters and synopses all in one place. For every manuscript I have for sale, I write three synopses: 1-paragraph for the query letter; 1-page that can be included with another kind of letter or that can be sent on its own; and a longer version, sometimes up to 5 or more pages that can be used when a synopsis is requested by an editor.
21. Manuscript Tracking Chart. This is a simple table I can fill in to track where my manuscripts are at any given time. Just five columns to list the date I sent the manuscript, what the manuscript is, where it went, the name of the editor it was sent to, and finally, the response.

And that's it! At the very back of the plan I like to keep a few blank pages for jotting down ideas or anything else that I want to consider adding to the plan as the months go by.
Tip of the Day: If you don't have a plan, start one now. Use or delete any of the sections I've mentioned here. Most important, create a plan that works for you. For extra inspiration, draw or collage your goals with a "vision map" to keep on or inside your front cover.