An Addition to the Books On Writing Series: BIG MAGIC

As you know from my Books On Writing post series, I read a fair share of books by famous writers talking about writing. So, when I visited my local library last week and saw Elizabeth Gilbert's new book BIG MAGIC: CREATIVE LIVING BEYOND FEAR, I just had to check it out.

Image From Amazon (Book also purchasable there): http://www.amazon.com/Big-Magic-Creative-Living-Beyond/dp/1594634718/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449074141&sr=8-1&keywords=big+magic


However, this book wasn't the ABC XYZ step by step book on the craft that I was used to. Instead, Ms. Gilbert focuses on the most basic of building blocks upon which writing is founded - creative living. At first I though, well I don't need this, I already write and paint and draw and craft - I'm creative, dang it! I live it! But as I've read through (I'm about halfway now), I've found some helpful insight into the creative life that I've never thought of before or that I simply skipped over with tightly closed eyes.

In the "Permission" section of the book that I read last night, I found a delightfully put phrasing that applies so readily to writing and other writers.

To paraphrase the overall idea: Ms. Gilbert says that we need to defend our creative lifestyles (mostly to ourselves and our own egos) by first defining ourselves. "I'm a writer." Actually say it, out loud, to the universe. It is your proclamation of intent.

She then goes on to say:

"This proclamation of intent...is not something you can do just once and then expect miracles; it's something you must do daily, forever. I've had to keep defining and defending myself as a writer every single day of my adult life - constantly reminding and re-reminding my soul and the cosmos that I'm very serious about the business of creative living, and that I will never stop creating, no matter what the outcome, and no matter how deep my anxieties and insecurities may be." (Gilbert, pg. 95)

This paragraph is so inspiring to me because it reveals that even an extremely well known and successful author across nonfiction and fiction genres still has doubts. She still feels unsure of herself and her work. It's a feeling I'm not unfamiliar with myself.

So, whether you're just starting out as a writer and unsure you have anything new to bring to the table, or whether you're a seasoned pro unsure whether anyone wants what you've brought to the table all this time - know that your belief in yourself is enough. If you write, then you are a writer, and you deserve to be one. Your voice and your viewpoints deserve to be heard.

And just as you must dutifully work on your craft everyday, you must also affirm to yourself that you are enough in your creative life.

Go on, say it with me now:

I AM A WRITER

Believe it.



PS> I highly recommend checking out BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert when you have some time. It's definitely going into my Books On Writing category. Both newbies and vets can relate to the primal info contained in this book.

Books That Inspired Me To Write: The Extras

Over the past month I've been sharing the books that inspired me to read and then to write. From the first book that I ever fell in love with, to the books that captured me in the literary life, to the first moment I actively decided to be a writer, and finally to the books that made me fearless with revision.

That seems to cover every base, right? I thought so. But the more I thought about the books that truly inspired different aspects within me, the longer the list grew.

So, to wrap up this post series, I'd like to share a few of the books/series that helped me be confident with other aspects of the craft.

First, there's The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (and the rest of the series) by Michael Scott

Scott taught me through the Nicholas Flamel series just how to orchestrate a large cast of characters. He taught me how to make characters' voices distinguishable and how to give everyone their own unique personality. Scott also has an amazing ability (one I truly covet) to write in great detail with the most amazing clarity. His action scenes, especially, and his descriptions of cities I've never been to and magic I've never witnessed are so real, I feel as if they weave themselves into tapestries before my eyes - tapestries I can touch and experience. Scott has the knowledge to craft amazing detail that's just enough for readers to be captivated and yet not too much for readers to be confused or bored.

It's a skill I hope to master myself. It was Michael Scott who taught me how perfect of an art form it really is.


The next set of books come from Nicholas Sparks. The Longest Ride and The Last Song.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Sparks is a commercial romance powerhouse. Every year, another book. Someone always dies. Yadda Yadda.

Well, that's what I thought, too, until my mother convinced me to read first The Last Song, and then The Longest Ride. (Truthfully, most of the great things that happened in my life seem to be roundabout connected to my mother's influence. Strange. She must have some master plan I have yet to unveil.)

Anyway, back to Sparks.

By reading these books I discovered this author's greatest strength - one I hope to employ in my own fiction - and it's the ability to balance romance within a book that has other aspects. Once I gave him a chance, I learned that Sparks is, perhaps, the master of Counterbalance.

(Missed that post on Counterbalance? Go here.)

So, if you need help keeping the tension sizzling within your novel, or you're missing that little extra magic that brings a book to its soul, read Sparks.


The next amazing story is not a book, but a short story by Raymond Carver. Cathedral.

Now, I haven't read the full Cathedral collection Carver published in 1983, but I have read a smattering of Carver short stories, which has led me to believe that Raymond Carver is the best short fiction writer that has yet to publish. Yes, there you have it, he's my favorite.

Mostly it's because his details are so direct and yet stand for so many different things. He's a master of voice, and his characters are at once real and not. There's too many reasons I adore Carver's writing to devote to one post, so I'll leave it at this: Of all the short stories I've read, after reading Cathedral, I wish I had written it.


And there's still more books I could write about. Still more that have taught me what to do or what not to do. What to aspire to be, and how to write as I always imagined I could.

That's the most important aspect I'd like you to take away from this post series. Other than getting to know me better, I hope that you see the power in stories. They're the only catalyst besides art and human beings that can truly impact the trajectory of a person's life. If my mother hadn't started me on Harry Potter, would I have been one of those children who hated reading? If I'd hated reading, would I have never been in AP English and read The Stranger? If I never read The Stranger, I wouldn't have actively decided to be a writer.

And I wouldn't be me.

So, when you write, remember it. Remember that your story or novel could be the next book that causes someone to fall in love with reading. It could be the book that person needed to resume working on their novel in progress. It could be the book that inspires a future writer and ends up posted on her blog.



Photo Credits:
Michael Scott: http://www.amazon.com/Alchemyst-Secrets-Immortal-Nicholas-Flamel/dp/0385736002/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424794477&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+scott+the+alchemyst
Nicholas Sparks: http://www.amazon.com/LONGEST-Sparks-Nicholas-Author-Hardcover/dp/B00I1D927U/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424795330&sr=1-4&keywords=the+longest+ride
and: http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-Central-Publishing-Paperback-Reprint/dp/B00DWYY1ZG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424795361&sr=8-2&keywords=the+last+song+book
Raymond Carver: http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Raymond-Carver/dp/0679723692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424795941&sr=8-1&keywords=cathedral+raymond+carver

Books That Inspired Me To Write: The Amazing, The Terrible, and The Oh Hell No

Throughout the years I've read many books that are amazing and great for countless reasons. Books that I adore. Ones that force me to start devoted Pinterest boards, draw the main characters, or collect their overpriced action figures.

I've also run into a grand number of books that are terrible. These can be just as inspiring as the great books - some even more so. By reading the terrible books - even when I wanted to stop - I learned what NOT to do in my writing. I learned exactly what I didn't want readers to think while they read my stories. I understood how important amazing writing needs to be before a book is published.

For example: passive language needs to be eliminated whenever possible, but when the writer doesn't know this and the editor lets it go, rampant passive language is excruciating to deal with.
Also, description can bring the reader into the story in great depth. The correct type of detail in the correct way can make a story magical and transcend the page. However, overly excessive detail or a lack of description all together both make the reader confused and frustrate that reader to no end.

So, I've found that it's important to read both the good, the bad, and the those books you grip so tightly in your hands, you think you're going to tear the binding because they're so painfully horrible.

This brings me to the next book that inspired me to write. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.

I started Mrs. Dalloway with high hopes. I knew that this book was revered amongst the literary community for having some of the best writing and language around. It was known not only as a great book but as a true work of art. These praises got me so excited and ramped up to read that by the time the book arrived in the mail, I had convinced myself I loved it.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

I found the stream of consciousness narration to be confusing at best. The descriptions were muddled by interjecting thoughts - most of them half unfinished - the punctuation was weird, and the story jumped around between the points of view of Clarissa Dalloway, Peter Walsh, and Septimus Warren Smith. When more than one character was in the same room, it was difficult to decipher who was thinking what.

I ended the novel in a state of slightly angry confusion. How was this book supposed to make any sense at all? If it didn't make sense, why was it called beautiful - a work of art?

I would have dropped the book then, giving it a lower than low score in my mind if not for one roadblock: Mrs. Dalloway was a book assigned by my AP English class. I had a 25% grade weighted essay to write about it. I couldn't give up now or risk something lower than an A in English class.

So I read it again.

And it still didn't make any more sense.

I was nearly in tears over this book because it was so terrible and I needed to understand it so badly.

But then I found another book:

Mrs. Dalloway: Mapping Streams of Consciousness by David Dowling was published in 1991. I found it in 2012, but it had such an impact on me that I can't sing its praises enough. Suddenly, through his even and steady breakdowns and comparisons, I was able to understand the events of Mrs. Dalloway. I was able to literally "map the streams of consciousness" from Woolf's many characters. I understood their motivations and their desires. I understood what made them tick.

I read through Mrs. Dalloway again and saw it for what it truly was: one of the best books I've ever read. A true masterpiece of twentieth century art.

Mrs. Dalloway (accompanied by Dowling's amazing analysis) was the first book I learned to love slowly. It was the first time my opinion on a literary work changed over time. Unlike The Stranger, which I viewed as a favorite from my first read-through, Mrs. Dalloway grew out of an understanding of the author, her art, and her experimentation with form.

Above all, Mrs. Dalloway taught me that literature could be thought-provoking as well as entertaining. It taught me that not all novels are meant to be gobbled down in one bite. It taught me that sometimes I needed to slow my pace and truly savor a great work of art.

Mrs. Dalloway also taught me one of my most important literary lessons: Metaphors.

Prior to reading Woolf, I had mastered the simile and thought that I was pretty great at metaphor too. But after reading, I knew I hadn't even scratched the surface of metaphor's potential.

One of my favorite Mrs. Dalloway metaphors (and one that hit me with so much impact, I'm surprised I missed it the first ten times I read through the novel) comes near the end of the novel.

NOTE****passage below contains plot spoilers****

After Septimus commits suicide, Clarissa Dalloway looks out her window. She has been contemplating death throughout the novel and hearing of Septimus' suicide she thinks, "...the sky. It will be a solemn sky, she had thought, it will be a dusky sky, turning away its cheek in beauty. But there it was - ashen pale, raced over quickly by tapering vast clouds."

In Clarissa's moment of illumination she stops constantly worrying about death. She is able to let go of her fears and live in the present once again.

Then, on the last page, Clarissa's former lover Peter sees her at her party. He thinks, "It is Clarissa, he said. For there she was."

This is the last line of the novel. Until truly understanding Woolf's mastery of metaphor, I thought the piece unfinished. But now, I see it as it truly is, a wonder of craft and emotion. In just four simple words, Woolf conveys to the audience that Clarissa is a changed woman. From her view of the sky to Peter's finally seeing her for the woman she is now, "For there she was" and "But there it was" is so powerful and wonderfully complete, it catapulted Mrs. Dalloway into a spot of love in my heart.

****spoilers over****

After already deciding that I was going to be a writer in every sense of the word and action, it was Mrs. Dalloway that was my first literary breakthrough. I understood the benefits of experimental fiction. I fully grasped the importance of metaphor, and I learned that not everything I saw at first light is going to stay that way.

I guess, in a roundabout way, it was comprehending Mrs. Dalloway that gave me the courage to start major revisions on works that truly needed it. Woolf was the one who showed me my work could and should be better if I only lost my fear of making it worse.



Photo Credits are both from Amazon.com
Mrs. Dalloway: http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Dalloway-Virginia-Woolf/dp/0156628708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424192309&sr=8-1&keywords=mrs+dalloway+virginia+woolf
Mrs. Dalloway: Mapping Streams of Consciousness: http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Dalloway-Mapping-Streams-Consciousness/dp/080579414X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424193628&sr=8-1&keywords=mapping+streams+of+consciousness

Books That Inspired Me To Write: The Exact Moment I Became a Writer

Since childhood is so fundamentally important to a person (and a writer's) later life, I'm going to detail one more book series that inspired me during my fundamental years.

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park were the first books I loved that not only had a female author, but a female protagonist. Junie B. didn't have magic powers, wasn't orphaned, and went to regular 8-3 school. In short, she was a lot like me. Plus, she was hilarious.

Junie B. Jones taught me that my life could be funny and fascinating and captivating too, even without magic wands or monsters. She taught me that I was strong enough to create a story (and a series of them!) using only the tools I had within my grasp. It was the first time I liked to "write what I knew".

She also taught me that my point of view mattered. She was the one who taught me that if I saw the world a little differently, I wasn't weird, I was creative. Being unique was a good thing, no matter what my peers said. Finally, I was confident enough not to react to every situation the way everyone else did. I could have my own opinion and my own way to problem solve, and it was perfectly alright.

So, in a way, Junie B. not only became an inspiration for my writing, but for me as a person.

Wow, this series is getting deep.....

While we're on a roll, let's not stop there. The next book that inspired me to be a writer was one I read, ensue dramatic music, in school.

From the moment I entered high school, I was in the advanced English program. I tested immediately out of all grammar classes and was thrown into class with the sophomores. I only went on from there, taking Advanced English 10, Advanced English 11, and then the final class, AP English 12.

Within those classes, I found some books I was surprised I loved: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. However, above and beyond them all, my favorite find was The Stranger by Albert Camus.

Camus was my first introduction into true literary fiction. To this day, if you were to ask me, The Stranger would land in my top 3 favorite books of all time. And Camus would be up there with JK in my favorite author category.

Here's why it inspired me so:

First, this was the book that I truly realized the perfect beginning and ending mattered more than perhaps anything else in between. We've talked about how hard it is to begin a story on this blog before. We've talked about the need for perfect beginnings. Ends are just as, if not more, important than that.

But I never truly understood that until I read The Stranger.

The first two sentences of this novel read as follows:
"Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I can't be sure."

It's a simple beginning, but one that holds infinite amount of information. In one moment we're aware of just who the protagonist is. We understand what he thinks and feels. The characterization is breathtaking. We also know the setting of the first scene (a funeral). But perhaps the most important piece of information from the beginning is the reader's understanding that the protagonist is going to give what information he likes in the way he sees fit. He's unreliable for a complete, unbiased picture.

The end, I can't possibly do justice with a single quote. You must read it.

Seriously.

Read it.

Find it now.

I'll wait.

Go to the library if you must.

Okay. Back?

The end of The Stranger is so amazingly fitting for the protagonist that it takes my breath away. It was the first time in my life that I read a story and didn't long for less or more. As a reader, I was fulfilled. The catharsis was PERFECT. As a writer, I was inspired to do that much justice to the books I wrote.

Second, The Stranger by Camus was very much in line with what Junie B. and Barbara Park had taught me earlier in life. In The Stranger, the reader literally follows the protagonist around his daily routine for much of the first half of the book before the murder. Like Junie B., I learned that the mundane events of life could be captivating to an audience when written correctly.

But most importantly, these books taught me I could steal.

Yes, steal.

As in theft.

You've heard that all good writers steal, right? It's common knowledge and a famous quote. But I didn't know it until reading The Stranger. Perhaps it was the combination of mundane events with truly superb writing, but The Stranger taught me that I needn't come up with every snippet of dialogue or every metaphor, simile, and descriptive passage on a whim. I could steal the words of my family and friends, or the beautiful things I heard others talking about in coffee shops. My everyday life was lifted and used in my writing.

I started surrounding myself only with those people I truly connected with. My time went into friends who were funny, poignant, or had interesting POV's on the world.

Suddenly, my everyday life wasn't just lived to get me through - you know, eating, reading, sleeping, repeat - but as a true writer. Everything I did could be applied to my writing. Every conversation I had was free game. Every event I went to or new experience I acquired was cataloged for future use. It was after reading The Stranger that I definitively remember deciding my whole life was to be used for writing. Not just scribbling down stories but the true writing process. Every molecule and atom within me was charged.

It was that moment I became and could seriously claim myself a writer.

It wasn't by chance or grace. It was a decision.
And I've never looked back.



Photo credits both come from Amazon.com today. You can buy these books there, too.

Junie B. Jones: http://www.amazon.com/Junie-First-Grader-Last-Jones/dp/0375815163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423587946&sr=8-1&keywords=junie+b+jones+first+grader
The Stranger: http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Albert-Camus/dp/0679720200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423588541&sr=8-1&keywords=the+stranger+albert+camus
 

Books That Inspired Me To Write: Or, When I Learned About Choices

With my start in reading, I could have easily been one of those kids who reads/falls in love with/rereads the Harry Potter series and never picks up a different book again. I would have been just fine with it. My reading would have stopped with the Boy Who Lived.

But it didn't.

The books that were formative in my early reading life - the ones that kept the spark for reading alive within me - happened simultaneously.

The first was my discovery of the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine.

Now, I'm not sure how many Goosebumps stories I read, or even if a majority of them were a completely different series all together, but one constant remains; I adored "choose your own adventure/ending" stories.

It was the first time in my life that my decisions as a reader (and probably as a person) mattered to the outcome of the story. Who cared that nine out of ten times I chose the wrong turn and died? I was making the story happen. I was in control.

I think this power was my first taste of what it was like to be a writer. Suddenly, I wasn't just along for the ride, I was orchestrating it.

The second discovery of my young readership happened entirely because of my mother. When I was a child, my mother signed me up for a monthly reader program. Basically, every month a new 60-90 page novel would arrive at my doorstep. They were all related to animals (though I no longer remember the name of the club or even if they still exist. This was the 90s, after all). Rescuing animals, taking care of animals, learning about new animal species.

And I dutifully read every story - cover to cover - before the next one arrived in the mail.

At the time, I was just reading cute animal stories. But now that I'm older, I realize that I was learning how to foster a life-long love for reading. I flew through the books, one month after another, and was always excited to pick up the next one.

My mother was a mastermind. From Potter to the book club, she made sure that I was going to love reading all different kinds of literature.

And it was due to this that I wrote. Because the time between me finishing the last book, and prior to receiving the next in the series, I had to do something to keep myself occupied.

Yep. I wrote.

Photo Credits:
Goosebumps book cover from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125592.Tick_Tock_You_re_Dead_
Puppy and duck picture from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/121597258661438479/

Books That Inspired Me to Write: I'm Talking to You, Harry Potter Generation

Lately I've felt a little distant from the blog. Perhaps it's because, for the first time in my life, I'm not in a writing class or any schooling of any kind. For a while, I also felt disconnected to writing.

Yay, adulthood, right?

Thankfully, my writing is slowly gaining more inspiration - even if it is mostly made up of rewrites and poems - and I'm working my way back to writing (even if it's nothing but a comma) everyday. 

To keep myself motivated, I've decided to start another Post Series. This time, I'd like to detail the books that inspired me to write. I think it will be therapeutic for me. To be a reminder of why I chose this path, this obsession. And also, I think it will help me bond better with you, my blog readers. I hope I don't feel distant at all ever again :)

Now, let's get down to it. If any of you have popped over to check out my Goodreads profile, you know from my about me section that one book in particular sparked the reading (and writing) bug within me. So, this Tuesday afternoon, we'll start from the very beginning:

My mother was working as an assistant school librarian when she first heard of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Every day she worked, half a dozen fourth graders would bombard the desk, wondering if Harry Potter was in yet, and if it was their turn to receive it. The hold list for our small public school was over 50. Curious as to why this book was so popular, she found a copy and started reading. 

It wasn't too long before she realized she had to share the magical Mr. Potter and his wizarding world with her children. At the time, I was six and my brother hovered somewhere around the ages of seven or eight (I can't recall the exact month). Our first reading session happened while we were staying in a Chicago suburb at my aunt and uncle's house. We were sleeping on the floor of their office, side by side, and my mother sat between us and read, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." from Chapter One, The Boy Who Lived. 

I can't remember the exact place my mother stopped reading that night. We made it far - far enough to be introduced to Hagrid, the Hogwarts Express, and the Weasleys. She had to go to bed eventually, no matter how much we pleaded for her to keep reading, because she, no doubt, could no longer feel her voice.

I lay awake for a long time. My brother had fallen asleep, his breath coming slowly, turned away from me. I could smell the foreign chemicals my aunt and uncle used to clean their carpet, and from my vantage point on the floor, the almost full moon was visible through their window. Since I was used to sleeping in the darkness and silence of rural Wisconsin, the traffic noise kept me restless. But then something magical happened.

After everyone else had, for sure, gone to sleep, and I alone was awake to hear it, a train whistle blew softly through the noise of the traffic, through the almost full moon, and through the distracting smelly carpet. And I was sure that magic, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, wizards, and friendly giants, were real. And I couldn't get enough.

My obsession with the wizarding world continued through the next six books and eight movies. The final book, The Deathly Hallows, I consumed in a whirlwind, no eating, no bathroom breaks, no sleeping, 34 hour stint. 

Harry Potter was the first book I truly fell in love with. It was the book that taught me reading could transport me from my mundane life into something extraordinary. 

As I got older, I decided I wanted to create worlds just like it. And for a while, I took that inspiration seriously. I imitated Rowling as best I could, writing  many a short story about wizards and witches and magic. Even stories that morphed slightly away from the magic of Hogwarts still had elements of Potter infused in them - the orphaned protagonist, the two best friends, the best boarding school ever...you get the gist. 

Then when I found out JK Rowling was a female author, there was no stopping me. I wanted to be just like her someday. I wanted to write a book or series of books that made people fall in love with literature like her stories had captivated me.

So, yes, it was a scrawny boy under the stairs who first captured my heart. He taught me to love reading, and writing. He taught me to want more from life than Wisconsin offered. He taught me that I wanted to be just like JK. I wanted to be a writer. 

The story continues next Tuesday... 

P.S. the image is from Amazon. Find the book that inspired me first, here: http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422390868&sr=8-2&keywords=harry+potter

Books on Writing Part 4

This week's book on writing comes from current literary agent Donald Maass. It gives a unique look at writing from a commercial aspect. Donald Maass is still a working literary agent (who is also seeking clients at his agency, Donald Maass Literary Agency).

Today, I'm talking specifically about one of his many books, The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass.

The Fire in Fiction talks about writing specifically for publication. So, if you're not looking to be commercially published, this may not be the book for you. Donald Maass offers a unique agent perspective that is coveted by writers racking up rejections. He delves deeply into many issues including character, tension, voice and the story world. What I really loved about this book was Maass' ability to talk about all aspects of an issue. For example, he doesn't merely bottle character into a single quote of knowledge, he gives the writer options like Special Characters (ex. Superman), Ordinary Characters (ex. Average Joe), and the Antagonist (ex. inner antagonist, or outter do-badder). Maass is also the master of offering examples. He uses excerpts  from many different novels to show his concepts.

Some sections from The Fire in Fiction:

"Exposition is an opportunity not to enhance the dangers of the plot (exposition doesn't do that) but to put your characters' hearts and minds in peril. Remember, though, that true tension in exposition comes not from circular worry or repetitive turmoil; it springs from emotions in conflict and ideas at war."

"Does it matter what is the last line of your scene, or the first? Apparently, many authors do not think it does. Most last and first lines in manuscript scenes are quite forgettable. That's a shame. Like a handshake, an opening and closing line can create impressions and expectations. They can set a tone. They can signal where we're going, or what we've done, or serve any number of other useful story purposes."

"Even worse [than cardboard villains] can be stories in which there is no villain as such. Literary fiction, women's fiction, romances, and coming-of-age tales are just a few types of story that do not necessarily call for a classic wrongdoer. In such manuscripts, even so, those who oppose the protagonist are often poorly developed and inactive. Lacking strong resistance, one wonders why the protagonist is having a hard time. It is possible to build conflict out of interal obstacles, of course, but over the long haul it's wearisome and hard to maintain readers' interest that way."

You'll enjoy this book if: you learn best through examples, you are seeking an agent and don't know why you can't get one, you write many stories with different types of characters, styles, or voices.

I'm currently reading Donald Maass' other book Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, which is less instructional and has more examples and worksheets. It's nice if you've finished a few drafts and are working on serious revision.

One final note on The Fire in Fiction: as I perused the book (I read it last a little over two years ago), I found that I had earmarked nearly every exercise at the end of each chapter. So not only does Maass offer the exercises, but they are truly good, and they might even work!

Books on Writing Part 3

I'm veering slightly off the path of instructional writing books to bring you a slightly different option. I'm very conscious of the fact that not everyone learns the same way. That being said, I'm offering a different style of book on writing this week.

It's called The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction by Ann Charters (I've read both the 7th and 8th editions, but offered the 8th edition's cover for you to view).

The Story and Its Writer differs from the other two writing books I've offered thus far because it does not go step-by-step through the process of writing or publishing. Instead, the book is a collection of fantastic short stories written by the greats (like Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and John Updike) followed by commentaries written or spoken by the authors themselves on the craft, the story, the industry (basically, all the interesting things you'd need to know going into fiction writing).

Some great quotes from the commentaries section:

"Urgency does not mean frenzy. The story can be a quiet story...but it must be urgently told. It must be told with as much intentness as if the teller's life depended on it. And if you are a writer, so it does, because your life as the writer of each particular story is only as long, and as good, as the story itself. Most of those who hear it or read it will never know you, but they will know the story. Their act of listening is its reincarnation...From listening to the stories of others, we learn to tell out own." (Margaret Atwood "Reading Blind" 1989)

"A story really isn't any good unless it successfully resists paraphrase, unless it hangs on and expands in the mind. Properly, you analyze with any discrimination, you have to have enjoyed already, and I think that the best reason to hear a story read is that it should stimulate that primary enjoyment." (Flannery O'Connor "A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable" 1969)

"My attention span had gone out on me; I no longer had the patience to try to write novels. It's an involved story, too tedious to talk about here. But I know it has much to do now with why I write poems and short stories. Get in, get out. Don't linger. Go on. It could be that I lost any great ambitions at about the same time, in my late twenties. If I did, I think it was good it happened. Ambition and a little luck are good things for a writer to have going for him. Too much ambition and bad luck, or no luck at all, can be killing. There has to be talent." (Raymond Carver "On Writing" 1981)

You'll enjoy this book if: you particularly like writing short fiction or short nonfiction, you like large books, you like a variety of viewpoints on the same topic, or the lives of past writers intrigue you.

The Story and Its Writer not only features short stories and commentary, but also spouts of graphic novel and photography. What I also found helpful in this book was an appendix that defined common terms like setting, first-person narration, style and theme.

Books on Writing Part 2

This week's instructional book on writing was one I did not find myself. It was a pleasant surprise to find a required reading book in my creative writing class that was actually fun and helpful.

Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Much like King's On Writing, Bird by Bird is part autobiography, part instructional manual. Lamott is open about everything - her former drug addiction, her family and her son, as well as her writing process. With eye-catching chapter titles like: "Shitty First Drafts," "How Do You Know When You're Done?" and "Broccoli" - it was welcome to me amidst the stale, "if you do this, you get this," writing books of my past. Lamott covers everything from starting your first draft (ever) to seeking publication.

Some fantastic snippets:

"You sit down, I say. You try to sit down at approximately the same time every day. This is how you train your unconscious to kick in for you creatively. So you sit down at, say, nine every morning, or ten every night. You put a piece of paper in the typewriter, or you turn on the computer and bring up the right file, and then you stare at it for an hour or so. You begin rocking, just a little at first, and then like a huge autistic child. You look at the ceiling, and over at the clock, yawn, and stare at the paper again. Then, with your fingers poised on the keyboard, you squint at an image that is forming in your mind -- a scene, a locale, a character, whatever -- and you try to quiet your mind so you can hear what that landscape or character has to say above the other voices in your mind."

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it."

"E.L. Doctorow once said that 'Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you."

You'll enjoy this book if: you've always wanted to write but never could get through that first draft, you like a personal connection with the author giving you advice, and/or you want a book on writing to take you on the journey from first draft to publication all under one cover.

Books on Writing Part 1

Since I had so much fun writing the previous post series, I decided to tackle another. This time around, I'll be sharing my favorite books that instruct about writing.

To start, I'll share a common one you have probably heard of, thought of reading, or already have read.

Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Part autobiography spanning King's life, part writing bible, King's book is one of my favorite writing books of all time. Probably because I'm a fan of his novels, I found his memoir enticing. It moved at a snappy pace, never bogging down like many memoirs can. Then, when he's imparting his wisdom on the craft, he feels much like a personal mentor sitting you down in a private room and telling you all he knows before he retires to Boca and leaves you to write alone.

Some fantastic snippets:

"I believe the first draft of a book - even a long one - should take no more than three months...Any longer and - for me, at least - the story begins to take on an odd foreign feel, like a dispatch from the Romanian Department of Public Affairs, or something broadcast on high-band shortwave during a period of severe sunspot activity."

"I've found that any day's routine interruptions and distractions don't much hurt a work in progress and may actually help it in some ways. It is, after all, the dab of grit that seeps into an oyster's shell that makes the pearl, not pearl-making seminars with other oysters."

You'll enjoy this book if: you're serious about writing for publication, you're a fan of King, you like to feel a personal connection to the author giving you advice, and/or you need a knowledgeable mentor to help your tools for the craft move up a level.

The book pictured (my personal copy) is the 10th Anniversary Edition, which features (though the original may also, I have no idea) a section at the back of the book where King revises (by hand!) a segment of 1408 so you can see that the pros rework too, and gives you his list of must-reads.

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