New Beginnings for Writers

Yesterday's post was aimed at those of us who are finding it difficult to write during these troubled times. Today, I thought it might be good for all of us to discuss new beginnings. It's something we're all looking forward to in our day to day life, but we know that it is going to take a while before it happens.

Meanwhile, how about having a new beginning in your writing life? Is there a story or poem that has been doing flips and dips in your mind? One that you've thought about but just never got around to working on it. If you've been having any kind of difficulty in writing, let today be the first day of a better writing life.

My state authors group runs an annual writing contest. They accept submissions from April 1st to June 15th. I've worked on polishing up a few things that I plan to enter, but I haven't started a brand new story. Chicken Soup for the Soul has a call for submissions for several books now in the planning stages. I've thought about writing a story for one of them. Today's the day to stop thinking and start writing.

I love new beginnings. I enjoy turning the calendar page to a new month. It feels like a breath of fresh air, a whole month with who knows what to come? I like starting to read a book. It's fresh and new to me, perhaps the beginning of something very enjoyable. When I was in high school and college, I liked starting a new class. I must admit the joy often wore off once I realized how much work would be involved. Still, those first few meetings were fun. It's fun to wear a new clothing item for the first time. A new beginning of any kind is uplifting.

So, how about a new beginning today? If you've been stuck in your writing journey these past weeks, today's the perfect time to get moving again. Maybe that new beginning will be a great one. I hope so!

Today's poster quote bears repeating: And suddenly you know. It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." --Meister Eckhart

A Bit of Help For Writers in This Pandemic

When I looked through my library of poster quotes, this one stopped me. I got to thinking that we've all had times when that drive and desire to write has left us. I think it's happening to a lot of writers now as we make our way slowly and hesitantly through this pandemic our entire world is experiencing. 

We have all had days during this period when the inspiration to do anything around the house has fled, and the thought of sitting down to write something new or work on polishing a piece already in the works is just abhorrent to us. If it happens now and then, I would not be too worried because you are one of a myriad of writers having this problem. If you have certain days where the desire to write makes itself known, give it a try. Even if you only write a little bit, that's progress.

It's when it becomes a constant that would be concerning. If you quit writing throughout this troublesome period, it's not as easy to go back with vigor once our lives become normal, or semi-normal again. Stop writing altogether, and it will be easier to just let your writing life slide. I'm speaking about people, like me, who are not professional writers who make a living from the words they type. Once you stop altogether, the harder it will be to get back to where you were last January.

You've read about Julia Cameron's Morning Pages on this blog several times. Her advice to writers is to handwrite three pages in a notebook every morning, soon after you rise. Not a story, not a poem, not an essay. Instead, write whatever comes to your mind, even if it doesn't make much sense. Write about how you felt the night before when this or that occurred. Write about what you have on your schedule for the day. The key here is that no matter what you write your creative juices can start to flow, and your mind is cleared so that you can write seriously later in the day. I have a Guest Blogger who will be talking more at length about this topic in a few weeks. 

What you can do with those Morning Pages now is write about the pandemic and how it is affecting you, your family, your friends, your community, or your country. My writing group spent several weeks writing what we ended up calling our Pendemic. We wrote about all the things I mentioned here and then shared with the group. Some used poetic form while others wrote paragraphs. It seemed to help many in the group, as it gave them a safe place for releasing their thoughts and feelings. 

I'm a firm believer that writing helps us deal with many things. I think we can all agree that keeping strong feelings inside can make the situation worse. Try some Pendemic writing yourself. One real benefit is that you let those thoughts and feelings out and tell yourself that is done and now on with the rest of the day. You'll know that you can vent again the next morning. 

I can hear some of you saying Ha! I have to deal with little kids in the morning. I am working at home and have to get started in the morning. For those of you with situations like that, my only suggestion is to get up a little earlier than the rest of the people in your household and spend a matter of minutes writing your Morning Pages. 

Maybe you can turn the Pandemic into a Pendemic. 

Beginning Writers Can Become Better Writers

Today's photo quote will give us a twofold situation. First is the quote itself. All of us who write have been beginners, maybe some still qualify as beginners. The bestselling authors in the world were all beginners at some time. We're all in good company!

Look at the little boy on the baseball field. Maybe this is his first time with a bat and a glove. He's in a big baseball park, and no doubt he is dreaming of the day he will be a pro ballplayer with the stadium filled with cheering crowds. It never hurts to dream a bit. Didn't you have some special dreams when you started to write? I bet you did. It's a natural thing to look ahead and think about what might be someday. 

We should also be aware that that bigtime dream doesn't happen easily or quickly. When our writing journey begins, we set one foot on the path with the first piece we plan, write, and finish. We move ahead a step at a time. What helps us make the next move and the next? Think of your writing journey as a children's game board where you toss the dice and move as many spaces as the dice tell you. Each time you do something to help your writing, you can move one space. Not just writing, even though that is what you really want to do. Write but also read about writing, talk to other writers about the craft, attend writing conferences, and join a writing group. One more thing you can do to advance on your journey is to do writing exercises.

A writing exercise is the second part of today's post. The little boy in the picture is the perfect one to use today for a photo prompt writing exercise. Most of you know the drill. 

• Study the picture--don't just look, but really study it
• Ask yourself some questions about the person, the place, the situation
• Write a descriptive paragraph or any of the following
• Write a few paragraphs, the beginning of a story or just a few paragraphs
• Write a full story about what the picture brought to mind
• Write a character sketch

A Poem Can Capture A Special Moment

Crystals

The Wall Street Journal had an article recently profiling a contemporary poet by the name of Maggie Smith. One of her quotes was simple but said a lot. She said,  "A poem doesn't have to tell a story; it can just crystallize a moment." I read it two or three times, then copied it on a notepad. 

If you've ever been stopped by a beautiful sight or sound and wanted to write a poem, you'll understand her thought--just crystallize a moment. There's no set number of verses to do that, no rhyming pattern, or anything else. ...just crystallize a moment.

Maybe you've watched your children interacting, and there was a moment that you wanted to keep forever. It's then that you should get that little notepad you keep nearby and jot down the thoughts you had. If you don't do it right away, you'll probably lose the intensity of the moment. 

Early one morning, I went outside to pick up the newspaper, and I saw something that made me stop and watch and think. I wrote a poem about that one moment and what I saw in that tiny sliver of time it took me to do a daily chore. It was a moment I wanted to remember, and the poem helped me do so.

Message

The cacophony of geese  

caught my ear immediately  

this cold, early morn, 

as I claimed my newspaper

on the still frosty driveway.

I scanned the cloud-dense sky,

                                                            paper clutched in hand,                                                              

none sighted, but raucous honking

pierced the dawn as they flew

 north from warmer climes.

Yet, their message arrived with

clarity, joy, and triumph.

I smiled, knowing another spring

will grace us one day soon. 

---Nancy Julien Kopp

Many nature poems are something we see for a moment, perhaps a quick glance at a colorful butterfly on a flowering bush. If that glimpse of something beautiful spoke to you, that's when a poem might 'crystallize' the experience. It might be as simple as a haiku, or it could be a poem of several verses. 

As you go about your day, use your writer's eye to look for that exceptional moment or special sight, and pen a poem. You can 'crystallize' whatever it happens to be. 

Titles--Tough, Tricky, and Troublesome

Wouldn't it be fun to have a stairway of books in your house, one where you could remove one stair-book at a time, read it, and replace it? On to the next stair! The stair-books shown here are all children's books. The titles are what stand out. 

Titles are a very important tool for the writer. I think that many writers give little thought to the title of the story, book, essay, or poem they spent eons of time writing. Finished. Need a title? Grab one and plunk it above the piece I labored over. A title is important enough to give it some thought before you bestow it on whatever you've written. 

A title is the first impression; it's what draws the reader to look further. A title takes some real thought on the writer's part. The title, or name, can be tough, tricky, and troublesome. Let's look at those three T words a little closer. 

Tough  It's not easy to lure a reader with a mere spattering of words, even one word, in a title. That's exactly what that title is supposed to accomplish. You want to give a hint as to what is in the body of the story, book, essay that you've written. Keep it merely a hint as you don't want to give too much away. Think of a title as the movies term Preview of Coming Attractions. As a child, teen, and young adult, I adored movies and spent part of every weekend in a theater. I loved the previews which told me just enough to make sure I'd be back the following week. The few movies I've seen recently tell way too much in the previews. You may notice that the books in the stairway in today's photo sometimes use a person's name as the title. It doesn't tell you much about the story itself, but you know you're going to learn something about Huckleberry Finn, Peter Pan, and Pippi Longstocking. And don't you want to pick up that last one to see what in the world someone with a name like Pippi Longstocking is like? 

Tricky  If you're writing a tragic story, you don't want to use a fluffy, humorous type of title. Match the mood of the title to what you've written. In reverse, if the story is filled with humor, then don't use a generic, somber kind of title. Put a bit of humor into the title, too. The length can be tricky, too. Those proper name titles are nice and short, but if you choose to use a very lengthy title, it won't be easy to choose the right words, the ones that make the reader pull your book off the shelf to look at. You might use some unnecessary words, ones that add nothing to the meaning of the title. Cut them.

Most poetry stays with shorter titles. The poet doesn't want the title to overwhelm the poem. 

Troublesome  Yes, titles can be troublesome because you have to play around with several before you settle on the best one. One of my Chicken Soup for the Soul stories was accepted, but the editors had completely changed the title. At first, I was a bit miffed, but then I read through the story and realized the title they had selected was preferable. The editor had used a line toward the end of the story to use. I understood then why she had changed it. At least, she didn't send it back and tell me to choose another title. An editor can do that, too. 

When choosing a title, ask yourself if it tells too much or does it not give a real inkling of what the whole thing is about. I have been reworking an old story for children, and the title is what is giving me the most trouble. I had one, but then decided it sounded like an adult story. I tried another and thought that no one would rush to read the story with this title. I'm spending almost as much time deciding on a title as I did writing the story. 

Titles may be tough, tricky, or troublesome, but they are also of major importance to whatever you have written. Don't snatch one out of the air and call it quits. Spend some time trying several, even when one comes to you quickly. That may be the one you use in the end, but try others to make sure the first one is the best. I wonder how long it took the author to come up with a title like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. 

Show Changes When You Write

The keyword in this photo quote is change. No one is the same person today that they were twenty, thirty, forty, or more years ago. All our life experiences bring changes, some of them good and some not so hot. 

When you're writing fiction, if your protagonist does not change from the beginning of the story to the end, you probably don't have much of a story. Maybe we can use both change and learn. He/she changes or learns something from whatever happens between the opening and closing paragraphs. 

If you write a personal essay without telling your reader how whatever occurred either changed you or what you learned, you're writing more of a slice of life. The key element of the personal essay is the universal truth that you learned or how what happened changed you. 

Even children's fiction should illustrate a change of some kind, be it ever so subtle or a smack-you-in-the-face kind. Don't think kids don't see it. They do.

Memoir writers also should show how what they experienced changed them and perhaps how it influenced life after what happened. 

Change is definitely a part of our personal story just as it is what goes on around us. The town you live in is not the same town it was fifty years ago. Your high school has changed from the years you were there. Even religion changes in some ways as time goes on. Politics definitely changes. When I was growing up, stores were closed on Sundays; now it's a busy business day. 

When you read your finished first draft, make 'what and who changes' as part of your checklist.

Ponder on how you have changed as a writer from early days on your writing journey to the present.

Write About Your Mother

Yesterday, we visited genealogy and Family Stories. Today, let's narrow it down to stories about our mothers. It's a bit past Mother's Day, but we're in the month that honors mothers. I liked this quote and the poster photo. Look at the way the little boy leans into his mother. For him, it's a place of safety and comfort. 

Try writing about your mother including the following: 

• where she grew up
• siblings or no siblings?
• where did she fall in the line of siblings?
• her school years
• her hobbies
• her chores
• her personality
• boyfriends and dating
• which parent she was closest to
• church and Sunday School
• temperament
• happiest moments
• saddest moments
• her marriage
• her husband
• her children
• her grandchildren
• favorite foods
• favorite flower
• best friends
• musical ability
• physical traits
• emotional traits
• her disappointments

You can probably come up with more. I found myself writing a great deal about my mother when I was asked to speak at her memorial service. I was thankful that she had been a storyteller, so I knew a lot about her growing up years and farther on, right up to her final day. I have also written something titled "About Our Mother" which was sent to my three brothers and they, in turn, could send to their children. (I did one for my father, as well) 

As you write about your mother, you'll find that little things trigger memories and stories that happened long ago. Take advantage of that and write a family story. When a memory jumps up, stop and make a few notes so that you can write the story later. If you don't, it will slip away never to be found again.

My mother was the youngest of five, all the older siblings were boys. Two had died as toddlers. She grew up in a small coal-mining town in Iowa where she had free rein to wander the streets. She knew no stranger as a child or as an adult. She talked to everyone and had a smile for all. Her mother was very strict, and my poor mama was always in trouble, or so it seemed. Her big brothers protected her and stood up for her, and she adored them all of her life. She often walked to the coal mine outside of town when her dad's shift was over to walk home with him. Her name was Garnet, but he called her Buddy, which was most appropriate. 

That nickname triggered a story Mom told me long ago. The short version is that her mother attended church services Sunday mornings and Sunday nights. One Sunday evening, my mother begged to stay at home with her dad. Once her mother left, the two of them went to the picture show, as the theater was called. During the intermission, a drawing was held, and, wouldn't you know, my mother and her father won a floor lamp with a flaming red shade. On the walk home, her dad said, "Now, we're gonna be in big trouble, Buddy." 

I could write more and more about my mother, but my aim here was to show a little so that you can get started writing about your own mother. Tell us what you loved about her, what you didn't. In other words, don't just dote on her good qualities, tell it all. Draw a word painting so your readers will know this woman you called Mom, Mother, Mama or some other name. 

Do this for your family, and maybe do it for your mother, whether she is still with you or not. I can almost guarantee that you more Family Stories will evolve from writing all you can about your mother. This exercise is not just for writers. Everyone can do this, Everyone!

Genealogy and Family Stories

Family! It doesn't matter what your family is like. They're yours forever. Your parents will always be your parents, even when they have passed on. Your siblings will be your siblings forever. Your ancestors and what they did or did not accomplish will be yours to eternity.

You can find many Family Tree templates by googling the term. Filling it in will trigger many thoughts and perhaps some Family Stories for you. You might need older relatives to help you with the names farther back, as well as dates. Many family bibles will give you the information needed to fill out your Family Tree. Long ago, people used the front pages to record family history including births, deaths, and marriages. If you have one, count yourself blessed.

I have mentioned several times that a good place to find information about your relatives is the Family Search website which is a free help. Once they have your general information, they send new alerts about someone in your family off and on. I'm always pleased when I see an email from them as I may find another piece of the puzzle that is our family.

Family history is fascinating and I highly recommend learning what you can and passing it on to future generations. For me, Family Stories are as important as factual information. It's through these tales that we learn the personalities of our great-grandparents or our grandparents' siblings.

We also absorb some of the time periods and get a sense of place. That's why those little details in a story matter. If you write about Grandpa Charlie milking cows on a frosty morning, the reader knows that he lives on a farm in someplace that sometimes sees cold temperatures. Write about Aunt Nellie riding the streetcar to shop downtown, and you're letting the reader know she lived in a city.

Whether you're writing a Family Story, a memoir piece, or a personal essay, give thought to what you're sharing with others in your family or readers of a published piece. Would it be hurtful to anyone? Would it bring shame? I truly believe we need to write about the bad times as well as the good, but do it with grace. If you want to write about Uncle Don's arrest, trial and acquittal, ask permission of him, or of his family still living. It's quite alright to include the bad along with the good when you write about family, but be considerate as you do so. I had a love/hate relationship with my father, but I never wrote about it while he was still living.

Genealogy websites sometimes run contests or ask for family stories. I found one in California that ran a contest,  so I entered my story titled "Grandma, Raspberries, and Cream." It won an Honorable Mention and was later published elsewhere. I wasn't looking for the genealogy website or the contest, I accidentally ran across it, but you can do a search to see if there are others. Magazines like Good Old Days and Reminisce publish Family Stories. Do a Google search for both. They do have guidelines, and they pay the writers.

I like to think of Family Stories as the personal side of Genealogy. To put it another way, they're the icing on the cake. When I wrote about my parents' elopement and keeping the wedding secret for six weeks, I was giving a bit of family history with the date and the event, but I added far more to personalize this oft-told story in my family.

Family Stories and Genealogy go hand in hand. When you spend time working on one, make time to work on the other one, as well.

One last thought--you do not have to be a professional writer to write your Family Stories. They might not be as polished as those written by a person who writes to make living, but that does not matter. They'll be your stories, and that's what is important.

Writing Fairies, Good and Bad

This is a post from 2012 that I ran across yesterday. I am going to share it today, and then add a bit more at the end.

2012
I've had a story swirling in the recesses of my mind for several weeks. One that I think would work for a new Chicken Soup for the Soul book that accepts submissions until the last day of August. Last night, I opened a blank page in Word and began to write the story.

I wrote for well over an hour. The story seemed to be coming together nicely. I was aiming for 1200 words, and by the time I was ready to call it quits for the day, I had over 700 words but still a lot to be told. I didn't take time to read over what I'd written, knew there would be time to do that in the morning.

I got ready for bed, feeling satisfied that more than half the first draft was complete. I settled down in bed to watch the news but while the news anchor and weatherman jabbered on about the day's events, something began to gnaw at me. My story!

I knew that the story wasn't right but what, I wondered, was wrong with it. I mentally replayed what I'd written, and the answer came. The first two paragraphs were fine, but the rest of it went into background that threatened to take over the original story. It would overshadow the original premise. Maybe I'd find a solution the next day.

Then the Bad Writing Fairy whispered that it would be a shame to lose all those words that I'd so painstakingly written. Leave it the way it is and keep going. The Good Writing Fairy rapped her over the head with her Writers Wand. but smiled sweetly at me. Then she said, "Dump all except the first two paragraphs and keep going." I knew which one I should heed. I pushed both fairies off my pillow and decided to sleep on their advice.

It's a new day, and there is no doubt in my mind that I have to begin the story again. The first thing I'll do is delete more than 500 words, no matter how much it hurts. There is no reason to sabotage my own story with words that don't belong.

A good many stories that are published look nothing like the first draft. It's a practice round to help a writer know what direction to go. We begin and often begin again. Writing isn't easy. Well, maybe the Bad Writing Fairy might tell you it's a piece of cake, but the Good Writing Fairy is going to remind you that it's hard work but well worth the effort. Which one will you listen to?

2020 Addition:
If you listen to that Bad Writing Fairy too often, you'll become a lazy writer. Sometimes she talks loud enough to make you pay attention. You'll be a lot better off paying attention to the Good Writing Fairy. She will push you in the right direction because she wants you to be the best writer ever.

I'm in that Bad Fairy/Good Fairy situation once again. I have a YA story that is finished. Well, maybe it is. It could end in two different ways. I chose one, then finished the story. But the Good Fairy keeps tapping me on the shoulder with her wand. I know she wants me to write the second possible ending, then decide which one works best. The Bad Fairy must be hiding somewhere as I haven't heard her say to use what I have and forget about writing the best ending. From earlier experiences, I know it pays to listen to each of those little nymphs, then make an adult decision. The Good Fairy is way ahead in scoring points. 

Write Better By Cutting Words

Writers write words. Lots of words. Sometimes too many words. The contest rules decree no more than 1200 words. An editor says Give me 800 words. A call for submissions asks for 1000 or 1500 or less.

When we see a call for submissions or contest guidelines, we're not thinking about the word count as much as we are about the words that count. Many writers run with the idea of the story they want to write, keeping word count in mind but far back in their mind. When they're finally done with the first draft, revising and editing, they check the word count. Oh-oh! Over. Way over! Time to get your writer's sword and start slashing.

A woman in my writing group often prefaces her subs by saying something like "I'm 200 words over the count." Those who critique the sub can cut and slash to help her make the right number of words.

Stephen King tells us to cut our story to the bare essentials, no matter how it hurts. I'm a firm believer that less is more in this case because you're going to end up with a better piece of writing. No fluff that detracts from the main idea.

How do we cut those words that, once in print on the screen or paper, belong to us? We are the possessor and the creator. How can we even think of dumping a whole lot of them? We can and sometimes we must. Go through the list below to find ways to slash and cut.

1. Look for redundancy: We often write two sentences that say basically the same thing with different words to make a point. We want the reader to be sure to 'get it.' Instead, they might be a bit miffed that you, the writer, didn't give them enough credit for 'getting it' in the first place.

2. Strike unnecessary words: Words, or phrases, like really, very, just, only, in other words, for the most part, do not add anything to your sentence. They tend to clutter what could be a perfectly good sentence on its own. Simple is best in all things.

3. Stop hammering a point: Make your point and then move on. Don't overstate your case. This falls under redundancy but I've seen writers who write an entire paragraph about one thing, then write another. Say it once and move on. Similar to redundancy but all its own, as well.

4. Overuse of adjectives: Newer writers tend to do this. They want to bring an image to the reader but tossing a bunch of adjectives into the air and letting them land wherever is not the best way. Too many adjectives to describe one poor little noun makes for overwriting in a big way.

5. Too many adverbs: Adverbs modify verbs. Writers sometimes think that using them on a regular basis helps them show the reader what is happening. An occasional adverb is alright but use them too often and the reader becomes tired. Besides, that adverb is not showing, it's telling.

6. Get rid of the superfluous:  A wise editor I once knew hammered this point with her students. She taught that anything that does not move the story along should be dumped. Every single sentence should have a reason to be in your story. If it doesn't, slash it. We all tend to add these little extras that really have no bearing on the story action. We like them but they become distracting.

There are more ways to cut your first drafts and to tighten your writing but the ones above are enough to consider for now. If you can work on these six, you'll find that your writing has moved to a new level. Henry Thoreau once said that writing a piece shorter will take a long time. You come out a winner in the end if you heed his advice. 

A Character-Driven Novel

Many of us are finding extra time to read during the stay at home situation. I am one who always has a book to read, and I find nearly all of them at the public library. Our library, like yours, has been closed for weeks. When I bemoaned that fact to a friend one day, as we chatted on the phone, she came to my rescue. "Oh, no problem," she said. "I have lots of books, just hate to give them up. You can have as many as you want. 

One of the books in the last batch she shared is Chances Are by Richard Russo, I read the brief summary of the book yesterday afternoon and wasn' t sure I would like it. The story revolves around three men, all 66, who had been college roommates and close friends, but all individuals. They live in different parts of the country but meet at the Martha's Vineyard summer home of one. Knowing Richard Russo has been a successful author made me decide to go ahead and give it a try. 

Last night, I read just over fifty pages. It didn't take that many to pull me into the story. The prologue managed to hook me. I lay awake for a while last night trying to figure out what drew me in so quickly. It wasn't fast action like you might find in a spy thriller. Instead, his ability to paint characters who come alive made me want to continue reading to see what happens to these old codgers. The early pages show the reader the young men at the small eastern college where they met. The time is during the Vietnam War when all college students waited and worried about their draft number coming up. 

Russo seamlessly weaves each young man's background into those present college days. All so different and yet they formed a close bond. He set the scene so well before taking the reader forty-four years later. Just prior to the weekend meeting, Russo once again draws perfect character sketches of each mature man, where they lived, what they'd done career-wise, and their emotional sides, too. 

What impressed me was how well this author drew me in. He gave me, the reader, just enough information that I wanted to know more. A young woman at the college sorority where the three men worked is a small part of these early pages, but there is a hint that she will play a larger role as the weekend meeting of the men goes on. 

The author created characters that were real people, not stick figures. They are flawed just like normal people/ They are real, not Hollywood silhouettes. He chose to have his book be character-driven, and he's done a super job. I found a lot of articles about character-driven novels. Check them out here to learn the difference between plot-driven and character-driven novels. 

Is one better than the other? No, both kinds of novels can draw a reader. It's the skill of the author that makes the difference between creating a mild interest vs hooking the reader immediately. Mr. Russo is no beginner. His list of novels is impressive, two of them were made into movies. 

I am looking forward to reading the remainder of Chances Are. Look it up at Amazon or Barnes and Noble to read more. While the characters are important, the circumstances and mystery are compelling, as well. It would be wise for any novelist to read as much as they can about developing characters. 

Growing As A Writer

Hard for me to pass up this pretty purple poster. For those not aware, I am a big Kansas State University football and basketball fan. Purple is their color. Purple has often been referred to as the royal color, as much of royalty of long ago wore it. It's vibrant and pleasing, too.

Besides the color attracting me, the quote drew my attention. I read it several times, not because I didn't believe it or understand but because it makes a lot of sense. A catalyst is someone or something that causes a change. 

It sounds reasonable then that everything that happens as we move through our life can bring us change and growth. There's no question about the change part, but perhaps the growth part is not always a sure thing. 

We who move down a writing path don't always grow. Our feet get stuck in the mud occasionally, and we need to work hard on our writing projects and our learning skills before we can pull out of the mud and journey onward. 

We need to develop the attitude that I can always do better. We shouldn't be complacent and willing to accept mediocrity in our writing world. A cliche but one with good advice is Reach for the stars! 

How do we grow as a writer? Not by leaps and bounds, although that would be nice. Instead, our growth in the writing world takes place a little at a time, and much of what happens in our lives affect that growth. If there is a sudden serious illness in your family, your writing moves to the back burner. If you receive an award at a writing conference, your growth is greater than it was the day before. 

Right now, as we go through this unprecedented pandemic, our growth as writers can take two paths. For some, it acts as a block. I've read comment upon comment from writers saying that they want to write but just cannot do it. Other writers are affected in the opposite way. They're inspired to use what might be extra time for them to write and write and write. 

If you're in the group that finds it hard to write while going through this stay at home phase, don't worry about it. When our lives return to semi-normal, I believe you'll be able to write and grow as a writer again. When you're ready, you'll write again. 

I hope that everything that happens will be that catalyst for change and growth, but if the growth goes on hold for a while, it's alright. Yes, we would like to always reach for the stars, but sometimes, there is a little delay. Once you get past the muddy part of your writing path, you'll do some growing.

Writers and Self-doubt

Once the seeds of self-doubt are sown, they tend to grow just like flower seeds in your garden. Sadly, the growth of self-doubt seeds is not pretty like the flowers that push through the soil. 

Who do you blame for doubting yourself? You could name all those editors who rejected your submissions. Those submissions were the result of lots of planning and hard work. No wonder you feel like your confidence is slowly trickling away. Or you might point the finger at other writers who seem to be more successful than you. You might reach far back and blame your mother. After all, she helped create the person you are, didn't she? 

Yes, you could use any one of the excuses above, but deep down, you know you are in control of your self-confidence. To be fair, it's a humankind of thing to look for other people or situations to blame. We'd a whole lot rather that someone else was responsible. Their fault, not mine. 

If you continue to point the finger at others, it will do nothing to boost your self-confidence. Instead, doing so will only feed self-doubt. If you want to free yourself of self-doubt, take the first step by eliminating all those excuses you've been using. Know that you're not alone in trying to shake that self-doubt. It's a common problem with writers. 

Writers constantly question themselves. Am I good enough to write a novel? Can my poem rise to the top in the contest? Do I spend enough time editing before I submit? Is Susie Q a better writer than I am? Do I have what it takes to be a successful writer? Can I call myself a writer? Questions like these eat at us off and on, and for some writers, they are constant little naggers. 

Many years ago, I attended my first ever writing conference in Kansas City. The morning workshops were so interesting and inspiring. Next came a lovely luncheon in the hotel ballroom. As the servers cleared tables, the luncheon speaker was introduced. She was a well-known essayist in the Kansas City area. Her goal that day was to make us all realize and understand that we were writers. Sounds simple, doesn't it? We were at a writing conference so why wouldn't we be writers? The problem was that a large number of those in the early days of their writing journey did not consider themselves a true writer. By the time the woman concluded her speech, everyone in the room knew they could call themself a writer. They knew the next time someone asked what they did, the answer would be I am a writer. It wasn't necessary to add that you'd never been published. If you write, you are a writer. It was even suggested that we stand in front of a mirror and repeat I am a writer multiple times until we could repeat it in public to another person. 

Look in a mirror and say I am a writer enough times, and you'll begin to believe it. Your self-confidence will begin to grow slowly but surely like those flowers in the garden. Concentrate on the first part of self-confidence--the 'self' section. It's you who are in charge of your own self-confidence. It's you who must climb above that self'-doubt. 

What about those questions I mentioned in the fifth paragraph? Answer with a negative, and you'll continue to sink, but use some positives in your answers and the self-confidence will slowly grow. Add a bit of determination, and it will grow a little faster. It's all about YOU.

Sorting Family Photos and Letters

Lily of the Valley is the flower for people born in May, so the photo I used today is perfect for the flower and for my topic today. For those who don't see the photo used at the top of each post, this one has the flowers, a photo from long ago, a blank piece of paper, a pen--the kind you used in an inkwell--and a single strip of lace. For readers who do see the photo, it's a perfect one to use for a photo prompt writing exercise. 

It also speaks of finding family stories and family history in old letters and the photos your ancestors kept. One of my pandemic stay-at-home projects was to go through 4 boxes that have been stored in our garage for x amount of time. The boxes were actual treasures because they were filled with photos and more that both our mothers had given us plus our own. I sent duplicates to other family members and sorted others by family. It took a part of several days. 

One thing I found was that people seldom put the year the photo was taken or who the people were. Bless those who did that so that their younger generations could identify relatives and the time. As I studied the pictures of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, I was surprised at the number of times I noted facial features that had been passed on to my siblings and me and to my own children and grandchildren. 

A great many of the pictures were taken outside, probably because that was the better light. My husband and I were surprised at the number of studio portraits we found. We knew money was scarce in both our families, but they still spent money to pay a photographer. They must have felt it important. We are the ones who benefited by still having those special professional photos. 

It was fun to note the hairstyles and the clothing through the many years of our family pictures. Many triggered memories of a family story. I jotted notes to myself to write the stories later. 

Besides the photos, I discovered a few letters from my great-uncle to his wife when he was overseas fighting in WWI. Even those few letters revealed much about their relationship. I also found a tattered and faded small pocket calendar Great Uncle John kept during the war. The inside front page says Calendar, then For the first-year members of the Enlisted Men's Bible and Prayer League. Farther down the page was the name of the man who 'prepared' it for the Army and Navy Department, International Committee Y.M.C.A. Finally, it says Published by War Work Council, Young Men's Christian Association and a New York address. Inside, the small booklet has a scripture verse for each day of a month, then blank pages for that month. Between the blank pages, I found a couple flowers that had been pressed, plus several small pieces of paper with the name and address of men, whom I assume he served with and a 1 cent postage stamp. He'd also kept a couple of newspaper clippings, not war news but a humorous poem and joke. I remember Great Uncle John as a grouchy old farmer in Minnesota, but these few mementos told me a lot more about him. He also must have meant something to my mother since she kept the letters and photos for so long. I believe I mentioned something about this in an earlier post, but I went into more detail today to show how much you can learn about your ancestors from small things saved, in this case over 100 years. 

Some families save everything--letters, photos, receipts, and more, while others toss them out with not a thought as to their worth. When I first got married, my mother and I wrote letters to one another on a weekly basis. She would never have spent the money to call long distance just for a chat. Those letters continued until a year before her death. I didn't save them, and now I would give anything to have them to read again and again. Those chats by letter were a record of family history--who did what and when, who got angry at whom, who got married, divorced, or died. If I had it to do over, I would definitely have kept the letters. 

If you have boxes of photos and other family memorabilia, take some time to go through them. Be prepared to have memories triggered and the desire to start writing family stories. Now is the perfect time since your social life has probably come to a standstill. Use that time to sift and sort through your family treasures. Just this morning, a friend who lives in England mentioned in an email that she had been going through photographs. She noted that many did not have a year written on the back. The sorting of family photos seems to have become a pandemic project here and other places in the world as well. We must know the past to understand the present. 

Writers and Courage

Yesterday's post featured reasons why writers put projects on hold. A lack of self-confidence was one. Self-confidence and courage seem to go hand in hand. Maybe starting that new project takes courage along with that confident feeling.

As our poster says, Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. Those feelings we need to push us forward are not always going to come in great gusts like the wind. Instead, you might feel that needed courage more like the soft whisper of a gentle breeze.

That I'll try again tomorrow could be your final thought before you drift off to sleep. It would be a good time for it as those few words could sink into your subconscious while you sleep. Or those words could come when you have been at your computer for too long trying to work out a problem in a story. Walking away from a problem while writing is alright as long as you go back to work on it in a day or two or three.

It doesn't matter when you say or think the phrase. More important is that you do think or say it. Then you know you are not giving up. Telling yourself that you'll go on in this writing journey you started does sometimes take a bit of courage, but it also means that you have some determination, as well.

When you hear a little voice in your head telling you that you'll try again tomorrow (or anything else), pay attention. Maybe it's the inner you pushing the outer one. It might be your muse trying to help you. Some might even say that it's an angel whispering to give you that bit of courage you need. Wherever it comes from, heed it.

Frank Sinatra sang a song called Little things mean a lot. I agree, and I also agree that a little courage is every bit as good as a huge dose of it. When things don't go right, whether in your writing life or your other life, repeat this bit of courage: I'll try again tomorrow. It's there, but it's up to you to find it.

Don't Put Off That Writing Project

Today's poster says If you wait, all that happens is that you get older. It's anonymous, but it sounds to me like something a mother would say to a reluctant child. Maybe you've said something akin to the quote to someone. The big question is this:  Have you said it to yourself?

It's so much easier to procrastinate than work on a project. The keyword in the previous sentence is work. Yes, we all get a little lazy now and then. I think maybe we're doing it more now during our stay at home time as businesses begin to open again. For one thing, we are tired, more mentally than physically. All the concerns people have right now about working or being furloughed, or worse yet, to be laid off. Add the little fact that families must still be fed and monitored so they do follow the rules. We are worried about our immediate families and our extended families living either close by or very far away. All that wears us out mentally. 

But let's look back to pre-pandemic times and peer ahead at our writing world down the road when we hope to have life back to normal. Even when life is 'normal,' we put can writing projects on the back burner. Oh, we don't totally ignore them because we do think about writing, either starting a new project or finishing one. It's the sitting down and doing it that's the hard part. Why do we wait?

There can be any number of reasons. Your nature may be that you are a habitual procrastinator. Maybe you were that kid in high school or college who always turned a paper in but had whipped it out the night before. Start that, and it goes on and on. When you put things off until the last minute, you aren't going to do your best work. It's often a hurry-up job. You might get by, but you're probably not going to get rave reviews. 

A second reason we wait to start or continue working on a writing project is fear that we can't do it, that it won't work out like we want, or that even if it is your best effort, it may not be good enough in the eyes of another. This is a time when you need to give yourself a mental talking-to and to do all you can to boost your self-confidence. It sounds easy, but you'll need to work on it on a continuing basis. One little session isn't going to make you the Completely Confident Fantastic Writer you hope to be. 

One more reason could be that you put everything else ahead of your writing, and you either never get to it or are totally exhausted if you manage to eke out an hour for yourself. I admire younger writers who are raising a family, perhaps holding down a full or part-time job, yet still find time to write. You're Superman or Wonder Woman! I started writing in my mid-fifties because I let many other things take precedence over my desire to write. Looking back, I wish that I had started much earlier. 

So we have three reasons for waiting to start a writing project--being a habitual procrastinator, fear, and de-emphasizing writing in your life. There are solutions to each of these if you have the desire to tackle that long-awaited project. You should also remind yourself that if you wait, all you get is older. 

A Quote--"Write What Should Not Be Forgotten"

You may be thinking that you don't ever want to think about this pandemic we're going through again. Some may be saying things like When this is over, it's over. I won't have any good memories of this sheltering at home time. Why would I want to remember millions out of work, people sickening and dying? 

That's possibly your thought mode now, but later, maybe a long time later, you might want to look back at this period of our history. We're living it now, but one day it will be history. Your great-grandchildren may read about the 2020s in their history books. Wouldn't it be great if you could pull out the journal you kept in 2020 to show them what living in 2020 was really like, that it was more than a few lines in a history book? Yes, it's not a good time in our lives, but I don't think we should forget it. Like yesterday's post about learning from failure, we should be learning from what we are living through right now. We also need something left to remind ourselves of the good things that have come from this period--kindness to others, gratitude, and more.

Your Pandemic Journal is not the only kind of memory writing you should be considering. There are so many parts of our lives that should be noted in our memories--dating, engagements, marriage, the birth of children, a first house, a first full-time job, and living with all those same things as your children grow to adulthood and beyond. And yes, you should keep the memories of the sad times, the bad times, as well. The tragic moments in our lives helped to shape the people we are just as happy times did. We're a full package.

As my regular readers know, I am a big advocate of writing family stories. Genealogy is important, but that involves dates and names--pertinent family facts. The family stories put a face onto those facts. Some family stories are good enough to be published, while others are meant strictly for family. They're the ones who have a personal interest. I have a friend who had 6 children. They all came down with chickenpox, one after the other.  Not only would it make a good family story, but help with the family medical history. Medical situations in a family should definitely not be forgotten, so if you heed Isabel Allende's advice to "write what should not be forgotten," you'll write about the good times, the sad times, the illnesses, and injuries. Joy, worry, fright, exhaustion, terror--all of these can be incorporated into a family story.

When you either keep a journal or write a family story, don't write facts only. Add your feelings, some humor if applicable, reactions, and more. Doing that will make your story come alive. So, please do "write what should not be forgotten." 

Writers--Look for the Lesson

One thing writers all have in common is failure at some point in their writing journey. I don't mean once or twice but numerous times. Someone once said that to be a writer, you must have a few masochistic tendencies. I don't think I'd go that far since hardly anyone enjoys failure. 

What kind of failures am I referring to? A spate of rejections from editors. A story you're writing that sounded great in your mind but could not be transferred in print with the same terrific idea. Wanting to be published but failing to submit your work so it can happen. Failing to give yourself the time to write. These are a few. I'm sure you can think of others. 

How are you going to react to any one of the negatives mentioned above? You have choices that range from anger to sulking, crying to throwing whatever item is nearby, sinking into depression to denial. Ever been guilty of any of these reactions? If you're honest, you'll have to answer yes to some of them, and I'm right there with you. I think that the reactions mentioned are part of our human nature. It's not easy to handle failure of any kind. 

Once you get through the initial backlash, try to find the lesson to be learned from whatever failure you are facing. There's a golden nugget somewhere in those individual washouts. Granted--you may have to search long and hard to find it. 

One way to begin the search is to set your mind to be objective. Step back and look at the situation. Ask yourself what you might tell a fellow writer who has experienced the same kind of failure you have. Would you tell him/her to give up? Would you pat him/her on the shoulder and suggest another line of work, or hobby, whichever the case may be? I doubt it. More than likely, you would look for a positive way to encourage that writer to learn from the experience, to soldier on, to show some determination. So, the first step is to talk to yourself as though you were encouraging another writer.

Lets' look at the individual failures cited in the second paragraph of this post:

1. A spate of rejections from editors means you are not doing what they ask for in the Call for Submissions. Perhaps, you don't read the guidelines with great care. Maybe the topic you wrote about is not what they asked for. It's possible your writing was fine, but they'd already published something recently in the same vein. Could it be that your story idea was alright, but your mechanics of writing were not? It might be that your writing did not come across as professional enough to an editor of a large circulation magazine or a top publishing house. It's your job to figure out what went wrong and to come up with a plan to fix it. Remember, however, that not all rejections can be explained. If you're fortunate enough to have an editor include a note with the rejection, pay heed to what it says. 
2. What about those stories or poems that sound like masterpieces when they come swirling through your mind but look kind of lame when you write them? How can you fix this problem? One thing you can do is to jot down phrases and thoughts as they come to mind. Don't wait a day or two before you begin to actually put the idea into print. You'll lose something along the way. Or write it immediately, and when it doesn't feel the same, work on revisions over and over until it compares with your initial thought. Don't be afraid to let those emotions in the mental version come through when you write the story.
3. If you dream of being published but run into the wall of fear when it comes to submitting your work, that dream will never come to fruition. You'll need to conquer your fear. Give yourself a mental talking to. Tell yourself you have as much of a chance as any other writer does. Look at the positive things in your writing life. Give your ego a boost in any way you can. Then, submit with the idea that if the story is not accepted on the first try, you'll submit it again. And again if necessary. We've all heard multiple stories about famous authors who subbed a manuscript dozens of times before it sold. Determination and believing in yourself come into play here.
4. No time to write, so you feel like a failure as a writer? Whose fault is that? Look for the lesson here. You are in control of your time. You can find time to write if you have a strong desire to do so. You might have to give up something else in your life or get up an hour earlier. Sometimes, people use the 'no time to write' thought as an excuse to avoid failure. If I don't have time to write, I don't have to face rejections and more. Make time to write.

Lessons can be learned from our failures. It's up to us to figure out the lesson and act on it. 

Let Your Readers 'See' What Happens

Action

I've been reading a book the past few days that presented a good writing tool, and very clearly. There is a lot of dialogue, but the author did not have stick figures standing like wooden dolls as they spoke to one another. All too often, that is how dialogue is presented. 

Instead, Mariah Stewart, author of the mystery The President's Daughter, used bits and pieces of action which allowed the reader to literally 'see' what was happening along with 'hearing' the dialogue. 

For instance, a mother and daughter were having a discussion in a restaurant at lunchtime. The dialogue flew back and forth, but between their spoken words were things like the daughter, tearing the paper off a straw, then slipping the straw into her iced tea. A few lines later, the daughter moved her glass so the waitress could put the plate with her sandwich in front of her. The mother, between heated comments, snatched a napkin off the table and spread it on her lap smoothing it roughly several times. 

Those small everyday actions brought the reader right into that restaurant to not only hear what was said but to see those little movements that made us feel like we were there viewing the entire conversation. 

In another scene, a writer is interviewing a former First Lady. She offers several refreshments, and he selects tea. When the woman returns with the tray, they are talking as she sets it on a small table between them, then we see her serve the tea to him, and we watch as he tries the cookies she'd offered. All through this, they are talking, so we not only hear what they have to say, but we see the small actions. We see what is happening in that room during the conversation. The two characters are not wooden stick puppets sitting in chairs. 

Showing movements can also give the reader a sense of emotions during the conversation. In the restaurant scene, the mother didn't just pick up the napkin and place it on her lap. She 'snatched' it and then kept smoothing it on her lap. She was distressed, and we learn that through both her words and her actions. 

Another good reason to add actions here and there when a long dialogue section comes up is to break up the dialogue itself. If you turn a page and see an entire page with nothing bu quote marks and 'he said, she said,' it's a bit overwhelming. The small breaks are needed. Not between every change of speaker, but here and there throughout the dialogue section. 

It's the many little things in a story that change it form good to great. Take time to add them when you're writing. 

Out With the Old, In With the New

✍️ Yesterday, an IT man came to our house, wearing mask and gloves. He was going to set up my new laptop and transfer the important things from the old hard drive. I was back and forth from living room to office answering and asking questions.

When he finished, I sat down to check out this new computer. Much of it was familiar while other parts will require a bit of learning. I decided to wait until this morning when my mind was a little fresher. It’s taking some time to get things set. I’m sure I’ll be pleased once all is done.

It would be nice if we could do this in our writing world, too. Out with all the old pieces that weren’t written to the highest standards and the rejected ones. Then, we could start all over again.

 But wait a minute. While my old computer has hit the cyber recycle bin, minus the hard drive, those stories, essays and poems that didn’t work out can be be recycled. Pull them out. Read objectively. See if you find places that can be redone. Then start working.

Look at things like:

• Clarity
• Redundancy
• Word repetition
• Overdoing adjectives and adverbs
• Stilted dialogue
• Too much telling
• Not enough showing
• Spelling and punctuation

Reworking many of the items listed above can make a world of difference. And you have the ‘out with the old, in with the new’ after all!