Keywords For Writing Projects

It's the middle of January and, hopefully, you've cleaned up your desk and your files, assessed your production of last year and even set a few goals for this year. So what's left?

It's simply this--begin a new writing project. Surely there's been something flitting back and forth in the back of your mind that you've been wanting to pursue. Or you've seen a call for submissions and an idea popped up but you haven't had, or taken, time to start working on it.

New years cry for beginnings, or so it seems to me. The year is brand new, so why not go with the flow and start a new writing project? You might even pull an unfinished piece from your files and put in some time and effort to finish it. The story is not going to get done unless you begin to work on it once again.

Note the word simply in the poster. I think that too often we try to make things overly involved or complicated. Remember that old KISS advice--Keep It Simple Stupid? No, I'm not calling any of you stupid. I know better than that but the keep it simple part is good advice.

It's a new year and today is the start of a new week. Mondays are great days to begin a new story or poem or essay. My goal for today is to write the first draft of an essay that has been swirling in my head for a couple of weeks now. I want to get it done so today's the day to put fingers to the keyboard and see what the first draft looks like.

Today's keywords--begin and done are so simple that they might get overlooked when we're setting goals and getting ready to write a new piece. Don't take these two short words for granted. They hold good advice in the few letters each one is made of. How about it? What will you begin today? What will you get done? It's up to you.

Goals For Writers

I've put off talking about setting your writing goals for 2017 but today's the day to address that important topic. I looked for, and found, an unbelievable number of quotes about setting goals. That should be an indication of the importance of goal setting. I selected a few to illustrate a few things I believe about goals.

If we make a list of goals we want to achieve, we're more likely to produce than if we thumb our nose at making that list. One might think that if I have no goals this year, I will have no failures. Not a very good attitude, even if it appears a safe bet. Believing you can achieve your goals is motivation in itself.

Keep in mind that the goals we set for ourselves are often not  reached for quite some time. Anyone who has been a writer for more than a year knows that we achieve step by step, not by leaps and bounds. As the poster says, ...STRIVING can be more important than ARRIVING.

I believe in writing down our goals but I hadn't ever given much thought to the second part of this quote. It makes sense, though, that if you tell a friend, you're more likely to work harder at achieving your goal(s). Someone else is aware of what you hope to do this year and you don't want to disappoint them, do you? Consider sharing your goals with another writer. Ask that he/she do the same with you. It might be a personal writer friend or your writing group. If the statistic above is anywhere close to correct, it would behoove us all to do this.

If we have no goals, we might have a problem knowing where to begin. We might flounder. We might become confused as to where in the world to start.  If we have a list of goals, we know where to take that first step, especially if we put them in order of importance to us.

When setting and working on your goals, keep these things in mind:

• Put them in writing; don't just have a few thoughts in your head.
• Keep that list somewhere visible to you every day.
• Make them realistic; ones that you can achieve.
• Don't make your list too long; it can be overwhelming.
• Set smaller goals rather than huge ones.
• Put a check mark (and maybe a smiley face) next to the ones you achieve.
• Don't beat yourself up over ones you don't achieve this year; no one ever said you will get every single one accomplished.
• Try telling someone else what they are; see if this helps you.

Some of you may have other suggestions to add. Please use the Comments section to share with the rest of us.

Choosing A Book To Read

If you're a reader, and all writers should be, you can easily get lost in a book like the little girl in the poster. We're whisked away to another time, another land, another situation every time we open a book and begin to read.

We have an ice storm predicted for our area, possibly over a four day period. Most people immediately think they should get to the grocery store before the shelves are wiped clean after shoppers get enough of the necessities for the duration of a storm. But me--I headed to the library yesterday afternoon to make sure I had enough reading material if this storm materializes and is as bad as they are telling us. Even if the power goes out, I can still read during the daytime. And, by the way, I did go to the grocery store when I finished at the library.

At the library, I headed to the New Book section first to see what appealed to me. It occurred to me that I select books to look at based on three things--title, author and genre. I do the same when visiting a bookstore.

There are titles that intrigue me enough to make me pull the book from the shelf and check out the frontispiece to see what the story is about and to read the short review quotes which often appear on the back cover. There are also titles that I skip by. Why? Mostly because there is nothing in them to pique my interest. This is why choosing a title for the book you've written is so very important. Titles are also important for short stories, essays, articles, poetry--just about anything you write. When you spend lots of time on the full piece of writing, don't grab a title out of the air and go with it. Take your time finding the best one.  I've written an article on titles that might be worth reading.

I often choose a book because of an author whose work I have read and liked earlier. Or that author might be one that has been reviewed in the newspaper or Book Page and I've wanted to read something by him/her. I don't just grab the book and go. I look at it in the same way as stated in the paragraph above.

Genre is important to me, and to most readers. I do not read Sci-Fi or Horror or Fantasy or Erotica. When the library sticker on the bottom of the book's spine tells me it is one of these, I move right on the next book. No reason to pull it off the shelf and look into it any further. Most readers have certain kinds of books that they will never read, as well as ones that they are drawn to immediately.

I brought four books home with me and I intend to get lost in at least one, maybe more, during our stormy week-end.

Neighborhood Kids--A Writing Exercise

Now that you've gotten your desk and files all spiffed up, let's consider a writing exercise today. I'm still not quite ready to tackle my list of goals for this coming year.

When you read the poster above, did mental images of kids you grew up with flash before you? I could see the ones I had fun with and the ones I wanted to avoid whenever possible. Think about the boys and the girls who lived in your neighborhood; they were the ones who were part of your free time spent outdoors or inside playing board games or walking to school together.

I grew up in a large apartment building so there were lots of kids around, although the ones whose apartments backed up to the courtyard on the east side of the building tended to stay in that are while those on the west side kept to themselves in their own concrete courtyard. We even played with the kids in the house next to the alley that passed by our building. Even now, decades beyond my growing-up years, I could rattle off their names. I would also be able to describe each one--both physically and what kind of person they were.

For today's exercise, think back to the neighborhood kids you knew. Maybe you lived in several places so have different groups of kids to consider. Work with the ones that come to mind first as they are the ones who impressed you in some way.

Use the following to guide you

• Choose one, then describe him/her physical characteristics.
• Next, write a paragraph about the kind of person he/she was.
• Write another paragraph about how he/she affected you.
• Then write about how the adults in the neighborhood considered this kid.
• Describe how he/she dressed--in a specific way or just like all the other kids?
• If you can, write about how he/she reacted or interacted with the other kids.
• What kinds of activities did you pursue together?
• Write another paragraph about what you think he/she might be like as an adult
• Conclude with a paragraph about how the person affected your life, then and now, if applicable. Also, what did you learn about life from this person?

When you've finished this exercise, you've created a personal essay, or at least the bones for developing it further. Remember that the personal essay should have some universal truth or some bit of learning for the reader.

You can do this exercise multiple times using those many neighborhood kids who have stayed in your mind.

Clean It, Organize It and Enjoy!

I said early last week that I was not going to tell you to work on your writing goals for 2017, at least not right away. And today, I'm still not going to suggest that you spend your time thinking about goals. I didn't know until I wrote this post that today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day.

So, before you do anything else this January, consider giving your writing workspace a good cleaning. Not just with a broom and a dust cloth and sorting the papers on your desk, although that is a good place to begin. It's your writer's life that you want to get organized and cleaned. The woman above could start with those sticky notes decorating the edges of her monitor. They all must be telling her to do something or reminding her of an important task.

Here's a checklist for what you should consider in your cleaning and organizing:

• Make a list of the items on those sticky notes and post it where you can still be reminded.
• Clean off your computer desk or whatever place where you write--go through those bits and pieces of paper that tend to pile up; throw away the ones that have no meaning any longer and put away the ones that you feel you need to keep.
• Look at the wall behind or to the sides of your workspace. Is there something pleasing on it? If not, put up a poster or picture that pleases you. It will help your mood tremendously. I have a framed picture of a place where we had a marvelous vacation in Cornwall, UK a few years ago. Fill the walls with artwork done by children or grandchildren; that should make you happy.
• Do you have the pens, pencils, notepads etc that you might need close by? You don't want to waste time searching for them when you reach out and find nothing.
• Check your writing records for 2016--your submissions, acceptances, rejections and what you earned. You need this information for tax purposes if you earned enough but you also need it to assess your writing for last year. If you haven't kept a chart like this, start doing so this year.
• Check the file where you save your documents. Make a list of the unfinished ones so that you have a good place to begin writing in this new year. Make another list of already published pieces that you can market as reprints.
• If you don't already have one, start an Idea folder. Jot a few notes for each idea and add more as the year progresses.
• Look in My Documents. If you're like me, there will be quite a few things you no longer need and can delete. 'Stuff' piles up and we always mean to get rid of this or that but somehow never get to it. Now is a good time. Keep only those things you think you might need or use again. Definitely get rid of duplicates. I try to keep the most current version.
• Go through that long list of messages in your email inbox. If you're like me, you don't always get rid of the ones that are no longer of any importance. Delete those and save others in a folder. Keep the ones that need your attention now or soon.
•  Make a list of projects you'd like to work on this year. Put an asterisk * besides those of most importance. This sounds like a goal but I considerate it more of an organization tool.

If you do all the above and give your area a thorough dusting and sweeping, you will be ready to start on your list of goals for this year. More on that later.

Unfinished Writing Projects

One of the questions I had in my list of seventeen questions in a post earlier this week was How many unfinished projects do I have? When I saw the poster above, it made me smile. How nice to let whoever that 'Karma guy' is to pop by my house and gather all my unfinished projects in a bag. Then he'd take them home and return them in perfect submission condition.

We all know that karma is not a person but a philosophy in the Hindu or Buddhist religion. So, I guess we are going to have to finish those half-done pieces of writing on our own. But how?

1. Identify:  Make a list of all the unfinished writing in your files. Are you shocked at the number or do you think that it's not so bad?
2. Sort:  Rearrange your list so that your first priority projects are at the top and the rest to follow in order of importance. Some of you will put the easiest first and others will begin with the one they know will be most difficult. There are pluses to both ways. Get the worst one out of the way first and the rest will seem easy. Or, do the easy ones and work up to the one that has bugged you for a long time. Your choice!
3. Read thoroughly:  Once you've selected a piece to begin your Finishing Project, read it slowly and carefully. Read it from your writer's viewpoint. Now read it again. This time, read it from the reader's side. How do they see it differently than you do? What things will they see the same? Read it two or three more times, still slowly. Did any ideas for revising or finishing jump out? Sometimes, that will happen and others not.
4. Revise and Edit:  When we talk about 'unfinished projects,' there are two kinds. Some are completed first drafts of essays or short stories, poems, articles, even a chapter of a book but we consider them as not completed because we know they should be written better. Other first drafts might be only half-finished. I have one in my files that is only one sentence! This step is where the hard work comes in.
5. Simmer slowly:  After you've completed #4, put the draft back in your files for a few days. This is a step too many writers skip. They are in a hurry to get something finished and ready to submit. It's well worth taking this step, however, because you'll see from a different perspective when you read it later.
6. Final Edit:  Make your final edit. It's probably not going to take long, if you are relatively satisfied with what you've written. There will be minor word changes, spelling corrections, deleting a few words--usually the mechanical things that need polishing.
7. Seek a market:  All this time that you've been finishing your piece, you have probably been considering a market that would be a good spot to submit to. Start checking guidelines and look for as many markets as you can that would be appropriate for whatever you've written.
8. Ready to submit:  After you've done all of the above, send that finished piece to an editor.
9. Go back to the list:  You've gotten one down and are ready to tackle #2 on your list. Whittle that list down one by one.

What if you still aren't satisfied with what you've come up with? What if the piece needs such a major overhaul that you are ready to dump it totally? That will happen now and then. We all have written something with three great beginning paragraphs and then there is nowhere else to go. And it's not a finished piece. It's just thoughts from your head to the printed word. It's OK. There is no Writer's Rule that says every single piece we start must be finished. Should you delete it, wipe it clean off your To-Do List? Maybe you should still save it in your files. Perhaps, two years from now, a fabulous way to continue will come to you. Or maybe it won't but it does no harm to keep that unfinished piece in your files. You might start a folder of the ones that need your attention later.

One good piece of advice in today's poster is the part that says Keep calm... Your finishing up project will go more smoothly if you do.

Don't End Up In The La-La Land of Lost Writing

I have an incredibly busy day today so here's a repeat of a popular post of several months ago. It's a good checklist for whatever you are writing.

We admire strength; it's something we strive for in many parts of our life. Strong writing should figure in the top part of your list of writing goals. We use the term often and maybe even overuse it without giving enough serious thought to what it means to us, as writers.

To me, strong writing has many facets. Here is a partial list:

Sticking to the topic:  Too often, writers end up straying away from the original topic and find themselves writing two essays instead of the one they intended. Eliminate that second topic; save it for another essay to write later.

Perfect, or almost perfect, mechanics (grammar, punctuation, spelling): Don't think an editor is going to 'fix' everything you miss in this department. Have enough errors in this department and your submission will end up in the La-La Land Of Lost Writing.

No rambling:  Nothing is more boring than reading something that makes a point, then rambles on and on about the same thing. Say it and move on.

Active verbs:  We know that active verbs make a story more visual but too often we take the lazy man's way out with too many passives like is, was were...

Good dialogue:  Flat dialogue creates flat characters. Put active, interesting words into the mouths of your characters.

Redundancy:  Give your readers some credit. You can make a point without repeating it in different words. Most of them will 'get it' the first time.

No droning on and on: Similar to redundancy but some writers can drone on and on with the description of a chair. Unless it has great significance to the story, don't do it.

Use metaphors and similes but don't overdo: Use them but don't repeat the same ones in the same story. Some authors seem to find a simile that they like a lot and so they use it again and again. The simile begins to stand out to the reader. Come up with new ones or don't use them. Use any of them sparingly.

No clichés:  Oh, aren't they tempting? We have heard them for years but that's the problem--so have your readers. They prefer something new.

Build tension:  Whether it is fiction or creative nonfiction, do this to make your reader want to keep reading. It can be huge or it can be a small thing, but it's a good way to keep your reader interested.

A good hook at the beginning:  Grab readers with an opening paragraph that piques interest. You also want to do this with an editor reading your submission.  Action works well.

Strong ending: Strength and satisfaction, maybe even a surprise, is called for in the ending of what you write. Haven't we all read a book with a flat ending? I feel cheated when that happens.

What other points would you add to this list? What do you consider to be strong writing?

Use the above as a checklist so your submission does not find a home in the La-La Land Of Lost Writing.