Lessons From Great Authors

When I read a good author, I am constantly watching what it is that makes this book so enjoyable for me. From one I may be getting a sense of tone in the story. In another it may be a sense of setting--Anne Rice does that very well. When I reach a part in my writing where I want it to have the near physical sense of setting like Anne Rice is so capable of achieving, I pick up one of the Vampire or Witch series and thumb through it searching for the parts that makes the perfect impact on me. Then I study how it was done and do my very best at creating that for myself. Perhaps its that she gave the area its own life, or that she used colors to heighten the tension of the place. I say to myself, "I can write like that." And then I do. Well, at least I do my best. So keep reading those great authors. Keep looking for why their writing is so inspiring to you. And keep remembering that they had to learn to be great and so do we.

A Plan of Action

by Lori

I’m with Janet (see Wednesday, January 2 post). Resolutions set me up for failure. Yet I need some sort of quantitative goal to keep me pointed in the right direction.

I’ve made the mistake, in Januaries past, of setting near unattainable writing resolutions: write for three additional hours a day, send out five queries every other day, submit three manuscripts each week, read dozens of books on writing and editing, etc., etc.

When February rolled around, I was exhausted. Trying to jam so much in caused lots of stress. My efforts were not well thought out. The quality of my writing suffered.

My hard drive overflowed with articles, stories, and books. However, I didn’t polish the majority of what I started. My office was a hub of activity, with myriad distractions and interruptions. I could write amid the chaos but effective editing and rewriting were difficult. I ended up submitting only a fraction of what I wrote because I knew my work wasn’t up to par.

Last November, I decided not to wait until January to set new writing goals. I wanted to try something different. I didn’t want to feel so stressed that the mere thought of writing evoked dread.

I needed a place away from the bustle. My bedroom was the only feasible option. I purchased an inexpensive desk and set up my laptop. Viola! Almost zero interruptions. Plus, with no Internet connection, I wasn’t tempted to waste time checking and rechecking email, or visiting blogs.

I established five simple goals, sans rigid restrictions: write, polish, learn, attend, and send. I posted the list at the bottom of my computer screen. I already wrote on regular basis, a habit I would continue. Polish could be achieved when I secluded myself at my new desk; my flash drive made it easy to transport files from computer to computer. Learn took in studying anything that would further my knowledge of writing, editing, markets, etc. Attend meant going to workshops and critique group. The first four goals set me up for the last: submit, which I felt better about than ever before.

My life is far from simple. No two days are ever the same. But, with my new goals in place, I've resolved not to fret over daily or weekly quotas. Instead, each day, I ask myself if I'm doing my best in at least one or two things on the list. I focus on feeling good about my accomplishments, not dwelling on what I haven't done.

Now, writing is once again enjoyable. Overall, I feel the quantity and quality of my writing has increased. So have my submissions and publishing prospects. I’m excited about the possibilities the New Year will bring.

The year in review - LDS publishing from AML list

Fascinating read from the AML discussion site. I'd have posted this on the forum but I've forgotten my password and username . . . will have to look them up!


http://forums.mormonletters.org/yaf_postst259_Mormon-Literature-Years-in-Review--Part-1.aspx

Janet

Book Review: Craft & Technique, by Paul Raymond Martin

Writers can be a lonely group of people. If we're not writing, we're editing. If we're not editing, we might be off somewhere stewing over our next plot line or chapter.

Then again, some of us would like to be like that. For those of us who are mothers or fathers, there are other daily demands. You know the kind - important things like a job or putting food on the table or helping a child with their homework.

It can make "being a writer" a bit of a challenge. That is why I find certain writers' books so helpful. They boil down the most essential elements of writing, so that when I actually sit at the computer TO write, I'm more effective.

Craft & Technique, by Paul Raymond Martin, is one such book. I love this book. It is the one I reach for most often. If I'm in a writing bind, I reach for this book. If I'm taking a break, I reach for this book. It is that good.

At first glance, this little 3 1/2" x 5" book might not seem like much. But oh what impact it carries! The cover of the book states that Craft & Technique "includes more than 300 aphorisms and insights." And it is precisely its pithy quotes I love. For example:

"Think of your writing as a house before moving day. You have to get rid of the clutter."

"Interest Level equals Word Count divided by New Information."

"Writers write long when they haven't taken the time to write short" (p. 4).

The author includes savvy advice in all six chapters: Characterization; Dialogue; Plot; Fiction Techniques; Style; and Voice. Each chapter is equally as refined and potent.

I'm a mother. It's hard to find writing time. Even harder to find time to study what makes great writing. Is it any wonder then that in my house this book is dog-eared and well-used?

Writers might be a lonely group of people, but we also are very busy people. If you need a great book that's a quick read, Craft & Technique is just the thing. Not only will your writing improve from studying it, but you'll enjoy the experience (in the brief snatches of time you might have).

A Writer's Reputation

by Terrie

When I started out in writing, I sent out nearly everything I wrote. I figured no one would remember me if it was bad. Unfortunately, of course, some of the bad stuff got published, but no problem. A magazine is only around for a month…at least it was then.

Today, some of my bad writing has been posted on the Internet, as magazines put up online archives. Those stories I figured would disappear are still floating around, ready to be found.

Thanks to archives, sites that do nothing but archive the internet, and Google, what we write may still be floating around long after the Second Coming. It’s there for agents and potential publishers to track down. It’s there for readers to find. It’s there to hurt or help your reputation.

Everything you put online is important. You just don’t know who is looking. My publisher found me through a free online column I write, which led him to my website. If I hadn’t been taking my work in those places seriously, I wouldn’t have been offered a contract. Those bits of writing were my resume.

Often when I review applications at BellaOnline, I google an applicant. Sometimes what I find gets them rejected. Sometimes it strengthens a weak application. Your past writing and activities matter.

Whether you are blogging or keeping a family website, make sure every bit of writing you do is worthy of a publisher’s eye. You don’t know who is checking your out because they need a project. If you want to write LDS books, be sure you speak well of the church. If you want to write a parenting book, eye your online writing for suitability. Don’t lose a great opportunity over a little bit of thoughtless writing!

New Year's Resolutions? I don't make 'em

by Janet

I find that New Year's resolutions set me up for failure. I'm a little vulnerable at that time of the year - I'm still recovering from Christmas and some unrealistic expectations I sometimes have for the holidays. I am putting away decorations and restoring the house to its previous condition. I'm a little overwhelmed about getting my life organized again.

I find that making a resolution or goal in the moment is far more effective for me. This kind of resolution occurs when I'm deeply involved in the creative process, such as:

I will finish this manuscript and submit it to_______. A realistic date is added.

I periodically submit articles, essays, etc. and put them on a calendar. That way, I have ongoing submissions and rejections to track, and I find more submission sources. There's never really a blank on my calendar. I'm always trying to move forward.

A few months ago, as I thought through my writing as a business as well as a creative enterprise, I determined how many workshops I will attend per year, keeping in mind what I want to accomplish by attending them. They are already blocked out on my calendar.

This new year, however, I have entered a BIAM (book in a month) activity at Tristi's blog. That may give me the incentive to finish the work in progress, which is always on my mind, but needs to be on paper, or at least on the computer screen. It will be interesting to see how I do with this challenge. If I don't complete the book by the end of January, at least I'll have made progress. And I won't kick myself if it's not done.

One resolution I make every year, though:

I will not have overdue library books.

Oops, I just checked my online library account and . . . you guessed it. Now my goal is to put library due dates on my calendar, so Outlook will nag me.

OK, OK, I just made a resolution.

Change begins with a blank page

by Patricia

A new year has begun, and as it does we post our new calendars with all new spaces, waiting to be filled with appointments and dates, celebrations and sorrows.

For writers, this should be the time we open a new document, a new journal, a new reporter's notebook. Make this the year you set a goal to explore the story that's been simmering in your imagination. Release the manuscript you put away a few years ago, thinking it unpublishable, and revise it. Give yourself the gift of time and set aside a portion of your day -- no matter how small -- to write.

Some people embrace change, others fear it. Change brings about the unexpected. To change means we are forced out of our comfort zones. We must sink or swim, run or be left behind.

For many of us, change begins with a blank page and the decision to fill first one, then another, and another. On rare occasions, the page fills quickly. But mostly we stare at that blank page, fearing that we won't have anything worthwhile to fill it with.

When I wrote the last book in the Kevin Kirk Chronicles series, The Final Farewell, I knew Kevin would be faced with many blank pages: life after high school, college, the choice whether or not to serve a mission. As he journeyed through his senior year of high school, his future just beyond the horizon, he had decisions to make. Some were easy. A few, like whether to serve a mission, were not.

The answers were not there for him. He had to make the effort to find them for himself. There were tools all around him, friends and family for support, experiences he could draw from, to help him as he made that final decision. Throughout the book the blank page loomed, waiting for the time when Kevin decided to sit down, make his choice and write the first sentence.

It's tough to choose sometimes; tough to commit to something when you have no assurance it will be successful. But what if you don't commit? What if you don't do that thing you dare?

What if you don't fill that page?

Sometimes, it may not matter. But most of the time, it matters a lot. Maybe not for others, but it will matter to you.

Many missionaries will serve their entire mission and not have an opportunity to baptize someone. Yet many of those missionaries will tell you what they learned about themselves during those two years of service made the mission worth it. They learned about compassion from their experiences in the mission field, they gained a greater understanding of the gospel by working with priesthood leaders, members, and the public. They become more sensitive to the subtle messages of the Spirit. They learned to be more reliant on the Lord.

Do concert pianists consider the years of lessons and practice to be a waste because they didn't earn any money for practicing? No. Do marathon runners look at the miles they ran in preparation for a race to be hours spent running nowhere? Of course not.

And neither should we, as writers, think of writing as an idle activity. It's our practice, our workout, preparing us for all the blank pages that will come in our lives, blank pages that only we can fill.

Don't be afraid of blank pages.

Don't be afraid to embrace change.