The world of computer gadgets, programs, and apps is HUGE
right now with no signs of slowing down. For writers this means keeping up with
trends and streamlining our process under the pressure to crank out bestsellers
(we hope) at an alarming rate. “Publish or be forgotten!” the world yells in
our faces, and we yell back, “Give me a program to make this easier.”
There are beta products, programs that store research
information beside your text, templates that make navigating novels simplified,
and meters (God, how I love a good chart) to tell us if we’ve hit our word
count for the day, week, or month. But how do we know which program is the
best? And what is a good program for a beginning writer or a bestselling author?
The 15 Rules of The Writer’s Code
Just so we're all perfectly clear exactly what is expected of us now that we've decided to be writers.
- Don't plagiarize.
- Read more than you write.
- Read outside your genre.
- Make time to write.
- Hold yourself accountable for writing.
- Be honest with yourself about your writing strengths and weaknesses.
- Be honest with others about their writing strengths and weaknesses (if asked).
- Provide fair feedback in critiques to receive fair feedback.
- Be objective about your work.
- Edit your work (more than once) and be willing to make (huge) changes.
- Know your voice.
- Trust your instincts.
- Give back to the writing community.
- Don't complain about following your dream.
- Support and encourage yourself as much as others.
What rules would you include? Leave your Writer’s Code rules
in the comments section below.
Reaching Down Deep to Find Your Motivation
My husband, who is also a writer, has no problem with self-motivation. He wakes, he works, he creates. I on the other hand, need to "get my pilot light lit," as I call it. I need to get up and stand kindling together in a tee pee shape, stuff wads of newspaper inside, and strike wet matches until the fire begins to burn. When the usable material finally catches I'm ready to fuel a bonfire of ideas, stories, essays, novels, non-fiction articles, you name it -- let's burn.
Unfortunately, there are those times when the burning desire to write doesn't make an appearance no matter how much you drag that match across the surface of the box. It needs to be coaxed out of hiding, like a scared cat from a drainage pipe. Try as you may, nothing seems to get Point A (your ass) to Point B (your project). This is when you need to reach down deep.
Unfortunately, there are those times when the burning desire to write doesn't make an appearance no matter how much you drag that match across the surface of the box. It needs to be coaxed out of hiding, like a scared cat from a drainage pipe. Try as you may, nothing seems to get Point A (your ass) to Point B (your project). This is when you need to reach down deep.
The All Important "Platform"
The buzz around Ye Ol' Water Cooler these days is "platform." This is a word that's been floating around for a while now in the writing and social media communities, and while I kind of shield my eyes from these things (knowing damn well I shouldn't), it is vitally important if you have any hopes of showing the world who you are. Want to get started?
Reading Notes: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
If there is ever a life or death debate about "world building" in writing it can be resolved with The Night Circus. I've never read a book so rich and full with visual elements without going overboard with description. The feel and texture of this circus and the people involved are spectacular and solid. Thanks to Erin Morgenstern's ability to sprinkle visual information, rather than layer it, the world of The Night Circus comes alive and everything else about the story is enhanced because of it.
The magical element of The Night Circus is captivating and fresh with each trick and new creation and I can picture hundreds of "dreamers" lined up in their red scarves to buy a sequel book or movie ticket. Morgenstern also succeeds beautifully in setting the tale across years and bringing the timelines together expertly at the end. The story is active and present without growing intense, making for a great, quick read even for those who might say they don't read that much.
(Disclaimer: As always, my Reading Notes are reserved for bringing to light and pointing out the strengths and positive aspects of books and their authors. While I have negative opinions, sometimes strong ones, I won't be sharing the negatives of other writers’ published work here because it’s not productive and I'm not in the business of looking like an asshole or burning bridges.)
The magical element of The Night Circus is captivating and fresh with each trick and new creation and I can picture hundreds of "dreamers" lined up in their red scarves to buy a sequel book or movie ticket. Morgenstern also succeeds beautifully in setting the tale across years and bringing the timelines together expertly at the end. The story is active and present without growing intense, making for a great, quick read even for those who might say they don't read that much.
(Disclaimer: As always, my Reading Notes are reserved for bringing to light and pointing out the strengths and positive aspects of books and their authors. While I have negative opinions, sometimes strong ones, I won't be sharing the negatives of other writers’ published work here because it’s not productive and I'm not in the business of looking like an asshole or burning bridges.)
You're Not Alone, But You Do Have to Work There
It occurred to me how solitary writing is (not a new concept by any means) and how much this can lead to the idea that we're all floating around out here, alone, typing up stories by ourselves.
You should just know: you're not alone.
No, I can't write your shit for you, and you can't write my shit for me, and a critique group can't make something work that isn't working, BUT you're a part of a collection of other alone people who work like you, and that should mean something.
Other writers all over the world sit around: alone. We think up stories by ourselves and draw them out of the air on our own.
(Don't confuse alone with lonely.)
I like to think when I'm by myself typing away that aside from the characters which keep me company during these hours, that there are a lot of other writers also committing themselves to this alone time. As I'm writing and chipping away at a plot, so are a hundred or thousand other writers in that same moment and we're actively creating something in the world that didn't exist before.
We're not alone at all even though we write in different cities, states, or continents, but this is our office; an office for one.
So, when your hair is ripped out and the coffee cup is empty save for the sticky residue ring along the inside, and you can't force characters to move that aren't meant to walk, while we're not there with you, we're all here for you. We're all here -- writing.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
You should just know: you're not alone.
No, I can't write your shit for you, and you can't write my shit for me, and a critique group can't make something work that isn't working, BUT you're a part of a collection of other alone people who work like you, and that should mean something.
Other writers all over the world sit around: alone. We think up stories by ourselves and draw them out of the air on our own.
(Don't confuse alone with lonely.)
I like to think when I'm by myself typing away that aside from the characters which keep me company during these hours, that there are a lot of other writers also committing themselves to this alone time. As I'm writing and chipping away at a plot, so are a hundred or thousand other writers in that same moment and we're actively creating something in the world that didn't exist before.
We're not alone at all even though we write in different cities, states, or continents, but this is our office; an office for one.
So, when your hair is ripped out and the coffee cup is empty save for the sticky residue ring along the inside, and you can't force characters to move that aren't meant to walk, while we're not there with you, we're all here for you. We're all here -- writing.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
How to Know Your Work is Ready for Submission
When it comes down to being a writer, if you aren't wholly in it for the joy and pain of fiction, there is inevitably a time when you must submit your work. Whether to a publication, an agent, or a publisher, your writing, your flesh and blood final draft versions of stories that fell out of your head, have to leave the nest and you have to watch from the front door and see if they have wings. But how do you know your stories, novels, essays, poems are ready?
Mistake #124 Not Following Your Heart
I'm a fairly regular reader to the blog What Not To Do As a Writer written by the ever talented and sailor-mouthed Lisa Kilian. On her blog she lists all of the possible mistakes a writer can/could/will make, some of which we've all learned by experience. Lisa's blog has been one of the few voices on the internet to speak to other writers and admit that on some days: it all sucks, and on other days: you suck.
This week she posted that she's "going rogue" and no longer going to update her site anymore, although nothing will be taken down. Her life and dreams are leading her in another direction and I think I'd like to tip my hat to her and say, in tribute, that Mistake #124 should be Not Following Your Heart.
This week she posted that she's "going rogue" and no longer going to update her site anymore, although nothing will be taken down. Her life and dreams are leading her in another direction and I think I'd like to tip my hat to her and say, in tribute, that Mistake #124 should be Not Following Your Heart.
Remembering What This Writing Thing is All About
I just wanted to share something with you real quick and I'm not even going to count it as my "weekly" (I use this term loosely) post. I really like author Ann Patchett, especially "The Patron Saint of Liars." Her stories work for me and her style of writing resonates with me most of the time. A few days ago I happened to see in my library's catalog that she had a non-fiction book called "What Now?" which is a commencement speech she gave.
Creating a Story Outline
I like to write as a mix of planned plotting (outlines) and discovery writing. I may know what's going to happen next in a general sense, but the details come during the writing of the scene. I might know what one character will say, for sure, 100%, and will have written the quote down on a scrap of paper, but I might not know what the other character's reaction will be, not entirely anyway.
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