Tips on Tuesday: U 2 Can B cum a Better Writer!

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

Toward the end of last month, Write to Done had an article (no author’s name given) emphasizing 3 habits that separate good writers from “Tragic Wannabes” — it suggested 3 essential steps to better writing: study, practice and feedback.

STUDY

Personally, for study, I would suggest workshops and classes, though heaven knows there are also plenty of books out there. Libraries don’t always have the most current info on writing, but they’re free. Community Ed classes often have writing offerings. So do outreach programs from colleges and universities, which may also offer short courses or conferences. Local writers organizations often sponsor workshops, conferences, even contests.

I began my personal “study” program through the League of Utah Writers some time in the late ’70s. Since then I’ve gone to workshops sponsored by the League, by colleges and universities, and by local writers groups. Occasionally some are free, or VERY low cost. When they get up to as much as 5‑7 days long (or more), or they are being taught by highly touted authors/editors/ agents, etc., they are more pricey. But, any way you look at it, you’ll find dozens of options.

PRACTICE

Writers should write. Every day. My current favorite go‑to daily source is 750words.com, which is free for a month. You are sent a reminder every morning. They have on‑line “badges” for starting, having streaks of varying numbers of days without missing a day, number of words written, and so on. When you finally have a “streak” going, it’s pretty motivating to keep it up. If you choose to “belong” to the 750, it’s only $5 a month after the first month. Try it as a freebie! What have you got to lose? For those who have a lot of stick‑to‑it‑ivness, just do it on your own. EVERY day. Without reminders. (Or badges.) Or talk a partner into doing it with you — keep challenging each other. Just Do It, as they say!

Never underestimate the value of re‑writing! Take some of your good pieces, and rewrite to make them have more punch. Rewrite to boost characterization of your main character. Rewrite to take out the dross which was only an information dump (info dump) anyway.

FEEDBACK

Classes will generally give you feedback. Some workshops, or workshop sessions will also. If you take a class, check with your new friends to see who would like to start a critique group with you. It can be in person once a week. Or on‑line, in a chat room, or even by phone. In my opinion, if they’re only willing to meet/critique once a month, it’s not worth it. That’s too long between critiques to get much accomplished. I’m happily aware of two or three critique groups who started by meeting each other in writers classes which I taught in a community ed. setting.

It’s usually not a good idea to get feedback from close relatives or friends. Of course, your mother thinks your writing is brilliant. Your siblings are dazzled by your outpourings. Your best friend won’t tell you what she “really” thinks. Start with “relative” strangers: people you meet in classes and/or workshops. Join a writers’ group like the League ‑ pretty much every state has them.

Study, Practice, Feedback, and your writing will improve! Give it a shot!

See you next time for Thinking on Thursday!

Thinkin’ on Thursday: Taxes and Other Tsunamis

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

Taxes are coming up, all too soon.  And I’m starting to look at old, filed papers.  Speaking of which, I have plenty of old copies of critiques from various classes or workshops.  Critiques I paid close attention to, made voluminous notes on, etc.

But, did I put them to actual use?  It seems, I’ve been far too lazy in that regard.  Let’s take an old story I worked on one year for NaNoWriMo but never got back to.  Or, at least didn’t get “back to” enough:  I have notes from a workshop I went to, with multiple copies of that particular chapter or two.  Then I filed them: you know, so they wouldn’t get lost.  I needed an example of critiques for a class I was teaching, so I ran a few more copies of a chapter or two.  And let them have it to “practice” critiquing.  At some point I took some of it to my usual critique group.  They gave me even more notes.  Later, I started a small, new critique group and — you’ve got it: gave them some pages.

Some of those times, I made some changes.  So page 4 for one group of critiques may or may not match up with page 4 of any other critiques.  And I personally wrote down notes from each of the sources. In different places.

Now I’m stuck with pages, and Pages, and PAGES of critiques, pages which don’t match, different versions of the same scene — and it’s mostly a frustrating mess!

The thing is, I believe in the story. Over time, I’ve put a lot of thought and effort into it. But not enough.

So here’s what I’m thinkin’:  IF you submit pages to any kind of critique — classmates, a teacher, a formal critique group, a workshop bunch, etc. — make one coherent copy of all your notes as soon as possible after receiving them. While it’s all still fresh on your mind, decide which comments and/or corrections need to be given credence, and which do not fit what you wanted for your story. Make the changes.

The final step is up to you: Do you want to keep those critiques and notes for posterity? If so, file them along with the current copy of you mss. (You may have older versions on file as well, but keep ONE copy of the ultimate version of your best work. Don’t let it get mixed up with all the other versions.

The other choice would be shredding all the old critiques and notes once you’ve put the useful ones into practice. You may want to wait on that just long enough to have it in the hands of your editor and/or agent.

In any case, why keep all copies of every comment if you made a carefully analyzed list of all the changes you agreed with, and then put them into practice?

OK. Back to “my” problem, now that I’ve given you methods to avoid doing the same: how would you deal with a pile of notes, critiques, various versions, etc., that might take up half a file drawer all by itself? Please suggest your ideas in the comments below . . . I’m drowning here in a paper tsunami!

See you next for Spellbinder Saturday!

Tips on Tuesday: Where Can I Learn to Write . . . Better?

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

People who have a yen to write will often ask, how and where do I learn to write? Here are a number of viable answers. Not surprisingly, you must do all of them:

1st: Read, read, read ‑ if you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write (or the necessary knowledge and skills)

2nd: Write, write, write. When you’ve written 100,000 words, you’re on your way.

3rd: Get help from knowledgeable writers. But where do you find them, how do you get to know them?

Fortunately, Utah has plenty of sources for that last one.

Join a critique group. You’ll find them in libraries, private homes and even on line. Take a writing class. Universities, high schools, continuing education programs all have them. Some even offer private classes or act as writing coaches.

Go to writers’ conferences. Most states have MANY writing conferences. And Utah has a HUGE writing community, with many of our writers on “best seller” and awards lists. And these writers are so willing to share at conferences. I’ll list some of the major ones here, but get on line and you’ll no doubt find even more.

LTUE: A conference (Life, the Universe, and Everything) of many years’ standing which is a place where fans, writers and gamers of fantasy, sci‑fi, steam punk, horror, etc., can congregate. It seems to me it’s getting even more “writerly” in its direction. It’s usually early in the year (it was just held in Provo this last weekend, Feb. 13‑15) and is one of the least expensive. “Early” sign up is already available on line for next year: $35 for all 3 days. A REAL bargain! The keynote speaker this year was Orson Scott Card and panels included Brandon Sanderson, J. Scott Savage, and many other names you might recognize. Editors and agents are available for one‑on‑one appointments for a small extra fee (this is true of most, if not all, the conferences).

LDStorymakers: Held in the later spring, this is aimed at writers with LDS background, though they do not ask for proof of “membership”. The writing they accept must meet LDS standards: clean, no blatant bad language, etc. Editors from local publishing houses and well‑known LDS writers abound. April 24‑26, 2014, their program will be held in Layton, Utah, this year. Prices, currently set at $185, will be going up on Feb. 20, so hurry and sign in if you want to attend!

Writing for Charity: As a way to “give back,” author Shannon Hale instituted this conference some years ago, where 100% of the proceeds go to helping children in need. Working in tandem with the Children’s Literature Association of Utah, the conference will distribute books to hospitals and shelters for children in crisis. This year’s event will be held March 22 at the Provo City Library.

SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators): The Utah arm of this national organization has instituted some mini‑conferences in the Utah/Idaho area in several locations. This is the “must belong” organization for children’s writers. Check them out for on‑going group activities.

WIFYR (Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers): This conference began years ago at BYU. It now meets at the Waterford School in Sandy, this year on June 16‑20. You can sign up for a class with a group of about a dozen writers on all five mornings, or you may sign up for all afternoons only (they are included with sign‑up for morning classes) where you will hear speakers and attend several mini‑sessions with authors, editors, and agents of your choice. Another possibility this year is to sign up for single day attendance at a variety of mini‑classes. Current basic full‑price for the all‑day, five‑day event is $495. Some advanced classes have an extra charge, the half‑day or single‑day charges are much less. Whatever you decide, you will NEVER spend money more wisely on your writing career!

LUW (League of Utah Writers) has 16 chapters throughout Utah. Once you are a member, you may freely attend any of LUW’s usual monthly meetings which may be critique meetings and/or often have speakers. They will host a regional conference at SLCC’s Larry Miller Campus on April 12, 2014. ($20 for members, $25 for non‑members, and membership is only $25/year.) They also run a fall conference for all the chapters every year — usually September — which is a full two days (information for this year’s not on line yet, but should be soon). Like other conferences, you will meet editors, agents and many member/authors from around the state.

I hope I’ve more than scratched the surface for writers conferences — if you hear about another one, let me know the particulars and I will post that as well.

Now . . . go READ!

See you next for Thinkin’ on Thursday!

Friday Friends: Old Friends, New Friends . . . and Busyness

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

Here I’m suggesting two books by “friends” (on paper at least)—one, an “old” friend, Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D., whose book Timeshifting I read many years ago; another whose book I bought maybe three years ago, and finally started reading. It’s a “radical” business book written by businessman and philosopher James Ogilvy, who showed, in 1995, that the only way to accomplish anything was in Living Without a Goal. The title alone grabbed my attention one day in a book store, so I picked it up, glanced through, and took it home.

The ’80s had been full lives with a strong sense of direction and all the confidence a crowded “to-do list” could provide. (I’d even been creating my own “planners” for years, since junior high school!) People always knew where they were headed and climbed toward the goals and incentives corporate America held out: higher salaries, better titles, more impressive offices.

After a decade of climbing, the air was getting thin. Ogilvy suggested people tear up the to-do lists and grant themselves the freedom to enjoy what E. M. Forster calls “the lights and shades that exist in the greyest conversation.” Ogilvy showed that richness, color, and flavor would flood back into life once goals that held people captive were set aside.

He explored how philosophers (from Plato to Nietzsche), lovers, ideologues, and executives had at one time or another lived without “goals.” His argument in Living Without a Goal took a new look at how to achieve personal creativity and freedom by fashioning one’s day-to-day life, not as a goal-producing machine, but as a personal work of art.

Are you feeling rushed? Feeling tired? Wondering how you’ll ever get through NaNoWriMo this year—yet another goal? And besides, you’re just over a week into it and—maybe—already falling behind. I am. But that’s okay.

In Ogilvy’s first section called “Finding Freedom,” he relates a tale of having been “relieved” of his future: he was expelled from boarding school at age 16. His first thoughts were that he’d failed to live up to the goals which had been set for him (key idea here: for him). Now what? Would any “good” college admit him? Had he fallen off “life’s great ladder for good? Was he permanently disqualified from the race? He had no idea, and he was frightened, knowing how badly he had “messed up,” knowing how disappointed in him his parents would be.

Yet, what did he feel? Excitement, exhilaration, a sense of his life lived in real time! He gloried in the “sudden and unexpected sense of release. This first flush of Goallessness [sic] felt like a liberation from a future that was all too well defined: prep school, college, profession….Because I did not know where I was going, I was making it up as I went along, and it felt more like living than following a rule book for life. But I can only say this in hindsight. At the time I was frightened and confused at the conflict between fear and exhilaration. Had I destroyed the life that had seemed to stretch out so clearly and gloriously in front of me toward the shining goal of Success?”

Are we so tied up with the list of goals that we aren’t enjoying the journey? Last year, at NaNo time, I’d just found out in October that I had cancer. Again. The surgery took place on Nov. 6 and, yes, I was already behind for NaNo. It took only seven hours, in and out, and some major sleep when I got home that day. Then I began dashing around meeting all my “goals” for that week: attended a meeting with the retired teachers organization the next afternoon, followed by grocery shopping . . . from my “list” (I was supposed to be at a writers’ meeting later that night too—which my husband refused to take me to); get invitations out for a Christmas Eve family party—at our house; we had theatre tickets that week-end; dinner with relatives the beginning of the next week and a neighborhood lunch; attended a program that Thursday, critique group Friday, a friend’s launch and signing Saturday . . . and so it goes. Or, rather, went.

By the end of the month I had very, very little written for NaNo, and was still jammed with other things. I ended up completing two-thirds to three-fourths of it in the final two days of NaNo. My “reward”? I got to wear my “winner” shirt I’d ordered early . . . I was not going to wear it unless I was a winner. And I wore it. Legitimately.

And I was exhausted!

So I met a lot of goals for the rest of that month. But did I forget to “live” the rest of the month? I’m still giving that some thought.

So thanks to my “new” friend, Ogilvy, for his book on Living Without a Goal. Thanks as well to my “old” friend, Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D., I’m going to combine his thoughts in Timeshifting—which tells me how to slow down to accomplish more—with Ogilvy’s. That’s the way I’m doing goals this NaNo!

See you day-after-tomorrow for Sunday’s Snippets!

Monday Moans: Paper, Paper, Everywhere and Not a Page to Ink!

East as A, B, C . . . from BB

I can’t find any paper clips. Well, to be honest there are a couple of those little ones lying around, but I like the nice big ones better. Not that I’m usually clipping together pages and pages of materials, but I just like the longer length of them. I feel my papers are more . . . secure?

And why this seeming paucity of paper clips? Well, they’re holding together the multiple copies of the pages I took to my Friday critique group: the Wasatch Mountain Fiction Writers (WMFW]. And they’re holding together the pages I took to the ABC Writers Guild critique session on Sunday night. And some are still clipped to the critiques I got at WIFYR [Writing and Illustrating for Young Writers]. Last June! And I’m afraid to admit that I have some groups of papers still clipped together from much longer ago that those.

I’ve got paper clips on groups of papers from last year. And the year before that. And . . . well, you’ve probably got the idea. Mind you, I heard and/or read all the critiques. But you never know when you might want to look them over again. I’ll stop wanting that last, fond look (because some of them did point out some of the positive things about my writing) when the book(s) is/are published. Until then, you never can tell . . .

And what about the paper itself? If it still has a clean side, I could reuse it. I believe in saving paper. So I’d have to take the paper clips off, sort through them. I’m getting more and more paranoid about my garbage having identifying information in it, so I’d have to take the time to shred them. And my shredder is jammed. Again. Maybe I could use a paper clip to unjam it. Oh, wait. I haven’t got a nice, long paper clip anywhere around.

All right, back to the “paper itself” thing. Some of those pages were used on both sides, but some of them might have had a half sheet that was still white. I could tear them in half (or even use my paper cutter), tear the half in half, giving me some nice little quarter sheets, convenient for writing down plot ideas, snatches of conversation, telephone messages, phone numbers, etc., etc., etc.

But, again, I’d have to sort through it all.

Admittedly I need to sort through it all. I have paper grocery bags around my desk: papers to shred (once I unjam the shredder); papers to sort; papers to add to the recyclables (after I’ve sorted through for re‑usable sheets . . . and half sheets . . . and quarter sheets). (And sorted through for paper clips!)

But right now, I have to run off some copies for my next critique session. If only I had some half‑used sheets of paper, so I don’t have to break into another clean ream. But if I find some paper, then I’ll need to find some paper clips!

Help! I’m drowning in paper. And not an unused paper clip in sight!

See you day-after-tomorrow for Wednesday’s WIPs!

Wednesday’s WIP: The Only Thing Constant is Change

Easy as A, B, C . . . from… well… everybody

The old saying goes that life is what happens when you’re making plans. Life has been happening, so we’re making a change to our WIP session. Here’s the new plan:

Every other week, as is our normal schedule, instead of only one of us giving our up date, thereby only hearing from each of us every couple of months, we’ll each have an input on Wednesday’s WIP. We’ll all share in our triumphs and tragedies; just a quick update of a couple of sentences to let you know what’s happening with our collective works.

Like today for example:

HA- Since we last talked, there have been some plot twists, a new character, and some humor added, along with over five pages. 🙂

BB- A new book in the works, a new approach to making sure I get some writing done every day. Under this new regimen, I’ve written over 1,500 words in each hour of writing  per day since starting it.

CC- Telling Ezzy’s story takes its toll. A rough draft of the next session is awaiting critique group’s input.

JC- Not much writing lately, but I have gotten a better handle on the protagonist: his wants and needs… his WHY. The story now has better direction.

That’s it, folks. Let us know what you think of the new format.

See you day-after-tomorrow for Friday’s Friends

Wednesday’s WIPs: I have WIPs—and I AM NOT afraid to use ‘em! HA

Around 13 years ago, the thought “I first saw her in 1692” popped into my head. I was driving on an empty stretch of country road in Texas. I had no idea where it came from. Didn’t then; don’t now.

A few months later, I thought about the date. Why 1692? What was significant? How about the Salem Witch Trials? Yep. Hmmm… a story about a witch? No, too many witch stories. How about a poor innocent guy that gets pulled into a witch’s life? Hmmm… with a twist here and there, maybe so. Thus was born A Hint of Forever.

Thirteen years later, it’s 138 pages long, 70+ of those pages having been written in this past NaNoWriMo. It was a work left fallow for a dozen years and is now a WIP.

The story has changed considerably in the last several years; no—that’s not right—the story has changed considerably in the last several months. The first 30 pages were introduced to the first critique group in May of this year. During that same week, those 30 pages were read by a couple of published authors and an editor.

The critique group and authors had some helpful suggestions, and, overall, loved the story. The editor wants to see it when it’s done.

I thought the editor let me down gently with her “when it’s done” comment. Carol Lynch Williams, well known Utah author and head of Writers and Illustrators for Young Readers (WIFYR www.wifyr.com) told me, very sternly, that editors “…looked for reasons to say NO. If she wants it when it’s finished, then finish it and get it to her!”

Heady stuff at the least. The story has grown and changed, taken on a life of its own at times. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

See you day-after-tomorrow for Friday with Friends