Writing Enviornments

What type of writing environment do you seek?  I've been told that for those who have a messy desk, it's a thrill to find something that was lost forever.  I've been told that those who have a neat desk have something mental about them.  And, yet those who have an organized desk are something to be admired -- there must be something wrong with them! 

I don't know of any lurking problems in my subconscious, but I'm one who likes orderly desks.  The neat kind.  No clutter, plain, white, vanilla.  What about you? 

What Is Art?

My dearest friend is a painter.  I have several writer friends.  People I know have artistic talent.  But what is art?  Is it being creative?  Then what about those who make athletics an art form?  What about a accountant that can transform a budget to make it work.  Is that an art form?  Some might think so.  Is art making everything we do a creative process?  Is everything art?  Why not?  Why not be excited about getting up in the morning and creating memories, a life, or realizing a new way of thinking about things.  My whole life could be a gift of artistic license. 

Writer's Block Tip

Writers ask, themselves "What if..." but why?  "What if" is what makes great writers delve into their character, solve the characters problems and makes a great story.  With ten "what if's" you have several paths to take the story and you can chose the one that makes sense (or doesn't what ever the case may be) AND is the most interesting.

When I'm stuck, I ask what if...

That gets my mind thinking forward on a story.  It gets me excited about writing.  What if we didn't have "what if".  I'd think we'd have a pretty boring scenario.

If you ever get stuck, try "what if..." let randomness come in.  Even if it's a clown with a thousand floating balloons.   

How Do You Chose A Book?

My favorite writers in the world say you must grab the reader in the first line.  If you don't they put the book down and grab for another.  I've met writers (published and unpublished) that just don't go with that train of thought.  They have to put down a description or a setting. Some say a mixture of both.  Get them hooked and describe the relevant stuff and keep the reader engaged. 

When I go on my book shopping endeavors I do tend to look at the cover, read the back, open to Chapter 1 (not the prologue) and read until I can put it down.  If I want to read more past page 1, I usually buy the book.  But lately, I've been picky.  If they don't have a first good line, I wonder if this writer has the wit or skill to engage me.  This might not be fair but I need something to prove to me that I can identify that this book is for me.  The decrease of time makes it less likely for me to read the whole first page.  I've gone through book isles looking for that first line to grab me.  I can remember only one first line and it was by Neil Gaman --

There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife.

Best (exploitative word here) hook ever -- EVAR!  Oh, except for "Call me Ismael."  Today the hook would have said, Call me a drunk mofo with a bad attitude and a misfit that doesn't fit anywhere.  Yeah, I like the original.  But you have to understand where people's heads were at to understand "Ismael".  Mofo and a misfit that doesn't fit anywhere would be today's language of "Ismael".

So do you judge a book by it's cover, hook and back explanation?  Or do you dive deeper?

Amazon and Royalites

So Amazon lets you sell back the books you bought from them, but here's a question:

Do authors get royalties from used books?

I realize I'm showing my inexperience here and I'm assuming the answer is "no".  But with all the copyright infringements on movies and black market media, I was wondering if you could even keep track of used books.  To me the publishing industry plays with new book sales so much that it would just be unlikely to be able to enforce royalties of used books.

I like to read a good book, used or new, but I feel guilty sometimes wondering if the author was able to get there $0.90 for the book I just bought.  I'm not pub-bashing, I just come to understand that writers kinna get the short-end.

Publishers are great and they do their best to make the product sell, but writers create the original stories then have to re-write after an editor gets to it, then the writer watches as others decide the name and cover art, then the writer has to wait a year and a half for it to print, then the author has to market the book pretty much by themselves.

I look at this process, look at many gracious authors that are just happy someone likes their book enough to publish it and think, ya know, they deserve more.  In that regard I buy new because I can afford it and I want to support other authors that I like.  I have no problems reading a self published book if it catches my eye.  But I also understand that there is a certain standard when I go to Borders for my reading entertainment that you can't always get with self publication. 

I can totally understand an author that is just proud to have their work in publication.  I can also relate to the panic that comes five minutes later when realization hits that you must market your book.  So, I'm going to worry about weather or not the author gets their money.  The only way I can do that is to buy it new.

What about you?

How I Improved My Writing Skills

I first started writing in my journal, in my blog, but never really for anyone else and boring as... (explicative word here).  Then stories that circulated in my head wouldn't go away until I wrote them down.  They were short at first and then one day I started writing a novel.  It took me a while to realize what I was trying to do was write a book.

My first original novel that I wrote and was not fan-fic became my project to better myself as a story teller.  I realized I was really into writing and went down the road so far as to try and study the craft.  Okay, that's the nice way of putting it.  What really happened was my mind would not allow me to stop thinking about the story.  I was (and still am) obsessed about my book.  I had to improve on it.  I knew it wasn't up to par with published stories and started writing shorts for practice.  My blog became practice.  I strive to improve my writing and it could be my full time job, it just doesn't allow me to live in the life style that I've become accustom to.

Everyone has advice for how to improve your skills.  I'd tell you to go look on a published authors site for real advice, but since you're here, I'm going to tell you what I've done so far--and here it is!

*  First thing I did was become a member of Writer's Digest.  I've found them to be a great resource for improving your craft.  They offer free advice, classes, services and introduce new methods to your all-around writing process.  They focus on non-fiction and fiction alike.  They seem to be a very well put together orginization (at least from the outside) and membership comes with a directory of agents and publishers.

Without them, I might have never been critiqued by Les Edgerton, one of the most interesting and knowledgable writing teachers I've ever know.  I also got a critique from Janet Reid who I admire for her straight forward methods that really makes you work and improve.  Writer's Digest was also responsible for me stumbling upon Rachelle Gardner, literary agent who's blog is an inspiration and gives insight into the publishing business.  So, what I've learned about from them has been priceless for the price of admission. 

*  Join a community.  Do you have visions of that moody writer that never gets out?  Well, forget it!  Get out there, be professional and get your face known.  Be willing to learn from everyone even if they are writing non-fiction and your writing fiction.  They have a story to tell just like you. Both parties can learn from each other.  Plus you go out, you say "hey, I'm willing to learn" and people will help you.  It's a part of the reason why people write, to help work something out themselves or help others.  Plus, people love to show what they know.  I joined an online group called Fanstory.  I found a local group of writers on Yahoo that meets every month at a bookstore.  I think only writers can understand other writers so be with your peers, exchange ideas and methods.  It's a great way to improve your skill.

*  Read.  Absolutely read your favorite books and pick apart why they work!  Read blogs that give you tips on writing.  Don't leave out the wonderful by-product of writing, which is reading!

*  Go to a class or an online class.  Might seem obvious but I can't recommend enough how learning from published authors helped me.  They are always honing their skills, so be no different than a professional!  Learn from those who have experience and are willing to give that knowledge.  I took classes and WOW did my writing improve. 

*  Write!  Ever hear of the mantra "write everyday"?  Well, writing is a muscle that can grow weak if not excersised.  There is this blog of a mother of 3 that writes her novel "10 minutes at a time".  I admire that because she writes everyday when she can where she can.  She's an inspiration and if she can do it...

What about you?  How do you improve your skills?

Book Opinion: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner)

Themed Christmas stories as told by werewolves!  How can you get any better!?  Along with some of my favorite authors (okay I bought it because of the authors) but the title is a hoot and I loved it from there.

Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, Simon R. Green, and Charlaine Harris captured me in this book.  There were more authors to mention and brought worthy stories to my eager eyes and I loved most the stories (some didn't grab me, but I was exposed to the writers works and that's a good thing because they probably got other readers involved in their writing). 

Some stories were light hearted, some funny and others a little sad but all brought my mood up during the holidays.  I enjoy sampling other writers works and the shorts were a wonderful break from reading an entire novel sized story.

Knowing that werewolves and vampires have a heck of a time during the holidays is actually a comfort for me and shows they're people too.  But what I've learned is that a compilation of short stories are entertainment to be reckoned with!  I've forgotten how much fun it is to read short stories.

So if you're around the book store and need an uplifting boost, try Wolfsbane and Mistletoe ~ even if it's no longer Christmas they are great stories to be read!

Martin Luther King Jr.

This civil rights leader was a pastor famous for non-violent demonstrations.  But he also was a writer and published five books. 

Authobiography by Martin Luther King Jr. and Clayborne Carson

A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King and James M. Washington

Strength To Love by Martin Luther King Jr.

The other two I'm unable to find, but if you know them, please let me know. 

As a published writer he has my respect.  He had a message to give to the world and I believe he was pinnacle in making people realize civil rights were for all men (and women). 

Another person you might want to consider researching is his wife Coretta Scott.  She was a women of extraordinary talent and intelligence.  Not surprising as Martin Luther King Jr. seemed to be so grounded and had an unwavering sense to overcome the hate among men to a noble goal. 

If there was one man I'd like to have known in my life time, this one would be him. 

Writing vs. Editing

I've heard from long time writers that sometimes it's difficult to write or they just don't "feel it".  Brimming with ideas I hadn't ever had that problem.  I wrote what I thought about or what was happening in my life.  While that's "journaling", it's also writing.  Getting started can be difficult and easy to procrastinate.  While others will explode if they don't write something down now!

Writer's block--it's the condition in which nothing is good enough to write.  Words cannot express the feelings you wish to convey.  Writer's block really is your inner editor saying you suck.  Fire your inner editor.  She's in the way.   

Tuck that self-edit-mode away.  Give yourself patience.  Draw, journal, rewrite a luliby from childhood.  Laugh.  There are few remedies that can relieve stress like laughing.  What are you going to write about?  Some issue you have yourself?  We all have life lessons to learn.  Playing it through a character is really what we write about in fiction, isn't it?  We have some relation to the problems our characters have.  So write about your flaws.  Just look at them in acceptance and then write about how to fix it.  Maybe in the process you'll find the perfection in your own flaw.

Writing is putting pen to paper and letting it flow.  Editing is going through it, reworking and asking yourself WTF?  But don't let editing take over the creative process.

Best Advice for A Query

I have found the Query an elusive beast that laughs at me from afar.  I shake my fist and say "I'm a writer!  I will tame you!"

The thought of having someone else write it for me has flitted through my mind but my will to master many forms of writing spurs me on to find the "formula" while still being unique and intriguing.  Read all the advice you can find on queries.  There's so much I don't think I could read it all, but it doesn't stop me from trying.

There's the don't be too timid and don't be too confident in your query.  Get the agents name right!  Make the agent feel special.  Read their blog, read some of the books they've represented.  Make sure you've read their submission requirements because if you don't your query will be round filed.  That includes any material you've enclosed and possibly your self-addressed-stamped-envelope too.  Catch their eye and maybe you'll get a request for a partial or the whole manuscript.  Spell check, spell check and then have an English teacher go over it if you are a horrible speller.  I did.

Why put all this effort in?  Let's see ~ 2 new clients out of 10,000 queries a year.  What odds are those?  But that's the statistic.  So here's one of the best pieces of advice I've come across on JM Tohline's The Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Querying Agents (http://www.jmtohline.com/2010/12/biggest-mistakes-writers-make-when.html).

His post is informative for a beginner, thorough for those that had no clue and lengthy for those who have read a few blogs on querying.  But, I've had his blog and one other agent give me the same advice.

"The bulk of a query should consist of 1) the main character, 2) what happens to complicate their life, 3) what goals they now have in response to that complication, and 4) the main obstacle between them and their goal. That is the cake of the query; everything else is just frosting and sprinkles."

I'm in the process now of working on that gem of advice.  I think it's so cut and dry that it is the formula agents look for.  Put you're own flare into it and you might have a winning query!

Have You Ever Considered Making Your Book A Comic?

When I first started writing "TRIAD"/"TERCI UNITER" I had manga in mind.  I like the way manga is presented, but I like the layout and design of comics.  I see my characters in my mind and I've tried to draw them but while I'm a writer and a doodler, I'm not an pen and ink artist.  I think Elf Quest, Mercy Series ~ I draw Ren and Stimpy. 

When I mention to my oil painting artist friend that my wish was to see my book in comics, she widened her eyes and made me a deal I could not refuse!  Horse lessons for pages.  H-O-L-I-E crap!  Never had I thought she'd want to do something like that!  It's a major under taking and luckily she's just as in love with the story as I am and I'm thrilled.  She even loved the first draft of TRIAD (and that draft only a mother could love). 

So, my joy and resound excitement reaches beyond the hurdle of learning this new undertaking.  There are sure to be links and more info under the tag: adventures to this road.  But the best thing is, I'm traveling that road with one of my best friends.  ~ Have manga, will travel. ~

This Is Not The First!

I have another blog that captures a more in depth all-around self view.  Deep Thoughts, Adventures and Uncommon Questions if you want a peek into more of the dregs.  This blog, I'm sticking to my writing adventures!  Happy picking!