June 30, 2010

Is the advice “write what you know” valid? Yes, definitely. And no, not always.

It’s confusing advice!

Practical Knowledge

“Write what you know” makes sense when you’re ignorant in some area. For example, I know nothing about vampires, have never read a vampire book, can’t understand the whole vampire movie thing, and can’t for the life of me figure out why a blood-sucking boyfriend would be romantic. It’s just me.

This is the point though: I don’t know about vampires, and I have no business sitting down today to write a vampire novel. It would be so full of ridiculous ideas and mistakes that it would be laughable. I don’t care to look that foolish.

Use Yourself

On the other hand, says Ursula K. Le Guin in “Make your fiction truthful” (The Writer, July, 2010), “Write what you know doesn’t mean you have to know a lot. It just tells you to take what you have, take who you are, and use it. Don’t try to use secondhand feeling: use yourself.” So, does ”write what you know” mean “write exclusively about your personal experiences”?

No, I don’t think so. What you “know” can come from your personal experience–that’s true. But it also comes from other people’s experiences, from books you’ve read and movies that moved you, from research and travel–all blended together when you use your imagination.

The Best of Both Worlds

I believe in “write what you know,” but I’ve also had eleven mysteries published. I will swear to you that I’ve never stolen, kidnapped, set a place on fire, or blackmailed anyone, but I’ve written about it.

However, I made aspects of those stories familiar too. I set those mysteries in the midwest, where I lived all my life. Five are set in real places I’d visited many times. I used many people I knew for my characters. I developed themes that were coming true in my own life or my children’s lives. The character growth and change was real–and it was often me.

Get to Know Yourself

Le Guin says it this way: “If you take it in its deepest meaning, ‘write about what you know’ means write from your heart, from your own real being, your own thoughts and emotions…If you don’t know who you are and what you know, if you haven’t worked to find out what you yourself truly feel and think, then your work will probably be imitation work, borrowed from other writers.” (I hope you’ll get a copy of The Writer and read her entire article.)

You may not think you know much or have had enough interesting experiences, but you’d be wrong. If you have my Writer’s First Aid book, read the chapter on “Getting to Know You…” Take the lengthy survey about your life and keep the information in a writer’s notebook.

The answers to that survey will unearth enough information about YOU to last you a writer’s lifetime.

June 28, 2010

According to Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy, “Depression is surprisingly frequent in writers… ”

I think it shows up on Mondays more than any other day. It could be from a downward turn in your health, bad news about a child, a day job issue, a fight with your spouse, or your hormones have gone haywire. Or you could just be really tired.

Whatever the cause, the “blues” can derail your writing for the day–or week–if you let it.

Dealing with Depression

I used to spend so much time “dealing” with depression. Getting to the bottom of it, finding out what the experts said about my issue, praying for help, figuring out a “plan” to deal with the problem, and…not writing.

All that dealing took away from my writing, but I assumed there was no choice. After all, you can’t write when you’re depressed, can you? Won’t everything you write be horrible and dark and depressing?

Surprisingly not.

Grit and Determination?

Shaughnessy continues: “Writing goes on in spite of depression. Depression can be paralyzing; but if you can, by sheer discipline, fight your way to your regular writing place, you may be amazed by the quality of what you produce… Writing won’t banish depression. But depression doesn’t have to banish writing.”

Actually, for me, the writing often does banish depression–at least for the time you’re writing. But the important truth there is this: depression doesn’t have to banish writing.

Just Try It

So if you’re having a “blue Monday” today, get into your favorite writing position, and write anyway. Don’t waste the day. Put your problems on hold for an hour or two, and just write. You will probably be astounded in a few days at the fine quality of what you produced, even when depressed.

One caution: Don’t edit (especially, don’t discard) while depressed. Write instead. You’re not a good judge of your work when blue. Wait to edit until the sun comes out again.

June 25, 2010

In keeping with our Friday schedule where I share tips that I think you’ll find helpful, here are today’s offerings. Let’s “wise up” together!

Write from Your Heart?

The first link is a post by an agent who discusses the push-pull we feel when we want to follow our hearts in our writing–but we’re also warned to pay attention to markets and what will sell. How do you find a balance–or is there one? Read Rachelle Gardner’s take on “Write From Your Heart? Or Follow Trends?”

Don’t be Taken In!

I love Craigslist! That’s where I buy boxes of children’s books for next to nothing. You can find such treasures on Craigslist. Unfortunately, apparently writers are getting scammed on Craigslist as well. Don’t be taken in by this “opportunity.”

Your Learning Curve

Do you ever wonder how close to publication you are? Are you still mastering the basics? Or are you just about to graduate to the published and professional category? How can you tell? Read Randy Ingermanson’s terrific article “Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Author!” and follow it with his quiz. (Link at the bottom of his page.) Or you can listen to this article with his expanded AV version.

Dig in, emerge wiser, and enjoy your weekend!

June 23, 2010

For writers, being able to focus is critical. As Stephen Covey (author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) says, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Getting Sidetracked

What keeps us from focusing? Distractions. They have always been with us. Agatha Christie once said, “I enjoy writing in the desert. There are no distractions such as telephones, theaters, opera houses and gardens.”

While our modern-day distractions have changed a bit (e-mails to answer, Twitter tweeting at you, instant movies to watch on Netflix), the result of being sidetracked by them remains the same. We don’t finish our writing. We don’t study guidelines and mail that manuscript. We don’t follow up on marketing tips. If we stall long enough, we may quit altogether.

So how do we deal with things that take us away from our writing? Try adapting the Serenity Prayer for this purpose: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the distractions I cannot change, courage to change the distractions I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Wisdom to Know

What are some distractions you cannot change or ignore? Sometimes it’s a sick child or spouse or a crisis with a friend. Sometimes your boss gives you an overtime assignment with a “now” deadline. There may be a project that needs to be attended to without delay, like your teenager’s last-minute college entrance application. This type of interruption or distraction you have little control over. You grin and bear it.

However, we need wisdom to know the difference between the distractions that are unavoidable and those we allow–or even encourage. Chances are, you’re your own worst enemy when it comes to distractions that keep you from writing. So take courage! Change what you can in order to focus on your writing.

1. Use an answering machine to screen calls. Better yet, turn the ringer off altogether so you’re not tempted to pick up when you hear your best friend’s voice. Then return calls at lunch time or when you’ve finished your daily writing stint.

2. Isolate yourself as much as possible from the traffic flow. I now have my own office, but I’ve written in family rooms and bedrooms and dens. The family room was the most difficult with constant interruptions of TV, kids, and doorbells. The more you can shut the door on distractions, the easier you’ll find it to focus.

3. Take note of your own personal distractions. The blinds in my office are pulled because I look outside every time a car/garbage truck/motorcycle/UPS truck/bus/delivery truck goes by. I also remove all chocolate from my work space. Even hidden in the back of a drawer, it calls to me while I work and distracts me, whether I stop to eat it or not.

4. Leave the mail alone. Reading e-mail and checking Facebook or Twitter can be a major distraction. It interrupts your flow. And if your e-mail contains rejection letters and online bank statements, it can create an instant slump. So get the snail-mail if you must, but stash it in a basket until the end of the day when you’re done writing. The same is true for e-mail. Leave it unopened and unread till late afternoon (unless it’s a response from an editor!).

5. For non-emergencies, make your family wait. Barter with your family for writing time. When you’re finished, you’ll make popcorn. When you’re finished, you’ll play catch. When you’re finished, you’ll go rent a movie. (Just be sure you actually follow through on your promises!)

6. Leave home. If home is too chaotic sometimes, take your work to the library or a park or a cafe, somewhere quiet with no phone and a minimum of distractions. This is an individual thing, by the way. A quiet library study room is helpful to me. A Starbucks full of people and food is way too many distractions!

7. Organize your work space first. Arrange your work space before you begin writing, to ensure that you have everything you need. Don’t run out of paper halfway through printing your chapter. Keep things within reach. Even finding a new ink cartridge or box of paper clips in your supply closet can distract you. Before you know it, you’ve spent half an hour rearranging the closet shelves.

8. Silence can be golden. Are you as distracted by noise as I am? I run a fan on high speed for white noise, and during school vacations I also used ear plugs. If traffic bothers you–or if you’re in a quiet neighborhood where twittering birds distract you–close the windows during your writing time.

9. Change your schedule. Get up earlier and write when the world is still asleep. Phones don’t ring. Kids don’t interrupt. Your spouse is still snoring. (This works equally well if you’re a night owl and can write after the world shuts down for the night.)

10. Eat healthy meals at regular intervals. Avoid the distraction of a growling stomach or a hunger headache. If you’re always thirsty, keep cold drinks within reach. I know someone who keeps a mini-refrigerator in his office, filled with bottled water and fresh fruit, to keep him from constantly running to the kitchen.

Focus!

Take time to study yourself, discovering your own favorite distractions. Once in a while we have absolutely no control over interruptions. However, most of the time, we (consciously or not) use distractions to keep us from having to face the work and anxiety of putting words on paper.

If you had to name your biggest distraction, what would it be? And if you have a tip for dealing with that distraction, please share it! We can learn so much from each other.

June 21, 2010

In one of my favorite writing books (Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg), there’s a chapter on writing myths that the author says you should ignore.

I was reading the list and nodding and “Amen!”-ing my agreement all the way up to Myth #8. It said to ignore the warning that “you have to be disciplined to be a writer.”

Shocking!

I recoiled. Such blasphemy! How could she claim that writers didn’t need self-discipline? “Everyone” knew you needed to discipline yourself to write every day, to study markets, to read in your field. How could she say that? It went against my deeply ingrained beliefs.

And yet…as I read on, her words resonated with me much more than I would have believed possible. If you don’t need to be disciplined, what do you need? She wrote:

“What have to be is in love. With writing. Not with ideas about what to write; not with daydreams about what you’re going to do when you’re sucessful. You have to be in love with writing itself, with the solitary and satisfying act of sitting down and watching something you hold in your head and your heart quietly transform itself into words on a page.”

Major Paradigm Shift

Hmm…You don’t have to be disciplined–but instead, you have to be in love with the act of writing. For some reason, that rings true for me.

Of my 34 published middle-grade books, I can’t think of a single one that I had to “make myself” sit down and write. Yes, I ran into occasional rough spots. Yes, sometimes I felt physically or emotionally shot, so writing wasn’t as much fun on those days. But I didn’t have to discipline myself to write. In each case, I had a story I was burning to tell, and I couldn’t wait for naptime when I could immerse myself in my fictional world–where I could make life turn out like I wanted, like it should be.

Fueled from Within

In the early years, the inner passion for writing fueled me–not discipline imposed from the outside. I think Ms. Berg just may be onto something here! Maybe on the days we can’t make ourselves write, we should check our passion quota about our current project.

Passion for writing versus self-discipline–I think I need to investigate this further! Is it one or the other–or both?

How about You?

What does “being in love with your writing” look like for you? Can you describe one of its attributes? If so, please leave a comment!

June 18, 2010

Why do some writers struggle for each word, while other writers have words that seemingly flow from their fingertips?

I’ve Got a Secret!

Are there secrets to being able to write with ease? Does anyone really know what works and what doesn’t?

Well, Daphne Gray-Grant’s article on “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers” will give you a lot of food for thought in this area. She studied effective writers to discover their secrets–and has revealed them here.

Make It Personal

Read the article–study it–maybe even journal about it. We all need to periodically consider if we need to develop some new habits–and drop a few old ones.

Is there something you’d add to Daphne’s list? If so, leave it in the comments below. Then make your own list of habits you want to develop to further your writing career. Post several copies where you’ll see them daily–and then watch them transform your writing life.

June 11, 2010

After the post a month ago on WriterMag.com: A Place to Learn, I was asked if this was the best writer’s magazine. The student could only afford one magazine, so which one (he asked) would give him the most for his money?

Bear in mind that the following is only my opinion. When my writing students graduate, I recommend that they continue learning by subscribing to a writing magazine. The two most popular are The Writer and Writer’s Digest. I subscribed to both for over twenty years. Just two years ago I dropped my subscription to Writer’s Digest.

Why? Two reasons. (Or really just one reason, and a sub-reason of that reason.)

What Are You Paying For?

The Writer has very little advertising. Most of the magazine consists of articles on the craft of writing. There are lots of interviews, practical tips, and great advice. By contrast, the last few issues of Writer’s Digest, before my subscription ran out, was overloaded with advertising. That was my main beef. I know magazines need advertisers to keep publishing, but it was pages and pages before you found the writing articles.

My “sub-reason” for cancellation was this: a large amount of the advertising was for self-publishers. Not the occasional small-to-tiny black-and-white ads like in The Writer, but many large (sometimes full-page) colored ads. These businesses might call themselves self-publishers, or independent publishers, or vanity publishers, or co-op publishers. All of them wanted the writer’s money.

Feels Misleading

Based on the large number of ads for such printers, I felt that it could give my students the feeling that “this is the way to go” and “everyone has to pay to publish.” Each year shows an increase in the stories of innocent writers who believed everything they read and got taken.

I know this sounds more like a rant than a blog post today, but I do honestly think The Writer is a better buy–and well worth your money. Just this week in my copy were several articles that I’ll be tearing out and filing: an excellent article on setting, an article on how to make your story about loss into a universal story, how flexibility and adaptability helped a writer break in, a method for revision, and how to know if feedback is toxic or not. (And that’s not half the articles in the magazine.)

If you can afford it, subscribe to both writers’ magazines. If you need to choose, I’d recommend The Writer.

June 9, 2010

We hear a lot about setting writing goals.  Do any of you have secret thoughts like these? Setting goals is great, but I don’t have the energy to pursue them or I’m already so exhausted that I can’t add one more thing to my life—even something I love.

Is that you? Then you’ve come to the right place.

Plug the Drains

Years ago I had a car that guzzled oil. I added a quart every Monday, but by Saturday the oil light was back on. It did no good to add oil without fixing the leak. The same holds true for your energy level. You can set goals, shore up your willpower, and grit your teeth, but you won’t have any more get-up-and-go until you plug your energy leaks.

We usually lose energy in two ways: enduring annoying or toxic behaviors in other people, and tolerating conduct in ourselves that is harmful (overeating, no exercise, over-due bills, or keeping a cluttered office.) One essential skill is learning how to set boundaries on yourself, such as: no sugar or caffeine before 5 p.m., bedtime by 10 p.m., straighten your desk when you quit work for the day, or pay bills the day they arrive.

You can also set and enforce boundaries with people who steal your energy. Limit your availability, for instance. If you have a cell phone, give the number only to those who really must have it. Your cell phone is to serve you—not the rest of the world. Other people can also drain us with their foul moods, irritating habits, and constant crises demanding our attention.

Learn to set boundaries in these situations; keep your energy inside (where it is useful) instead of spilling out on other people. Believe it or not, family members and friends can be expected to “fix” their own bad moods and self-created crises. (Memorize this: Lack of planning on their part does not constitute an emergency on my part.) If you need help with this essential relationship skill, read Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

Remember: the goal is to find more energy for your writing. You must plug the unnecessary energy drains first. Then you’ll be ready to recover your ability to function with ease.

Get in Shape

You’ll be tempted to skip this step, but I hope you won’t. It’s far more important than most writers realize. Just like you need to maintain your car (oil, spark plugs, belts, brakes) if you expect it to run smoothly, you need to maintain a healthy body if you expect to write in flow, enjoy your work, and be productive.

Are you health conscious? “I watch what I put into my body—no alcohol, drugs, caffeine,” says Sophy Burnham in For Writers Only. “I have become so sensitive to my body’s claims that now I actually often eat when hungry (imagine!), stop and lie down when tired. It has taken me years to learn to listen for those two simple demands, knowing that I write better when the machinery’s warmed up, oiled, clean.”

We all write better in that state. I encourage you to take a “health inventory” right now—and do whatever is necessary to turn you into a lean, clean writing machine.

Create Energy!

After you’ve plugged the leaks and kicked your health up a notch, it’s time to actually create energy instead of wasting it. If you have set (and enforced) boundaries on yourself and others, you’re no longer tied to energy-draining habits and situations. This should have freed up some time for you. Use that time wisely now—to create more energy in your life.

Nurturing activities create energy. So, what nourishes your soul and spirit? List activities (ten-minute activities, two-hour activities, half-a-day activities) that give you a real boost. This list will be very individual. For example, my list of energizers includes hot chocolate in my porch swing, photos of castles in England, Jane Austen movies, and journaling. Your energizing activities might be more social (going to the beach with your family) or more physical (running or snorkeling.) Whatever things energize you, incorporate them into your daily life.

Is All This Really Necessary?

Why the emphasis on making more energy? Without sufficient energy (both physical and mental) we won’t be creative writers. We’ll sound tired and bored, and writing will be an uphill struggle.

So…your assignment for the summer, should you choose to accept it, is:

1. Identify your energy drains.
2. Set boundaries with self and others, where necessary.
3. Make physical health an ongoing commitment.
4. Incorporate energizing activities into your daily life.

Then be ready for untapped sources of energy to bubble up!

June 7, 2010

You’ve often heard the phrase “you are your own worst enemy.” Does this apply to you when trying to create a writing life you love? It certainly applies to me!

How does this enemy within keep you from moving ahead with your writing dreams? By telling you lies. Some are bold-faced lies. Some are wrapped in soft wool. Some lies ridicule you, while others sound downright comforting. What do all these voices in your head have in common?

They’re instruments of self-sabotage. They convince you to give up.

Who’s Talking Now?

There are many voices inside your head. You must listen and decide who’s doing the talking at any particular moment. Some voices are easy to recognize; some are so subtle you’ll be shocked. First, you have the…

Voice of the Inner Critic

It whispers words like “What makes you think you have anything interesting to say?” “You’re no good.” “That junk will never sell.” “You’re actually going to show that story to somebody?” The Inner Critic beats you down with criticism. Sometimes this voice bears a remarkable similarity to that of your mother, your spouse, or your junior high English teacher.

As Julia Cameron says in The Artist’s Way at Work, creativity requires a sense of inner safety, something like a fortress. “In order to have one, you must disarm the snipers, traitors and enemies that may have infiltrated your psyche.”

I spent years fighting my Inner Critic’s voice with positive affirmations and gritted teeth. “Oh, yes, I can!” was my motto. In time, my Inner Critic was quieted, only speaking out when I got an unexpected rejection or bad review. Yet I still wasn’t creating the writing life I dreamed of. Something was holding me back. It took me a long time to realize I still had voices in my head, because the tone and words had changed.

Do any of the following voices live inside your head and keep you from fully pursuing your writing dreams? Listen and see.

Voice of Responsibility

This voice sounds so adult, so sensible. It tells you to grow up, to get your head out of the clouds and your feet back on the ground. “You’re neglecting your children (or your job),” says this voice. “Look at your messy kitchen (or yard or garage).” “You have no business hiring someone else to mow the lawn so you can write!” “You’d better walk the poor dog first.”

Guilt is piled on by this voice, and you crumble under its weight. You put your writing dream on the back burner until a time when you’re less burdened by responsibility.

Voice of Intimidation

This voice is snide and cryptic. It slaps your hand when you try to crawl out of the box that is your life and declare yourself a writer. “Who do you think you are?” this voice asks. “You’ll make a fool of yourself!”

Doubt and low self-worth take these statements as the truth, and that of course only serves to further lower your self-esteem. Cowering, you crawl back in the box and close the lid on your dreams.

(The rest of the article on self-sabotage (which also includes the voices of fear, compassion, and procrastination) is here. It’s from the “Creating the Writing Life You Love” section of my Writer’s First Aid: Getting Organized, Getting Inspired, and Sticking to It.

June 4, 2010

Have you ever finished a rough draft or a revision, then wondered if the story held together and all the elements were there in the right places?

Did you suspect some of your favorite scenes should be cut, and other boring ones needed beefing up? Yet you had no idea where to begin…

Welcome to the Club

That happens to me with every book. Only this time, I stumbled across a book at Border’s that has turned out to be a gold mine of help. It’s one of the best writing craft books I’ve read in a long time: Make a Scene: Creating a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time by Jordan E. Rosenfeld.

Make a Scene takes you through the basics of strong scene construction, showing you the necessary core elements needed (e.g. setting, charactere development, tension). However, Rosenfeld also applies these core elements to ten specific different scene types. The requirements are different for first scenes, suspense scenes, dialogue scenes, epiphany scenes, and six other types.

With specific checklists, questions, and excellent examples, the author acts like a personal instructor as he helps you analyze your scenes and then revise and add what’s missing.

Talk About a Bargain!

This 275-page book is perfect for anyone who’s ever thrown up their hands over revising a book and making it stronger. No longer will you have that vague feeling that something’s wrong, but no idea how to fix it!

To top it off: today, at least, there are multiple new and used copies at Amazon.com for under a dollar. If I were you, I’d head right over there and grab a copy while they last.

You’ll be glad you did!

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