Stand Out Among Other Writers

 

Yesterday, I told you about our prediction of 3-8 inches of snow overnight. I tiptoed to the window when I woke this morning and looked out, expecting to see a white world and snow still falling. Instead, I found that we'd had only a dusting! There was a light covering of snow on the driveway, and now, even that has disappeared. Many closings for today were announced last night. The Kansas State University campus is closed today. The students must be cheering for the unexpected day off. Farther north of us, they did get more measurable snow. 

On to our photo for today. I loved this coffee mug that says 'Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.' What does that mean in our writing world? That we should work towards being the writer who stands out among all the other writers. The flamingo stands out when in the midst of a flock of pigeions because it is taller and more brilliant in color. 

How are you going to stand out from many, many other writers? Size and color don't matter a twit. But your ability to write so that readers sit up and pay attention does. How can you achieve that? 

There is no one way, to write on a daily basis is a step in a process. The more you write, the better writer you can become. 

Another is to make the best use of words possible. Do away with passive verbs; work at using as many action verbs as you can. Work at using descriptive phrases, at finding the best adjectives but not overusing them, at giving a distinct sense of place. 

One important way is to find your voice and use it to make your writing unique, to make what you write different from what others write. Your voice is your style of writing, the way in which you tell a story. It's the way your personality shines through and the way you put sentences together and your word choice. When you read the novels of a prolific author, don't you notice a sameness in the way he/she writes? The stories are different, but the author's voice is quite the same. Have you ever heard a reader say "I love the way he writes!" What they love is the voice the writer has developed.

Some writers do something to their physical appearance when they are at an event to make themselves noticeable. They might dress in outlandish clothing, or vintage clothing only, or revealing costumes. They might color their hair a color no one else has so they stand out in the crowd, and they become known for rainbow striped hair or whatever. They're trying to be the flamingo in the crowd, but their physical appearance is far less important than their writing ability. 

We all know that writing is hard work. To be that flamingo who stands out in the flock of writers, you'll need to work especially hard every day. Outstanding writers do not just happen. They are created by determination, diligence, and passion for the writing craft. 

Writers Friendship Quiz

 The program at a meeting I attended earlier this week highlighted Friendship. It was light and sometimes humorous, but had a definite message about the place of friends in our lives. On the way home, I started thinking about the writing friends I have. Looking at the handout we were given, I used it to consider the friends I have met on my writing journey. Because of the technology we have in today's world, our writing friends can be in our town, in another state, or overseas. 

We meet our writing friends by being active in writers' organizations, joining critique groups in person or online, other writing groups, via social media, even wandering through a bookstore. As with all friends, some are closer to us than others.

Give some thought to your writing friends. The ones you have met in person and also the ones whom you know only through social media or a workshop online or some way other than in person. Your answers here are only for you, not to be shared with the world. 

Among your writer friends, who is:

...your best friend, one that is a friend of the heart?

...your far away friend?

...your friend who makes you laugh?

...the one that has done the nicest thing for you?

...your friend that you can borrow from?

...your friend who can boost your spirits?

...your most intellectual friend who stimulates your mind?

...your friend to travel with (maybe to a convention)?

...the friend you would like for a closer friend?

...your intergenerational friend?

...your newest friend?

After you take the quiz above, you might have a deeper appreciation for your writing friends. We have the craft of writing in common, but these friends can be of great support, often boost your spirits, and can give aid in solving a writing problem. Besides all that, they can be a lot of fun. 

I consider the friends in my writing world as golden nuggets as I wend my way down the path of my writing journey. They are often like the brilliant stars that shine in the night sky. They are a gift that I treasure. I have learned from them, been encouraged by them, and value all of them. 

...

Writers, Decisions, and Trying

Our poster for today tells us that 'every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.' Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? I think it depends on who you are. Are you the person who looks forward to new things, or are you the one who looks back at past problems? Which person you are makes a whale of a difference in what you're willing to try.

Writers think about new projects all the time. An idea pops up, they think about it for days or even weeks, and then the decision comes about starting the new writing project. If you are the forward looking person, you'll probably sit down with enthusiasm and write the opening lines. If you're the one who looks back and worries about former problems in your writing life, you will probably keep thinking about the new project but never begin. No opening sentences will be written except in your mind. 

Why do some writers have the hesitancy to try? Fear, self-doubt, no confidence--all of these can be factors. Having a negative attitude about your writing world will also stop you from trying new things. If it goes on for quite a long time, you might even talk yourself into quitting the writing world. To me, that would be a very sad occurrence. 

You should try every new writing project that comes to mind. Many will work out; a few may not. That's quite alright. No one scores 100% in our craft. We win some, we lose some. Think about the successes you've had in writing. What if you had never tried to write that story, or never submitted it to a publication? Think what you might have missed! 

Writers only experience success if they actually write. Make the decision to try. What is the worst that can happen? You might fail. So have a good many other writers. You also could come up with a winning piece, one that leaves you feeling satisfied, or even proud. One that an editor likes and wants to publish. You'll never know if you don't try. So, make that decision and start writing with the hope of accomplishing something grand.

 

The Daily Blessings of a Writer

Our poster tells us to look for the blessings every day. Try it for a month regarding your writing life. Instead of worrying about what went wrong with your writing efforts each day, toss them aside. At th end of the month, you could feel more positive about your writing life.

Count the blessings that you received each day as you pursued your craft. Granted, there can be days when you're hard put to find the good things. If you go back over your day and look for the pluses, you'll probably be able to find a few. 

For me, one of the blessings in my writing life is that I am able to come up with a new topic for my blog five days a week. Another one is the number of fellow writers I encounter on Facebook on a daily basis.One more is the joy I find in completing a writing project. The acceptances I receive now and then constitute one more blessing. 

At the end of your day, jot down the blessings you found in your writing life that day. Some days, you might only have one, while other days will find your list getting long. No two days are alike, so your list is going to vary day by day.

Note that the poster tells us we must 'look' for those blessings. We need to give thought to them, to uncover them in the least likely places. 

If you write Morning Pages or in a journal, reserve a spot at the top to write the blessings in your writing life that you received that day, or the previous one if you're writing Morning Pages. Thinking about them is not the same as thinking and then writing them somewhere. You might be surprised at how many true blessings there are for you, the writer. 

Why should you keep a record of your blessings? What better pep talk could there be? What better way to inspire you to keep writing? What better way to assess your writing life? What better way to help you look forward to the next day's writing time? 

Will there be days when your blessings count is a big, fat zero? Probably. That is not a problem because the next day you might find half a dozen. Each day in a writer's life is different. If you have a zero day now and then, it's nothing to be concerned about. 

I consider the readers of this blog to be one of my blessings. And definitely the ones who make comments. 

 

Writers Should Also Be Readers

 

Writers should be readers. A pure and simple statement. There are writers who do not read; they say they don't have time for reading. It takes away from hours spent writing. Or they'll mumble something about not wanting to be too influenced by other writers. I don't buy those reasons at all.

I believe writers should also be avid readers. Reading encourages imagination and feeds our love of words, or language. Writers should read to see what works and what doesn't work. They read to understand the human condition, which is all important in their own writing.

Reading expands the possibilities in writing and also keeps the brain active. It even reduces stress. Of course it does. When you slip inside a book, the rest of your world waits outside for you. For those minutes or hours you are reading, nothing bothers you. Reading gives you time to be alone with your thoughts/

Reading the writing of others adds strength to your understanding of the fundamentals of writing. It exercises your mental muscles. I love the concept of 'mental muscles.' That's something we should all strive to keep active. Our bodies need exercise, and so do our brains.

You, the writer, can find inspiration in reading. You can also connect to other authors as you read. Should you copy other writers? Certainly not. You can be influenced by another writer, but you need to keep your own voice as you write.

Lastly, the more you read, the more you are exposed to good writing. If it's been published, it is most often good writing. Not always the case, but usually.

When you spend time reading, don't ever feel guilty. You are increasing your own ability to write. Go to the bookstore, the library, or some other outlet for books--perhaps your pwersonal home library. Find a book and read!

Moments Become Memories to Write About

I like this quote from Dr. Seuss. It bears reading more than once. "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." How many moments in our lives do become memories?

I have been asked more than once how I can remember and write about incidents in my childhood. Maybe I'm blessed with an excellent memory, or, more likely, I remember the parts of my life that greatly impressed me. 

When I think back to my childhood, I see the places, the people, and even some conversations very clearly. I feel very fortunate in being able to do so, as it has acted as inspiration for many of the stories I've written about my family. And now, for my present day family. 

Some things in life act as triggers for our memories. Smells will do it for many. When you get a whiff of cinnamon, it could take you back to your grandmother's kitchen and the cinnamon rolls she was known for. Smell chlorine at a pool today, and it may bring memories of your long-ago neighborhood pool and all the kids you knew there. What if something scary happened at the pool? Smelling chlorine could easily bring back the uneasy memory. 

Taste is a sense that can trigger a memory. I once used a vile tasting cough syrup when I had the flu. One taste sent me traveling back to the small apartment where I grew up and my mother insisting I take the cough syrup on the spoon she was holding close to my mouth. It smelled awful and tasted even worse. I resisted, but she won.

Other things trigger our memories--a photo, a certain kind of tree, the sound of church bells and more. 

When our memories come back to us from those special moments we experienced, as writers, we need to act. A story idea has been given to us, so it's time to write the story. Write it for your Family Stories book, write it to submit for publication. Write it to keep that memory alive. 

When sending a note of sympathy to a grieving family member or friend, I often add in my note on the card a simple sentence:  Treasure the memories. I believe that the many memories we have of a family member or friend truly are treasures. Have you ever been asked to write a eulogy? So many memories are recalled and shared with others. What a wonderful way to help us honor and remember the deceased person. 

One  moment which became a special memory for me. When our first grandchild was born, we went to the hospital to see her. I picked her up and held her close. I looked down at that sweet little face, and my prevailing thought was 'this is the child of my child.' I was nearly overcome with emotion as I stood there cradling our granddaughter. The very emotional moment remains a treasured memory for me, even 25 years later. 

Enjoy the moments that become memories. Better yet, write about them in a journal or a story or a memoir piece. Capture them for posterity and perhaps for readers near and far. 

A writer friend is celebrating the publication on October 24th of her memoir about growing up mid-century. Her book is filled with those moments that turned into special memories. Ann Vigola Anderson's Posts of a Mid-Century Kid might trigger a few special memories of your own. Find her book at Amazon.

 

Bits of Bliss in Your Writing World

We're so busy with the big stuff in our lives that we often overlook the little things. So many of those small everyday pleasures are easy to miss. They happen, but we are so busy with the big chores that we can easily miss them. 

It's the same in our writing life. We're so involved with writing a first draft, editing and revising, then submitting that we miss the small bits of bliss. We're more often concerned with problems in a project we're working on. 

We skip right by the good feeling we have when a new story idea pops into our head. What is more pleasing than that? You feel good. You are anxious to get started writing the first draft. It's minor in the scope of the rest of your writing world, but worth noting each time it occurs.

Another joy is the satisfaction we feel when a project is completed. I write mostly short things, and it always makes me happy to have finished one. Those who write books must be ecstatic when the book is finished. 

Another small pleasure is when a reader offers a compliment. It might be in an email, on social media, or even in person. Makes you feel wonderful to know that your work has been appreciated, doesn't it?

When one of our submissions is published, the first time we see it in print, whether in a book we hold in our hands or online, we are happy. I once knew an obstetrician who said that he got a thrill every time he delivered a baby. It's the same for those who are published. It never seems to get old. 

I don't know about you, but when I'm at my keyboard tapping away, I forget about anything else that might have been on my mind. I move into a whole other world. It's a little thing, but rather nice. 

Slow down and take a bit of time to appreciate the little pleasures in your writing life. Can you add any others to the ones I've listed above? 
 

Embrace Your Writer Friends

 

While chatting with a neighbor, I said something about 'one of my writer friends...' Later, I thought about that term 'writer friends' and had to smile. Why? Because over the years of writing, I have acquired a great many 'writer friends,' and they are an important part of my life.

I'm of the opinion that all writers should cultivate a large group of writer friends. Our poster today gives a definition of a friend. All the points made can apply to writer friends. I have had other writers give me encouragement, said a prayer or two for me, and given me hope when I needed it. They've lifted me up more than once. 

My online writing group friends have done all of those stated and more. We know one another well and are supportive. It's not only about critiquing a submission, even though that is the main purpose of the group. When one member has an illness or difficult time or a family loss, the others are there for her. 

I've made many writer friends through social media. Joining writing groups on Facebook has brought some, but others have come because one writer tells another and that one gravitates to my page. I have never met many of these people in person, but I consider them friends, nevertheless.

Another place I have made friends with writers is through my state authors' organization. Many have become close friends whom I treasure. We have a common bond and relate well to one another. We support and promote each other's work.

Writer friends are there for consultation. We can ask what they think about an idea we have, or ask them to read a short story and give some feedback. We can cry on their shoulders when we receive umpteen rejections for one submission. Who can understand that situation better than another writer? They also rejoice with us when something good happens on our writing journey. Once again, our success is understood better by them than from other everyday, non-writing friends. 

If you don't have any, or only a few, writer friends, now is the time to find some. Reach out to help another writer, and you'll soon have a writer friend. 

Embrace writer friends for they are special. Give them a hug in person or virtually, but let them know you care.

Musing on The Old Year and The New

We are about to enter a new month, new year, and a new decade. That's a lot of 'new' for us to handle. The newspapers and tv news reporters are all looking back at the events of 2019. I prefer to look forward to what might be happening in this next year. 

Not that looking back doesn't have its merits. It does. For one thing, it helps us see where our country or our career or family interactions were positive and places that we might have done better. That goes for our writing world, too.  If looking back helps us do better in the coming year, then I'm all for it. But if retreading the past is a downer, then let's forget it. 

I do like to look over my Submissions record for this last twelve months. How many times did I submit? How many subs were actually accepted? What are my feelings about those two things? Will checking this record help me in 2020? I think it can if I pay close attention to my questions posed to myself. 

We'll leave the actual goal-setting for next year until January is actually upon us, which is only hours away.

If you're a list maker, try the following. For your title, use My Writing Life in 2019. On one side put Things I Wanted To Do and Things I Did either next to it or underneath. I find that lists are helpful when making an assessment. You can see at a glance where you need to improve and where you should feel satisfied.

Give some thought to what you hope to do differently in your writing life in 2020. Does that number make you sit up and take notice? It does for me. The 1920s were a time of peace, prosperity, prohibition, flapper fashions and more. Look at the list of well-known authors from that era

• Ezra Pound.
• Gertrude Stein.
• Ernest Hemingway.
• Langston Hughes.
• Edith Wharton.
• T.S. Eliot.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald

How many of them are you familiar with, have read their works? Their style of writing might be quite different from the current literature we read, but they will always be known for good writing, for having made a mark on the literary world, and for entertaining untold thousands. Who will be our top writers of the 2020s? An unknown at this point. A few familiar names perhaps and some we've yet to hear at this point.

I have already set one goal for 2020, and it's a big one. I'll need to focus and push myself to accomplish my objective. I'll also need to continue on my everyday writing journey, as well. 

I wish the best of all things in your writing world during this brand new year coming up, oh so soon. I hope the rejections will be fewer and hurt less, that your acceptance rate will climb, and you find that you are still passionate about writing. 

How Hard Is Writing?

I like this quote by Thomas Mann, a German-born novelist, short story writer, essayist and Nobel Prize in Literature winner in 1929. His writing journey and amount of work he produced certainly gave him the insight shown here. 

Why is writing more difficult for the 'writer' than for others? I think it comes down to a true writer is striving for perfection. They are the ones hoping, dreaming, and praying they can sell what they write and are well aware only the best work is chosen for publication. 

The true writer also wants to offer readers something that will inform and entertain. The true writer puts words together with an intensity that the nonwriter cannot truly understand. He/she also understands how difficult it is.

The real writer cares about his/her writing. It's not a matter of throwing something together to submit to an editor. Pride comes into play. Think about it. What a writer produces and offers an editor is going to be opened wide to the public if it is accepted for publication. I wonder how many writers had mothers who said Do your best. Those early admonitions become habits, and that's generally a good thing. 

A real writer is concerned with reviews if they have a book published. It's much harder to write a book that receives four and five-star reviews than it is to hurriedly put something together and then maybe self-publish. Yesterday, I read a review in our Sunday paper of a nonfiction book that the reviewer thought had an excellent topic. He went on to say that it was a shame that it was so poorly written. Turns out the 'writer' of the book really was not a writer but someone interested and knowledgeable about the topic. The reviewer suggested he would have done better to use a ghostwriter. The ghostwriter would have most likely had to work a great deal harder than the guy who knew the facts but not how to put them together in a credible form. 

If you are a writer who finds writing more difficult than the average person, go right ahead and pat yourself on the back. It is harder when you're striving for perfection. But, in the end, it's worth all that it took to write something you're proud of.  

Places To Read, Places To Write

I took the photo above a couple of years ago when we were visiting the Crystal Bridges Art Museum in Bentonville, AR. The Walton family built this spectacular art museum in a beautiful wooded area with ponds and trails. The picture is such a simple one but it intrigued me. I studied it for some time prior to snapping the photo. 

The woman is obviously snuggled in bed with her cat and a book. She must love her cat very much to allow it to snooze on her stomach and for her to have to hold her book aloft in order to read it. My question for you today has two parts. First...

Where is your favorite place to read? Do you like to read in bed as the woman in the picture? Or do you curl up in your favorite chair or the end of your sofa? Do you take a book outside in good weather and enjoy the natural surroundings, the birdsong, the breeze and the sunshine? Do you have a special window seat in your home that is the perfect spot to read the latest mystery or romance? My own favored place to read is in my leather chair, feet on a footstool with a cup of coffee or tea beside me. Maybe a lemonade in the summertime. Maybe you like to go to the Reading Room at your local library where it's quiet and no family members are around to disturb you. 

Where is your favorite place to write? I'm sure there are myriad answers to this question. One that comes to mind is the kitchen table, which is exactly where I wrote on an electric typewriter when I classified as a newbie, or wannabe writer. Some writers are fortunate enough to have an office in their home where they have a great set-up with everything a writer might need. The computer can stay on the desk. It doesn't need to be removed from a kitchen table so the family can eat. Others might claim a corner in the bedroom, or perhaps a place in the lower level of a home, maybe even an attic room. 

Still others leave their home and write in a public place like a coffeehouse or the coffee corner in a large bookstore. I live in a university community and our coffeehouses are filled with students with a laptop on the table, coffee next to it and maybe a snack. A few might go to the library to find a quiet corner where they can write in longhand in a notebook or on a laptop or tablet or even on their phone. Maybe you like to write outside on the beach or at a picnic table or on your patio. 

It really does not matter where you read or where you write. The place that is most comfortable for you is the one you'll likely choose over and over. The important thing is that you read and that you write. All good writers should do both. Whether you have a cat curled up on your stomach is entirely up to you, however.

NOTE:  Notice the simplicity of the picture. It needs no gew-gaws or objects or other people to draw the eye away from the main focus. When you write, simplicity often brings the strongest stories or essays. Too many frills cover up the good stuff! 

The Writer As A Magician

Ever give consideration to the fact that you, the writer, are as creative as the sculptor who takes a lump of clay and comes up with a piece of art. Or the painter who starts with a blank canvas, a brush and a few paints. He finishes with a piece of art.

Perhaps the writer is even more creative. We don't have a lump of clay or a clean canvas. All we begin with is our mind and what it contains. I've thought more than once about my mind being filled with boxes with certain types of information in each little box. Maybe our minds are compartmentalized in some respect.

The older we are, the more we have to draw from. As a young adult in our twenties, we drew from experiences as a small child, then a teen and finally someone in the beginning stages of being an adult. I'm a senior citizen so there are more little boxes in my mind--many, many of them. When I write, I open one or another to use whatever the experience I need to illustrate what I'm writing.

Creating a piece of writing really is a type of magic in some respects while, in others, it's just plain hard work. There have been times when I've gone back through old stories or essays and read them again. Sometimes, I wonder where in the world it came from. How did my mind to fingers produce this particular story?

It makes me realize that our writing process is both conscious and subconscious. The parts that usually surprise me are the ones that have been dredged up from my subconscious.

The magician pulls a rabbit out of his hat while you and I pull stories, essays and poetry from our minds. Start with nothing and come up with something. Our own kind of magic.

The Writer As An Artist

This quote by author and philospher, Voltaire, reminded me of a short essay I wrote many years ago when I was overwhelmed by a beautiful outdoor view. I titled it Painting With Words which I think describes what writers do fairly well. 

I have little to no artisitc ability. Painting a picture is so far off the chart for me that I have rarely made an attempt. A few years ago, on a river cruise in France, a fine artist held a workshop to teach amateurs like me the art of painting with watercolors. She took us through the process step by step. We all attempted to 'copy' a small painting via her instructions. Oh my, you should have seen the various results. There were a few that looked quite good. Mine appeared to have been done by a kindergartener. Truly! 

I have often been overwhelmed with the desire to paint something I've seen that speaks volumes to me. A sunset. A praire scene. A lake or river scene. A mother and child. And more. I can't do that but I can describe a scene with words. My painting of the voice. 

Maybe some of you writers are also painters but I am guessing that more writers are like me--unable to transfer thoughts to canvas as well as they put words on paper (or a screen!). The poem below speaks to this topic. It's one I submitted to a state writer's contest several years ago. It placed second or third, I think. 

Artists All

Painting with oils,

watercolors brushed across canvas,

clay molded by loving hands,

marble chiseled to exquisite form

Artists ply their trade,

by the golden light of day

and velvet depths of night,

with passion and verve.

One more artist joins the rank.

The writer brushes words over paper,

molds a story bit by glittering bit,

chisels a novel to survive the ages.

The writer gathers life’s stories

from country roads to city streets,

written from the depths of a heart

bursting with intensity and rapture.

Artists all, masters of creation,

be they painters, sculptors or writers,

leaving footprints on canvas, marble and paper--

heartfelt tributes embraced by mankind.

                                --Nancy Julien Kopp