Tag Archives: Inspiration

Contemplating the Gap

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I recently read It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be: The World’s Best Selling Book by Paul Arden. The book was first published in 2003 and is geared toward the advertising field but has gained a much wider audience. I flipped through the book and picked out a few phrases that sounded like platitudes but they caused quite an internal tug of war between my skepticism and what I’d like to believe is true or possible.  Contemplating that gap told me a lot about what might be keeping me circling instead of moving forward.

  • You can achieve the unachievable.
  • You must develop complete disregard for where your abilities end.
  • Try to do the things you’re incapable of.
  • Make your vision of where you want to be your reality.
  • Nothing is impossible.
  • Do not look for your next opportunity. The one you have in hand is the opportunity.
  • If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules.
  • The person who doesn’t make mistakes is unlikely to make anything.
  • How you perceive yourself is how others will see you.
  • If you get stuck, draw with a different pen. Change your tools.

This small book has lots of drawings and quotes, perfect when someone needs a nudge. And who doesn’t now and then?

Be Kind!

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Today’s blog is about critiquing etiquette. Few things rile me more than bullies, and I’m not talking about junior high kids. When we writers put our work out there, we open ourselves up to criticism. Sometimes we solicit feedback and sometimes we don’t, but it’s never easy to swallow negative comments, even when they’re done right.

The catalyst for my writing on this subject was a heavy-handed and unsolicited critique received by a friend and published writer that left her feeling demoralized. It’s difficult enough to break into the world of being a published author without having someone stomp all over your self-esteem. We all are good at doing that to ourselves already.

Here are some of the phrases used in the offending critique:

  • I’m going to give you a lesson in….
  • I rewrote the scene.
  • Your problem is…
  • This makes no sense.

Comments like these are red flags that this person is a thug. My guidelines for setting boundaries to combat this kind of verbal abuse are simple:

  • Never allow anyone to take your voice from you and replace it with his/her own. Suggestions and examples are fine, but to re-write someone else’s work is wrong. As a writer, you have your own distinct style (even if it is not yet fully formed) and you must protect it.
  • Never allow anyone to affect how you feel about yourself or your writing. Do not give them that power over you.

Respect the Writer

I’d like to remind those who critique other people’s writing that it’s an act of courage to show one’s work to others. Remember the old adage: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

As an editor in the corporate and nonprofit world for many years, I have worked with countless people to help them improve their writing. It’s daunting enough for them to look at a page of red marks without belittling them as well. Most of the people I’ve worked with are not writers. They’re experts in a particular field and are expected or required to produce reports documenting their findings or research. They are usually highly skilled and knowledgeable about their areas of expertise, and yet often feel vulnerable and insecure when it comes to writing. A good editor handles those communications with tact, consideration and above all, respect.

I recently reread Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules of Writing. Two of those are especially helpful in regard to what other’s think about your writing:

  • Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.
  • The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it ­honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.

And finally, if a writer asks for your feedback, be honest. Honesty and kindness can go hand in hand.

Birthing a Blog

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I’ve been writing this blog for nine months and here’s what I wrote in my first entry last January about why I started it:

“Over the years I’ve attended writer’s conferences, workshops and countless author readings. I’ve read a library of books and many blogs on the art and craft of writing. Some of the most insightful and helpful ideas about writing have come to me through the generosity of others who shared what they picked up along the way.

“I started this blog to continue that tradition and to cast my net in hopes that writers attracted to this site will find something useful that might help with their own journeys.”

Those statements are still true today, but I didn’t mention another reason a private and introverted person like me wanted to blog. I wanted to change, to be less afraid to put myself out there for the world to see. I’d written a draft of a novel and realized that I’d never get anywhere unless I learned how to get comfortable with showing my work.

Last week I posted the first chapter of my finished mystery novel and the difference in how I felt when I hit the Publish button this time compared to that first time showed how much I’ve changed and grown. The first time felt like I had stepped off a cliff into a bottomless ravine. Now, when I step off a cliff, I know there is a safety net. And that’s because of you.

Gratitude

I want to thank all the people who have checked out, liked, followed, and taken the time to comment on my posts. It warms my heart every time someone makes that connection. It gives me hope for humanity that even in an election season, even when there is so much wrong in the world, there are still people who want to share something positive and who take the time to do so.

Learning and Growing

Your blogs have introduced me to new writing genres and styles, photography, design, art and spiritual guidance. They’ve led to insights that have made me more aware and definitely more knowledgeable.

Some of the outstanding people I’ve connected with during the past nine months have nominated me for awards and I want to acknowledge how grateful I am.

Janet Koops nominated me for the Genuine Blogger and Reader Appreciation Awards. She introduced me to Postcard Fiction and I love it.  If you want to read some great short fiction, check out her blog: postcardfictiondotcom.wordpress.com

                       

fstopfun nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award. He’s an artist and photographer who has a great big heart. Check him out at: http://fstopfun.com/

Catriona nominated me for the Sunshine Award. She’s a poet, writer, photographer and works in human rights development. Check her out at: luckydiplife.wordpress.com

          I know part of the reward process is to pass award nominations on to others. I’ll be doing that in one of my next posts. Thanks again for your support and encouragement!

      

Voice is Everything

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Before writing this piece, I dug through my bookshelves and checked the Internet for definitions of voice in fiction writing. I discovered that most writers needed anywhere from a paragraph to an entire book to define that one simple word. They talked about voice as the author’s style, personality, character, attitude or even point of view.

You don’t say I like the voice, you say I like the book.

Defining voice is difficult because it’s an abstract term.  When I’m reading a novel, if it grabs my attention, I don’t stop to analyze how the writer is handling voice. I am instantly lost in the story. If the writer’s voice is stilted, boring or derivative, I close the book.

Learning about voice through my critique group

I belong to a mystery writers’ critique group that includes traditional, fantasy, romance, police procedural, noir, thriller, suspense and more.

Until I started working with my group I had never analyzed voice other than to read about it in books and articles and wonder if my writing had it. We read five pages of each other’s work in progress and get together to talk in detail about what we like, how we feel about the characters, sequence of events or direction and what stands out as a red flag, not believable or out of context within those five pages. We ask lots of questions.

It’s valuable feedback for us to receive multiple perspectives at once. And here’s the surprise: I don’t even have to know who the writer is because I recognize the voice.

What I’ve learned is that a writer’s voice shows itself in different ways. One of the writers in my group writes wry, humorous noir stories in a sly and mischievous voice. Another writes fantasy in such a matter of fact way, the reader instantly loses any skepticism about the subject matter because the voice is so true and believes itself.

One writer knows her setting so well the reader automatically accepts it as a story you can trust, and another’s voice is defined by her extensive poetry background.

Having said all that, it’s still easier to hear another writer’s voice than my own, but one thing I have learned is that voice is everything and if it is distinctive and true, you keep reading.

Wise Words on Writing

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Wise Words on Writing

Journal writing has always been my friend, my therapist, and my safe place to unburden.  I recently read a piece by the wonderful poet, Sharon Olds  that talked about writing through pain. The full article was about how she handled her divorce, but even if you’re not going through a divorce, Olds’ advice can help with the loss and heartache we all experience throughout our lives. Here are a few of her words of wisdom.

Sharon Olds

“Writing or making anything—a poem, a bird feeder, a chocolate cake—has self-respect in it. You’re working. You’re trying. You’re not lying down on the ground, having given up. And one thing I love about writing is that we can speak to the absent, the dead, the estranged and the longed for—all the people we’re separated from. We can see them again, understand them more, even say goodbye.”