Bringing in 2014

2014 arrives in less than 24 hours. It's a time for reflection upon the past few breaths of 2013 and a time to dream about the future. It's easy to dream. (At least for me.) But it's hard to do.

So, as you party into 2014 and make your New Year's Resolutions, commit to yourself that this year you won't just dream about accepting a Book Award on C-Span, you'll work your hardest to make it happen. Whether that's actually writing that amazing book, finding an agent, or self-promoting your novel - get our there in 2014 and make it happen!

 

Original picture from:http://wallpaperhd2014.com/new-year/happy-new-year-2014-cards-wallpaper-hd.html/attachment/happy-new-year-2014-cards-wallpaper-hd

High Expectations

It's that time of season. A string of holiday parties, family dinners, and themed outings. If you're anything like me, when you're the host of one of those parties, you want everything (and I mean everything) to be perfect.

No poorly frosted cookies, no crooked stockings, no unlit bulbs, and definitely no family scuffles. If you're anything like me, not one year has gone your way.

But that's okay. Both in your writing (or lackthereof in this hectic time) and your social life, nothing is going to be perfect. Do the best you can and remember to breathe. Sometimes, falling a little short of your high expectations can bring unexpected opportunities, or at least a good laugh.



Happy Holidays!

Photo from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/142707881915407994/

The Number One Writing Mistake (Late Post Tally #3)

Second late post this month, third of all blogging time (since last January). Wow, I'm on a roll.

Since this post is late, let me tell you how I spent yesterday so you know why I'm tallying again. After work and a massage to get out the "at the computer 24/7" shoulder knots, and grocery shopping, and cooking dinner, and cleaning up, and then shopping for new winter boots since mine are leaking wet into my socks every time I go out (and this is a massive problem in Northern Wisconsin, since it has yet to be above negative or single digits for 3 weeks and snow only keeps coming), *inhales deeply* I finished reading a book.

It was terrible.

It was so bad, I told my mother, "I don't think I'll ever read another book of her's again, in case she does the same thing."

This is the kiss of death for a writer. I (as a reader) did not enjoy the story. I told someone else it was terrible. She will probably tell another 3 people, so on and so forth, and then this writer will have to live out of a cardboard box behind Wendy's. Bad word of mouth travels.

Why was this story so terrible, you ask? It was terrible because the writer let me down.

Common ways to let your readers down:

• Using 3/4 of the book to hype up a supposedly explosive meeting between protagonist and antagonist, and then when they finally meet on page 368, they have a slightly strained "talk" and work out their feelings sans shanking and bullet wounds. 
• Building up a world with rules and boundaries, only to smash it to bits and tiny pieces in the third to last chapter.
• Anything along the lines of, "Turns out they're government experiments".
• Anything along the lines of, "Turns out it was just a dream".  

You get where I'm going with this. If you lead the reader to believe one thing (that your world's rules are solid and unbreakable) then feed them something else entirely (whoops, looks like she can bend time afterall thanks to a government mutated gene hidden deep in her genetic code...no, wait, that was a dream, she's really dead), they're going to feel let down and they will hate you - or at least your book. They may never read another word you write.

New ebook? Nope, not taking it if it's free. Score a nonfiction magazine article deal? Flipping past it, in case that's just a dream, too. You sent me a Christmas card? Trashing it, in case it's mutated by the government.

Letting the reader down is the number one mistake you can make. We can all see past a little diffused tension here, a little crappy writing there, and a typo or two, but none of us will ever get past being let down. It's like the time your friends said they'd pick you up from your house on the way to the airport, but then left on the plane to Vegas without you. They're not your friends anymore.

People's time is precious. Don't waste it.

Don't live behind Wendy's in a cardboard box because you could have done some more creative thinking - or better yet - trashed that one story you didn't know how to end properly.

That is all. Write better and more prosperous, my friends. (I'm going to leave myself a note and hopefully, we'll speak again on Tuesday!)

Beginnings, The Bane of My Existence (Why, Yes, This Is Another Late Post)

Late Post Tally #2. Sorry, guys, the holidays have me whirling and I completely forgot about blogging yesterday while waiting for my inner zen to kick in.

Anyway, back to writing.

For me, the hardest part about writing a story (short, novella, or full novel length) is the beginning. Where can you possibly start when all these characters have so much going on, and have had so much going on in their past? Thankfully, we have an answer.

The inciting incident. The inciting incident is the moment that "kicks" your story into motion. It's the place where your character's world is changed forever.

In ye olden times, the narrator of the story would often start with a long history of the protagonist's past (and possibly the antagonist, too). From birth, through childhood, and even an explanation of how the protagonist is now king before all the characters in Act 1 filed onto stage.

In modern times, ain't nobody got time for that. All we need to know is the protagonist is now king, which can be detailed through the first scene, not the first sentence.

We live in an age of thirty second meals delivered through our microwaves or car windows, instant internet shopping (perhaps more instant with the Amazon Drones? We'll see), and laundry that takes a mere half an hour to go from wet to dry and wearable. However, it's important not to get too hasty in the opening of your story. This is the tricky part. If you move too quickly without enough explanation, the reader will get lost and confused.

That's why all those writing teachers always told you not to start off with dialogue as your opening line. The reader is introduced to the story and its problems by a character they don't know anything about, in a setting they have never seen. It'd be like leading you into a dark room, blindfolded and wearing nose plugs, to have someone whose voice you can't recognize, read you a monologue. Kind of jarring.

The key to a great beginning, one that works for publishing and for your story, is to start us off at the inciting incident - the moment your character encounters a problem. Of course this problem will grow and manipulate through the story, but it gives the protagonist something to fight for, something to change their way of thinking and their actions immediately. Start there with enough exposition sprinkled throughout so readers understand the stakes and the world, and you've got a mighty fine beginning.

It's a lot easier said than done, as I'm sure most of you know. That's why beginnings are the hardest part for me. How much is too much? How much is too little? It varies for every single story.

Happy writing!

Hold Your Morals

I'm a very firm believer in writing a story for the plot and characters, and not to portray a particular moral standpoint. Unless you're writing inspirational literature or something nonfiction, don't begin your novel with a moral theme in mind. At least, not if you want it to be a success.

Are you staring at the virtual me asking, "What, Alyssa, are you against morality?"

No, of course not. I have morals and I appreciate others who hold strongly to their morals.

Literature is a whole 'nother ball game. Before you get anywhere near the moral theme, you need to nail out plot, setting, character development, grammar, punctuation, and plain great writing.

Here's the problem if you bypass those and instead write only what suits your moral standpoint: Your story will not flow organically.

And what happens when your story is forced and inorganic? That's right, kiss those publication dreams goodbye.

First worry about all the story characteristics we've discussed thus far or you've read in magazine articles. These are the important aspects of story. Once you've written the entire draft (and perhaps revised it two or three times) feel free to look within the story and see a moral standpoint revealing itself. There will always be one. Then you can perfect it in your scenes.

Do you disagree? Think back to your last high school or college English Lit class. How many times did you hear "exactly what is ____ author trying to portray here?" How many people decided to weigh in to the conversation of Mrs. Dalloway's stream of consciousness narrative and what that meant for Virginia Woolf? Yeah, you get where I'm going.

People will always try to interpret your work. Much like preaching to the wrong crowd, you can't force readers to accept your morals or point of view. However, your characters can help them understand it if they themselves are organically facing that moral issue in the story. Unfortunately, characters are much like the ornery people who slam the door in your face. They won't buy the morals you're selling. They have a set all their own and they will portray the message that they need to. Oftentimes, it will be the exact same moral you were trying to force them to buy. If you demand morals from your characters, they'll fight you. If you let the story and its moral evolve naturally, you might just have something publishable.

Then, maybe your book will be in the center of that English Lit class.  

Everyday Wisdom

I received the best Chinese lunch buffet fortune cookie message ever!

 

Keep Writing. Confucius demands it.

Calling All Extras (as in; do you know where your supporting cast was this weekend?)

This week, let's go back to talking about your characters.

Many times, it's the characters that force you to start your story. These fictional people in your head are so vivid and witty, you simply have to write their story. But how's your supporting cast? Most of the time, we start with our main characters (protagonist, antagonist, and possibly one other [a sidekick?]) and the other characters present themselves when they need to. However, leaving them that way when you send your manuscript off to agents or self publishing is a massive rookie mistake.

So, for this post's homework, I'd like you to go back and examine your supporting cast.

Does each character sound like a distinct, new person? Though he may only be there for one scene, every character that graces the page needs a personality and a backstory that you know (but that you, please dear god, do not go on and on about to readers). What does he smell like? Does he have a favorite phrase? Does he squeak or hum when he walks? All of these things, even in tiny doses, make your supporting cast and your story world come to life.

If your supporting characters are a little too bland, and you don't know how to fix it, start with dialogue. It's the number one best way to help breathe that third dimension into them. Make that character unique and distinct. Not necessarily with an accent or a catch phrase, but perhaps with the candor of the lines or the flourish of the adjectives.

For example, give supporting character number two a distaste for a certain word. Try cutting out every "as" "but" or "it". Or, if supporting character three needs some life, take a hint from my own life and have her pick up an annoying aphorism. Case in point: In college I picked up the bad habit of saying "B-T-Dubs" rather than "by the way". No matter if I actively try to stop myself, it always comes out like this. Yes, even to my boss, embarrassingly enough.

Truth is, if you spice up your supporting stars' dialogue, their personality will shine through too and you'll know them better in the context of your story world. Your readers will recognize this. It may be the final push you need to get your novel from good to great.

Leave the Door Behind: Writing in Public

Here we are. The third and final week of our three-post series about HOW we write.

Do you have that dream where you're sitting in a Parisian café, penning your literary novel about a pair of doomed lovers over a café au lait? It's a common dream from writers. Paris. The coffee. The leisure. The people passing you by. I shudder at the thought.

Even in Paris, though I've always wanted to go, I would separate my writing time from my out time.

In fact, I've only written in a café or coffee house twice to date. They were both places I was comfortable with and had known for a long time. It still didn't make me feel any better.

I didn't like the constant distractions around me: People having loud conversations and letting their noisy ringtones interrupt the entire café, the waitresses wondering if you're still doing okay, the terrible feeling I harbor when I order a black coffee and sit on their wi-fi for two hours.

Both times, I was so uncomfortable writing in public that I ended up doing little to no writing at all. I didn't want people to see my 50 page Word Document open and infer I was a writer. Then I'd have to converse. It was almost as bad as the time I was working on my poetry for class in the doctor's office waiting room and (though the entire waiting room was empty) an elderly couple sat right next to me. I had to skirt the line between leaning away so they couldn't see my notebook and not looking like a complete jerk.

So, I have a hard time seeing the benefits of writing in public besides complete necessity (like it's the only place you're not ridiculed for writing or can carve enough time to do so).

Here's my list of benefits:

• It allows you to study those around you (which is especially beneficial if your story is set in the same region you write from)
• It has a romantic ring to it: "Being a writer, writing in a café."  

So, I'm going to ask for your help on this one. If you're a writer and you love writing in public spaces. Why? What makes it so beneficial for you? Maybe you can help the solitary writers see the light. Leave a comment please.

Crack the Door: Writing Around Friends and Family

This week brings post two in my three-part series on HOW we write.

Today's topic is writing while surrounded by family or friends. In modern day, this is how many of we freelance writers or aspiring authors write. After all, they're called our "loved ones" for a reason. If you love them and they love you, it should be no problem to tell them you need quiet to write your scene or you need someone else to pick up dinner tonight so you can hash out why chapter three sounds terrible. But if your family is as loud as mine, you know this doesn't fly in real life. Everyone is trying to do something at the same time while still being together. Though our intentions are good, productivity isn't always the best.

This being said, I've recently done more writing and revising around my family. I put the rabbit on the couch, the laptop on my lap, and let the TV and my family play in the background. Is it as beneficial for my writing life as writing alone? Well, no. I'm not gonna lie, it's not.

However, it means I get in more writing time. In my mind, one hour of writing - no matter what writing it is or how much writing actually gets done - is better than no writing at all.

So, though I have to stop the rabbit from antagonizing the dog and listen to and participate in family stories, at least I'm getting a few more sentences on the page. I'm squeezing all the time I can from my day to write. As a younger, less time-constrained writer, I would have never done this. Not only would I have been frustrated my writing wasn't flowing as smoothly as when I was alone, but I wouldn't want my family to see me writing - after all, what if this idea didn't work out and I had to scrap it in front of them? Would that make me a failure?

If you're losing your writing time to a hectic lifestyle and work schedule, I'd recommend writing on your friend's couch or at your breakfast table. Here's why:

• You can squeeze more time from your busy schedule for writing 
• You don't have to feel bad anymore that you sacrifice time for your kids or roommates to write - they share in the experience!
• Your friends and family make perfect case studies for dialogue and stage action

Shut the Door: Writing Alone

Does who you write around make a difference to the outcome of your piece? I'm not talking the stakes or the plot line, but the quality/quantity of the writing you produce. This post starts what I'm expecting to be a 3 post series (my first, squee!) about HOW we write.

Personally, I prefer to write alone. As I told you in this post, I am definitely an introvert. Since you're reading a blog about writing, you most likely are too.

Writing alone offers us the ability to fully get into the character's head without interruption. The quiet of our surroundings allows us to write for however long we want (or have) without the dog wanting a walk, your spouse wanting to talk, or the oven timer going off. It's a solitude most writers enjoy but rarely get. For decades, perhaps even centuries, writers have craved for solitude to write.

I get my solitary writing time in at night. Everyone else is asleep, the rabbit is locked in her cage, the phone rarely rings, and it's me and my story. [Unfortunately, this often leaves me exhausted the next morning before work, but so be it.] The time is often short (one to two hours tops) but the quality and quantity I produce is vastly greater than the writing I do around others or while distracted. The hour flies by, but I get stuff done. It's like having a busy day at work. You're moving constantly and everyone needs something from you when you already have a list of things you need to do yourself, but before you know it, five o'clock is here.

When I write alone, I'm able to focus on the words I put on the page. I flow seamlessly from one sentence to the next; from one dialogue segment to another. Conversations sound better and the scene often feels whole.

I even find editing alone is beneficial to me. Much like writing in solitude, editing alone allows me to immerse myself in the world of the story or scene and not have the distractions that pop me back to real life. In one hour, alone, I can reread/edit/revise 18 pages of double-spaced story. That means new notes, new dialogue, and new metaphors. Much like a devoted reader, I am able to read uninterrupted. I stay "in character" and "in voice" and am able to better assist the scene.

If you always write in a coffee shop around others or in a busy household, try writing in solitude. Lock yourself in the bathroom, go outside, get up to write at 2 a.m., or build yourself a writing shed. Somehow, find alone time and write.

Here are the benefits you stand to reap:

• Getting more done in a shorter amount of time
• Staying in the story, producing a more cohesive feeling scene
• More aptitude to allow yourself to try new things (and fail) because no one has to know

 

Bonus Post! [New Job, New Blog]

This Tuesday brings along my first Bonus Post!

I wanted to let all you faithful blog followers know that I have another, brand new blog. The posts will not be concerning writing or my writing/art endeavors, but instead I will be sharing happenings at the Plum Lake Library in Sayner, Wisconsin, for my relatively new job in Children's Services at that library.

Check out my ideas, book displays, and general craftiness at http://plumlakepubliclibrary.blogspot.com/ 


Happy Writing!

The New and The Old of it

I'm going to let you know something that bothers me. It happens all too often, especially in literary or student work. It's experimental styles - not to enhance the story or contribute to plot, but for the sake merely of experimentation.

Now you're saying, "Alyssa, if writers didn't experiment there would be nothing new."

And I agree. I experiment with my writing all the time. However, the difference between experimentation for the betterment of the story and experimentation "just cuz" makes all the difference. It's like the difference between writing for publication and writing for only yourself.

There's a reason all those writing books and programs focus on traditional plot, character, and setting elements. There's a reason genre sections in the bookstore are so popular. Readers expect a certain reliability on these elements from the writer. In fact, when traditional style elements are followed, the story can be really far out there in content. Readers are more apt to put up with digesting it.

In review: Experimental styles and elements are just fine - if and only if - they contribute to enhancing the story, or they make sense for the tale you're telling. Experimental elements for the sake of experimentation should stay on your hard drive for your eyes only. Then we'll never have to read another book review or hear another teacher comment that, "Well, I appreciate he tried something new," which we all know means, "it sucked, but I need to find something to say."

Be better. Be braver. Let your writing and your story speak for itself.

Where am I?

Name your favorite books for me. Now, where did they take place?

Great stories, the ones published as best-selling novels, "the next great American novel", perhaps, have clear, defined settings. Let's look at a few:

Harry Potter: Hogwarts (and a very realized wizarding world with clear rules)

The Great Gatsby: 1920's New York City

The Hunger Games: Futuristic Panem

Friends Like Us: Milwaukee WI

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: San Francisco

Water for Elephants: Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show On Earth

even the Twilight series: Forks WA

Why is setting so important? Why do we gravitate towards books that have strong settings?

If the setting is confusing or missing entirely, the reader will glance over your beautiful prose and your character development until they have something with which to ground themselves. Setting is key. If Harry hadn't been under the stairs at Number 4 Privet Drive, instead, living in the Taj Mahal, would he have had the same journey at Hogwarts? Would he have even gone to Hogwarts? If Katniss lived in some modern day forest in North Carolina, would the Hunger Games have been plausible?

Now, you're telling me, "My story doesn't involve wizards or fights to the death, so setting doesn't matter in my story." You're wrong. Water for Elephants takes place in a traveling circus, but Gruen produces strong rules and a strong setting. The best short stories have strong setting as well: "Cathedral" by Carver, "Sonny's Blues" by Baldwin. Even if your character rarely leaves the house like Camus' The Stranger. Even if it's not in a specific city or country, we need to be grounded. We need climate (tropical? frozen?), we need surrounding images (oak trees? mountains? desert?), we need setting.

It is possible to go too far. Readers need to be grounded but not flooded with setting information. Remember what your grade school teachers said, don't info-dump on setting. Readers don't need to know, and will often skip over, extraneous detail. For example, if your character is getting wine for a guest, he doesn't need to say:

The wine was to the left of the toaster and wedged in between the microwave and the plastic chef who held his rolling pin. He found the cork screw in the drawer under the spider plant, which sat on the windowsill by the dishwasher, not the one over the sink. He extracted it from the depths of the drawer, which was cluttered with old silverware and spatulas. He uncorked the wine and found the glasses in the cabinet...

 

I think you understand how ridiculous this would get through a novel. All the reader needs to know is the protagonist poured a glass of wine for his guest. Then move on.

 

So, let's review; you need to give your reader a place to land so they can concentrate on your characters and the story itself. You don't want to bore them with more detail than necessary. Be concrete but be brief, and maybe you'll be writing the next great American novel. 

A Special Shout-Out (aka: Thanks PicMonkey!)

Today, I have a special shout-out to the website I use all the time to resize and alter my images so you don't see too much house clutter, and the pictures aren't so big, your browser crashes. The site is called PicMonkey.com and it's a free online photo editing tool.

If you don't already know how awesome PicMonkey is, take a look at these three Halloween inspired self portraits. Vampire me, witch me, and day-of-the-dead me.

Oh, and did I mention - they're FREE to create!

Happy Crafting and Happy Writing!

The Cheapest Writing Retreat Ever

Since it's October 1st, I spent the day decorating the local public library (where I work in children's and youth services) and my house for Halloween. It was a lot of ladder work to say the least. But the whole time, people were commenting on the new décor. At the library everything looked "spooky", "festive", and "cool" in the children's sections. At home it was "Halloween chic" and "creative".

This new scenery even made me smile after a long day's work. It's something different to look at, something stimulating to my mind. I had to use my imagination to decide where decorations were going, then I had to be tenacious and tactful (and often tall enough) to execute it.

It got me thinking that a change in scenery can be a great thing for the creative muscle we need to use to write. I suddenly understood why so many people went on writer's retreats in faraway places. I wanted to go too. But much like the price tag of the fog machine at the supermarket, I couldn't afford it. Though it'd be cool and awesome and festive and all, I just couldn't make it happen.

Therefore, I decorated my house after decorating at work. It put a new little spring in my step. It's a new piece of scenery to look at, a new visual stimuli to get my brain a-cooking! I'm expecting fantastic results from the cheapest writing retreat ever (since it's my town, my home, and my desk). I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and if you would like some inspiration, here's some of the decorating in my own home. I didn't get library decoration pictures yet, sorry.

My "witches live here" sign with pretty fall background.

 

Close up of my skeleton garland

 

Island table scape with candy, pumpkins, apples, and love potion brew.

 

 

Writing Routine CPR

My new job is in the health care industry, and it is also dealing with patient care. Because of this, I spent my morning in a CPR class. CPR has a very specific order (I know, I was just tested on it). First, you assess the scene to make sure the patient is in a safe place (ie, not in the center of the road or lying in shattered glass), then you see if they are responsive. After that, check for a pulse, if no pulse, remove clothing from the chest and start CPR.

This seems like a lot of steps, and I haven't even covered the compressions/breathing themselves.

My writing schedule used to be this strict. Pre-college/work I would write from 9 to 11:30 every night, then go to bed. It didn't matter if it was a Sunday, Tuesday, or Friday. It didn't matter if it was winter or spring. In fact, at that time, if I had suddenly been transported to Mars, that wouldn't have mattered either. 9 to 11:30 was my writing time.

Then I went to college, where time was never truly applicable. After withdrawing, I resumed my writing routine. But then I got an infant rabbit who needed a lot of attention and training, and a long bedtime transition from her exercise pen back to her cage. After that came my health care job. I now wake up between 5:30 and 6:30am on weekdays, depending on my schedule. The rabbit is nearly 5 months old and thinks it's okay to chew on the wires for my computer.

My writing routine is no longer working. I can't stay up that late and hope to wake up that early. So, instead, I've been writing a lot on my lunch break and days off. It's not an everyday assurance like my old routine, but it's what I have to do.

If you've found yourself inhibited by a new work, child, or pet routine, go ahead and break your previous writing schedule. Take a few weeks to adjust and reassess when you can squeeze in some writing. Perhaps it's fifteen minutes after work you can have to yourself. Or the few minutes your infant will sleep.

Adopting this flexibility to change will keep you from stalling out your writing. It's better to write for fifteen minutes every day then to not write for a month.

As parting, here's a few stories of fellow writers:

Poet Wallace Stevens wrote his famous poems on commute walks to and from his job.

 

Ernest Hemingway would write at the crack of dawn...while standing...and drinking.

 

Victor Hugo had his valet hide all of his clothing so he was forced to write and not leave the house.

 

Dan Brown writes in 60 minute stints (measured by an hourglass) and then exercises.

Illustrated by Alyssa Nedbal

The wait is over!

The illustration project I've been hinting at since mid-March can finally be revealed to the public.

 



The project is through my previous college, who has a fantastic relationship and exchange program with Malawi. While I was enrolled in the college, I was given the opportunity to create images for one in a series of young reader books that are published in both English and Chichewa. As you read this, the books are in transit to the Mzuzu University Children's Library in Malawi, Africa.

 



My early reader book was titled Nurse and was written by 12 year-old Thokozani Nyirongo, a student in Malawi. The book follows a "when I grow up" format and talks about how the protagonist of the story wishes to be a nurse when she grows up and all the things that she will do as a nurse.



I used watercolor and oil pastel to create each image - which originally measured 14x16 before being photographed, formatted, and printed. There are 10 images throughout the book. Here are a few more of the pages (held open by yours truly).

 





An Update and a Question for You

The back-to-school commercials have aired and a bombardment of first-day-of-school photos clutter the Facebook news feeds. Yes, it's that time of year again - school is in session.

I want you, my loyal blog readers, to know that I will not be joining the fray this year.

Why does this matter to you whether or not I am a student? Well, because a few of you have been there from the beginning when I started this blog out of my college dorm. Others have perused the multiple college class/life posts I wrote at the beginning of this blog's life. But more importantly, I think I can sneak another message out of this one.

Here it goes: You don't need a fancy degree to achieve your goals or get the places you want to be. Especially if you're a writer. (If you want to be, say, a doctor, you may just have to stick it out. Sorry.) But to be a writer you need to...what?...Write! This goes back to the very first post I made in this blog. We're writers not because we have agents or ebooks or publishing deals. We're writers because we write. Plain and simple.

Ask yourself this question - would you rather have the degree you're "supposed to" get, but be no better of a writer than when you started; or, would you rather be degree-less but have worked your way into the writer you always longed to be?

Yeah, that's the question that got me thinking.

Now, I'm not trying to discourage people from going to college, or encourage our current college students to drop out, but I do want to get you thinking. What is going to be most beneficial to you in the long run? If, say, you're in college now and it's strengthening your skills and helping you sort out your weak points - great! You've hit the jackpot. For many of us, this doesn't happen. If, like me, your high school counselors and college professors told you you'd go nowhere without a degree, but the whole process just isn't working for you - this is the time to step back. Think about what you really want.

For me, it was to be the best writer I could possibly be. This meant dropping the student loans, school colors, and cramped living quarters. It meant picking up a job, a writing group, and a few stand-alone writing classes that got me no closer to graduation but a lot closer to publication.

So, in future, expect fewer posts about dorm life, class discussions, and microwave recipes (oh stove, how I've missed you!), and more about the business of writing and art. I hope you join me for the ride.

What You Find in the Trunk

**Please note: I will be posting on Tuesdays now due to a new work schedule. Thanks for understanding in advance!**


Place: My garage, more specifically, inside my Honda CRV which is parked in the garage.
Time: Early. After I've eaten some granola but before a shower. Probably 8:00 am on Labor Day morning.
Climate: 52 degrees, raining, with an icy wind gusting through the open door.


I decided to spend my extra day off cleaning out my car, which hasn't been cleaned in a little over a year due to college demands. Within the first few minutes of tossing receipts and deflated straw wrappers out the door, I discover a pair of blue gloves in the passenger side door. They are knit and have silver patches over the thumb and index finger to keep warm while texting. I unball them and slip them on. I don't remember ever owning a pair of gloves like this. In fact, I'm pretty sure they aren't mine at all. It's cold enough this holiday to wear the gloves while I work. I clean the front seats, the back seats, and then open the hatch. The rain spatters onto it so I try to move quickly. I'm emptying it out so I can vacuum away the little leaves and bug carcasses when I find a pair of black socks. Like the gloves, they are neatly balled. After removing my ice scraper, I find another pair of identical socks, also balled. I know these socks are mine and I suspect they got loose in the move. I stuff the socks into the pockets of my sweatshirt and keep cleaning.

End Scene.

***

Much like my car-cleaning experience, I recently rediscovered a poem I wrote almost two years ago. Like the gloves, I found little gems I didn't remember writing, but that I found to be pretty good lines or ideas. I kept them.

But I also found lines or ideas that were out of place - like the socks. I found myself asking, why is this line here? Can I cut it? What does this scene do to my narrative? Can I cut it?

The socks didn't belong in my trunk. They went rogue in a move and I forgot about them. The lines of poetry had the same syndrome. During my first draft (and second draft) I either didn't see them as problems, or had read the poem so many times, I didn't see them at all. They popped out of my mind like my socks popped out of their suitcase. And just like my car cleaning, they needed to be cleansed from my poem.

This is the beauty of letting a piece sit for awhile before you go back and revise/reedit it. The time apart can force you to look at it in a new light, just like a reader who finds it in a magazine or online. Gone is the sense of creation and instead you can focus on what the piece needs to be truly brilliant. Does this mean you may miss a submission deadline for a contest or literary magazine? Yes. But don't you want to submit your best work? If you don't give the piece some space and some time apart, you will never be able to see it anew. You could be missing the black socks against the black upholstery of the trunk. In most cases, you will be rejected because the editors can definitely see the socks. If you are accepted, though, and you reread the poem a few years after publication. I'm sure you'll see the socks too. It will drive you crazy.

So, make sure you take your time. Don't rush into submission or queries. Do what is best for you, your writing, and your career and take a step back. Let the piece breathe. Revisit in a month or a year and do your cleaning.   

Working on the Working Title

The "industry" (am I allowed to use that word without sounding pompous?) defines "Working Title" as the title you give your project either while you are working on it, or before it is finalized by a publisher/you if you're self publishing.

Now, I'm going to say up front that I don't find the working title to be very important when it comes to writing. In fact, tons of things are more important: plot, character, setting description, good metaphors, etc. But, when you're in a bind, it could help to think about your working title. Not only because it gives you a break from fretting over your current problem scene, but because a title helps you understand your work as a whole.

Writing can force you to work on your manuscript on a scene to scene basis. This is a good and bad thing. It's good because you want every scene to be as good as possible. It's bad because you can lose sight of the work as a whole. Coming up with a decent working title (note the word choice - not "good", just "decent" because this can be changed rather easily down the line) helps you to re-grasp your manuscript as an entire piece of art or entertainment.

Choose a working title that fits the feeling, mood, and voice of the story. Is your writing terse? Your title should be too. Is your writing fanciful? Try a matching working title. Do you write spiritual or inspirational work? Keep that thread in your working title.

Another plus side of the working title is, if you're like me, it allows you to deflect the, "What are you working on?" question.

"The Pharmaceutical Hippopotamus." Nuff said.   

Verbs

No, I'm not running out of ideas for quirky titles. (promise)

Yes, verbs are important enough to constitute their own title. (promise)

About now you're probably thinking, verbs, yeah, I learned about those in first grade. A sentence needs a subject and verb. Got it.

But do you?

A sentence needs a subject and verb to be complete (upon first grade standards), but that doesn't mean your verbs should be toss-away. Let's take a look at an example;

Rough Draft sentence: He walked across the lot.

Revised Draft sentence: He [trundled, stumbled, hopped, promenaded, tottered, etc.] across the lot.

Do you see the difference? The rough draft sentence is fine. It's a sentence. But as far as hard-hitting writing, it lacks voice and stage direction. The revised draft sentence - no matter which new verb you choose - has increased ten fold. Not only can you picture the protagonist more clearly, but the action is more forceful. The flow of the story, the tension you want to keep so effectively high in your reader, is upheld. If someone "walks", you know what's happening, but that's it. Now, if that same someone "stumbles", you infer their mood, their gait, and their personality in that moment. Also, it keeps the reader interested because they aren't bogged down in crappy verbs.

So, yes, verbs are important. When you're revising, don't settle on comfortable verbs. Find a thesaurus and a suitable verb that gives your writing more punch and keeps the action going - tension high, of course. Your manuscript will thank you. (promise)

Tense

Tense is something most writers don't even think about when they begin their rough draft. Tense is also something readers don't dwell on while reading your work. If it's such an invisible entity, why should we pay attention to it?

Because, when tense goes wrong - we all notice. Like a thick rope holding that "angel" in the sky of the school play, an improper tense is a distraction from the story.

First, let's go over our options.

Past tense: Past tense is where the story takes place "before now" or "in the past". Just as its name indicates, the writer writes as if the events of their world have already happened. Now, this may seem to be counterproductive to you. You want your readers to feel engaged with the story - like it's happening to them right now. However, past tense can still present this effect to readers if the writing is engaging and, well, good. Plenty (in fact, most) books are written in past tense. Harry Potter, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit.

Past Tense Example: "He sat on the canary."

Present tense: Present tense is where the story takes place "now" or "in the present". In this tense, the writer writes as if the events of the story world are happening right as the story is being told. If past tense doesn't appeal to you, present tense is another viable option. However, the majority of books are written in past tense (and I think you now agree, not to their detriment) because present tense can seem abrasive to the reader. If absolutely EVERYTHING is happening RIGHT NOW, it can get exhausting, just as running a marathon in real time would be. Just because this is true, it does not mean you can't write in present tense. It always, always comes down to good writing. Time Traveler's Wife, Fight Club, and The Hunger Games are all written in present tense.

Present Tense Example: "He sits on the canary."

Now, no matter which tense you choose (future tense also exists, though is used very rarely) the most important thing is to stay consistent. If you choose past tense and tell readers that Randy sat, walked, or danced, do not slip in a sentence where Randy skips or eats. Always remember the tense in which you are writing and stick with it. Say Randy skipped or ate instead.

If you execute this consistently and accurately, you'll achieve the desired effect of having your readers engaged in the story and not distracted by the giant rope from the ceiling. Keep the writing good and the story will seem believable.

Invention of the Spnife

When my brother was young, he thought he'd revolutionize the cutlery business. He was sick of having to remember the names of and use so many different utensils. He didn't like washing them afterward, either. So, in a genius plea to save himself all the trouble, he did what it seems only children can do efficiently, and created a new piece of silverware.

It's name? The Spnife!

(Pronunciation: spe-knife)

The Spnife eliminated all other utensils because it combined everything into one. Here is a very, very rough diagram (sorry for the hideousness in advance) of what the Spnife would look like;

The new utensil consisted of the already lunch-pail-popular spork (fork on the top, spoon in the middle) with sharp knives on the sides for easy slicing. Then, instead of three utensils per person, you'd only have to wash one.

The Spnife posed a few safety hazards, though. First, if you were trying to eat a chicken breast or steak with the Spnife, there'd be no way to hold down the meat while you sawed at it. In essence, you'd still need two Spnives which equals more dishes. Also, and perhaps most alarming, if you were using the Spnife in its spoon function (say, with soup), you'd put the Spnife in your mouth and then slide it out to get the soup off the spoon part. This would result in the knife ends slicing your cheeks open like the Joker.

Recently, my brother and I were reminiscing about his childhood invention, and he said, "Yeah, I think I'm going to have to abandon the Spnife idea."

This admission (though it is 10 years in the making) turned out to be a fantastic piece of advice for my writing. I'm sure you've been here too: You write something you think is stunning and fantastic (first draft) and then you reread it and realize that it doesn't work. What went wrong? Sometimes it's a matter of revise, rewrite, and revise again until the piece works. Other times, you have to abandon the Spnife. This is true not only for fictional inventions found in fantasy and sci-fi, but also for faulty characters, extraneous scenes, and over-explained metaphors.

It may take 10 years (though let's hope not), but in the end, you have to abandon the Spnife. As William Faulkner said, "In writing, you must kill all your darlings." Stephen King then took it a step further, "kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's heart, kill your darlings."

Reality vs. Fiction

Let's start off with a fool-proof method of interest; a picture and a famous quote.

(I found this wonderful image on QuoteSpr's Pinterest page here)
When you think about it, you realize Clancy has a great point. Many people read fiction to escape reality. They read it for a story, the characters, or to learn more about your topic. They also want to be kept in suspense, they want to turn those pages! When a book like this is discovered, most describe the experience as, "feeling real". The characters "feel real" the setting "feels real" the dialogue "feels real".

They do not mean what they say.

If you're going to be a writer, you need to know the difference between fiction and reality. Reality not only doesn't make sense, but it is very tedious. It takes us days or weeks to get to know someone, and then the dialogue is often chunky and filled with extraneous words and pleasantries. If fiction followed this format, the reader would put the book down in ten pages.

To keep the reader engaged in fiction, dialogue has to be snappy. As a rule, keep each character's dialogue to 4 lines or less. Yes, this means no monologues. If you're now saying, "But I really need that five page monologue in chapter 6!" tell yourself that any dialogue over 4 lines costs $50,000. Now, do you really need it that bad? Can you summarize, cut, or make the exchange into a dialogue rather than a monologue?

Also, unlike reality, fiction only gives the reader the information she needs when she needs it. Reality can be an overload of information and sensory detail. New writers often interpret this "reality" in their fiction by forcing an info dump in the first few chapters. You know all about the character's past, their likes and dislikes and their thoughts on everything. Though this is technically "realistic", it makes for a terrible reading experience. Space out your background info and only give what the readers NEEDS. (Note: this is easier said than done. Find a writing partner for help.) And sensory details should be included, but sparingly. We don't need to know what it tastes, smells, looks, feels, and sounds like unless it is quintessentially important as foreshadow or a clue in mystery novels. Otherwise, pick, say, two. Give the reader enough to feel engaged and immersed, but not too much to be overwhelmed.

In short, be like Clancy. Take the dizzying reality of the characters in your head and the life experiences you've gathered and turn them into fiction. Cut your dialogue or pay. Keep the senses in check, and keep suspense high by avoiding the ever-traveled road to the info dump. If you do these, you may end up with a beautiful work of fiction.

Causality

This week I want to talk a little about plot - but more specifically - the causality of plot.

You've heard it since you were a kid: Your actions have consequences. Another way of saying it is: Cause and Effect. This same mentality that got you a timeout for stealing a before-dinner-cookie is also crucially important for the plot of your story. Whether you are writing a short story or novel, it is important that every event occurs based upon the event that proceeds it.

For example, Marian has an affair in Scene 1. She realizes in Scene 2 that she is unhappily married.

It is only because Marian had the affair that she realized how unhappy she was in her current relationship. She couldn't have understood her unhappiness without first having the affair and seeing how different she felt. If you take it another step further and say that in Scene 3 Marian files for divorce and her husband commits suicide, you are still following the causality of the plot. Because Marian filed for divorce (cause), her husband committed suicide (effect). Was this the only reason her husband had for suicide? Could he not also have had prior mental problems? Well, of course he could have. He probably did. However, there is a logical progression to this plot. The previous event inspires the next to happen.

For many of us, especially those who value a more literary tone to their work and like to play more in the character's psyche than in the plot line, this simple lesson can be forgotten. However, if you keep this lesson in mind both while you outline and while you revise, you'll likely have fewer beta readers asking you why this character did this or why that character said that. Nothing will seem random.

A great causality in plot keeps readers interested. It doesn't mean that they know what will happen next. It means that when something does happen, no matter how unusual, they will understand that it was necessary based upon previous events. This is what agents and editors talk about when they say they want that "logical progression" or "fantastic flow" to a story. They want everything to seem right. They don't want to question why something happened. They want to enjoy your story.

Alyssa Nedbal Studio is OPEN for Business!

You extra savvy blog readers will have noticed that I changed the header of the blog. One tiny yet consequential change happened when I added the word "Artist" onto the banner. You see, I've finally taken one more progression past the block of my Artist Effect and allowed myself to affirm what I've been placing in "about me" sections across the internet: I am an artist.

The reason I add this title now is that the big progression I'm talking about came in the form of the sale of my artwork. Yes, that's right, I'm now officially a starving artist trying to sell some of the artwork lying around her house. I figure, it's just in my hallway, canvases stacked atop each other, so I might as well let other people buy and enjoy them.

My shop is on the ever popular (and one of my personal favorite) sites, Etsy. The shop name is:

AlyssaNedbalStudio

and you can find it here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlyssaNedbalStudio

If you're visiting the blog from my profile on Etsy; welcome! Feel free to leave a comment on any post.

For those of you loyal blog readers who are just now sharing in my joy (YAY!); thanks for being so faithful and reading my posts. It means so much that you support my writing and now are entering into the world of art with me. I promise I will still uphold my end of the bargain and talk all I can about writing. But now we get to see more pretty pictures.

Here's a taste of what the Etsy shop has in store for you (and the first round of those pictures I promised).

Original marker illustration on paper. Title: The Blue Chair

 

 

Original acrylic pallet knife on canvas board. Title: we have MEN

 

 

If you're one of those extra savvy blog readers I mentioned previously, you'll know that I promised exciting illustration news in the Artist Effect post from March. Well, don't worry, that news is coming soon. A few more months of patience will pay off.....



Late Post Tally #1 (or When Plans Go Wrong)

Hi everyone. Sorry this post is a day (almost 2!) late. It's been one of those work weeks. On the bright side, my unpunctual post has reminded me of a topic I've wanted to discuss with you. That topic is:

What happens when the things you want don't go as planned?

For example: You really want BBQ for dinner, but as you near the restaurant, you realize it's Tuesday and the place will be closed. Or, you thought the shift was covered at work but there was a breakdown in communication that had you running to the office when you didn't expect to. Even better, you start a story, knowing your protagonist has to walk down Main St for the progression of the plot, but then in the act of storytelling, he turns down an alley.

Uh-oh

Your plans are thwarted. Gone is the comfortable feeling of knowing what's on your schedule. Gone is the outline and your plans for the evening. Now, if you're like me, you're probably frustrated and wondering why your protagonist took a detour. Why couldn't things just work out the way you wanted them?

I don't think I've found an answer to this. My best guess is that the universe is trying to steer you in another direction. Here you are, thinking you know what you want, when really you only think you know. Trippy, right? Your protagonist's detour may be a frustration at first, but the outline-wrecking move may set up something bigger and better. That half-baked story you'd scour for a theme has just created its own. Suddenly you're publishing a profound piece about life and happiness and you're winning awards (or something like that).

In essence, though it may at first be frustrating, the detour is probably happening for a reason - a better one than you originally planned. It may not be a revelation immediately or even a few weeks down the road. It could take decades to understand why your plans crumbled, but know that it happened, there's no way to take it back, and you have to move on and go with the flow. Just as the lack of Tuesday BBQ forced you to find that out-of-the-way Thai restaurant you'd been wanting to try, a botched plan can be something incredible.

How the Thin-Skinned Listen to Criticism

Experiment: You've written your first draft (perhaps even revised it into a second or third draft) and you want to share it. You show a small portion to family or friends who you think will be honest and still nice.

Result: They have some "suggestions". They don't like that line you smile at every time you read it because it sounds so great in your own mind. They don't think your character is original, realistic, or even very likeable. They think the story has been done before.

Reaction: Well, if you're anything like me, you're crushed. You thought you could go to this person for help, and while you did say, "Be honest," you didn't mean for them to tear you to shreds. At least, that's what this feels like. It feels like the people you trust and respect are telling you that you are a horrible writer. It's especially painful when the critic is a published writer or a prized writing group ally.

Here's the kicker, though. You CAN hate them. Go ahead, leave their critique session with a few silent choice words you repeat to yourself over and over as you drive home. Tell yourself that they know nothing and you really need to get some new beta readers if you're ever going to get published in this life. Tell yourself your professors are trying to hold you back so the student doesn't surpass the teacher. Tell yourself anything you need. Hate your critic.

But always keep their notes!

Even if you never want to see them again, keep their revision. Because if you sit down a few days after the initial blow - of course telling yourself that beta reader X has no idea what he's talking about and you're going to prove him wrong by making his changes and seeing how horrible the story reads now - you'll see the importance. Open a new document or grab a fresh sheet of paper, make the changes (yes, all of them) to the manuscript, and read it. By this time, hopefully you've cooled down enough to read the story and not see the critic's face looming in a red fog in your mind. Read the story for the story itself and see what happens. Truthfully, some spots may have improved. You may like a few of the changes or at least think they're heading in the right direction. Other revisions you won't agree with. The character would never think/act/or say that or the prose no longer sounds like you. That's fine. But now you've tried them and you don't have to worry about them again. Keep the ones that work, toss the ones that don't. Simple.

In essence, if you want to be a writer and you have a thin skin, (guilty as charged) you can make it. Hate your critic...but then take their advice.

When the Whole "I'm a Writer" Thing Gets You Strange Looks

If you're seriously considering writing, you've been there. You tell some people you're close to - people you think will understand - that you are writing a book/want to write a book/or want to pursue a degree or career in writing. These usually supportive individuals then look at you like you have just spoken to them completely in nose snorts and tongue rolls. It is as if they are seeing you for the first time with two heads. You become, to them, a new entity.

"Oh," they say. They may nod, sip at a drink, or find a way to excuse themselves from your presence.

When you pursue your dream anyway (though, admittedly hurt that they weren't as enthusiastic as you are about sitting in front of your laptop for three months penning your novel), you will no doubt have to tell other people. Perhaps more distant or new acquaintances. You're at a party or meeting a friend of a friend and someone asks, "What do you do?"

"I'm a writer."

"Oh." [Or if you're luckier] "So you're one of those."

Coming from a family of practical workers with service jobs, I have had my fair share of these encounters. Telling the people around me that I am a writer is somehow equivalent in their minds to me saying that I am an addict who lives under a bridge. Since I'm not guaranteed a 9 to 5 and a paycheck with health benefits, I'm not actually working. It's like writing can be a hobby, but not a career.

Worse still is when they ask, "What have you published?" If you don't instantly answer with a high-brow magazine or house name like The New Yorker, Random House, or the local newspaper, they know you're as crazy as batty Aunt Betty who for the past 70 years thought she was Van Gogh.

If writing is what you want to do and a writer is who you want to be, you'll no doubt experience this if you haven't already. How do you deal? I have no idea. For me (an admitted thin-skinned Midwesterner), I usually hide my distaste in the conversation itself (because we're raised to always be kind) and then go home and brood about how unsupportive my relatives, friends, and friend's friends are. However, no matter what, I still write. Even when I'm tired, sick, or am putting off laundry for another week to do so. Because if you want it bad enough to tell people you're a writer, you have to deliver on your end too. You can't dream all day of being in The New Yorker and having a literary agent if you aren't also working at the same time. If there's nothing to submit and nothing to show for your hours of daydreams, it was all for naught. But if you want it, and you work for it, don't let the practical strangers get in your way. Sure, the odds are not in your favor, but if you keep working, keep creating, and keep submitting, it is likely you will publish something. For some writers, it takes 30 or 50 years. For others it takes only a few months. Don't compare your story to theirs, though, because you are completely different. You have a different schedule, a different work ethic, and a different ability than them, even if it's marginal. Above all, when the career admittance that "I'm a writer" gets you the looks and the weird comments, don't let it phase you. Handle it in the way you need to and then move on. There's a story that needs to be told.    

Live Condiments? Beards Made of Fog? Underwater Birds? Sure!

Is that too weird?

That is the question I asked myself while writing my most recent short story. It's a fantasy story, and though I grew up on magic wands and talking animals, I always wonder whether the reader will come along with me on a story where the setting or characters are impossible in our modern world (depending on who you ask, of course). And while you need to make sure your characters are consistent - see this post - and the rules of your world are just as concrete (ex. if dogs can fly in chapter 1, they need to also fly in chapter 12), it's just as important that you're creative. One of the biggest complaints of people who read sci fi and fantasy is that it can easily be cliché, old, or stale. To avoid this, you need to remember to be original.

This advice applies to all genres. Originality is why we read. We want to hear a new point of view, meet a new character, or experience a new world. It helps us grow our own imagination, which, to me, is the mot important part of a human being. Without imagination, we wouldn't come up with creative ways to solve problems. We wouldn't have artists or dancers or writers outside of technical purposes.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said: "the default of our modern institutions is that they do not speak to the imagination".

That's why artists are so important. So if you're asking yourself if the story, character, or setting you're writing is too weird, don't worry. Write it as crazy as you want. You can always go back and tweak, revise, and reimagine if it truly doesn't work. But we all need originality - we need to feed our imagination. Who knows, your story may not only help exercise your imagination but it may help a reader solve a problem in his square cubicle or fix his relationship by seeing things in a new light.

On Outlines

Do you outline before you write? No? Yes? Does it matter? Let's see...

I am not, by nature, an outliner. In fact, in elementary school, when they taught me how to outline, I would actually write the story or essay first, so I knew what would happen, and then I would write my outline. It was easier for me this way because writing made me think. Outlining did not.

I don't usually outline - especially when I write fiction - because I feel that it constrains the flow of the story. I like to let the story evolve organically from the personalities of my characters and the friction from their environment. I find that, even when I do outline (usually when I write nonfiction), that I abandon it pretty quickly. Because that's what always happens: I think I know exactly what's going to happen and exactly how my characters are going to react to the situations I set up for them, but then they choose to do something else. They create a detour in my outline that skips an entire portion of the outline or makes the rest of the outline useless.

So, even if you are a strict outliner or you usually use outlines to guide your writing, remember: Always listen to your characters. If you sensor them, or try to make the story line go in an inorganic route, your readers will sense it. However, outlines can be useful. It helps when you come back to your writing after a break and can then read a quick synopsis of what's happened thus far. Also, if you find yourself stuck, you can consult the outline for guidance.

My take on the outlining debate is, it doesn't matter if you outline or not. You are still going to have to write, revise, and edit, no matter what. There's no way around, just different paths to the same end. So do what makes you happy and do what works for you.

Oh Doctor, is it Writer's Block?

"Writer's Block doesn't exist. Anyone who says they have 'Writer's Block' simply hasn't tried hard enough to write yet."

This is what a professor told my class once. I don't know if you're like me, but I definitely don't think he was on to something here. I don't see Writer's Block as a lack of ambition or dedication. It's not a matter of the writer not exploring every conceivable plot avenue possible. It's also not a matter of too little creativity on behalf of the artist.

For me, Writer's Block is just that, a block. I compare it to the athlete working out. When you use a muscle too much, lactic acid builds up and makes the area around the muscle swell, produces that radiating heat effect, and often causes pain or discomfort. Writer's Block is simply this, but in the creative part of the brain.

I recently struggled with a bought of Writer's Block. For the past few months, I've been working on a nonfiction piece (my first! How exciting!). I'm more than 3/4 of the way through, all the time thinking I knew exactly how the piece would progress and especially how it would end, when I got stuck. I have experienced Writer's Block before when writing my manuscripts, but those were all fiction. I thought, Writer's Block is unheard of in nonfiction since all the events actually occurred. I was wrong. In an unexpected turn, a scene I had been planning to save for later decided it needed to be written RIGHT NOW. It demanded it and I couldn't refuse because it worked so well in the space I was writing it. However, that messed up the next scene. My dilemma was: Should I still write this scene, or has it just become extraneous?

Having written most of this nonfiction piece, I had been working my creative muscle for a while. This seemingly simple decision had caused a major congestion within my creative muscle. I was blocked.

For six days, I stared at the problem. I was trying to find an answer on how to make the important parts of the yet unwritten scene work given my new addition. I reread other sections of the manuscript, revised and edited portions that I thought worked well, and then stared again at my problem section.

And I just couldn't do it anymore.

As much as I wanted to write and finish my nonfiction manuscript, I couldn't sit there for another day, trying to sort out its problems. Instead, I did everything else. I did laundry, I went shopping, but most importantly, I read. And I didn't just read nonfiction books, I read all kinds of books. My Writer's Block reading list consisted of:

Oink: My Life with Minipigs by Matt Whyman (A British authored nonfiction about, you guessed it, minipigs.)

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (A YA fiction about New Orleans and growing into the person you wish to be.)

and

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (A classic British horror novel.)

I recommend them all highly. But more importantly, these three books helped pull the congestion right out of my creative muscle. Perhaps it was the mental break from writing that scene, or maybe it was the act of reading how other writers explored their plots that made me able to write again, and more importantly, helped me to discover what my manuscript needed from me. Whatever the cause, it was not that I hadn't tried hard enough to write that brought on my Writer's Block.

So, if you've been diagnosed with good old Writer's Block, don't fret. It is a real problem. You're not going crazy. And there is a cure. It will be hard to accept and hard to administer, but once it goes down, you'll be in the clear. 

Captain that Hook

You've heard it mentioned in interviews with published authors, during writing workshops, and most importantly in the writing guidelines of possible markets or agents. It's illusive, shiny, and completely necessary:

The Hook

But what the hell is it? In my opinion, the hook is not the first scene, but it also isn't necessarily the first line, either. It definitely incorporates the first line. Usually, I think of the hook as the first two or three sentences, perhaps the first paragraph if you stretch it.

By definition, the hook is the thing that catches the reader's attention. Much like the fishing apparatus, it is the curved, barbed object that latches onto the reader and won't let them go. If the hook is successful, the reader will be intrigued enough to stick with you for another twenty to thirty pages, to see what happens. The hook must not only be a piece of spectacular, concise writing, but it must also reveal something about the character or setting. Preferably, both. Is your character happy, depressed, confused, weary, or adrift? Convey that. Is your setting in line or in contrast with his emotions?

The hook often shocks or interests the reader by using unique language or imagery, but nothing so far out there that she can't relate.

I'm sure, if you're an avid reader, you've come across some great hooks. These are the passages that started the book on the right foot. The ones that pulled you in immediately and forced you to finish them. The best way to learn hooks, as with most writing, is to read the beginning sentences or paragraph of a novel. Did you like it? Are you intrigued? Do you want to read more? If so, why? What did the author do to make you want to read more? Keep a notebook with the best hooks you come across and why you believe they are so spectacular. Make sure you also write down the hooks you think are terrible and why they don't get your attention. This information is just as important because it teaches you what not to do.

You don't have to take an expensive class to learn about hooks and how to use them. But remember, the hook is a tiny object in the middle of a giant ocean. If you don't cast it correctly, you won't catch any fish. A few casts (tries) may be necessary before you get the correct hook for your story.

Also, remember that once you have the reader hooked, you have to follow up with a well-paced well-written story that is just as strong as your opening lines. If you don't do this, the reader will get bored and put your book down - and usually never pick it up again. Just like if you hook a fish but don't reel it in, the fish will figure out how to escape. Your reader will do the same. After the hook, your story needs to be just as powerful or it will all be for naught.


If you find some interesting hooks during your reading, or you remember some that intrigued you in the past, post them in the comments! I'll share my favorites, too.
  

Lumberjacks are like Writers

My hometown is known for trees and lakes. To this day, trees are more abundant than people. Naturally, with all the nature and waterways, the town was settled by lumberjacks - plaid wearing, bushy-bearded lumberjacks. They could make money by clearing the land for settlement and selling the wood at the same time. For them, it was a win-win.

Today, some lumberjacking (is that a verb?) still happens, but not in my area. However, the city has preserved our lumber culture in a summer Lumberjack Show that is popular with the tourists. To be in the Lumberjack Show, the men must be both actors and know how to deal with wood. There are wood carving contests, log rolling contests, and a lot of yodeling. There are also (of course) a lot of plaid clothes and bushy beards to go around.

The first time I went to this show, I was a young child. I won a yodeling contest with my lung capacity and young age that made the crowd coo. My prize was a chair Lumberjack Mike carved on-spot. The next time I went, I was with friends, we were all bored, and the show was about to start, so that sounded like a good plan. Recently, I went to the Lumberjack Show again. This time, I was showing my city-dwelling cousins of ages 8 and 5 how cool lumberjacks could be. They loved the yodeling, and they adjusted to the sound of chainsaws, but I learned something there, too. I learned it during the tree climb.

In this activity, the two competing lumberjacks had to scale side-by-side logs that were erected vertically. They were dozens of feet tall, and the challenge was to get to the top the fastest.

Like the lumberjacks, writers often feel this pressure to succeed. Our families, our friends, our societies tell us that we cannot call ourselves writers unless we can follow up the question, "What have you published?" with a real answer.

Like lumberjacks, writers have to endure the uphill battle of climbing that massive tree and looking like we're totally okay in the process. And just like the lumberjacks, we don't have wires or a safety net to catch us if we fall. We have to rely solely upon our own effort and our own dedication.

But it's okay if everyday you aren't the one who makes it to the top of the tree. If you write one sentence, if you write nothing but gain an experience, if you write nothing and gain no experiences - it's all okay. Tomorrow you get another chance to be the one to make it. Tomorrow, your writing will be there waiting for you. Tomorrow maybe your sanity will be a little more intact. Just because you fail once, it doesn't mean that will dictate the rest of your career or your life. Take a deep breath, come back tomorrow, and try again. No plaid or bushy beards required.  

I'm Trying to Apply This Mentality to Rejection Letters

Keep writing!
-Alyssa

Story Momentum and Counterbalance

You know when you're reading a good book. The pages fly by. You often don't realize that you've been reading for 10 hours until you look up and see it's dark outside. Even if the book was once daunting, and the size of an encyclopedia, you think it too short.

Many factors play into this phenomena. Characters that are believable and relatable are a large part, but so is story momentum. Story momentum is quite literally, the pace of the story.

People interpret this topic in different ways, so I'll only be presenting my view of story momentum here. I believe that story momentum is made up of two different aspects:

1. Story Telling
2. Writing

Story Telling is the act of creating and relaying the story itself. This is where the writer's creative hat comes into play. The ability of the writer to be a story teller is perhaps the most noticeable aspect of story momentum. Persons with story telling ability will know how much character description is needed to give a clear picture, but not too much to overwhelm the reader. They will know how to bring a reader through a scene - slowing down important events and aspects, and speeding up around less important events. Basically, people who are story tellers know, like comedians, how to deliver the punchline.

A person with story telling ability is not instantly a writer, or vice versa. In olden days, story tellers were important to orally pass on traditions and legends before writing was invented or prominent amongst the entire society. For another example, think of your extended family. Everyone has an uncle, aunt, or grandparent who is perfect at telling family stories. When he or she speaks, everyone in the room is enthralled. He or she, then, has the ability of story telling. However, they may not also be a writer. These two abilities do not always come hand in hand. However, it takes both Story Telling and Writing to create story momentum.

When it comes to the writing portion of story momentum, I do not mean that the writer must have perfect grammar or punctuation. Though this is needed in a final draft, an editor can help sort out these problems. The writing portion of story momentum comes from sentence structure. This is the ability of the writer to disperse short and long sentences throughout the scene so that the cadence of the piece is pleasing to the human eye and ear. When you are reading a good book, this doesn't even enter your mind. However, when a book is filling with bad writing, you notice. It seems too choppy if the sentences are all short, and it can be confusing if all the sentences run on.

Another aspect of writing for story momentum is the dispersion of scenes. A professor of mine used the term Counterbalance when explaining this concept to me. Counterbalance is used by the writer sometimes unconsciously. You probably have noticed this being utilized by writers if you read a lot. Basically, the story will be plugging along, focused primarily on one subject or person. But then, the writer will deviate and bring in something else to focus on. This gives a counterbalance to the moving story, and allows the reader to digest what just happened.

If you have read Harry Potter, you know that Harry attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most of the story focuses on this. However, the obvious counterbalance to Harry's schooling are the Dursleys, Harry's muggle relatives.

Counterbalance can be employed much more subtly, though. In the same book series, Harry usually has some sort of mission to accomplish or problem to solve wherein he must stop Voldemort. If the entire story focused entirely on this mission, it would move much like a textbook: Complete Step A then complete Step B, followed by Step C. But JK Rowling disperses other scenes throughout, scenes that include the protagonist's relationship with other characters and the wizarding world. This is another, more subtle, instance of counterbalance.

So, if you are going to employ the convention of story momentum into your story, remember the two most important aspects: Story Telling and Writing. Work on setting up and delivering your "punchline" correctly. Also, make sure you alternate your sentences between short and long in a natural way, and remember the term counterbalance.

When You Don't Write (as in; My Friends Finally Convinced Me to Forgo Writing for Laser Tag)

My college often uses its budget to rent or create interesting activities for its students. Since it's finals week, laser tag qualified as one of these stress-reducing activities. Giant inflatable bunkers were erected in the gym and signs hung around campus advertising the event. I had never played laser tag, but the prospect of shooting my frustrations away with harmless light beams seemed like an OK idea.

There was only one problem.

If I took the two hour period needed to suit up and play a few rounds of laser tag in the gym, I would not have writing time. I still needed to eat dinner, finish my studying, and then get some sleep before my exams. With all these other priorities, this two hour time span would have been devoted to writing on any other day, but for some reason I was finding it hard to say no to laser tag. Perhaps it was the magnetic energy flowing off my crazy friends, or perhaps it was the Logic textbook sitting open on my bed in my peripheral vision, or maybe it was just the fantastic mood I had been in since Spring decided to arrive, but laser tag was calling my name.

So I went. And though I didn't write that day, I didn't regret my decision.

I had fun, and I have to admit, the activity did relieve some of my unneeded, finals week stress.

There's a quote from John Lennon that I think applies to this situation. It goes, "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." And I agree with Mr. Lennon, here. Because the next day, I slotted back into my writing routine, and I was able to write 8 fluid pages in my current project.

Basically, what I'm getting at is don't stress. Make sure you set up your writing schedule and stick to it as best you can, but if you really feel that another experience will be more beneficial to your mental or physical health at that scheduled time, bend a little. It's OK to be spontaneous. It's OK to deviate for the sake of your own sanity. Just like I've talked about before, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing to make yourself happy or to be successful. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your work is take a break. Then, you may come back even more rejuvenated, and get more work done, than if you had forced yourself to stick to your original plan.