Writers Have Good Days and Bad Days

 

Today's poster is definitely Food for Thought for writers. We all have what we consider good days and bad days, but do we ever consider what each has done for us? Let's look at each part in regard to our writing life.

Never regret a day in your life:

Good days give happiness:  Those good days do make us happy and satisfied. The days that what we're writing goes well give us a terrific lift and makes us want to continue working on the project. The days when we receive an acceptance for a submission, we've made earlier make us smile all day. Days when another writer compliments us are great. Yes, days like this bring happiness and satisfaction,

Bad days give experience:  Bad days bring depression, desperation, and feeling defeated. Those days when nothing works in a section of writing that just won't gel for us. Or days when we receive a rejection, or worse--two of them on the same day. Days when our family responsibilities leave us next to no time to work on a wonderful idea we have. Hard as it may seem, those times do bring experience. We can look back later and know that maybe whatever occurred gave us exposure that might be beneficial later.

Worst days give lessons:  Ever had a bad day in your writing life that left you thinking "I'll never do that again!" If you did, it's obvious that you learned something. We need to push aside the bad part of the day and figure out what we can learn. Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, or your beverage of choice, and look back on the day. Ask yourself what might be learned from whatever happened. 

Best days give memories:  How true this is. We don't forget the good things that have happened in our writing lives. Perhaps it was an award you earned in a writing group, or it could be receiving an acceptance twice in one day. Maybe you scored an acceptance in a high paying market. Or you wrote a personal essay that left you feeling very satisfied and ready to submit for publication. Or someone complimented something of yours that they had read.

The important part of our quote for today is that we take time to look back at each day, whether it was a good one or dark as night. We should look back and ask ourselves what we can learn, how we might make use of it, or how we can change. Yes, every day has something for us to benefit our writing life in some way.   

Do Writers Need Courage?

 

Writers need a lot of different traits. Knowledge of the craft is beneficial. A passion for writing is helpful. Time to write is essential. What about courage?

I think that courage is one of the most essential traits a writer should have. It's not easy to send your writing to an editor or press in hopes of publication. Some may think that's a silly statement, but believe me, it does take courage to submit your work to a publisher. Why?

No one wants to be rejected. If it happens over and over again, the writer has to have the courage to continue submitting. The only people who understand what being rejected makes a writer feel like is another writer. Their family and friends come up with a "Oh, that's too bad." or "I'm sorry to hear that." Then they go back to their lives, but the writer is still smarting. 

Is there any writer who does not react in some negative way to a rejection? If so, they are in the minority. Newbie writers can be devastated by a rejection, while seasoned writers are disappointed but move on. As we send out more and more of our writing for publication, we develop a thicker skin, and the rejections are not as upsetting as when we first started our writing life. That 'move on' bit is important.

Do you need courage to stand up in front of other writers and read something you've written? Many writing conferences offer time for a Read-Around. It's easy for some writers to participate, but others have a hard time standing before a group and reading what they've written. For them, it takes courage. Once they agree to read a few times, it becomes easier. 

Another time a writer needs courage is when an editor returns a submission saying they might want to publish the piece if the writer will make some changes. What if the changes are big ones? Ones that change the entire mood of the piece, or take away some of the writer's favorite parts? Will the writer have the courage to say no to some of the changes? That's taking a chance that the editor will not publish the piece. It depends on how strong the writer feels about making the changes. 

Some writers need courage to market themselves as a writer. I've often heard people say something like "Writing is the easy part, but marketing and then selling myself is tough." A lot here depends on the kind of personality the writer has. Outgoing people have little problem in promoting themselves and their work. Those who are more introverted need to gather every bit of courage they have to market themselves and their work to others. 

Some writers are baring their soul in personal essays or poems. That's not easy to do, especially at the beginning of a writing life. One thing to keep in mind is that perhaps your writing will be of help to someone who reads it, or it will touch them in some way. It takes courage to put your personal thoughts in writing and share with others. 

Yes, writers do need to have courage or to develop it as their writing life moves along. It's one of many traits that can help a writer'

Using Active vs Passive Verbs

 

Exercise is action

This is a repeat post on a very important topic. Strong, active verbs can make your writing come to life. 

I noted a comment on Facebook yesterday that made me stop and ponder for a moment. A memoir writer, new to writing I'm guessing, asked a question about verb tense usage and then added that she noticed an awful lot of the word 'was' in her writing. Let's take a look at verbs like this.

The use of the passive verb was and others like is, was, are, or were, is pretty common when writing a first draft. In trying to get the main idea down in an initial draft, we aren't thinking about the kind of verbs we use. The very experienced writer will automatically steer to the more active verbs because--well, because of long experience. Most of us need to give serious thought to the kind of verbs we use, and that's a very good reason why we must, must, must proofread and edit those beginning efforts.

In our clipart above, we take note of a person performing a series of exercises. He is active. Consider some of the verbs you might use to describe his exercising:  bend, tilt, stretch, rise, pull.  The man is active, and your verbs should follow his example. 

In Gary Provost's book '100 Ways to Improve Your Writing', he says "Generally speaking, verbs are weak when they are not specific, are not active, or are unnecessarily dependent on adverbs for their meaning."  In this instance, he was discussing strong verbs vs weak ones. 

Take a look at these examples:

                         Weak                                                                Strong

A. There was a curio cabinet in the corner.                    A curio cabinet towered in the corner.

B. There are two men on the curb.                                Two men sit side by side on the curb.

In the first example, using the verb towered in place of was gives a much better picture. It tells us the size of the cabinet. Note in the second example that the stronger sentence tells us exactly what the men are doing--sitting. In order to use a different verb in this sentence, I had to change the order of the sentence a bit, and I added a little more.  

Sometimes, you need to change the order of a sentence when using a more active verb. And that's fine. You can't always pluck the weak verb from the sentence and plop a better one in the same spot.  Did you notice that 'was' is often accompanied by the word 'there'? Some writers get in the habit of using There was, There are, There is, There were, and it becomes habitual. 

There are writers who might say 'Who cares about passive verbs? I use them all the time. No big deal.' You can use them; we have no law that says you're forbidden to use passive verbs. A few of them are fine. However, if you change as many as possible to active verbs, your writing will be stronger and more interesting. We're always advising writers to show rather than tell. Those active verbs will help you do more showing.

Just for fun, get one of your stories, essays or poems out of your files and go through it, marking all the passive verbs. Underline each one with a color that will stand out. You might be surprised at how many you find. Then, as a writing exercise, replace as many as possible with active verbs.                                            

 

Writers--Don't Stop Writing

 

Today's quote is pretty simple. Only seven words. Even so, it's good advice. "You fail only if you stop writing." 

There are many reasons people decide to stop writing. High among them is discouragement. How many times can you submit your work only to be rejected? Yes, we've all heard stories of writers who submitted a book manuscript numerous times before it was finally accepted. I admire those writers who didn't give up. It's not easy to keep putting yourself up for disappointment. One thing I'm guessing many of these writers all had is that they believed in what they'd written. Believing in yourself as a writer, as well as what you've written, should be high on the list of traits a writer should have. 

Problems in a writer's personal life can be so enormous that the writer has no time or will to continue writing. In cases like this, it is hoped that when the situation has calmed, the writer will go back to his/her craft. 

The writer who quits because of many rejections is one who should step back and try to figure out what he/she can do to improve. I would tell them to read books on the craft, then read some more. Attend workshops. It's amazing what you can learn in them from the instructor and form other attendees. It's easier than ever to attend a workshop as many are offered on Zoom. Look for a writing critique group but be open to taking their criticisms as a way of learning. It's too hard to try to do it all yourself. There are many kinds of help aids for writers. Avail yourself of them.

Another suggestion is to develop a tough skin. Learn to take criticism of your writing, whether it be in a classroom situation or a critique group or a note from an editor. How do you learn that? Maybe an attitude adjustment can help. Accept criticism of your writing as a learning tool. I find that the critiques I receive on the subs I send to my online writing group can open new doors into my understanding of the writing world. I consider that the members of my group are trying to help me make my submission the best it can be. 

Am I telling you to never become discouraged in your writing life? No, because there are many reasons we do become depressed over our writing life. We can rise above them if we develop a positive attitude. You don't want to give in to any discouragement you might be experiencing. 

Remember that old, possibly trite, adage that says: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." I checked to see where the quote came from but found several places that claimed it. So, who really knows when it first came to light? That doesn't matter, what the advice it gives becomes the important part. 

If you feel like you should stop writing, give some thought to the points I've made in today's post. Take a little time off if you feel the need, but if you feel the itch to write something, do come back. 

Another Way to Write a Family Story

 

On the farm

We all have family stories that we hear around the holiday dinner table or at family reunions--the same ones often repeated every year. My husband's aunt was the youngest of eight children. Her parents had immigrated from Germany and farmed in central Illinois when she was born in the early 1900's. She and I were enjoying a nice lunch in a restaurant one day when she told me an amazing story about how she and her sister a couple years older were named. "We had no names until we went to school," she said.

Her sister she referred to was my husband's mother. She went on to tell me the full story and I, in turn, told it to my husband. "What?" was his response. No one else in the family had ever told the story but we both knew his aunt would never have made up such a thing. His mother was called Baby until his aunt came along. Then the entire family called them Big Baby and Little Baby. Their father finally gave them names when it was time to start school. The names he chose offered one more surprise. 

I thought about this for a long time and decided to write a fiction story based on the true facts I'd heard over lunch that day. I used what I knew about the family and the actual names and where Papa took the names from but wrote it as I thought it might have happened. I wrote it several years ago.

The story below is the result: 

The No-Name Sisters

By Nancy Julien Kopp

(Note:  This is a fictionalized version of a true story about my husband’s mother and her younger sister.)

Papa leaned forward and in his German-accented English said, “So Katie, have you found out about this word ‘perseverance?’ Can you tell us what it means?”

Mama and the other children leaned forward in their chairs, the same way Papa had. All eyes turned to Katie, the oldest daughter, as they waited for her to enlighten them.

“It means never giving up what you have set out to do.”

Papa laughed heartily. “Then I think it is good for us all to have a little of this perseverance. Ja?”

Every head nodded in agreement with Papa. None of them ever disagreed with him, not her five older brothers, not her mama, not even Big Baby or Little Baby, her no-name sisters.

Katie wanted her sisters to have real names. Big Baby was six and Little Baby five, so they’d been without names for a long time. Once, Katie said to Papa, “In 1912 in America everyone has a name,” but he’d ignored her.

Katie loved her handsome papa. In the parlor, there was a photograph taken when he lived in Germany. He wore his Prussian army uniform and sat straight and tall on a big white horse, looking like a prince. 

During dessert, Katie asked a familiar question, “Papa, when are you going to name Big Baby and Little Baby?”

He gave the same answer as always. “Sometime soon I will do that. There is no hurry, Katie.” He cut another bite of the fresh gooseberry pie Mama had made and popped the forkful into his mouth. “Good pie, Mama, good pie.”

Katie took a deep breath and responded softly. “Oh yes there is, Papa. School will start soon, and they must have a real name to go there. Miss Taylor won’t let them stay without a name.” Tears were forming in her eyes, so she blinked hard to keep them from slipping down her cheeks. Why wouldn’t Papa name her sisters?

Her brothers all laughed until Papa silenced them with a stern look. All five boys ducked their heads and continued eating to smother their laughter. Even though they remained quiet, their eyes twinkled. Koert leaned over and poked his finger in Big Baby’s cheek.

“Sometime soon,” Papa said while he patted Katie’s arm. He pushed back his chair and placed his hands on the table. “Koert, finish your pie and go hitch Jennie and Fannie to the wagon. Mama and I are going for a little ride tonight. Jennie and Fannie whispered in my ear that they like to take long walks on a fine summer night like this.” His deep laughter rang across the kitchen.

Little Baby laughed, too. “Horses can’t talk, Papa,” she said, clapping one jam-covered hand over her mouth.

“Maybe they can, and maybe they can’t. But my horses are special treasures.” Papa twirled the ends of his mustache and winked at Mama. 

That night Katie tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. Why was she the only one in her family bothered by her sisters’ nameless state? Mama didn’t seem to mind, and her brothers were perfectly happy calling them Big Baby and Little Baby. Even the nameless girls never complained. Only Katie fretted.

Katie turned over and fluffed her pillow. She glimpsed the silver moon out of her tiny window and pictured herself on the first day of school. In her mind, she saw herself so clearly. She held her sisters’ hands, one on each side of her, all of them with neatly braided hair. They wore clean pinafores over calico dresses, their high button shoes were polished, and their faces glowed from the morning scrubbing. She proudly presented her sisters to Miss Taylor.

The pretty picture changed when she thought about Miss Taylor asking the girls’ names. Katie punched her pillow hard as she imagined the laughter from the other pupils. She pulled the light quilt over her shoulder and then her head. She would keep on asking Papa to give the girls names, even if he became angry with her. She’d use some of that perseverance with Papa.

The next morning a tired Katie approached her father again while Mama set out brown sugar and jugs of cream for the oatmeal. “Please Papa,” Katie asked, “when are you going to give Big Baby and Little Baby a name?” She trembled inside but stood straight and tall as she waited for his answer.

His fierce look kept Katie from repeating the question that day or the next, but inside she was still anxious. Life on the farm went on as always. The boys helped Papa outside, and the girls worked with Mama in the house.

Only once did Mama mention the subject of names to Katie when they were alone. “Katie,” she said firmly, “you must not ask Papa about the names again. When he is ready, he will tell us. You must be a little bit patient and a lot quiet.”

Katie smiled at Mama and nodded, but she knew she must never give up. She’d remind Papa whenever an opportunity presented itself.

The morning before school was to begin, Papa harnessed Jennie and Fannie to the wagon so he could go to town. Mama and the girls stood on the porch waiting to wave goodbye.

Papa was halfway into the wagon when he stopped, one foot in mid-air. He jumped down and headed to the porch looking serious.

“Mama, I have decided on some names for these new schoolgirls,” he said, looking only at her. “Big Baby will be called Jennie, and Little Baby will be Fannie.”

The two little girls giggled and jumped from one foot to the other. Mama folded her hands like she did in church and smiled at Papa. Papa folded his arms one over the other and smiled back at Mama.

Katie blurted out, “But Papa, those are the horses’ names!”

“Ja! They are good names,” Papa said. “Look at those two beautiful animals. See how proud and tall they stand, with heads held high. My girls will be like them and be fine people one day. Ja! They are good names, and tomorrow the girls will take their new names and go to school.”

Mama patted Katie’s shoulder softly, and she leaned close and whispered, “You see, Katie, it all happens if you are a little bit patient and a lot quiet.”

“And if you have perseverance, Mama,” Katie whispered back.