graduate school. i've spent the last two weeks scrambling to assemble the various forms, recommendations, and manuscript to apply to one of the top graduate creative writing programs in the country. i'm fricking insane. but i'm doing it, anyway. historically, "insane" hasn't really been much of a deterrant for me. i won't find out the status of my application for a few months, i'm sure, but the process has already been surprisingly rewarding; and i'll tell you why.
deadline: i'm reminded of how productive i can be when i'm under the gun. i'd checked the university website last summer, and noted the deadline for fall 2010 as march. wrong. i checked back in mid-december, thinking i'd get a headstart, and BLAMMO! deadline is jan 1st. thank zeus i even checked, but i had two weeks to do what i thought i had three months' time for. i learned i can turn an idiot moment into several days of high energy and collaboration.
review: because the application required several pages of sample manuscript, i had a great opportunity to review my writing to date. i've occasionally revisited stories when editing for submission to various contests/publications, but i haven't really spent a concentrated chunk of time reading through most of my work. i gained confidence from the variety of styles and subjects i've attacked, and having several readers' comments to review also helped me see my strengths along with my weaknesses. a great exercise in self-evaluation i'd recommend, even if you don't have a deadline hanging over your head.
recommendations: i saved this aspect of the application process for last, because it brought me the most gratitude and pride, both in myself and the folks who agreed to send in their recommendation of my writing and me as a writer.
the university graduate program requests at least three letters of recommendation to accompany the other various forms in the application packet. i'm lucky enough to know very talented, dedicated (and fast-responding!) people who see something in me and my writing worth recommending. they've sent me copies of the letters sent in to the selection committee, and i'm proud indeed at their characterization of me as a candidate. a special friend who's spent time on various selection committees also helped me through the application process, advising me on my personal statement and clueing me in to how the procedure usually works, what to expect overall. powerful, grounding stuff. so much work to do, so much development yet to achieve, but i feel like i've accomplished something significant already just by getting this far.
so, am i crazy, chasing the unattainable dream? i mean, it's a top writing program. huge reputation. extremely competitive applicants. i dunno. but i'm gonna try--no point in regretting not even giving it a shot. and if i find out i'm not accepted, i can say i did my best to reach that particular step on the ladder. i'll keep writing and improving (hopefully), and i'll sell my first novel someday whether i have a masters degree or not. (but i really really want this degree to happen. so much to learn!)
here's to 2010, a brand new year and opportunity to both climb closer to reaching our goals and appreciate those who help us get there! *clink* (sips champagne)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
run away! run away!
okay, yes. i am a dork for making my hackneyed monty python reference. but it fits.
last month i took on nanowrimo wiped out about two weeks in. i underestimated the time and energy my other obligations would take from the project, and as a result it bit me square in the ass. i made it to just under 24K; a healthy chunk of writing by most standards, so i'm not ashamed.
ah, but you ask me what lessons have i learned from this failure. i nod and stroke my beard, a pensive sheen to my eye.
i've learned i have limits, that even at full speed i can only go so fast, can grind at the stone only so hard. finding limits is important. i've discovered what conditions i definitely won't write under, that i need time to think along with time to write. that in a time crunch i actually do need a plot of some kind planned out, if only a rough sketch from which to jump off. and even under pressure, i can produce some decent scenes that will polish up nicely.
and here's the interesting bit: i'm continuing the project in january. a friend is attempting six 50k months in 2010, and i'm hitching along for one of them, hopefully reaching 50k at least, and optimally 75k or so. my schedule has settled a lot compared to november, so odds are closer to my favor than before.
so, here's to failure! may it be illuminating, as well as temporary.
last month i took on nanowrimo wiped out about two weeks in. i underestimated the time and energy my other obligations would take from the project, and as a result it bit me square in the ass. i made it to just under 24K; a healthy chunk of writing by most standards, so i'm not ashamed.
ah, but you ask me what lessons have i learned from this failure. i nod and stroke my beard, a pensive sheen to my eye.
i've learned i have limits, that even at full speed i can only go so fast, can grind at the stone only so hard. finding limits is important. i've discovered what conditions i definitely won't write under, that i need time to think along with time to write. that in a time crunch i actually do need a plot of some kind planned out, if only a rough sketch from which to jump off. and even under pressure, i can produce some decent scenes that will polish up nicely.
and here's the interesting bit: i'm continuing the project in january. a friend is attempting six 50k months in 2010, and i'm hitching along for one of them, hopefully reaching 50k at least, and optimally 75k or so. my schedule has settled a lot compared to november, so odds are closer to my favor than before.
so, here's to failure! may it be illuminating, as well as temporary.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
new fabulous blog to check out
just found robert olen butler's blog, and am in love!! love, i tells ya.
http://www.robertolenbutler.com/the-ongoing-life-a-blog/
i've checked out "Hell" from the library, and his book on writing, "From Where You Dream: The Process Of Writing Fiction", but haven't started them yet as i'm nanowrimoing this month. they're positively burning a hole through my dining table, dammit.
can't stay to play, gotta get back to the project--but seriously, give this guy a chance. he's amazing.
http://www.robertolenbutler.com/the-ongoing-life-a-blog/
i've checked out "Hell" from the library, and his book on writing, "From Where You Dream: The Process Of Writing Fiction", but haven't started them yet as i'm nanowrimoing this month. they're positively burning a hole through my dining table, dammit.
can't stay to play, gotta get back to the project--but seriously, give this guy a chance. he's amazing.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
'accessible' isn't a dirty word.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/10/reverse-snobbery-of-low-literary.html
if you haven't yet visited nathan bransford's blog, do so immediately. don't even read my entry, just hop on over and save him to your favorites. go ahead, i'll wait.
the linked post is particularly interesting because the question's come up more and more often for me. i'll pass it in my internet browsing, my newsstand browsing, my eavesdropping on people browsing in the bookstore. . . you get my drift.
the barrier between readers who read for entertainment and readers who read to be challenged feels flimsier these days, and that's progress in my eyes. good writing should do both. the growing number of literary stories involving genre aspects is a sign of hope for the reader formerly stodged in character study and dry-rot drama. the higher quality of published writing on the genre shelves can only help raise the overall level of brain engagement in the average consumer. or, the average genre book consumer, anyway. i can't help the guy who reads nothing but the occasional menu or stop sign.
but i've had issues with a strictly academic approach to fiction writing, and have historically leaned more in favor toward writing for fun and profit, falling into that reverse snobbery trap nathan discusses. i've had a recent shift of heart. i'd say it was an epiphany, but i think it was more gradual than that.
good writing is good writing, regardless of the label. i'm in love with the idea of writing a literary genre novel--one which embraces both action and character, transformation and juicy, shiver-inducing shadows. if i can accomplish what i hope i can with my stories, i can offer up a smorgasbord fit for anyone who appreciates a well-told, fun story regardless of labels or shelf location.
okay, except the stop-sign guy. i can offer him a moist towlette for that drool on his chin.
if you haven't yet visited nathan bransford's blog, do so immediately. don't even read my entry, just hop on over and save him to your favorites. go ahead, i'll wait.
the linked post is particularly interesting because the question's come up more and more often for me. i'll pass it in my internet browsing, my newsstand browsing, my eavesdropping on people browsing in the bookstore. . . you get my drift.
the barrier between readers who read for entertainment and readers who read to be challenged feels flimsier these days, and that's progress in my eyes. good writing should do both. the growing number of literary stories involving genre aspects is a sign of hope for the reader formerly stodged in character study and dry-rot drama. the higher quality of published writing on the genre shelves can only help raise the overall level of brain engagement in the average consumer. or, the average genre book consumer, anyway. i can't help the guy who reads nothing but the occasional menu or stop sign.
but i've had issues with a strictly academic approach to fiction writing, and have historically leaned more in favor toward writing for fun and profit, falling into that reverse snobbery trap nathan discusses. i've had a recent shift of heart. i'd say it was an epiphany, but i think it was more gradual than that.
good writing is good writing, regardless of the label. i'm in love with the idea of writing a literary genre novel--one which embraces both action and character, transformation and juicy, shiver-inducing shadows. if i can accomplish what i hope i can with my stories, i can offer up a smorgasbord fit for anyone who appreciates a well-told, fun story regardless of labels or shelf location.
okay, except the stop-sign guy. i can offer him a moist towlette for that drool on his chin.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
weekly prompt
in my neverending search for inspiring images and writing prompts, i stumbled across this list of top ten worldwide ghost towns. some truly weird scenes, and some haunting (perhaps haunted) places. the town overtaken by sand? wow. buildings held captive by a motionless sea.
http://www.oddee.com/item_96462.aspx
http://www.oddee.com/item_96462.aspx
Saturday, October 17, 2009
for those who enjoy
being seriously creeped out, visit joshua hoffine's website and try peeling your gaze from his diseased images. vivid, realistic,reminiscent of childhood folklore, sometimes painfully graphic--each one tells a story, and fires up my own synapses in the process.
http://www.joshuahoffine.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=1&p=0&a=0&at=0
you, too? i know. i know. between this and 'paranormal activity', i think i'm seriously fucked.
http://www.joshuahoffine.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=1&p=0&a=0&at=0
you, too? i know. i know. between this and 'paranormal activity', i think i'm seriously fucked.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
and i'm actually prompt this time.
official monday prompt:
i was cruising the interwebs, looking for deals on toed socks, and i found
this-->
http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/fiction-writing-exercises/fiction-writing-exercises-10-fiction-writing-prompts
i like #4 best: "Mom says it happens to all girls, but I think she’s just trying to make me feel normal."
but you give the list a gander, see what floats for you.
i was cruising the interwebs, looking for deals on toed socks, and i found
this-->
http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/fiction-writing-exercises/fiction-writing-exercises-10-fiction-writing-prompts
i like #4 best: "Mom says it happens to all girls, but I think she’s just trying to make me feel normal."
but you give the list a gander, see what floats for you.
Monday, October 5, 2009
official monday prompt!:
Halloween costumes—well, any costumes to an extent—hold promise and escape and fantasy within them. The idea we could be someone else for a little while is enticing, particularly if that person is especially wicked in some way we don’t allow ourselves to be. I found this interesting tidbit regarding costumes:
“Although popular histories of Halloween claim that the practice goes back to ancient celebrations of Samhain, in fact there is little primary documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween before the twentieth century. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.” (courtesy of http://halloween.monstrous.com/halloween_costumes.htm)
I love the idea of hiding within the monstrous. Loads of potential there for a story, don’t you think?
“Although popular histories of Halloween claim that the practice goes back to ancient celebrations of Samhain, in fact there is little primary documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween before the twentieth century. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.” (courtesy of http://halloween.monstrous.com/halloween_costumes.htm)
I love the idea of hiding within the monstrous. Loads of potential there for a story, don’t you think?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
fiddling with scenes
i thought i'd post a scene i've written for a class i'm taking, not for any particular reason except i've realized i rarely post any of my actual writing. i admit, i'm hoarding most of it in hopes of someday getting it published in a paying forum, but i like this scene and thought you might, too.
(if you're a scribophile/writing.com buddy of mine, you may have already seen this one. :))
Buried Alive
Brady stomped the stegosaurus action figure along the mattress, its mouth pausing at my breast for a quick plastic lunch. He made a sputtering, chomping sound as he ate.
“Is that really how dinosaurs sound?” I grinned as the figurine made its way to my hip, following the curve in its ungainly exploration.
“It’s how I’d sound, if I were a stegosaurus frolicking with a beautiful naked chick.”
I giggled and tossed the toy off the bed, rolling on top of my boyfriend. Nose to nose, we breathed each other in before we kissed, my hair a curtain surrounding us to keep out the world. We heard screams outside in the dark and ignored them. Nights were quieting down, but they still found a few during their hunts; those who had chosen their hiding places poorly.
Brady and I had found an abandoned underground bunker in the city park. Everyone knew it was here. Heck, the town had memorialized it with a plaque and ceremony after World War II. Kids played on the sloped mound every Sunday afternoon, and then raced down to the swing sets as they waited for their fathers to finish grilling hotdogs. Or, they used to. Weeks ago.
We were surprised we could get in, assuming the monument would be cemented shut, or the entrance blocked off with rebar at the least. A few swings with the sledgehammer we'd found in a neighbor's garage, and we were in. We got lucky. Luckier than our families, and we didn’t think to find them until we were locked in and the feeding started in earnest. Then it was too late. We'd had to jerry-rig the door shut, wedging a stout branch against it from the inside, but so far it held.
A metallic banging broke into my reverie. I realized I’d been staring off into the dark again, leaving Brady to stroke my back and wait. The banging grew insistent.
“Hey! Open up!” A man’s voice, pitched high with fear.
Brady slid me over and covered me with the wool blanket. He sat up. “Who is it?”
A pause. “Brady? Shit, that you, man?” The man murmured something we couldn’t make out. “It’s Joe! Joe Shrike, from city works. C’mon, dude. They’re gonna be back around in a minute or two. It’s me and Molly out here. Chuck’s gone. They got him last night.”
I fumbled for his hand, finding and gripping it in mine. I hated opening that door. Even knowing people were dying out there, eaten alive by the infected, I couldn’t make myself do it.
He shook his head, the movement telegraphing down his arm, and released me. “Babe, I have to. What if they get killed because we don’t let them in?”
“What if we all get killed because you do?”
He stood and pulled on his sweatpants, and walked to the heavy steel door, listening. “I can’t live with that. We gotta try to stay human, right? Try?”
I clutched the blanket to me and bit back a protest as Brady opened up. Night air swept in, breezing over me and letting in the moonlight. God, trees. It’d been days since I’d seen them. Two figures blocked the doorway as they entered, and then Brady swung the door shut. The bunker felt smaller, now. Even breathing felt like an intrusion, we were so close to each other. I hoped the ventilation system kept working.
“Nat? That you?”
I nodded and sat up. “Hi, Joe. Molly. Sorry to hear about Chuck.”
They didn’t say anything, and I felt guilty for mentioning him off the cuff like that.
Brady said, “So, what’s it like out there? You were able to make it across the park okay, I guess?”
I heard them remove their coats and feel around for a place to sit. After they settled on some boxes against the wall, Molly answered.
“You wouldn’t believe it, Natalie. Jesus, but it’s like Armageddon out there.” She sniffled, and then started to cry. “I didn’t think we’d make it here, not when Joe almost got pulled inside Mr. Hanson’s shop. I thought we were done for.”
Joe’s shirt rustled, and I figured he was reassuring her. “It was close, Moll. But we got through.” He paused. “You guys got any light in here?”
“Heh. Sure, hang on.” Brady lit a match and then the lamp hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Firelight danced over us and the bunker, illuminating how small a space we were in, how scared we all looked. “We’re trying to save on lamp oil.”
Joe had dark smears on his shirt, and his hair stood up, crusted with blood. His eyes were hollow, and I thought shock would set in soon. God knows what he saw out there. Molly didn’t look much better, but she seemed to be clean of any wounds. Brady had noticed the same blood I did, and nodded at Joe’s head.
“You okay?” At Joe’s nod, he continued. “What happened?”
Joe sighed, and felt at his hairline with his fingertips. “At Hanson’s. We were skirting by, keeping close to the buildings, when one of them grabbed me outside his door. Fucker woulda got me, too, if Molly didn’t get him in the face first.” He smiled darkly, lifting the fireplace poker that leaned against the box next to his knee. “She kinda scraped me in the process, but damned if I’m not grateful.” His hand shook as he set the iron down. “Have anything to drink?”
Molly stared at him, her skin tight, her eyes pleading. I managed to slide on my tank top under the blanket as Joe recounted their story, and passed a thermos to them. They nodded thanks. They must be exhausted, coming down off their adrenaline high. I wondered what they’d be like after getting some sleep, and suspected they’d be near-catatonic, like we were at first. I opened a can of 1940s Spam and stuck a plastic fork into it, and offered that, too. Amazing how long that stuff lasted.
“We’ve got plenty of food, a good supply of water. What we need is a plan. We won’t last forever in here.” I started shifting boxes to make room for another cot, judiciously leaving off the end of that thought: not with four of us, now. “At least, I bet they’ll last longer out there than we will in here.”
Brady raised his eyebrows. “Maybe not. Maybe they’ll finish dying before long, especially if they run out of food.”
Joe looked dubious and passed the Spam back to Molly after a quick bite. “I don’t know. They’re pretty vigorous out there, and most of the town was wiped out in the first few days. It’s been, what, three weeks now?”
“So, what do we do?” Molly sniffled again, and I handed her a paper towel. She dabbed at her eyes with it.
We all looked at each other.
“Well, Nat and I are doing a hell of a job hiding out. I say we do that for a while longer.”
“Working for me so far,” I said. I tried a smile, but it felt stiff. “We can start serious planning in the morning, after you guys have gotten some sleep. Don’t worry, you’re safe in here.”
Molly and Joe glanced at the door and then around the interior. They nodded. Molly watched him as he laid their coats down on the narrow cot, and then settled against the wall. She lay next to him, the expression in her eyes unchanged, the tension in her face still present. I figured she’d need time to come down, for her body to unclench. I smiled, catching her eye before Brady extinguished the lamp, and for a second I saw raw fear staring back at me. She clung to the edge of the cot, tense as a board, and I wondered if she didn’t want Joe touching her. He moaned to himself, already half-asleep, and I settled back into Brady’s arms on our cot across the small quarters. We’d sort it out in the morning."
(if you're a scribophile/writing.com buddy of mine, you may have already seen this one. :))
Buried Alive
Brady stomped the stegosaurus action figure along the mattress, its mouth pausing at my breast for a quick plastic lunch. He made a sputtering, chomping sound as he ate.
“Is that really how dinosaurs sound?” I grinned as the figurine made its way to my hip, following the curve in its ungainly exploration.
“It’s how I’d sound, if I were a stegosaurus frolicking with a beautiful naked chick.”
I giggled and tossed the toy off the bed, rolling on top of my boyfriend. Nose to nose, we breathed each other in before we kissed, my hair a curtain surrounding us to keep out the world. We heard screams outside in the dark and ignored them. Nights were quieting down, but they still found a few during their hunts; those who had chosen their hiding places poorly.
Brady and I had found an abandoned underground bunker in the city park. Everyone knew it was here. Heck, the town had memorialized it with a plaque and ceremony after World War II. Kids played on the sloped mound every Sunday afternoon, and then raced down to the swing sets as they waited for their fathers to finish grilling hotdogs. Or, they used to. Weeks ago.
We were surprised we could get in, assuming the monument would be cemented shut, or the entrance blocked off with rebar at the least. A few swings with the sledgehammer we'd found in a neighbor's garage, and we were in. We got lucky. Luckier than our families, and we didn’t think to find them until we were locked in and the feeding started in earnest. Then it was too late. We'd had to jerry-rig the door shut, wedging a stout branch against it from the inside, but so far it held.
A metallic banging broke into my reverie. I realized I’d been staring off into the dark again, leaving Brady to stroke my back and wait. The banging grew insistent.
“Hey! Open up!” A man’s voice, pitched high with fear.
Brady slid me over and covered me with the wool blanket. He sat up. “Who is it?”
A pause. “Brady? Shit, that you, man?” The man murmured something we couldn’t make out. “It’s Joe! Joe Shrike, from city works. C’mon, dude. They’re gonna be back around in a minute or two. It’s me and Molly out here. Chuck’s gone. They got him last night.”
I fumbled for his hand, finding and gripping it in mine. I hated opening that door. Even knowing people were dying out there, eaten alive by the infected, I couldn’t make myself do it.
He shook his head, the movement telegraphing down his arm, and released me. “Babe, I have to. What if they get killed because we don’t let them in?”
“What if we all get killed because you do?”
He stood and pulled on his sweatpants, and walked to the heavy steel door, listening. “I can’t live with that. We gotta try to stay human, right? Try?”
I clutched the blanket to me and bit back a protest as Brady opened up. Night air swept in, breezing over me and letting in the moonlight. God, trees. It’d been days since I’d seen them. Two figures blocked the doorway as they entered, and then Brady swung the door shut. The bunker felt smaller, now. Even breathing felt like an intrusion, we were so close to each other. I hoped the ventilation system kept working.
“Nat? That you?”
I nodded and sat up. “Hi, Joe. Molly. Sorry to hear about Chuck.”
They didn’t say anything, and I felt guilty for mentioning him off the cuff like that.
Brady said, “So, what’s it like out there? You were able to make it across the park okay, I guess?”
I heard them remove their coats and feel around for a place to sit. After they settled on some boxes against the wall, Molly answered.
“You wouldn’t believe it, Natalie. Jesus, but it’s like Armageddon out there.” She sniffled, and then started to cry. “I didn’t think we’d make it here, not when Joe almost got pulled inside Mr. Hanson’s shop. I thought we were done for.”
Joe’s shirt rustled, and I figured he was reassuring her. “It was close, Moll. But we got through.” He paused. “You guys got any light in here?”
“Heh. Sure, hang on.” Brady lit a match and then the lamp hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Firelight danced over us and the bunker, illuminating how small a space we were in, how scared we all looked. “We’re trying to save on lamp oil.”
Joe had dark smears on his shirt, and his hair stood up, crusted with blood. His eyes were hollow, and I thought shock would set in soon. God knows what he saw out there. Molly didn’t look much better, but she seemed to be clean of any wounds. Brady had noticed the same blood I did, and nodded at Joe’s head.
“You okay?” At Joe’s nod, he continued. “What happened?”
Joe sighed, and felt at his hairline with his fingertips. “At Hanson’s. We were skirting by, keeping close to the buildings, when one of them grabbed me outside his door. Fucker woulda got me, too, if Molly didn’t get him in the face first.” He smiled darkly, lifting the fireplace poker that leaned against the box next to his knee. “She kinda scraped me in the process, but damned if I’m not grateful.” His hand shook as he set the iron down. “Have anything to drink?”
Molly stared at him, her skin tight, her eyes pleading. I managed to slide on my tank top under the blanket as Joe recounted their story, and passed a thermos to them. They nodded thanks. They must be exhausted, coming down off their adrenaline high. I wondered what they’d be like after getting some sleep, and suspected they’d be near-catatonic, like we were at first. I opened a can of 1940s Spam and stuck a plastic fork into it, and offered that, too. Amazing how long that stuff lasted.
“We’ve got plenty of food, a good supply of water. What we need is a plan. We won’t last forever in here.” I started shifting boxes to make room for another cot, judiciously leaving off the end of that thought: not with four of us, now. “At least, I bet they’ll last longer out there than we will in here.”
Brady raised his eyebrows. “Maybe not. Maybe they’ll finish dying before long, especially if they run out of food.”
Joe looked dubious and passed the Spam back to Molly after a quick bite. “I don’t know. They’re pretty vigorous out there, and most of the town was wiped out in the first few days. It’s been, what, three weeks now?”
“So, what do we do?” Molly sniffled again, and I handed her a paper towel. She dabbed at her eyes with it.
We all looked at each other.
“Well, Nat and I are doing a hell of a job hiding out. I say we do that for a while longer.”
“Working for me so far,” I said. I tried a smile, but it felt stiff. “We can start serious planning in the morning, after you guys have gotten some sleep. Don’t worry, you’re safe in here.”
Molly and Joe glanced at the door and then around the interior. They nodded. Molly watched him as he laid their coats down on the narrow cot, and then settled against the wall. She lay next to him, the expression in her eyes unchanged, the tension in her face still present. I figured she’d need time to come down, for her body to unclench. I smiled, catching her eye before Brady extinguished the lamp, and for a second I saw raw fear staring back at me. She clung to the edge of the cot, tense as a board, and I wondered if she didn’t want Joe touching her. He moaned to himself, already half-asleep, and I settled back into Brady’s arms on our cot across the small quarters. We’d sort it out in the morning."
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
dammit dammit dammit!
i missed Writing Prompt Monday again. *sigh* and i HAVE a calendar. and a cell phone. this is embarrassing.
okay, well, dwelling in the past only leads to carbuncles, so let's pretend i'm not a complete shillyshallier and move on:
this week's writing prompt:
http://pixdaus.com/?sort=tag&tag=lighthouse
ah, yes. the iconic lighthouse. lighthouse legends are romantic, ghostly, and the keepers swathed in a mist of nobility and sacrifice, not to mention eccentricity. all kinds of ripe for storytelling. peruse these photos and see if you don't start musing on something with hooks and crannies--and i'm not just talking about the salty sailors. ;) (http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=73948)
okay, well, dwelling in the past only leads to carbuncles, so let's pretend i'm not a complete shillyshallier and move on:
this week's writing prompt:
http://pixdaus.com/?sort=tag&tag=lighthouse
ah, yes. the iconic lighthouse. lighthouse legends are romantic, ghostly, and the keepers swathed in a mist of nobility and sacrifice, not to mention eccentricity. all kinds of ripe for storytelling. peruse these photos and see if you don't start musing on something with hooks and crannies--and i'm not just talking about the salty sailors. ;) (http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=73948)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
yesterday's prompt:
here's what i wrote on my facebook page after a friend goosed me about neglecting my prompting duties:
"ack!! i completely forgot--it's House's fault. i blame him and his stinking 2-hour premier that had me all weepy by the end. okay, here's one: you discover that the one quality that makes you different from everyone else is actually caused by a parasitic fungus growing in your brain. it will kill you eventually--and horribly--if you don't have it eradicated through invasive chemotherapy, but if the treatment's successful, you're stuck with the possibility of brain damage on top of losing that special something about yourself.
okay, i watch too much House. :)"
yes, yes. not only did i forget to find a proper prompt for the week, i decided to cut and paste the one i pulled out of my ass. now THAT's lazy.
"ack!! i completely forgot--it's House's fault. i blame him and his stinking 2-hour premier that had me all weepy by the end. okay, here's one: you discover that the one quality that makes you different from everyone else is actually caused by a parasitic fungus growing in your brain. it will kill you eventually--and horribly--if you don't have it eradicated through invasive chemotherapy, but if the treatment's successful, you're stuck with the possibility of brain damage on top of losing that special something about yourself.
okay, i watch too much House. :)"
yes, yes. not only did i forget to find a proper prompt for the week, i decided to cut and paste the one i pulled out of my ass. now THAT's lazy.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
new old digs
i've moved my computer back into the second bedroom, where i fudged together an office of sorts to write in a couple of years ago. i had shifted out to the living room months ago because i missed hanging wih my honey, but my productivity's for crap. i'm one of those people who can't concentrate with distractions, it seems. i feel isolated spending time in the back bedroom, but i have to choose priorities, and i keep putting writing on the back burner.
my output dribbled to a stop, and now my confidence suffers with it. i have the potential to be a strong writer, but i'm not there yet with story structure and discipline, and i'm not sure at all i'm going to beat the odds and end up a working novelist.
along with the flaccid productivity, i've enrolled in a writing class at the community college. i haven't submitted my best work, but still i hoped to find encouragement and some notice from the instructor, but that's not happening, either. i'm feeling pretty puny in the world of writing, to be honest.
what's interesting, though, is i feel no hesitation with hanging in there. quitting writing has crossed my mind, but only in a fleeting wisp--a mental fart that wafted away and good riddance to it. i'll never be satisfied as a hobby writer--i want to sell stories, to get my work out there to as many people as possible--but it's comforting to realize i'm unafraid to stick it out for the long haul. i may not publish my first novel before i finish school and find a teaching position at some small university somewhere, but i have faith enough in myself to believe i can make it happen if i really want to.
so, i'm back in my lil office--with my electric buddha, my desk fan, my lumpy footrest. back to climb back on that fiction pony and ride until it bucks me off. giddyap, motherhumper.
my output dribbled to a stop, and now my confidence suffers with it. i have the potential to be a strong writer, but i'm not there yet with story structure and discipline, and i'm not sure at all i'm going to beat the odds and end up a working novelist.
along with the flaccid productivity, i've enrolled in a writing class at the community college. i haven't submitted my best work, but still i hoped to find encouragement and some notice from the instructor, but that's not happening, either. i'm feeling pretty puny in the world of writing, to be honest.
what's interesting, though, is i feel no hesitation with hanging in there. quitting writing has crossed my mind, but only in a fleeting wisp--a mental fart that wafted away and good riddance to it. i'll never be satisfied as a hobby writer--i want to sell stories, to get my work out there to as many people as possible--but it's comforting to realize i'm unafraid to stick it out for the long haul. i may not publish my first novel before i finish school and find a teaching position at some small university somewhere, but i have faith enough in myself to believe i can make it happen if i really want to.
so, i'm back in my lil office--with my electric buddha, my desk fan, my lumpy footrest. back to climb back on that fiction pony and ride until it bucks me off. giddyap, motherhumper.
Monday, September 14, 2009
official monday writing prompt(s)
hi, all--
this month's writer's digest special issue is on writing prompts and creativity. woop! here are a few to hold you until you can get to the store and check it out for yourself:
"During his third night out of town, a traveling businessman discovers a voodoo doll in his hotel room."
"Out of curiosity, a medical student attempts to reanimate her dead cat."
"While on a camping trip, a little boy strays from his family and happens upon a carnival in the middle of nowhere."
"A little girl turns into an elephant."
i'll probably be listing more a few at a time--let me know if any of them strike you.
this month's writer's digest special issue is on writing prompts and creativity. woop! here are a few to hold you until you can get to the store and check it out for yourself:
"During his third night out of town, a traveling businessman discovers a voodoo doll in his hotel room."
"Out of curiosity, a medical student attempts to reanimate her dead cat."
"While on a camping trip, a little boy strays from his family and happens upon a carnival in the middle of nowhere."
"A little girl turns into an elephant."
i'll probably be listing more a few at a time--let me know if any of them strike you.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
to nano or not to nano
you've probably heard of (or participated in, even) the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? if not, check it out here:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
the founder and organizer, Chris Baty, also wrote a guide to writing a novel in 30 days: "No Plot? No Problem!" (isbn#0811845052): http://www.amazon.com/No-Plot-Problem-Low-Stress-High-Velocity/dp/0811845052/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
gimmicky, right? but it works. if you follow the guide and the spirit of the adventure, you'll have a complete story arc reaching 50K words by the end of november. it'll need a lot of work before it's a finished novel, but you'll have written down the bones of the thing--amazing. several well-known writers have completed novels this way, and even better, published them. (you'd have to visit the nano site for details on that.)
i've completed NaNo projects for the past two years, and i'd assumed i'd be working on editing the two novels i have, rather than racking up yet another unfinished novel to store away and stare at. i sigh a lot, staring at my unfinished novels. i kept telling myself that i need to buckle down, get these done before haring off on any new, exciting writing adventures.
but then, i asked myself, "why be so hard on myself, self?"
so, what? i've got two unfinished novels waiting for me. november comes around once a year, and the momentum i get from sharing the crazy with hundreds of thousands of people all over the world results in huge amounts of writing. it's stressful, and grueling, and . . . fun!
plus, professional writers often gross a higher daily word count than the nano requires (about 1700 words a day, i think--don't trust me to get the math right), and experiencing that level of output is invigorating. even if it is crap. doesn't matter!! (well, it matters in the long run, but in the first-draft stage? naw. not so much.)
so, what'd i decide for this year? i can feel november looming, its domed head breaching the calendular horizon. what should i do? splurge in another month of abandon, of creative whimsy and ludricrous plot twists? or buckle down, be responsible, trudge along on my existing novels which cry out for help in feeble whimpers from my laptop files? i think we all know which way i'm leaning right now.
and you know what? i can always buckle down eleven months of the year. that's where i need to improve my work ethics, dammit. November's for NaNoWriMo!!!! who's with me???
*picture me astride a fidgety horse with my face in war paint, a tartan draped over my shoulder*
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
the founder and organizer, Chris Baty, also wrote a guide to writing a novel in 30 days: "No Plot? No Problem!" (isbn#0811845052): http://www.amazon.com/No-Plot-Problem-Low-Stress-High-Velocity/dp/0811845052/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
gimmicky, right? but it works. if you follow the guide and the spirit of the adventure, you'll have a complete story arc reaching 50K words by the end of november. it'll need a lot of work before it's a finished novel, but you'll have written down the bones of the thing--amazing. several well-known writers have completed novels this way, and even better, published them. (you'd have to visit the nano site for details on that.)
i've completed NaNo projects for the past two years, and i'd assumed i'd be working on editing the two novels i have, rather than racking up yet another unfinished novel to store away and stare at. i sigh a lot, staring at my unfinished novels. i kept telling myself that i need to buckle down, get these done before haring off on any new, exciting writing adventures.
but then, i asked myself, "why be so hard on myself, self?"
so, what? i've got two unfinished novels waiting for me. november comes around once a year, and the momentum i get from sharing the crazy with hundreds of thousands of people all over the world results in huge amounts of writing. it's stressful, and grueling, and . . . fun!
plus, professional writers often gross a higher daily word count than the nano requires (about 1700 words a day, i think--don't trust me to get the math right), and experiencing that level of output is invigorating. even if it is crap. doesn't matter!! (well, it matters in the long run, but in the first-draft stage? naw. not so much.)
so, what'd i decide for this year? i can feel november looming, its domed head breaching the calendular horizon. what should i do? splurge in another month of abandon, of creative whimsy and ludricrous plot twists? or buckle down, be responsible, trudge along on my existing novels which cry out for help in feeble whimpers from my laptop files? i think we all know which way i'm leaning right now.
and you know what? i can always buckle down eleven months of the year. that's where i need to improve my work ethics, dammit. November's for NaNoWriMo!!!! who's with me???
*picture me astride a fidgety horse with my face in war paint, a tartan draped over my shoulder*
Monday, September 7, 2009
monday writing prompt
official monday prompt:
we're creeping toward Fall, toward the time of year where the natural world slips into drowsy lock-down, waiting for Winter. Hallowe'en's right around the corner, and my inspiration turns toward darker thoughts:
"You, too, wander about the graveyard silent and pensive. Your ear is conscious of the gentle echoes of deep groans and tears, while your eyes rest on rich monuments, and modest wooden crosses; and the unmarked tombs of strangers, covering their dead, who were strangers when living, unmarked, unobserved. And you read the inscriptions on the monuments, and all these people who have disappeared from the world rise up in your imagination. You see them young, laughing, loving; you see them hale, loquacious, insolently confident in the endlessness of life.
And they are dead."
Leonid Andreyev, from "Stepping-Stones", published in "The Little Angel", Knopf, 1916. (courtesy of www.ligotti.net)
we're creeping toward Fall, toward the time of year where the natural world slips into drowsy lock-down, waiting for Winter. Hallowe'en's right around the corner, and my inspiration turns toward darker thoughts:
"You, too, wander about the graveyard silent and pensive. Your ear is conscious of the gentle echoes of deep groans and tears, while your eyes rest on rich monuments, and modest wooden crosses; and the unmarked tombs of strangers, covering their dead, who were strangers when living, unmarked, unobserved. And you read the inscriptions on the monuments, and all these people who have disappeared from the world rise up in your imagination. You see them young, laughing, loving; you see them hale, loquacious, insolently confident in the endlessness of life.
And they are dead."
Leonid Andreyev, from "Stepping-Stones", published in "The Little Angel", Knopf, 1916. (courtesy of www.ligotti.net)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
poem as writing prompt
i like writing that sinks me into another perspective, one that i might not experience on my own. i was trolling poetry sites, and came across this one:
"I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
I, too, am America."
"I, Too" by Langston Hughes
I'd forgotten about this poem, but it hits just as hard as the first time. Love it.
"I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
I, too, am America."
"I, Too" by Langston Hughes
I'd forgotten about this poem, but it hits just as hard as the first time. Love it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
monday writing prompt!!
official monday prompt:
i'm a sucker for lyrics. maybe it's how they hit strung together with the music, but sometimes a certain song will just settle into me like home. i've never been to either carolina, but ryan adams makes me want to belong there:
"Oh My Sweet Carolina lyrics
I went down to Houston
And I stopped in San Antone
I passed up the station for the bus
I was trying to find me something
But I wasn't sure just what
Man I ended up with pockets full of dust
So I went on to Cleveland and I ended up insane
I bought a borrowed suit and learned to dance
I was spending money like the way it likes to rain
Man I ended up with pockets full of cane
Oh my sweet Carolina
What compels me to go
Oh my sweet disposition
May you one day carry me home
I ain't never been to Vegas but I gambled up my life
Building newsprint boats I race to sewer mains
Was trying to find me something but I wasn't sure just what
Funny how they say that some things never change
Oh my sweet Carolina
What compels me to go
Oh my sweet disposition
May you one day carry me home
Up here in the city feels like things are closing in
The sunsets just my light bulb burning out
I miss Kentucky and I miss my family
All the sweetest winds they blow across the south
Oh my sweet Carolina
What compels me to go
Oh my sweet disposition
May you one day carry me home
May you one day carry me home"
voice of an angel, that man. a foul-mouthed, pissy, egotistical angel.
here's a link, if you'd like to hear the song. a wonderful duet with emmylou harris, another singing angel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMZYRvDvgT4
so, a sense of place. we all try to set a scene, a tone, in our stories. how often do we try to place a setting so strong it becomes a character in its own right? how often do we try to create a sense of a place we've never been?
i'm a sucker for lyrics. maybe it's how they hit strung together with the music, but sometimes a certain song will just settle into me like home. i've never been to either carolina, but ryan adams makes me want to belong there:
"Oh My Sweet Carolina lyrics
I went down to Houston
And I stopped in San Antone
I passed up the station for the bus
I was trying to find me something
But I wasn't sure just what
Man I ended up with pockets full of dust
So I went on to Cleveland and I ended up insane
I bought a borrowed suit and learned to dance
I was spending money like the way it likes to rain
Man I ended up with pockets full of cane
Oh my sweet Carolina
What compels me to go
Oh my sweet disposition
May you one day carry me home
I ain't never been to Vegas but I gambled up my life
Building newsprint boats I race to sewer mains
Was trying to find me something but I wasn't sure just what
Funny how they say that some things never change
Oh my sweet Carolina
What compels me to go
Oh my sweet disposition
May you one day carry me home
Up here in the city feels like things are closing in
The sunsets just my light bulb burning out
I miss Kentucky and I miss my family
All the sweetest winds they blow across the south
Oh my sweet Carolina
What compels me to go
Oh my sweet disposition
May you one day carry me home
May you one day carry me home"
voice of an angel, that man. a foul-mouthed, pissy, egotistical angel.
here's a link, if you'd like to hear the song. a wonderful duet with emmylou harris, another singing angel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMZYRvDvgT4
so, a sense of place. we all try to set a scene, a tone, in our stories. how often do we try to place a setting so strong it becomes a character in its own right? how often do we try to create a sense of a place we've never been?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
making real progress?
i woke up this morning, after several days of not sleeping so well (minor health issues), and my head was racing with ideas for my novel--i made notes, and some of them are meaty, add something important to the overall theme and foreshadowing to larger events. the cool thing is, that's never happened to me before. the waking up to automatic ideas. i wonder if maybe having this story in the back of my mind all the time is creating a subconscious flow. a trickle most of the time, but my brain's chewing on this project even when i'm not aware of it. that'd be super cool, because i've had trouble conceptualizing such a large story arc, and my brain helping rather than hindering may signal the turning point. maybe i'm beginning to wrap my head around this thing; and thank goodness. i only hope that once i finish this novel the next one moves faster, since i'll know how it all works together.
i'm curious--those of you who have finished your first novels, how did it go? what was progress like for you, and how long did it take?
i'm curious--those of you who have finished your first novels, how did it go? what was progress like for you, and how long did it take?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
everything you wanted to know about writing
but were afraid to ask. a friend recommended to me a book about writing:
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing
by Meg Leder, Jack Heffron and the editors of Writer's Digest
ISBN#1582971595
i've started it, and lo, in the first chapter have discovered a plotting concept new to me: situation vs complication (pp. 14-16.)
we've all read that conflict is essential to good storytelling. we need something to get wrapped up in, something to keep the tension going. what's interesting about this 'situation vs complication' bit is that, while some writers take for granted what creates momentum in their story, figuring a character's divorce/alien abduction/demonic possession/etc. automatically does the trick, it's actually a bit more involved than that.
we need a situation with potential for this magical conflict, and we also need for our character(s) to be personally invested in the outcome--and we need to build and support that connection.
situation: josie finds herself instantaneously transported onto the bridge of the SS Flargleblastroid spacecruiser.
complication: while we might assume josie would be disturbed by this development, we can't be sure unless josie has a vested interest in not being there, or wants to be there but disagrees with the space captain's mission to vaporize all of Earth's puppies, or thinks the captain's tentacles are very sexy, and he's just not that into her. all of these wrinkles create conflict, but it doesn't become a bona-fide complication until josie is compelled to stay and resolve the situation. if she can walk away without sacrificing something meaningful, the tension isn't there--an easy answer stares us in the face while josie thrashes about. plot credibility is ruined.
seems obvious, i know. but how many books have you read that didn't create this developed a level of commitment in its characters to their situation? sadly, i've read a few that i found on the bookstore shelves. each new tidbit i pick up helps me not to make mistakes like this, and encourages me to keep working away. excellent! i only wish those writers whose books i read had learned about this stuff, too.
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing
by Meg Leder, Jack Heffron and the editors of Writer's Digest
ISBN#1582971595
i've started it, and lo, in the first chapter have discovered a plotting concept new to me: situation vs complication (pp. 14-16.)
we've all read that conflict is essential to good storytelling. we need something to get wrapped up in, something to keep the tension going. what's interesting about this 'situation vs complication' bit is that, while some writers take for granted what creates momentum in their story, figuring a character's divorce/alien abduction/demonic possession/etc. automatically does the trick, it's actually a bit more involved than that.
we need a situation with potential for this magical conflict, and we also need for our character(s) to be personally invested in the outcome--and we need to build and support that connection.
situation: josie finds herself instantaneously transported onto the bridge of the SS Flargleblastroid spacecruiser.
complication: while we might assume josie would be disturbed by this development, we can't be sure unless josie has a vested interest in not being there, or wants to be there but disagrees with the space captain's mission to vaporize all of Earth's puppies, or thinks the captain's tentacles are very sexy, and he's just not that into her. all of these wrinkles create conflict, but it doesn't become a bona-fide complication until josie is compelled to stay and resolve the situation. if she can walk away without sacrificing something meaningful, the tension isn't there--an easy answer stares us in the face while josie thrashes about. plot credibility is ruined.
seems obvious, i know. but how many books have you read that didn't create this developed a level of commitment in its characters to their situation? sadly, i've read a few that i found on the bookstore shelves. each new tidbit i pick up helps me not to make mistakes like this, and encourages me to keep working away. excellent! i only wish those writers whose books i read had learned about this stuff, too.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
feeling a bit bunged up, are we?
anyone who knows me knows i've been batting like a kitten at my first novel for the past two years--egads--determined but lost as a skink at a marmoset sleepover. at least, that's what i tell myself.
"O, but if i only knew how to work this novelling magic!! If only, i would achieve GENIUS!!!" thrusts fist into the air. "GENIUS, i tells ya!"
yyyeah. i'm learning more and more that writing is about sticktuitiveness as much as or more than creative greatness, and hitting that wall over and over is forcing me to question the whole shebang. but i don't give up completely, because that would leave me feeling even more lost than i do in the struggle--in "the shit", to be blunt and colorful.
so i spent a few minutes searching for answers, or inspiration, or a really good fish & chips recipe--because working on the next chapter would be useful--and i found this:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-3-Creative-Sinkholes&id=2344791
Valery Satterwhite discusses aspects of our lives and selves that sabotage accessing our creative GENIUS, and i'm not even exaggerating. i agree with her points, as much as it means i may have to face some prickly truths about myself. i mean, i like being comfortable. but i can't deny that considering the possibility of my own latent conflict of self interest leaves me a bit fidgety. hitting close to the bone? mebbe.
what say you? are you sabotaging your own path to greatness?
ps--for that awesome fish recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fish-and-chips-recipe/index.html
"O, but if i only knew how to work this novelling magic!! If only, i would achieve GENIUS!!!" thrusts fist into the air. "GENIUS, i tells ya!"
yyyeah. i'm learning more and more that writing is about sticktuitiveness as much as or more than creative greatness, and hitting that wall over and over is forcing me to question the whole shebang. but i don't give up completely, because that would leave me feeling even more lost than i do in the struggle--in "the shit", to be blunt and colorful.
so i spent a few minutes searching for answers, or inspiration, or a really good fish & chips recipe--because working on the next chapter would be useful--and i found this:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-3-Creative-Sinkholes&id=2344791
Valery Satterwhite discusses aspects of our lives and selves that sabotage accessing our creative GENIUS, and i'm not even exaggerating. i agree with her points, as much as it means i may have to face some prickly truths about myself. i mean, i like being comfortable. but i can't deny that considering the possibility of my own latent conflict of self interest leaves me a bit fidgety. hitting close to the bone? mebbe.
what say you? are you sabotaging your own path to greatness?
ps--for that awesome fish recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fish-and-chips-recipe/index.html
Monday, August 10, 2009
answering the buzzing brain
official monday prompt:
i found this link, which explains automatic writing. direct, subconscious writing that may (or may not) reach your pure self and bring out its truest expression. i bet you've got some freaky deaky in there; i'm curious about what comes out when you try this technique. go, surrealists, go!!
http://www.languageisavirus.com/articles/articles.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1099110599&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
i found this link, which explains automatic writing. direct, subconscious writing that may (or may not) reach your pure self and bring out its truest expression. i bet you've got some freaky deaky in there; i'm curious about what comes out when you try this technique. go, surrealists, go!!
http://www.languageisavirus.com/articles/articles.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1099110599&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
Sunday, August 9, 2009
contest win!
i found out recently i've been chosen as the winner in a site contest administered by www.reviewfuse.com. awesome!
i'd be excited anyway, but the reason i'm particularly pleased is how the contest is judged:
*stage one--> the top-rated three stories are read and judged by the site admins.
*stage two--> each submission in the contest requires the author also critique stories. the site admins read and judge those critiques for helpfulness and thoroughness.
so, winning requires relative skill at both writing and giving feedback to other writers--my kinda contest!
the official results will be posted tomorrow, aug 10th, in the site blog. i'm sure they'd love for a few unexpected visitors. :)
i'd be excited anyway, but the reason i'm particularly pleased is how the contest is judged:
*stage one--> the top-rated three stories are read and judged by the site admins.
*stage two--> each submission in the contest requires the author also critique stories. the site admins read and judge those critiques for helpfulness and thoroughness.
so, winning requires relative skill at both writing and giving feedback to other writers--my kinda contest!
the official results will be posted tomorrow, aug 10th, in the site blog. i'm sure they'd love for a few unexpected visitors. :)
Monday, August 3, 2009
prompting.
official monday prompt:
i love the word "cusp."
it's just a great word--and the meaning is cool in many different contexts. you've got the cusp of adulthood, the cusp of aquarius, bi-cuspid (okay, i cheated on that one.) but really, it's a cool word. and it feels good in the mouth.
what words do it for you? words that feel packed with power and potential, that feel like you could make some great metaphors from them? go play, and see what unexpected connections you make.
i love the word "cusp."
it's just a great word--and the meaning is cool in many different contexts. you've got the cusp of adulthood, the cusp of aquarius, bi-cuspid (okay, i cheated on that one.) but really, it's a cool word. and it feels good in the mouth.
what words do it for you? words that feel packed with power and potential, that feel like you could make some great metaphors from them? go play, and see what unexpected connections you make.
Friday, July 31, 2009
pleasantly surprised and mildly deflated
it always surprises me, this resurgence of will for writing. no matter how disillusioned, how tired or discouraged i become and tell myself to take a break, not to pressure myself so much--i always return. i can't seem to make myself work on the novel, but this seems to be more of a self-confidence problem than a writing lust problem. no fix for that but to jump in and fricking do the thing, i think. *sigh*
a friend recently suggested i schedule one day a week to work exclusively on the novel--no matter what, if only for an hour or two. i want to try this; progress is progress, and a whole hog's butt better than what's happening now.
i wonder sometimes about fixing up my short fiction and submitting collections for publication, too--one horror collection, one magical realism. i know getting short fiction collections is even more difficult than novels, but i have the stories written. i know how to edit short fiction.
one thing i've noticed is my waning interest in critiquing others' work--for me, critiquing takes much more energy than writing. i need to project myself into the writer's mind, to intuit their intentions versus the product, and gauge whether they've achieved their goals with the work and if not, why? and if so, how? it's a lot of thinking, and each new critique reveals to me my own weaknesses with story structure. also, it's difficult to keep putting effort into critiques for people when i rarely receive one more than a step above, "dude, this was cool. rock on!"--on www.writing.com--not helpful, although i appreciate the sentiment.
even my goto critique site, www.scribophile.com, has its limits; and i notice myself posting for my critique fix and then feeling bitter because i just don't get the rush i used to from receiving critiques. i need to step back from so much interaction and focus on deepening my stories. and, of course, facing my novel demons. gack. well, i hope the writing life is good for everyone here, amidst the ups & downs. i admire you all, who plod onward in your effort to connect with readers everywhere.
a friend recently suggested i schedule one day a week to work exclusively on the novel--no matter what, if only for an hour or two. i want to try this; progress is progress, and a whole hog's butt better than what's happening now.
i wonder sometimes about fixing up my short fiction and submitting collections for publication, too--one horror collection, one magical realism. i know getting short fiction collections is even more difficult than novels, but i have the stories written. i know how to edit short fiction.
one thing i've noticed is my waning interest in critiquing others' work--for me, critiquing takes much more energy than writing. i need to project myself into the writer's mind, to intuit their intentions versus the product, and gauge whether they've achieved their goals with the work and if not, why? and if so, how? it's a lot of thinking, and each new critique reveals to me my own weaknesses with story structure. also, it's difficult to keep putting effort into critiques for people when i rarely receive one more than a step above, "dude, this was cool. rock on!"--on www.writing.com--not helpful, although i appreciate the sentiment.
even my goto critique site, www.scribophile.com, has its limits; and i notice myself posting for my critique fix and then feeling bitter because i just don't get the rush i used to from receiving critiques. i need to step back from so much interaction and focus on deepening my stories. and, of course, facing my novel demons. gack. well, i hope the writing life is good for everyone here, amidst the ups & downs. i admire you all, who plod onward in your effort to connect with readers everywhere.
Monday, July 27, 2009
the corn conspiracy
official monday prompt:
i've been perusing ted.com again. love that site. great for thinking about topics i wouldn't otherwise encounter. like, here's one that struck me:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view.html
michael pollan ("The Omnivore's Dilemma", "The Botany of Desire") speaks about agriculture in a way that most people haven't considered: what if, instead of mankind manipulating the crops, the crops are manipulating mankind? silly, right? well, give michael a listen and see where you are.
great exercise in shifting perspective.
i've been perusing ted.com again. love that site. great for thinking about topics i wouldn't otherwise encounter. like, here's one that struck me:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view.html
michael pollan ("The Omnivore's Dilemma", "The Botany of Desire") speaks about agriculture in a way that most people haven't considered: what if, instead of mankind manipulating the crops, the crops are manipulating mankind? silly, right? well, give michael a listen and see where you are.
great exercise in shifting perspective.
Monday, July 6, 2009
it's prompt monday!
official monday prompt:
this week, try exploring the first kiss. can be romantic, sure. but how else could it be? terrifying? disgusting? hilarious? parasitic? i'm just sayin'.
i challenge you to evoke this universal first experience, but to do it without resorting to the cliche. make us live this kiss in all its technicolor glory.
this week, try exploring the first kiss. can be romantic, sure. but how else could it be? terrifying? disgusting? hilarious? parasitic? i'm just sayin'.
i challenge you to evoke this universal first experience, but to do it without resorting to the cliche. make us live this kiss in all its technicolor glory.
Monday, June 29, 2009
monday prompt!
hi, all--
it's monday! here's your prompt:
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=118145#read_c
i love old photos of a time long past--people may not change much over the years, but i enjoy glimpses into how we used to live. how we dressed, how we got around, clues into what life was like for different kinds of people; those captured moments that give us a snapshot of flavor. i like imagining what the people in the photographs were thinking at that moment.
if you follow the link and scan down the page, after the photo of ww2 normandy, there are several other photos to choose from--different places, different times. all feel evocative to me. maybe one will grab you?
it's monday! here's your prompt:
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=118145#read_c
i love old photos of a time long past--people may not change much over the years, but i enjoy glimpses into how we used to live. how we dressed, how we got around, clues into what life was like for different kinds of people; those captured moments that give us a snapshot of flavor. i like imagining what the people in the photographs were thinking at that moment.
if you follow the link and scan down the page, after the photo of ww2 normandy, there are several other photos to choose from--different places, different times. all feel evocative to me. maybe one will grab you?
Monday, June 22, 2009
writing prompt alert!
official monday prompt:
Here’s a fun exercise in brainstorming: (if you can do this with a friend or two, it’s even more fun. )
1. Out of the air, pick several professions. Doesn’t matter what. Bricklayer, clergy, assassin, art restorer, whatev. List a bunch. Write them down on small bits of paper and fold so you can’t read them by accident.
2. Out of the same air, list several different emotions. Be careful to list only emotions, and not needs (ie, hunger), and take a few minutes to give yourself a nice array to choose from. Write these down & fold them, too.
3. One more time with plucking inspiration from the air, jot down several different settings. Be specific. “Texas” is a setting, but maybe “roadkill barbecue cookoff” might work better here. Let yourself be silly, serious, and everywhere in between. Write ‘em down, bits of paper. Fold ‘em.
4. Okay, now, mix all the bits of paper up in a pile (or hat or bucket, or whatever,) and blindly choose several bits of paper. Maybe five or six. Lay them out, and hopefully you’ll have a mix of all three categories. It’s okay if you have a more lopsided representation of one over another, but at least one from each is good.
5. Write your story using these establishing criteria. Even if it seems nuts, or if the finished story is wildly different from where you started, it’s cool. You’re writing, right?
Aaaaand, go!! Let me know what you get!
Here’s a fun exercise in brainstorming: (if you can do this with a friend or two, it’s even more fun. )
1. Out of the air, pick several professions. Doesn’t matter what. Bricklayer, clergy, assassin, art restorer, whatev. List a bunch. Write them down on small bits of paper and fold so you can’t read them by accident.
2. Out of the same air, list several different emotions. Be careful to list only emotions, and not needs (ie, hunger), and take a few minutes to give yourself a nice array to choose from. Write these down & fold them, too.
3. One more time with plucking inspiration from the air, jot down several different settings. Be specific. “Texas” is a setting, but maybe “roadkill barbecue cookoff” might work better here. Let yourself be silly, serious, and everywhere in between. Write ‘em down, bits of paper. Fold ‘em.
4. Okay, now, mix all the bits of paper up in a pile (or hat or bucket, or whatever,) and blindly choose several bits of paper. Maybe five or six. Lay them out, and hopefully you’ll have a mix of all three categories. It’s okay if you have a more lopsided representation of one over another, but at least one from each is good.
5. Write your story using these establishing criteria. Even if it seems nuts, or if the finished story is wildly different from where you started, it’s cool. You’re writing, right?
Aaaaand, go!! Let me know what you get!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
from the rooftops
what's happening in iran. this poem captures the hope and terror beautifully.
http://poem-of-the-week.blogspot.com/2009/06/anonymous-poem-from-iran.html
make sure to listen to the woman reading and not rely solely on her words. her voice fills the spaces between.
http://poem-of-the-week.blogspot.com/2009/06/anonymous-poem-from-iran.html
make sure to listen to the woman reading and not rely solely on her words. her voice fills the spaces between.
Friday, June 19, 2009
great poetry
a list of my favorite poets would have to include wendell berry, mary oliver, anna swir, and lori coale. you might be asking, "lori coale?" yep. lori coale.
she hits hard with emotional truth and wisdom and images that make my mouth dry. i wish i could do what she does, but instead i read her poetry and dream:
http://www.2river.org/2RView/13_4/poems/coale.html
she's returning to the published world after a hiatus, so take a moment and read these two poems. see if you feel as starry-eyed as i do.
she hits hard with emotional truth and wisdom and images that make my mouth dry. i wish i could do what she does, but instead i read her poetry and dream:
http://www.2river.org/2RView/13_4/poems/coale.html
she's returning to the published world after a hiatus, so take a moment and read these two poems. see if you feel as starry-eyed as i do.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
*sigh*
am i fiddling right now? i abstain from answering that question on the grounds i may incriminate myself.
http://writetodone.com/2009/06/17/how-to-stop-digital-fiddling-and-start-writing/
good stuff that goes down like a jagged rock followed with a witch hazel chaser.
http://writetodone.com/2009/06/17/how-to-stop-digital-fiddling-and-start-writing/
good stuff that goes down like a jagged rock followed with a witch hazel chaser.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
fellow writer's book giveaway
give it a gander, yo:
http://suzanne-hartmann2.blogspot.com/2009/06/contest-win-free-book.html
you have until friday, june 26th to enter. suzanne's written some great articles on rules of writing, and her blog's definitely worth checking out. jump on over, and maybe even win a free book.
http://suzanne-hartmann2.blogspot.com/2009/06/contest-win-free-book.html
you have until friday, june 26th to enter. suzanne's written some great articles on rules of writing, and her blog's definitely worth checking out. jump on over, and maybe even win a free book.
Monday, June 15, 2009
angry clown shoes
official monday prompt!!
this week i'm exploring the ridiculous, the absurd, the fabulousness of satire. give this video a quick gander:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/conservatives_warn_quick_sex?utm_source=b-section
nobody does it better than the onion.
as jon stewart said: "I think of myself as a comedian who has the pleasure of writing jokes about things that I actually care about. And that's really it. You know, if I really wanted to enact social change… I have great respect for people who are in the front lines and the trenches of trying to enact social change. I am far lazier than that.
I am a tiny, neurotic man, standing in the back of the room throwing tomatoes at the chalk board. And that's really it. And what we do is we come in in the morning and we go, 'Did you see that thing last night? Aahh!' And then we spend the next 8 or 9 hours trying to take this and make it into something funny." (http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_stewart.html)
satire is extremely difficult to write well--almost as hard as writing a good love scene. but give it a go. and dang, if you can combine the two and make me laugh, you'll have earned yourself a special surprise from my coffers. i promise it'll be worth nothing on ebay. :)
this week i'm exploring the ridiculous, the absurd, the fabulousness of satire. give this video a quick gander:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/conservatives_warn_quick_sex?utm_source=b-section
nobody does it better than the onion.
as jon stewart said: "I think of myself as a comedian who has the pleasure of writing jokes about things that I actually care about. And that's really it. You know, if I really wanted to enact social change… I have great respect for people who are in the front lines and the trenches of trying to enact social change. I am far lazier than that.
I am a tiny, neurotic man, standing in the back of the room throwing tomatoes at the chalk board. And that's really it. And what we do is we come in in the morning and we go, 'Did you see that thing last night? Aahh!' And then we spend the next 8 or 9 hours trying to take this and make it into something funny." (http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_stewart.html)
satire is extremely difficult to write well--almost as hard as writing a good love scene. but give it a go. and dang, if you can combine the two and make me laugh, you'll have earned yourself a special surprise from my coffers. i promise it'll be worth nothing on ebay. :)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
useful, pithy, and by stephen king.
http://mikeshea.net/Everything_You_Need_to_Kn.html
follow the link to an article stephen king wrote about getting published. short and practical, and i feel like i'm sitting on unca steve's lap when i read it. particularly interesting to me is his thinking about the questionable necessity of finding an agent as a new writer. hmm.
follow the link to an article stephen king wrote about getting published. short and practical, and i feel like i'm sitting on unca steve's lap when i read it. particularly interesting to me is his thinking about the questionable necessity of finding an agent as a new writer. hmm.
Alien Skin Magazine
published one of my stories in their June/July issue. yay!!
here's a quick link for you: http://alienskinmag.com/flash17.htm
one more notch on my writing post, and i'm a little extra proud of this one, since it's one of my earlier stories. please check it out.
and once you're there, stick around and read some of the other stories offered up this issue--good stuff!
here's a quick link for you: http://alienskinmag.com/flash17.htm
one more notch on my writing post, and i'm a little extra proud of this one, since it's one of my earlier stories. please check it out.
and once you're there, stick around and read some of the other stories offered up this issue--good stuff!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
tonight i write about mutant bugs.
thank god my dry spell is over. my confidence wavered a bit over the last couple of months; different factors why, not important. what is news: i'm back! yay!
i'm writing short fiction again on a weekly basis, and i'm finally delving back into the first novel.
i attended a writers' conference a couple weekends ago--my first--and the experience was exhilarating and intimidating and overall life-changing. i wish i could say i exaggerate, but all weekend my outer shell (the one i use to keep everyone from knowing my every thought and mood) was gossamer thin. i was able to make it through without show-stopping outbursts, but barely. i felt more alive those two days than i have in a long, long time. i guess i could say i'm re-energized, re-dedicated.
i'm going to finish this novel, and it's going to be good. and i'll do my damnedest to sell the thing while i finish my second. but for tonight, i promised someone a flash story about mutant bugs. :D
i'm writing short fiction again on a weekly basis, and i'm finally delving back into the first novel.
i attended a writers' conference a couple weekends ago--my first--and the experience was exhilarating and intimidating and overall life-changing. i wish i could say i exaggerate, but all weekend my outer shell (the one i use to keep everyone from knowing my every thought and mood) was gossamer thin. i was able to make it through without show-stopping outbursts, but barely. i felt more alive those two days than i have in a long, long time. i guess i could say i'm re-energized, re-dedicated.
i'm going to finish this novel, and it's going to be good. and i'll do my damnedest to sell the thing while i finish my second. but for tonight, i promised someone a flash story about mutant bugs. :D
Monday, June 8, 2009
food, shelter, clothing, writing.
monday prompt deliciousness:
i've been thinking about food lately. well, let's be honest. i pretty much think about food period. but the connection we have to food, both as a source of life and nourishment, of comfort and sensual delights, of lessons like self-discipline ("eat your veggies") and sharing.
so many stories have used food as an essential element. the one that jumps into my head right off (of course) is laura esquivel's like water for chocolate. magical and romantic and passionate. ooh! and the movie "big night" --evocative of a particular time and place and italian immigrant culture; and the culinary creations in that film are heartbreaking in their artistry. my favorite scene? the very last, for its simplicity and truth, and how that symbolism comes through in the plain omelet cooked with a fork and served up with a hunk of fresh bread.
find a way to incorporate food into a story so that it feels integral to the telling--either in tone, in metaphor, or maybe even as a character itself. i dunno. play around with it.
i've been thinking about food lately. well, let's be honest. i pretty much think about food period. but the connection we have to food, both as a source of life and nourishment, of comfort and sensual delights, of lessons like self-discipline ("eat your veggies") and sharing.
so many stories have used food as an essential element. the one that jumps into my head right off (of course) is laura esquivel's like water for chocolate. magical and romantic and passionate. ooh! and the movie "big night" --evocative of a particular time and place and italian immigrant culture; and the culinary creations in that film are heartbreaking in their artistry. my favorite scene? the very last, for its simplicity and truth, and how that symbolism comes through in the plain omelet cooked with a fork and served up with a hunk of fresh bread.
find a way to incorporate food into a story so that it feels integral to the telling--either in tone, in metaphor, or maybe even as a character itself. i dunno. play around with it.
Monday, May 25, 2009
monday writing prompt!!
okay, here's what you do:
1. go to your bookshelf/bookbox/bookpile/bookheap, etc and choose a novel at random. must be a novel.
2. open the book at random, and choose a sentence at random. read it.
3. use it.
here's mine: "Viking peered through the vast cloud of smoke and the heady perfume of spilled beer and various liquors." (p. 98, Writ in Blood #0515139688)
1. go to your bookshelf/bookbox/bookpile/bookheap, etc and choose a novel at random. must be a novel.
2. open the book at random, and choose a sentence at random. read it.
3. use it.
here's mine: "Viking peered through the vast cloud of smoke and the heady perfume of spilled beer and various liquors." (p. 98, Writ in Blood #0515139688)
www.bookrix.com
bookrix.com is an international site designed for writers, aspiring and otherwise, to connect and share their work. i've been a member (memberships are free!) for a few months, and while the site is still new and working to inspire more activity in the forums, i am optimistic.
if you're interested in recent press: http://bookrix.com/pressreview.html?lang=en
i've also just found out the site blog is beginning to feature authors who post their work. i've been selected to share some of my story and writing philosophy, and i'd love for everyone to visit and check it out: http://blog.bookrix.com/
i've been told my time in the bookrix sun is slated for tomorrow, may 26th.
woohoo!!
(edit--here's the direct link: http://blog.bookrix.com/2009/05/26/featured-bookrix-author-laurie-paulsen/)
even if reading about me blathering on does nothing for you, i do invite you to check out the site--it's a good idea, and could only benefit from more writers joining up and sharing.
if you're interested in recent press: http://bookrix.com/pressreview.html?lang=en
i've also just found out the site blog is beginning to feature authors who post their work. i've been selected to share some of my story and writing philosophy, and i'd love for everyone to visit and check it out: http://blog.bookrix.com/
i've been told my time in the bookrix sun is slated for tomorrow, may 26th.
woohoo!!
(edit--here's the direct link: http://blog.bookrix.com/2009/05/26/featured-bookrix-author-laurie-paulsen/)
even if reading about me blathering on does nothing for you, i do invite you to check out the site--it's a good idea, and could only benefit from more writers joining up and sharing.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
the new, most fabulous edition of Ruthless Peoples Magazine!
Download 
download it now, won't you?? even better, subscribe to receive notices for subsequent issues--free, and great reading. you can't miss.
download it now, won't you?? even better, subscribe to receive notices for subsequent issues--free, and great reading. you can't miss.
Friday, May 15, 2009
have you guys ever heard of
www.textbroker.com?
i've registered (free), but have yet to contribute. a free-lance warehouse for writers renting themselves out to write non-fiction articles, it looks like. one aspect i like right off: the site admins request a writing sample to judge which level assignments each writer's skilled enough to accept. the higher the skill level, the more $$ per word writers can earn.
if you're looking to make a few extra bucks, maybe give it a looksee.
i've registered (free), but have yet to contribute. a free-lance warehouse for writers renting themselves out to write non-fiction articles, it looks like. one aspect i like right off: the site admins request a writing sample to judge which level assignments each writer's skilled enough to accept. the higher the skill level, the more $$ per word writers can earn.
if you're looking to make a few extra bucks, maybe give it a looksee.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
monday's prompt but on a tuesday. it is tuesday, right?
you know, when you don't have a job it's harder to remember which day it is. it's not monday, is it? *sigh*
here's this week's official prompt:
http://ted.org/index.php/talks/keith_barry_does_brain_magic.html
while entertaining, this video also asks some intriguing questions about our brains and how they work--whether we use these ideas for the science or the potential magical applications, i can just feel the stories teeming under the surface. bring me one!!
here's this week's official prompt:
http://ted.org/index.php/talks/keith_barry_does_brain_magic.html
while entertaining, this video also asks some intriguing questions about our brains and how they work--whether we use these ideas for the science or the potential magical applications, i can just feel the stories teeming under the surface. bring me one!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
everything and the universe, too.
i read roger ebert's blog. everyone knows him as the film reviewer, and he has made an incredible career from his insights into making and analyzing films of all genres and production values. i've always thought of him as a thinker. and more than that, a thinker that can communicate complicated ideas with depth and nuance--to a level beyond my understanding, i'm not ashamed to admit. this man has a big, veiny brain.
along with his brain, though, is his compassion and understanding of people and what motivates them. because really, isn't that what he's been examining all these years? the expression of our humanity through celluloid?
he is one of my few heroes because of his integrity and articulate, searching soul. you gotta read this:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/05/go_gently_into_that_good_night.html#more
the man can think. and even better, he can write. and don't neglect to read the posted comments after his entry--he attracts the most thoughtful commentors i've seen anywhere.
along with his brain, though, is his compassion and understanding of people and what motivates them. because really, isn't that what he's been examining all these years? the expression of our humanity through celluloid?
he is one of my few heroes because of his integrity and articulate, searching soul. you gotta read this:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/05/go_gently_into_that_good_night.html#more
the man can think. and even better, he can write. and don't neglect to read the posted comments after his entry--he attracts the most thoughtful commentors i've seen anywhere.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
it's that hippity hoppity time again!
no, not spring. it's this week's writing prompt, silly!
official monday prompt (posted on tuesday):
when you stand at the edge of the chasm, when your toes hang out over nothingness deeper than the starkness of your soul, when air dank with despair slides over your face in a moist caress, when you walk away from a job that--but i digress.
what do you see when you face the abyss? look closely and then tell me your secrets.
aaaaand, go!
official monday prompt (posted on tuesday):
when you stand at the edge of the chasm, when your toes hang out over nothingness deeper than the starkness of your soul, when air dank with despair slides over your face in a moist caress, when you walk away from a job that--but i digress.
what do you see when you face the abyss? look closely and then tell me your secrets.
aaaaand, go!
Monday, April 27, 2009
this week's most devilish prompt:
have you ever seen the website: http://www.entrancestohell.com/entrances.php ?
it's a bit of silly fun, but i can scan through the images and amidst the chuckles, the "meh" moments, the occasional truly spooky "gah", i'll get some interesting ideas. some are even story-worthy, perhaps.
i found this amazing photo at my favorite image-perusal site, www.pixdaus.com :
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=65333
“Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed."
--Bhagavad Gita
it's a bit of silly fun, but i can scan through the images and amidst the chuckles, the "meh" moments, the occasional truly spooky "gah", i'll get some interesting ideas. some are even story-worthy, perhaps.
i found this amazing photo at my favorite image-perusal site, www.pixdaus.com :
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=65333
“Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed."
--Bhagavad Gita
Friday, April 24, 2009
seeing the benefit of failure
i found this compelling and beautiful lecture by elizabeth gilbert at www.ted.org:
http://ted.org/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
she talks about the flaw in associating creativity with suffering, and the talk progresses to rethinking how we see creativity altogether--as more of a borrowed genius than an intrinsic belonging to ourselves. give her a listen.
thinking about her theory of genius, i started to feel better about my six-week crisis of confidence with my own writing. i begin to see the benefit in not believing my own hype, in approaching writing as a learned skill to be practiced, and not sparks of inspiration to be tossed onto the page like word salad. i've avoided analyzing my writing closely, superstitious about looking too closely and discovering there's nothing between the threads on the page--that close examination would cause my attempts to evaporate in the heat.
but maybe forcing myself to look is the best answer. elizabeth gilbert talks about the fear associated with creativity, and she acknowledges she feels it, too. this shared humility is inspiring, and that locked pit in my stomach is hopefully opening a bit, letting me remember storytelling for the joy and connection with others. i'm hopeful i'll learn how to write again through this adjusted perspective, and maybe this time develop skills based on confidence of message and technique, instead of relying on magic and instinct. maybe i'll figure out how to blend them together to create something truly special.
http://ted.org/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
she talks about the flaw in associating creativity with suffering, and the talk progresses to rethinking how we see creativity altogether--as more of a borrowed genius than an intrinsic belonging to ourselves. give her a listen.
thinking about her theory of genius, i started to feel better about my six-week crisis of confidence with my own writing. i begin to see the benefit in not believing my own hype, in approaching writing as a learned skill to be practiced, and not sparks of inspiration to be tossed onto the page like word salad. i've avoided analyzing my writing closely, superstitious about looking too closely and discovering there's nothing between the threads on the page--that close examination would cause my attempts to evaporate in the heat.
but maybe forcing myself to look is the best answer. elizabeth gilbert talks about the fear associated with creativity, and she acknowledges she feels it, too. this shared humility is inspiring, and that locked pit in my stomach is hopefully opening a bit, letting me remember storytelling for the joy and connection with others. i'm hopeful i'll learn how to write again through this adjusted perspective, and maybe this time develop skills based on confidence of message and technique, instead of relying on magic and instinct. maybe i'll figure out how to blend them together to create something truly special.
Monday, April 20, 2009
my prompt is tardy. it always is.
official monday prompt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FszzXG6e45E
sandra cisneros reads her short story "eleven." sweet and funny and real and poignant and full of heart--i love this story! inspires me to try for this same wisdom in my writing . . . i hardly achieve it, but she keeps me trying. *sniff*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FszzXG6e45E
sandra cisneros reads her short story "eleven." sweet and funny and real and poignant and full of heart--i love this story! inspires me to try for this same wisdom in my writing . . . i hardly achieve it, but she keeps me trying. *sniff*
Friday, April 17, 2009
yes, i know it's not monday.
here's a freaky writing prompt.
okay, i admit i have a fascination for weird medical conditions. check this out:
groooovy. almost like two souls trapped inside one person.
okay, i admit i have a fascination for weird medical conditions. check this out:
Chimerism
A child's genes are inherited from his or her parents, so
when a 52-year-old woman from Boston had a completely different set of genes
than two of her three children, the medical community was at a loss for an
explanation. It took two years for doctors to conclude that she was a "human
chimera," someone with two or more distinct sets of genes. For example, DNA
extracted from the skin of a human chimera may be different from DNA in the
blood. Chimerism -- named after a Greek monster called the chimera with the head
of a lion, body of a goat and tail of a snake -- occurs during pregnancy when
two embryos that would have resulted in fraternal twins fuse early on in the
pregnancy, resulting in one baby with two separate sets of DNA. While some
chimeras have two different eye colors, most lead normal lives and never realize
their condition.
groooovy. almost like two souls trapped inside one person.
Friday, April 3, 2009
and i was doing so well, too.
as much as i've been fighting it, i have to admit that starting a new job is a real brain suck. my brain's empty, my energy's drained, and unfortunately, my creative urges are frustrated and squashed at the same time. they're still there, but rather than the iron fists bashing at the inside of my skull, they're more like a palsied tapping of decrepit fists on the back of my head. i know they're there, but man, i just can't take them seriously.
i can feel the transition shifting, though, back toward where i was. the iron fists. i just need to hang in there a little while longer, until my new job doesn't require quite so desperate an amount of my focus. i was getting nervous, wondering if i would ever regain my writing momentum, and today is the first time in weeks i've felt sure i'd return wholehearted. so, yay!
i'm even feeling more dedicated to making progress on the novels. who knows? maybe this is a turning point i'll look back on one day as "The Moment." It could happen.
So, how do you stay in the game when life is throwing cantaloupes in your lap?
i can feel the transition shifting, though, back toward where i was. the iron fists. i just need to hang in there a little while longer, until my new job doesn't require quite so desperate an amount of my focus. i was getting nervous, wondering if i would ever regain my writing momentum, and today is the first time in weeks i've felt sure i'd return wholehearted. so, yay!
i'm even feeling more dedicated to making progress on the novels. who knows? maybe this is a turning point i'll look back on one day as "The Moment." It could happen.
So, how do you stay in the game when life is throwing cantaloupes in your lap?
Monday, March 30, 2009
monday poke! *poke poke poke*
hey, all. this week's prompt:
step 1: turn your eyes to the right hand column on this page.
step 2: scan down. futher, further . . . until you see the writer's unblock tool.
step 3: use it.
(if you don't like the current surreal prompts in the box, refresh your page and i think new ones pop up.)
if one hits you in the sweet spot, write write write and then come back and tell me about it!
that is all. :D
step 1: turn your eyes to the right hand column on this page.
step 2: scan down. futher, further . . . until you see the writer's unblock tool.
step 3: use it.
(if you don't like the current surreal prompts in the box, refresh your page and i think new ones pop up.)
if one hits you in the sweet spot, write write write and then come back and tell me about it!
that is all. :D
Thursday, March 26, 2009
aunt aggy's agony column
one of the wisest souls i know has opened up an advice column for the lovelorn and shopworn, the confused and bemused and abused, the blocked and half-cocked. all questions are welcome, be they writing-related or not--aunt aggy knows all!!
click here: http://www.writing.com/main/forums/item_id/1542964
in other news, i need to pound out a flash fiction tonight. and it's gotta be good. juicy. something to get me back in the groove, because i've been dry as an exposed tendon in the sun. all creaky and chewy. mmmm...tendon. *slaps own face*
all right, back on track. writing starts now. (will get back to you with results.)
go visit aunt aggy--i'm not kidding.
click here: http://www.writing.com/main/forums/item_id/1542964
in other news, i need to pound out a flash fiction tonight. and it's gotta be good. juicy. something to get me back in the groove, because i've been dry as an exposed tendon in the sun. all creaky and chewy. mmmm...tendon. *slaps own face*
all right, back on track. writing starts now. (will get back to you with results.)
go visit aunt aggy--i'm not kidding.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
dang-it-all-to-chicken-scratch!
you ever have the feeling you've forgotten something? doesn't come to you, but it kind of inches around the back of your neck and tickles at the tiny hairs there while you swat at it. won't go away. something . . . something i was supposed to--frick!!!
i remember now.
yesterday was Prompt Monday. mother fudgebucket. sorry, sorry. apologies.
*walks to jar on counter with brain inside, removes lid and cradles gray matter in both hands*
i really should use this thing more often.
this week's Official Tuesday (but really Monday) Writing Prompt:
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=139788
i love this image, full of mist and mystery. gets me thinking about dark fairy tales. ooooh.
let me ask something else, while i'm here. is your communication style ever affected by a prolonged writing abstinence? as if your creativity testicles are swollen and tender with the growing need to spill forth their dna-soaked verbiage onto the quivering, fertile page?!?!
*draws deep breaths, bosoms heaving*
i'll notice that my most mundane memos become overwrought with veiny prose . . . and i'll use lots of excessive exclamation punctuation marks, too. heh. as a public service, i should just go ahead and write my fiction more often; not so much so people will benefit from reading, but so they don't have to suffer through my turgid non-fiction scribblings in the meantime.
i remember now.
yesterday was Prompt Monday. mother fudgebucket. sorry, sorry. apologies.
*walks to jar on counter with brain inside, removes lid and cradles gray matter in both hands*
i really should use this thing more often.
this week's Official Tuesday (but really Monday) Writing Prompt:
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=139788
i love this image, full of mist and mystery. gets me thinking about dark fairy tales. ooooh.
let me ask something else, while i'm here. is your communication style ever affected by a prolonged writing abstinence? as if your creativity testicles are swollen and tender with the growing need to spill forth their dna-soaked verbiage onto the quivering, fertile page?!?!
*draws deep breaths, bosoms heaving*
i'll notice that my most mundane memos become overwrought with veiny prose . . . and i'll use lots of excessive exclamation punctuation marks, too. heh. as a public service, i should just go ahead and write my fiction more often; not so much so people will benefit from reading, but so they don't have to suffer through my turgid non-fiction scribblings in the meantime.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
how important is setting the setting, anyway?
starting a story, breaking the cool white of the blank page with your black scribblings is a moment of enormous potential; potential, and pressure. i have been thwarted many times. to be honest, i'm somewhat thwarted right now, as i blog to delay returning to my story-in-progress. even with the magic of computers and word processors, there's something about that first crack in the eggshell, that first dip into the smooth water, that makes us draw and hold our breath for a second. well, me at least. i know i'm about to sully that perfection with my fallible attempt at setting my scene. with each character typed onto the page, the potential for greatness ebbs away. sad, isn't it? as much as we strive for greatness, we know that most of the time we settle for competent, or well-told. or truly awful, on a bad day.
so, why setting? what's so important about it? even if we begin our story smack in the middle of some hair-pulling adventure, a moment of such adrenaline and terror we forget to swallow as we gobble up the words, we still have to get a clue about where the story is, and when it is. even if all we receive is the essential clues, we have to have a hint of a world in which to plant our thirsty imagination. readers don't mind filling in a few holes, but they need that weedy framework upon which to work.
so, setting. how to go about it. i'll start a story without the foggiest idea of what's gonna happen. i may have a specific scene in my head--wild-haired gypsy in a circus tent, werewolf cowgirl by a desert campfire, sri lankan fisherman staring at his feet on the beach--and just follow from there, seeing where the characters take me. but i don't think we can begin a story without having a clue about where and when it happens. can you remember a successful story in which this is true? seriously--because i'm always up for learning a new skill.
but, how to know what to include and what to leave out?
for me, i try to see the scene through my character's eyes. what's important to them? what would they notice? is their emotional state affecting how they perceive the world around them? i've read stories in which the author describes with loving--and sometimes skillful--detail everything in a scene down to the stitching on the curtains. curtain stitching may be vital to the telling of the story, but i'm not sure i'm interested in reading a story where the characters find stitches in fabric an essential part of life.
but, take the ornate bowl of fresh fruit on the table, just in from the front hall. the dewy skin on the apple, the fragile pear with its wooden stem still intact, the banana just beginning to brown at the tip. if our character's a street urchin, brought inside a fine mansion for the sake of delivering a mysterious message, you can bet he's gonna notice that fruit bowl. he might be cramming fruit down his trousers as we speak, not thinking ahead about how to explain to the head butler the suspicious bulges around his thighs. the urchin might like a fine coat made from well-stitched curtain, but consider the hierarchy of needs--he'll be looking for food first. and the odds against him making off with a curtain? not so good. fruit in the trousers? pretty good, actually. it's doubtful the butler's gonna reach down the boy's filthy pants legs for a smudged apple.
okay, i've beaten this one to death, i think. no, wait.
the only other bit of technique i could offer on this is: less is more. if i have to choose between moving my story along and spending time fluttering my eyelashes over a setting description, i'm going for the action. if you can impart a tone, a feel for the place along with a few well-chosen details, that will give the reader enough to work with. they'll get it--they're not dumb. you can always add more detail in a later scene, if you feel you need to. and if your character never needs to return to this specific setting, it may not warrant a full description, anyway.
okay, i think that's it. what suggestions do you have on setting a scene? tricks? techniques? lessons learned? favorite scene descriptions? please let me know.
here's a fun and informative article delving a little deeper--okay, a lot deeper--into what i've been saying: http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/description.shtml enjoy!
so, why setting? what's so important about it? even if we begin our story smack in the middle of some hair-pulling adventure, a moment of such adrenaline and terror we forget to swallow as we gobble up the words, we still have to get a clue about where the story is, and when it is. even if all we receive is the essential clues, we have to have a hint of a world in which to plant our thirsty imagination. readers don't mind filling in a few holes, but they need that weedy framework upon which to work.
so, setting. how to go about it. i'll start a story without the foggiest idea of what's gonna happen. i may have a specific scene in my head--wild-haired gypsy in a circus tent, werewolf cowgirl by a desert campfire, sri lankan fisherman staring at his feet on the beach--and just follow from there, seeing where the characters take me. but i don't think we can begin a story without having a clue about where and when it happens. can you remember a successful story in which this is true? seriously--because i'm always up for learning a new skill.
but, how to know what to include and what to leave out?
for me, i try to see the scene through my character's eyes. what's important to them? what would they notice? is their emotional state affecting how they perceive the world around them? i've read stories in which the author describes with loving--and sometimes skillful--detail everything in a scene down to the stitching on the curtains. curtain stitching may be vital to the telling of the story, but i'm not sure i'm interested in reading a story where the characters find stitches in fabric an essential part of life.
but, take the ornate bowl of fresh fruit on the table, just in from the front hall. the dewy skin on the apple, the fragile pear with its wooden stem still intact, the banana just beginning to brown at the tip. if our character's a street urchin, brought inside a fine mansion for the sake of delivering a mysterious message, you can bet he's gonna notice that fruit bowl. he might be cramming fruit down his trousers as we speak, not thinking ahead about how to explain to the head butler the suspicious bulges around his thighs. the urchin might like a fine coat made from well-stitched curtain, but consider the hierarchy of needs--he'll be looking for food first. and the odds against him making off with a curtain? not so good. fruit in the trousers? pretty good, actually. it's doubtful the butler's gonna reach down the boy's filthy pants legs for a smudged apple.
okay, i've beaten this one to death, i think. no, wait.
the only other bit of technique i could offer on this is: less is more. if i have to choose between moving my story along and spending time fluttering my eyelashes over a setting description, i'm going for the action. if you can impart a tone, a feel for the place along with a few well-chosen details, that will give the reader enough to work with. they'll get it--they're not dumb. you can always add more detail in a later scene, if you feel you need to. and if your character never needs to return to this specific setting, it may not warrant a full description, anyway.
okay, i think that's it. what suggestions do you have on setting a scene? tricks? techniques? lessons learned? favorite scene descriptions? please let me know.
here's a fun and informative article delving a little deeper--okay, a lot deeper--into what i've been saying: http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/description.shtml enjoy!
Monday, March 16, 2009
monday promptiness.
so, i had an interesting conversation with a guy last week. yes, he was clinically delusional, but that doesn't discount the creative value of his observations.
he had been sitting inside his house, and noticed that the house had somehow 'grown' more windows than it had had before. he'd look through one window to look through another and then another, never actually seeing through to the outside world. he was puzzled, rightfully so, and decided he needed to investigate his house from the outside to solve the puzzle. he walked outside to examine the exterior, circled his house, and noted that, now, his house had developed more corners than it had had before. corners upon corners, until he had trouble finding the front door again.
imagining his experience got me feeling all mind-bendy, wondering how to develop a plot around this phenomenon. or a character. a sympathetic character with which readers would identify. fabulous.
i hope this scenario gets your brain apoppin', too. happy monday. :)
he had been sitting inside his house, and noticed that the house had somehow 'grown' more windows than it had had before. he'd look through one window to look through another and then another, never actually seeing through to the outside world. he was puzzled, rightfully so, and decided he needed to investigate his house from the outside to solve the puzzle. he walked outside to examine the exterior, circled his house, and noted that, now, his house had developed more corners than it had had before. corners upon corners, until he had trouble finding the front door again.
imagining his experience got me feeling all mind-bendy, wondering how to develop a plot around this phenomenon. or a character. a sympathetic character with which readers would identify. fabulous.
i hope this scenario gets your brain apoppin', too. happy monday. :)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
wee hiatus interruptus.
hi, all.
sorry for the week-long disappearance--but, i'm back! and today's pretty special. special for me, i should clarify. today is the launch date for a brand new online magazine called Ruthless Peoples Magazine. (find it at www.ruthlesspeoples.com)
this behemoth of love and talent is run by dominic hamer and stewart baker, two cohorts and writers themselves, and it's a thing of beauty. speaking objectively, of course. it's a free subscription, so please go check it out--you won't be sorry. and maybe bang a bottle of champagne against its bow for good measure. launch ahoy!
(in the interest of full disclosure, i should mention one of my stories is in the lineup. :D)
sorry for the week-long disappearance--but, i'm back! and today's pretty special. special for me, i should clarify. today is the launch date for a brand new online magazine called Ruthless Peoples Magazine. (find it at www.ruthlesspeoples.com)
this behemoth of love and talent is run by dominic hamer and stewart baker, two cohorts and writers themselves, and it's a thing of beauty. speaking objectively, of course. it's a free subscription, so please go check it out--you won't be sorry. and maybe bang a bottle of champagne against its bow for good measure. launch ahoy!
(in the interest of full disclosure, i should mention one of my stories is in the lineup. :D)
Monday, March 9, 2009
it's prompt monday again.
official monday prompt:
okay, random word groupings to spark that brain!
logy
bricklayer
flatbrain
metatextual
lumpen
anachronometer
backslasher
okay, random word groupings to spark that brain!
logy
bricklayer
flatbrain
metatextual
lumpen
anachronometer
backslasher
Friday, March 6, 2009
how to use the weird stuff.
today's been kind of weird for me. i'm not talking fellini weird, but more of an emotional offness due to job-related changes. funny how closely we identify with what we do for a living. hm. and how much it can affect us without warning or explanation.
but this post isn't about jobs. or fellini. (too bad.) or even really about weird emotional upheaval.
it's about how we can use these moments to help us write. you've seen those scenes in movies where an actor is instructed to use their personal experiences to enhance their connection to their role? this is what i'm talking about. characterization, whether on stage or on the page, is all about details. we learn who this person is by piecing together moments we're given throughout the performance; we form a cohesive portrait. just like in life.
when we meet someone, we don't know who they are within the first few minutes. we come to understand them over time, through observing how they react to and feel about various influences, how they dress and carry themselves, how life interacts with them to bring out who they are. writing is just like this.
which brings me back to the emotional weirdness. we all seek truth in our writing. we create characters who ring true for us, no matter how peculiar they are to someone else. they each hold an internal integrity which makes them real. the key is not to aim for the easy and predictable, but for what's true. not every good guy wears a white hat. not every hooker has a heart of gold. if we want our characters to hit with power, we have to break through those stereotypes which only fog up reader's attention spans. maybe our hooker has a bad latex allergy. well, first, she's in the wrong profession, we think. but then, she surprises us by developing a no-touchie clientele. kinky. and she overcharges. demand versus supply, baby.
go for the emotional weirdness. remember those moments in your own life which forced an unexpected reaction from you--pick apart the how and why. store those moments, retaining the feel and intensity of the emotion, the tics. reconfigure those minor truths to create a unique and solid character when you need him.
but this post isn't about jobs. or fellini. (too bad.) or even really about weird emotional upheaval.
it's about how we can use these moments to help us write. you've seen those scenes in movies where an actor is instructed to use their personal experiences to enhance their connection to their role? this is what i'm talking about. characterization, whether on stage or on the page, is all about details. we learn who this person is by piecing together moments we're given throughout the performance; we form a cohesive portrait. just like in life.
when we meet someone, we don't know who they are within the first few minutes. we come to understand them over time, through observing how they react to and feel about various influences, how they dress and carry themselves, how life interacts with them to bring out who they are. writing is just like this.
which brings me back to the emotional weirdness. we all seek truth in our writing. we create characters who ring true for us, no matter how peculiar they are to someone else. they each hold an internal integrity which makes them real. the key is not to aim for the easy and predictable, but for what's true. not every good guy wears a white hat. not every hooker has a heart of gold. if we want our characters to hit with power, we have to break through those stereotypes which only fog up reader's attention spans. maybe our hooker has a bad latex allergy. well, first, she's in the wrong profession, we think. but then, she surprises us by developing a no-touchie clientele. kinky. and she overcharges. demand versus supply, baby.
go for the emotional weirdness. remember those moments in your own life which forced an unexpected reaction from you--pick apart the how and why. store those moments, retaining the feel and intensity of the emotion, the tics. reconfigure those minor truths to create a unique and solid character when you need him.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
what is it about writing that makes my legs itch?
as soon as i settle down for a nice bash at the keyboard, i begin to notice things. the same things, interestingly, that i noticed the few times i attempted to settle down for a nice bout of meditation. my skin itches in variable spots. i suddenly feel i have too many eyelashes and certainly one or more of them is about to drop into my eye and slide up under the lid. i have to pee. that leaf i'm focusing on, the one floating in the stream as i allow every other bit of flotsam to pass on by, keeps shouting distracting things to me. "you've got all the creative juice of an old raisin." . . . "what? you think you're up to a story? with a plot? all right. belly up if you've got the stones, but i wager there's not a conclusion fit for my mum's teat in there." apparently, the leaf floating in my zen stream is a pissy brit. (no offense, dom--you're fabulous! don't ever change.)
when i tried meditation several years ago, i discovered i have what's referred to as 'the monkey mind'. my thoughts are a constant jumble of activity--not necessarily useful, creative activity--and slowing them down is tantamount to death for me. i resisted clearing my mind because i was afraid if the thoughts slowed and disappeared, they might never come back. not that i feared coma. i was afraid of losing the buzz that keeps me constant company. i don't know any other way to be. sometimes the jumpy brain gets in my way, but more often it gives me those sparks of inspiration.
i don't feel i can summon a creative thought when i need one, but i have faith that if i sit and muse long enough, i'll have a germ of an interesting idea. and that's enough for me. i wouldn't want my ideas to come to me too easily--i know me, and i'd just take them for granted.
so, that itchy leg and that hairy eye? i'm keeping 'em. to me, they're just another tool to finding the next story. hopefully, not every story of mine is gonna have a hairy eye in it.
http://www.scribophile.com/authors/laurie-paulsen/works/scratching-the-surface/
*edit: these serendipitous moments are what make life worth living, yes? i reposted my year-old eyeball story yesterday and received today an invitation to publish the thing in the April 2009 issue of Ruthless Peoples Magazine!! Woop!! so, bad news: i've gotta take it down for a few months. good news: you can read it for free on april 14th at www.ruthlesspeoples.com!! go now and subscribe for updates! gehee.*
when i tried meditation several years ago, i discovered i have what's referred to as 'the monkey mind'. my thoughts are a constant jumble of activity--not necessarily useful, creative activity--and slowing them down is tantamount to death for me. i resisted clearing my mind because i was afraid if the thoughts slowed and disappeared, they might never come back. not that i feared coma. i was afraid of losing the buzz that keeps me constant company. i don't know any other way to be. sometimes the jumpy brain gets in my way, but more often it gives me those sparks of inspiration.
i don't feel i can summon a creative thought when i need one, but i have faith that if i sit and muse long enough, i'll have a germ of an interesting idea. and that's enough for me. i wouldn't want my ideas to come to me too easily--i know me, and i'd just take them for granted.
so, that itchy leg and that hairy eye? i'm keeping 'em. to me, they're just another tool to finding the next story. hopefully, not every story of mine is gonna have a hairy eye in it.
http://www.scribophile.com/authors/laurie-paulsen/works/scratching-the-surface/
*edit: these serendipitous moments are what make life worth living, yes? i reposted my year-old eyeball story yesterday and received today an invitation to publish the thing in the April 2009 issue of Ruthless Peoples Magazine!! Woop!! so, bad news: i've gotta take it down for a few months. good news: you can read it for free on april 14th at www.ruthlesspeoples.com!! go now and subscribe for updates! gehee.*
Monday, March 2, 2009
prompt monday writing prompt
i was reading about the different anatomical parts of the skull and came across the term fontanelle. man, what a great word. moms (and unnaturally learned people) might know about it because it's the soft spot babies have in the top of their skull because their cranial bones haven't knitted together yet.
this got my brain to wander, thinking about the metaphorical significance of having an opening in our skulls when we're born. awesome.
i hope it does something for you, too.
this got my brain to wander, thinking about the metaphorical significance of having an opening in our skulls when we're born. awesome.
i hope it does something for you, too.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
latest acceptance/rejection letter
hi, all. i received my first combination rejection/acceptance letter today--very exciting! i submitted two stories to www.alienskinmag.com in january, and they've accepted one of them, sensory overlord, for their june/july issue. yay! here's a snippet from the email i recieved:
"Dear Laurie,We have all read, reviewed, and discussed both of your stories and we reallyenjoyed one of them. We would like to use Sensory Overlord in our June/July2009 Issue of AlienSkin Magazine.We have to pass on Alison's Crush, the tale just didn't appeal to us."
the other story wasn't quite in their genre, and i can understand their lack of interest in it. alison's crush is more of a straight horror story, and alienskin is sf-oriented (as if the name didn't give it away.) but hey, if you're interested in reading a bit o' scary, please check it out at: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1117622
"Dear Laurie,We have all read, reviewed, and discussed both of your stories and we reallyenjoyed one of them. We would like to use Sensory Overlord in our June/July2009 Issue of AlienSkin Magazine.We have to pass on Alison's Crush, the tale just didn't appeal to us."
the other story wasn't quite in their genre, and i can understand their lack of interest in it. alison's crush is more of a straight horror story, and alienskin is sf-oriented (as if the name didn't give it away.) but hey, if you're interested in reading a bit o' scary, please check it out at: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1117622
Saturday, February 28, 2009
cutting the crap.
i've recently begun reading noah lukeman's 'the first five pages', and right off i know it's the book to save me and my gimpy novel. a quick excerpt:
"The main audience for this book, though, is you, the writer. Along with the criteria, this book offers an in-depth look at the technique and thought processes behind writing and has been designed to be of interest to the beginning and advanced writer alike . . ." (p. 14)
see, this is what i need. i can use help with grammar and style (thanks strunk & white--you guys rock the tizzypewriter), but even more, i could benefit from learning more about structuring a larger work. like a novel. the second chapter ends with a simple but eye-opening exercise regarding adverbs and adjectives--otherwise known as the writer's crutches.
from page 39:
"Remove every adjective and adverb from the first page of your manuscript and list them separately."
then, a bit farther along in the exercise:
"Look at your list of removed adjectives and adverbs . . . Cross out each one and beside it write down a less expected replacement."
sounds so obvious, right? i know.
so, i tried this first exercise. here are a few of my original adjectives/adverbs:
narrow, shallow, looming, spandex, muttered, belay, quiet, raw . . . you get the idea.
not horrible, but not terribly striking, either.
taking the manuscript apart and rebuilding to make it stronger; i've been hesitant to try this, concerned about the reassembly phase. i keep imagining the manuscript components articulated all over my desk and me standing over them, overwhelmed by a slow panic. *shudder* terrifying.
now, i have hope anew. check out noah lukeman's 'the first five pages' (isbn:068485743x).
http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Pages-Writers-Rejection/dp/068485743X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235884087&sr=8-1
"The main audience for this book, though, is you, the writer. Along with the criteria, this book offers an in-depth look at the technique and thought processes behind writing and has been designed to be of interest to the beginning and advanced writer alike . . ." (p. 14)
see, this is what i need. i can use help with grammar and style (thanks strunk & white--you guys rock the tizzypewriter), but even more, i could benefit from learning more about structuring a larger work. like a novel. the second chapter ends with a simple but eye-opening exercise regarding adverbs and adjectives--otherwise known as the writer's crutches.
from page 39:
"Remove every adjective and adverb from the first page of your manuscript and list them separately."
then, a bit farther along in the exercise:
"Look at your list of removed adjectives and adverbs . . . Cross out each one and beside it write down a less expected replacement."
sounds so obvious, right? i know.
so, i tried this first exercise. here are a few of my original adjectives/adverbs:
narrow, shallow, looming, spandex, muttered, belay, quiet, raw . . . you get the idea.
not horrible, but not terribly striking, either.
taking the manuscript apart and rebuilding to make it stronger; i've been hesitant to try this, concerned about the reassembly phase. i keep imagining the manuscript components articulated all over my desk and me standing over them, overwhelmed by a slow panic. *shudder* terrifying.
now, i have hope anew. check out noah lukeman's 'the first five pages' (isbn:068485743x).
http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Pages-Writers-Rejection/dp/068485743X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235884087&sr=8-1
Thursday, February 26, 2009
kindle me a story, grandpa.
okay, this is interesting. amazon's kindle now allows individuals to publish their work as kindle books. for free.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4489551_sell-book-kindle-format.html
authors set their own price and receive 35% of the kindle book's sales. think of the potential for networking with this thing. and the proof of a story's appeal to readers, assuming a significant number of copies sold. i'd imagine potential agents and publishers would eat that up.
will have to think on this--the idea of publishing a collection of short stories is near-irresistible, and i'll be reading up on how a kindle work's attractiveness would be affected by having been electronically published. but hey, if i'm ultimately aiming for publishing novels, getting my name out there now for short stories might be a solid approach. wild stuff.
these are not the old days, for sure.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4489551_sell-book-kindle-format.html
authors set their own price and receive 35% of the kindle book's sales. think of the potential for networking with this thing. and the proof of a story's appeal to readers, assuming a significant number of copies sold. i'd imagine potential agents and publishers would eat that up.
will have to think on this--the idea of publishing a collection of short stories is near-irresistible, and i'll be reading up on how a kindle work's attractiveness would be affected by having been electronically published. but hey, if i'm ultimately aiming for publishing novels, getting my name out there now for short stories might be a solid approach. wild stuff.
these are not the old days, for sure.
Monday, February 23, 2009
monday writing prompt
i found a fairly intriguing photo at one of my favorite websites, www.pixdaus.com. i know images don't work for everyone, but dang, people. just look at this one and tell me it doesn't get you to wondering. the creepiest part for me? the old sepia-toned portrait in the creature's hands. there's a story here, i'm telling you.
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=13543
http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=13543
dark speculative poetry
Bigtop Dreams
Laurie Paulsen
Stuffed clown,
propped on that spindly chair,
your silver painted eyes
glinting in the moonlight,
your floppy striped arms
arranged artfully so.
Stare at me like you mean it.
I fall asleep and dream of your teeth
dripping my blood,
your arms wrapped around my throat
as you drag me into the abyss.
Don’t you see?
Your obsidian needs
keep me from my own.
I watch you
to forget my own hunger.
I want to climb inside you
and feed on screams forever.
i was searching a bit on the internet for horror-based poetry. i admit my knowledge base on the subject is pretty spare, and could only come up with Edgar Allen Poe on my own. (If you know of other poets who specialize in the creepy, please send me their names.)
my internet search netted me a few amateur sites which may prove interesting:
http://www.authorsden.com/categories/poetry.asp?alpha=a&catid=52
http://www.sffworld.com/authors/poems/horror.html
http://www.poems-and-quotes.com/dark/dark_poems.html
http://unspeakablehorror.com/journal/2008/12/29/new-horror-poetry.html
so, take a peek. seems odd to me that more poetry exploring the spooky and disturbing isn't out there. horror and dark writing is a natural for poetic expression--the imagery distilled to its most pungent essence, snatching the most vivid moments for expression--these two forms should be an automatic pairing; like babies and pitchforks.
update: my husband handed me another link. looks fascinating! http://www.poemsofthefantastic.com/
Saturday, February 21, 2009
imagery as inspiration
i mentioned before what sort of stimuli gets me creative. music and images, and one other: poetry. not all poetry, but the kind strong in imagery will get me. if it opens my mind's eye, puts me in that place, i'll take that feeling and run with it. today, i'm grateful for a blog i follow: http://poem-of-the-week.blogspot.com/
this week's poem, above pate valley by gary snyder, is a sumptuous buffet of desert imagery. detailed, evocative, and steeped in a sense of history both geological and cultural, this poem puts me there in that rocky canyon. i'm surrounded by slivers of arrowheads, of tall ash trees and fresh river trout, of fat deer grazing down the trail, and the juxtapostion of life as a trailblazer--living amidst the glory of nature as i use explosives and fired tools to destroy part of it for the advance of mankind. odd, that i feel peaceful after reading, and have the urge to dive back into my western novel while i have the taste of rock dust in my mouth and crisp canyon air on my face.
this week's poem, above pate valley by gary snyder, is a sumptuous buffet of desert imagery. detailed, evocative, and steeped in a sense of history both geological and cultural, this poem puts me there in that rocky canyon. i'm surrounded by slivers of arrowheads, of tall ash trees and fresh river trout, of fat deer grazing down the trail, and the juxtapostion of life as a trailblazer--living amidst the glory of nature as i use explosives and fired tools to destroy part of it for the advance of mankind. odd, that i feel peaceful after reading, and have the urge to dive back into my western novel while i have the taste of rock dust in my mouth and crisp canyon air on my face.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
i won a kindle!!!
so, good news. i joined the fledgling authoring website www.bookrix.com in december, after a friend tipped me to it. the site was created by german Bookrix:
"BookRix is an internet portal and the first book community where anyone can place their own books, short stories, poems etc. to be promoted on the web, just like a published piece. The massive Web 2.0 - Projects, which have been hugely popular with music, video and photography fans, now have a sister platform, which will delight literature fans around the world: BookRix."
(from the website)
a free community offering writers of all stature an avenue to expose their work on the internets. writers get to pretty up their virtual manuscripts, choosing cover design, layout and fonts. the virtual books operate like "real" books, flipping pages as you direct, including title pages and forward. it's pretty darned cool. i'm still nervous about the first e-rights, but since i've published only specific works i don't plan to publish elsewhere, i'm happy with the public outlet.
since the english side of the site is still very new, and membership (free!) is still scraggly, the site held a contest in january for writers and readers. writers post their virtual books for the contest, and the works with the highest recommendation counts on feb 15th win. first prize: $2000, second prize: $1000, and third through fifth places: a new kindle. i placed fourth!! the kindle2 will be shipped in march, when amazon refills supply. woohoo!!!
the contest wasn't my favorite type, focusing on popularity and networking rather than writing ability, but i remind myself that networking and getting others excited about my work is a huge part of being a published writer. a successful one, anyway. i'm not so great at it, tending to shy away from conversations about my writing aspirations, what i write about, why people would enjoy my stories, etc. this contest showed me i may need to work on stretching that comfort zone, but also that i'm not at the lowest schmoozing rung, either. i don't know a lot of people, but at least i'm aware of the importance of reaching out.
also, i gotta give credit to my friend and cohort stewart--he won first place, and also garnered several recommendations for my contest entry along the way.
so, long story short: i won a kindle2!!!!! woohooo!!!!!
check out www.bookrix.com if you're interested in finding a writer's community on its ground floor--it's still small enough to gain significant attention, but developed enough to offer several different viewpoints and levels of talent. plus, it's got that kicky european sensibility. some of the navigation buttons still respond in german. :D
"BookRix is an internet portal and the first book community where anyone can place their own books, short stories, poems etc. to be promoted on the web, just like a published piece. The massive Web 2.0 - Projects, which have been hugely popular with music, video and photography fans, now have a sister platform, which will delight literature fans around the world: BookRix."
(from the website)
a free community offering writers of all stature an avenue to expose their work on the internets. writers get to pretty up their virtual manuscripts, choosing cover design, layout and fonts. the virtual books operate like "real" books, flipping pages as you direct, including title pages and forward. it's pretty darned cool. i'm still nervous about the first e-rights, but since i've published only specific works i don't plan to publish elsewhere, i'm happy with the public outlet.
since the english side of the site is still very new, and membership (free!) is still scraggly, the site held a contest in january for writers and readers. writers post their virtual books for the contest, and the works with the highest recommendation counts on feb 15th win. first prize: $2000, second prize: $1000, and third through fifth places: a new kindle. i placed fourth!! the kindle2 will be shipped in march, when amazon refills supply. woohoo!!!
the contest wasn't my favorite type, focusing on popularity and networking rather than writing ability, but i remind myself that networking and getting others excited about my work is a huge part of being a published writer. a successful one, anyway. i'm not so great at it, tending to shy away from conversations about my writing aspirations, what i write about, why people would enjoy my stories, etc. this contest showed me i may need to work on stretching that comfort zone, but also that i'm not at the lowest schmoozing rung, either. i don't know a lot of people, but at least i'm aware of the importance of reaching out.
also, i gotta give credit to my friend and cohort stewart--he won first place, and also garnered several recommendations for my contest entry along the way.
so, long story short: i won a kindle2!!!!! woohooo!!!!!
check out www.bookrix.com if you're interested in finding a writer's community on its ground floor--it's still small enough to gain significant attention, but developed enough to offer several different viewpoints and levels of talent. plus, it's got that kicky european sensibility. some of the navigation buttons still respond in german. :D
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
new upcoming e-zine!
hi, all. i receive newsletters from writer/writer advocate-extraordinaire holly lisle, and today i found one in my inbox that set my writey/readey nerves to tingling. check out her new fiction e-zine!!
http://rebeltales.com/
still in the planning stages, this looks exciting and different. author interviews, backstage passes to great query letters and synopses . . . well, check it out. sign up for updates!
http://rebeltales.com/
still in the planning stages, this looks exciting and different. author interviews, backstage passes to great query letters and synopses . . . well, check it out. sign up for updates!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
it's dagnasty prompt monday!!
official monday prompt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAmi1M2Vm0E
funky and nasty and sexy and go with it. steam up the windows with yo' animal love sounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAmi1M2Vm0E
funky and nasty and sexy and go with it. steam up the windows with yo' animal love sounds.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
my first official rejection!
i'm excited to announce i received my first official rejection in the mail the other day! i can't explain it, but i'm actually happy about it. not resigned, or philosophical, but pleased. it's almost as if i'm an official writer now, if that makes any sense. i've been rejected by a major publication in my genre. they didn't laugh, or ignore me, but returned to me my story with a friendly form rejection requesting more submissions from me in the future.
one thing that made me chuckle: in the same envelope, they sent a note informing me they'd closed for submissions until 2010.
but it's official. i'm a professional writer. (we find our encouragement in odd places, us writers.)
here's a link to the story, if you'd like to read it.
Basement Jacks
http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1473141
"They don’t always talk. Sometimes, if I come down with my Mom to help with laundry, they just watch. If I’m alone, though, they whisper a lot. Stories about people lying in the dirt under the floor boards. Those people used to live here, they say. One’s even a little girl, like me. She likes flowers, so I brought some down one afternoon and left them in a pretty plastic cup filled with water. I tied a red bow on it. The next day, they were gone. I hope she liked them. Her name’s Emily, the walls told me. I told them my name is Jacqueline, Jacks for short, and that now we could be friends. They whispered to me they would like that."
one thing that made me chuckle: in the same envelope, they sent a note informing me they'd closed for submissions until 2010.
but it's official. i'm a professional writer. (we find our encouragement in odd places, us writers.)
here's a link to the story, if you'd like to read it.
Basement Jacks
http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1473141
"They don’t always talk. Sometimes, if I come down with my Mom to help with laundry, they just watch. If I’m alone, though, they whisper a lot. Stories about people lying in the dirt under the floor boards. Those people used to live here, they say. One’s even a little girl, like me. She likes flowers, so I brought some down one afternoon and left them in a pretty plastic cup filled with water. I tied a red bow on it. The next day, they were gone. I hope she liked them. Her name’s Emily, the walls told me. I told them my name is Jacqueline, Jacks for short, and that now we could be friends. They whispered to me they would like that."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
time shmanagement.
in january, i told myself i would shift my focus to finishing one of my novels this year. i tend to jump into multiple projects, flash fiction writing circles, writing workshops, editing and mailing off submissions to publications, and more of the like, to the detriment of any time spent staring at the crude materials that make up my larger work.
what doesn't help me is the fact that i've never written a complete novel before, and have only the foggiest notion of how to edit the thing. i seem to lose my direction when faced with such a huge undertaking.
so, it's february. and i'm still involved with my workshop and my weekly circle, and i've added onto that revisions i've been doing to a story that'll see publication next month. (woohoo!!--and the revising is going along swimmingly, thanks.) these are all worthwhile pursuits. nothing to be hand-wringy about.
but it's not focusing on the novel now, is it?
how do i accept deep in my squishy soul that this thing won't write itself? and how do i get to the mindspace where i'm truly ready to wade in with both feet, get those ankles wet and freaking stay wet, and fulfill my destiny? hm. maybe that begs the question: what if my destiny isn't writing novels? or worse. what if my destiny isn't . . . *gasp* . . . writing at all?
is being a hobby writer enough for me? answers to these questions and more next time.
what doesn't help me is the fact that i've never written a complete novel before, and have only the foggiest notion of how to edit the thing. i seem to lose my direction when faced with such a huge undertaking.
so, it's february. and i'm still involved with my workshop and my weekly circle, and i've added onto that revisions i've been doing to a story that'll see publication next month. (woohoo!!--and the revising is going along swimmingly, thanks.) these are all worthwhile pursuits. nothing to be hand-wringy about.
but it's not focusing on the novel now, is it?
how do i accept deep in my squishy soul that this thing won't write itself? and how do i get to the mindspace where i'm truly ready to wade in with both feet, get those ankles wet and freaking stay wet, and fulfill my destiny? hm. maybe that begs the question: what if my destiny isn't writing novels? or worse. what if my destiny isn't . . . *gasp* . . . writing at all?
is being a hobby writer enough for me? answers to these questions and more next time.
Monday, February 9, 2009
it's writing prompt monday!
hi, y'all--
official monday prompt(s):
"Animals are something invented by plants to move seeds around." --Terence McKenna
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” --Philip K Dick
i like both of these quotes, which tend to make me think funny things, see the world in a different perspective. hope either one does something for you.
official monday prompt(s):
"Animals are something invented by plants to move seeds around." --Terence McKenna
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” --Philip K Dick
i like both of these quotes, which tend to make me think funny things, see the world in a different perspective. hope either one does something for you.
Friday, February 6, 2009
ebert rules.
depressing and frightening in its implications, this journal entry from november leaves me shivering in my boots.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11/death_to_film_critics_long_liv.html
"The celebrity culture is infantilizing us. We are being trained not to think. It is not about the disappearance of film critics. We are the canaries. It is about the death of an intelligent and curious, readership, interested in significant things and able to think critically. It is about the failure of our educational system. It is not about dumbing-down. It is about snuffing out."
true and disastrous for everyone, not just those who enjoy thinking. roger's journal never fails to illuminate and provoke a reaction from me.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11/death_to_film_critics_long_liv.html
"The celebrity culture is infantilizing us. We are being trained not to think. It is not about the disappearance of film critics. We are the canaries. It is about the death of an intelligent and curious, readership, interested in significant things and able to think critically. It is about the failure of our educational system. It is not about dumbing-down. It is about snuffing out."
true and disastrous for everyone, not just those who enjoy thinking. roger's journal never fails to illuminate and provoke a reaction from me.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
so, where do you get your ideas?
how do you start a new story? how do you decide where it'll lead? i'm curious.
i like images (www.pixdaus.com), and music (www.pandora.com). i surround myself with mood-altering sensory experience, and that seeps into my head, gets me thinking. i'm not so good at plucking juicy plots from the idea tree; i tend to see a particular scene in my head, a flash of a scene, even, and go from there.
how do i decide what happens next? i pretty much listen to my characters, and try to allow them to do what they would do, consistent with their personality. if they're just standing there, waiting for the excitement to start, then i ask myself, "how can i really screw these people over?" heh.
rule #1: don't make life easy for your characters. a character overcoming trouble is a bajillion times more interesting for readers than a character leading a charmed life.
so, how do i make myself write when i really would rather watch ghosthunters? that's a hard one. sometimes i give in to the relaxing evening--hey, i deserve one, okay?--but most of the time i settle my monkey mind; i tell myself that writing is fun if i let myself sink into and chew on the story. the hardest part of writing is reentry--finding that same headspace you had last time you worked on the story, continuing the style and tone, and remembering where you wanted it to go. i like to read what's written from the start, and that gets me there.
many writers keep notes, jot down their moments of genius. i know i should, too. those notebooks never seem handy when i need them, and i have a tendency to forget everything else as soon as i focus on a specific thought. the idea fragments float away like ashes on a breeze, damn them. even if i remember enough to make a note for later reference, it never feels the same when i return to it. it's gone cold.
so, i consider myself an instinctual writer. i follow what feels right in the moment for the character. if that's a different reaction from my original idea, i try it on and see what happens. we all have so many stories to tell, and who's to say our first idea is the best one? so, don't be afraid to play. if you're nervous about changing the story direction, save it as a revised copy and go hog wild.
rule #2: allow your mind to explore all possibilities. ignore nothing, no matter how extreme, how ridiculous, how impossible. give it a try and see where it takes you. therein lies genius.
here's an awesome site chock full of inspiration, exercises, pokes in the virtual eye:
http://languageisavirus.com/
see if it does anything for you--any site featuring william burroughs' angular mug can't be bad.
i like images (www.pixdaus.com), and music (www.pandora.com). i surround myself with mood-altering sensory experience, and that seeps into my head, gets me thinking. i'm not so good at plucking juicy plots from the idea tree; i tend to see a particular scene in my head, a flash of a scene, even, and go from there.
how do i decide what happens next? i pretty much listen to my characters, and try to allow them to do what they would do, consistent with their personality. if they're just standing there, waiting for the excitement to start, then i ask myself, "how can i really screw these people over?" heh.
rule #1: don't make life easy for your characters. a character overcoming trouble is a bajillion times more interesting for readers than a character leading a charmed life.
so, how do i make myself write when i really would rather watch ghosthunters? that's a hard one. sometimes i give in to the relaxing evening--hey, i deserve one, okay?--but most of the time i settle my monkey mind; i tell myself that writing is fun if i let myself sink into and chew on the story. the hardest part of writing is reentry--finding that same headspace you had last time you worked on the story, continuing the style and tone, and remembering where you wanted it to go. i like to read what's written from the start, and that gets me there.
many writers keep notes, jot down their moments of genius. i know i should, too. those notebooks never seem handy when i need them, and i have a tendency to forget everything else as soon as i focus on a specific thought. the idea fragments float away like ashes on a breeze, damn them. even if i remember enough to make a note for later reference, it never feels the same when i return to it. it's gone cold.
so, i consider myself an instinctual writer. i follow what feels right in the moment for the character. if that's a different reaction from my original idea, i try it on and see what happens. we all have so many stories to tell, and who's to say our first idea is the best one? so, don't be afraid to play. if you're nervous about changing the story direction, save it as a revised copy and go hog wild.
rule #2: allow your mind to explore all possibilities. ignore nothing, no matter how extreme, how ridiculous, how impossible. give it a try and see where it takes you. therein lies genius.
here's an awesome site chock full of inspiration, exercises, pokes in the virtual eye:
http://languageisavirus.com/
see if it does anything for you--any site featuring william burroughs' angular mug can't be bad.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
monday (tuesday) writing prompt!
a day late, but hopefully scads of dough long:
"you find something in your car trunk you didn't put there."
aaaaand . . . go!
"you find something in your car trunk you didn't put there."
aaaaand . . . go!
Friday, January 30, 2009
crisis of confidence
i mentioned i've been working on a story, editing with the help of a friend. i also mentioned i haven't done much editing (of my own writing) before, and the effect it's having on me is weird. for me.
one of my strengths as a writer has always been my sense of my self, my voice. i've struggled with plenty of aspects of writing--pov and tense, for two--but i've never had trouble deciding how i want to say something. the words just come.
well, until now, they have.
this editing is getting under my skin. i second-guess choices, fuddying around with minor phrases, writing and rewriting sections of story much more than i ever did. i'm a little rattled. as sure as i have always been, i'm now unconfident about how to express myself, and that leaves me dreading writing altogether. oh, i've been working on this story, and just fought my way through another flash piece, but make no mistake, it was a fight.
i need to find a way back to the flow. to the writing to just fucking say it and not doubt every word i wrench from my brain. argh. damn this editing! and thank god for it.
maybe this is the next natural growth spurt, accepting my faults, seeing my skills clearly and without ego . . . maybe? or maybe i'm all ego right now, rubbed raw by an outsider reworking my own words, smoothing over where i felt i wanted emphasis. well, either way i'll be back to report on the situation.
here's a succinct article on methods to build confidence with writing:
http://www.writergazette.com/articles/article306.shtml
one of my strengths as a writer has always been my sense of my self, my voice. i've struggled with plenty of aspects of writing--pov and tense, for two--but i've never had trouble deciding how i want to say something. the words just come.
well, until now, they have.
this editing is getting under my skin. i second-guess choices, fuddying around with minor phrases, writing and rewriting sections of story much more than i ever did. i'm a little rattled. as sure as i have always been, i'm now unconfident about how to express myself, and that leaves me dreading writing altogether. oh, i've been working on this story, and just fought my way through another flash piece, but make no mistake, it was a fight.
i need to find a way back to the flow. to the writing to just fucking say it and not doubt every word i wrench from my brain. argh. damn this editing! and thank god for it.
maybe this is the next natural growth spurt, accepting my faults, seeing my skills clearly and without ego . . . maybe? or maybe i'm all ego right now, rubbed raw by an outsider reworking my own words, smoothing over where i felt i wanted emphasis. well, either way i'll be back to report on the situation.
here's a succinct article on methods to build confidence with writing:
http://www.writergazette.com/articles/article306.shtml
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
writing versus rewriting
i'm working on editing and rewriting chunks of a story this week. i'm to send it off to my editor/publisher friend this weekend, integrating various suggestions and brainstorms we came up with last conversation. i've never written to a specific goal before.
starting a new story is exhilarating, freeing, godlike in its power. we create something from the wispy synapses firing away in our brains, and if all goes well, that something we create comes out as something wonderful and infects whoever reads it with more wonderful. of course, our creations aren't always fabulous, and what we infect readers with sometimes is closer to bacteria than cotton candy love and puppy dander socks.
so, here i am, editing. reworking. my stories are almost all first drafts, dropping onto the page still sealed inside their placental sac, smelling of earthy life and promise, and now, i'm breaking the seal, splitting the membrane. i'm risking infection for the greater promise of growth.
i'm hoping this new effort results in an even stronger story, deeper and complex, and so far have ignored that niggling voice in the back of my throat warning me i may be killing it altogether. after all, i'll always have the first draft. right? i don't think this story is changed irrevocably, or that adding new scenes, developing side characters, further defining the protagonist will erase the earlier incarnation. i don't think it will.
if you're interested in reading this story when it's finished, visit www.ruthlesspeoples.com and subscribe to the publication. first issue is march 1st!!
starting a new story is exhilarating, freeing, godlike in its power. we create something from the wispy synapses firing away in our brains, and if all goes well, that something we create comes out as something wonderful and infects whoever reads it with more wonderful. of course, our creations aren't always fabulous, and what we infect readers with sometimes is closer to bacteria than cotton candy love and puppy dander socks.
so, here i am, editing. reworking. my stories are almost all first drafts, dropping onto the page still sealed inside their placental sac, smelling of earthy life and promise, and now, i'm breaking the seal, splitting the membrane. i'm risking infection for the greater promise of growth.
i'm hoping this new effort results in an even stronger story, deeper and complex, and so far have ignored that niggling voice in the back of my throat warning me i may be killing it altogether. after all, i'll always have the first draft. right? i don't think this story is changed irrevocably, or that adding new scenes, developing side characters, further defining the protagonist will erase the earlier incarnation. i don't think it will.
if you're interested in reading this story when it's finished, visit www.ruthlesspeoples.com and subscribe to the publication. first issue is march 1st!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
new feature: prompt mondays!
hey, all--
i've decided to import a regular activity i enjoy from my writing workshop site: writing prompt mondays!
i post a weekly writing prompt--could be an image, a snippet of dialogue, a link to a video; whatever strikes my fiddly fancy--and if it crawls into your pocket, let me know. if you actually write something inspired by the prompt, definitely let me know! i'd love to read it.
so, to start off, today's fantabulous nugget of promptitude: http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=93344
follow the link and see what happens. this image had me thinking all sorts of thoughts: creepy and outside of time, and (to me) provocative.
i've decided to import a regular activity i enjoy from my writing workshop site: writing prompt mondays!
i post a weekly writing prompt--could be an image, a snippet of dialogue, a link to a video; whatever strikes my fiddly fancy--and if it crawls into your pocket, let me know. if you actually write something inspired by the prompt, definitely let me know! i'd love to read it.
so, to start off, today's fantabulous nugget of promptitude: http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=93344
follow the link and see what happens. this image had me thinking all sorts of thoughts: creepy and outside of time, and (to me) provocative.
Friday, January 23, 2009
state of the paid word
seems like the publishing industry changes quickly these days. everything from publisher return policies for trade stores to burgeoning formats available to readers just bursts from the headlines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book_reader
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBNG35703020081216
http://editingpublishing.suite101.com/article.cfm/podvstradpublishing1
http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2008/06/the_future_of_t_1.html
the old dream was daunting enough. we clung to the fantasy of receiving that phone call, like the one Stephen King received from his agent. you know the one. we knew the odds were against us, that chances were, we would never see major publication, or print publication, or any kind of publication, really. but we slogged on, writing and fretting and networking and fantasizing.
but now, with the framework changing, with this shift in responsiblity from publisher to writer, with the radical changes in digital technology, the entire world is different. chaotic and free, and frightening.
publishers are required to narrow their focus, to offer fewer chances to unknown writers (and smaller paychecks), in order to stay afloat. each new title on the shelf should hold within it the potential for blockbuster status. that squeezes out a number of niche writers.
bookstores buy from centralized distributors, higher quantities allowing them better discounts, and this squeezes out smaller publishers.
that leaves two branches to crawl out upon. one, pursue major publishers with the knowledge that reaching contract is slim odds at best, or two, pursue publishing on a smaller scale and accept that we'll be carrying the bulk of the load of marketing and finances. in addition, small-scale publishing makes for a harder road as far as getting that word out, selling copies. access just isn't there unless writers create it themselves.
the stereotype of the reclusive, eccentric writer is a bygone. now, writers need to be savvy and make for a good interview. witty and attractive, in addition to developing their writing. writers need to be salesmen, and that's a new wrinkle. at least, the weight of importance has increased. if the odds were slim before against making a living as a published writer, what are they now?
with choices like these, i still have to opt for the larger publisher. the industry is dicey, like the rest of the economy right now (discretionary products feeling the effect in particular), but i have to think publishers' survival instinct will push them to integrate digital technologies into their stable, to help the writers under contract adapt and thrive in this strange new world filled with clicks and whirrs.
it's a big world and we're pretty small, unless we consider the world without us.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book_reader
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBNG35703020081216
http://editingpublishing.suite101.com/article.cfm/podvstradpublishing1
http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2008/06/the_future_of_t_1.html
the old dream was daunting enough. we clung to the fantasy of receiving that phone call, like the one Stephen King received from his agent. you know the one. we knew the odds were against us, that chances were, we would never see major publication, or print publication, or any kind of publication, really. but we slogged on, writing and fretting and networking and fantasizing.
but now, with the framework changing, with this shift in responsiblity from publisher to writer, with the radical changes in digital technology, the entire world is different. chaotic and free, and frightening.
publishers are required to narrow their focus, to offer fewer chances to unknown writers (and smaller paychecks), in order to stay afloat. each new title on the shelf should hold within it the potential for blockbuster status. that squeezes out a number of niche writers.
bookstores buy from centralized distributors, higher quantities allowing them better discounts, and this squeezes out smaller publishers.
that leaves two branches to crawl out upon. one, pursue major publishers with the knowledge that reaching contract is slim odds at best, or two, pursue publishing on a smaller scale and accept that we'll be carrying the bulk of the load of marketing and finances. in addition, small-scale publishing makes for a harder road as far as getting that word out, selling copies. access just isn't there unless writers create it themselves.
the stereotype of the reclusive, eccentric writer is a bygone. now, writers need to be savvy and make for a good interview. witty and attractive, in addition to developing their writing. writers need to be salesmen, and that's a new wrinkle. at least, the weight of importance has increased. if the odds were slim before against making a living as a published writer, what are they now?
with choices like these, i still have to opt for the larger publisher. the industry is dicey, like the rest of the economy right now (discretionary products feeling the effect in particular), but i have to think publishers' survival instinct will push them to integrate digital technologies into their stable, to help the writers under contract adapt and thrive in this strange new world filled with clicks and whirrs.
it's a big world and we're pretty small, unless we consider the world without us.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
i said i'd explain about the dull yellow eye next post, didn't i? it's kind of the perennial question isn't it? why writers who like dark subjects like them? i've never thought up or read an answer to that question i identified with, but here are a few other writer's answers:
"People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk." Stephen King
"Horror fiction upsets apple carts, burns old buildings, and stampedes the horses; it questions and yearns for answers, and it takes nothing for granted. It's not safe, and it probably rots your teeth, too. Horror fiction can be a guide through a nightmare world, entered freely and by the reader's own will. And since horror can be many, many things and go in many, many directions, that guided nightmare ride can shock, educate, illuminate, threaten, shriek, and whisper before it lets the readers loose." Robert McCammon
"Horror is that which cannot be made safe -- evolving, ever-changing -- because it is about our relentless need to confront the unknown, the unknowable, and the emotion we experience when in its thrall." Douglas Winter
for me, horror allows the most freedom in exploring what frightens us. other genres follow rules of accepted character types, story structure, appropriate subjects and writing style. horror feels wide open. any topic, no matter how taboo, can be poked and pulled out into the light of day. every other genre fits inside horror, as well. any style, voice. the only stipulation is that the story must pay off with a scare or sense of dread, or even nausea (if that's your bag.)
i write about all sorts of situations. i may incorporate a romantic element into my sf/adventure story if it feels right. my characters may cavort nekkid through a field of flowers to discover they've stumbled into the pasture containing Big Bongo, the mad randy bull of Cucamonga. as far as i'll take my story from reality, i always return. horror is rooted in reality, and i always feel that connection to the darkness.
so, the dull yellow eye cracks open. evil is all the more terrifying for its sentience.
"People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk." Stephen King
"Horror fiction upsets apple carts, burns old buildings, and stampedes the horses; it questions and yearns for answers, and it takes nothing for granted. It's not safe, and it probably rots your teeth, too. Horror fiction can be a guide through a nightmare world, entered freely and by the reader's own will. And since horror can be many, many things and go in many, many directions, that guided nightmare ride can shock, educate, illuminate, threaten, shriek, and whisper before it lets the readers loose." Robert McCammon
"Horror is that which cannot be made safe -- evolving, ever-changing -- because it is about our relentless need to confront the unknown, the unknowable, and the emotion we experience when in its thrall." Douglas Winter
for me, horror allows the most freedom in exploring what frightens us. other genres follow rules of accepted character types, story structure, appropriate subjects and writing style. horror feels wide open. any topic, no matter how taboo, can be poked and pulled out into the light of day. every other genre fits inside horror, as well. any style, voice. the only stipulation is that the story must pay off with a scare or sense of dread, or even nausea (if that's your bag.)
i write about all sorts of situations. i may incorporate a romantic element into my sf/adventure story if it feels right. my characters may cavort nekkid through a field of flowers to discover they've stumbled into the pasture containing Big Bongo, the mad randy bull of Cucamonga. as far as i'll take my story from reality, i always return. horror is rooted in reality, and i always feel that connection to the darkness.
so, the dull yellow eye cracks open. evil is all the more terrifying for its sentience.
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