Tag Archives: writing

January 29, 2014 · 2:34 pm

It’s 2014! CRIPES!

Has your writing ever come to a screeching halt and froze at a point just before impact? Days follow that turn into weeks and soon, not only has a month gone by, but you are into the next year already. Cripes! A new year already? What to do? You have already circled your desk 60 times and opened your laptop 12. Your masterpiece lays in darkness, waiting to come back out and see the light. Your mind has been occupied by an evil entity forcing you away from your desk to do any, and all, of those wonderful things that lurk around the house. The dishes are piled in the sink, the mounds of laundry are rolling out the door, the vacuum is collecting dust which is curling into dust bunnies, and the teetering piles of paper must be put away immediately. Oh, and let’s not forget the dreaded bathroom! Hey, any excuse to keep the writing at bay.

Does any of this sound familiar? Call it writer’s block, call it procrastination, or call it “I don’t want to write today so I’m going to do all the dreaded things I have been avoiding since my last writing binge.” Charles Bukowski said it well:

“writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all”
― Charles Bukowski, The Last Night of the Earth Poems

I recently recovered from this dreaded phenomenon that afflicts most writers (and to those who have never suffered from it….I hate you!). I’m here to tell you that there is no cure but time and a few nudges (ok, they were full on slug fests) from good friends and fellow writers. I was running full steam toward the end of 2013 and pounded out some amazing scenes in two novels that I had been working on. Then the holidays hit right along with some pretty awesome excuses to put off writing. After all, how could I sit down to focus on writing when the dogs needed special ribbons to reflect the joy of the season?

Depression quickly set in as I stared at the computer. NOTHING! I cursed the curser (yep, I just wrote that….get over it). I sat at my computer at the beginning of January and started this tirade and now it is the end of the month and I think I can actually finish it and move on. I quit compulsively cleaning and decided it was high time to just spit some words out.

As I slop out this last paragraph I am feeling refreshed. The words are slowly coming back and the gloom of winters deep freeze seems to be thawing a bit. I like the feeling of my butt in the chair and the sound of the keyboard. The block from the holidays has finally released its grip and I am ready to go. I can only hope that at the end of 2014 I don’t find myself in this same situation and having to say, “CRIPES! It’s 2015 already!?”

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October 25, 2013 · 2:50 pm

A Magic Helicopter

For the past half year or so I have been a member of Delve Writing. We meet virtually once a week and are a group of writers who support one another to achieve our individual writing goals.  Every week our moderator (I work with co-founder Aaron Brown) gives us some tasty treat for inspiration and then we dive into our goals and the challenges we face meeting those goals.  At the end of each session we “dig-in” on a single challenge that we have been hitting and pick it apart in an effort to find a solution or at least give the sufferer a glimmer of a solution.

This morning we had a lively session filled with ideas for a magical helicopter to fly all of us to the top of Mt Evans where we could attend Hogwarts and write wondrous books that sell themselves along with discovering the usefulness of a Feedback Loop*. One of the dig-ins was “How to Brainstorm with Yourself.” Most brainstorming sessions I have ever attended comprised of three to ten people in a conference room with the doors closed and gallons of coffee. The idea of brainstorming alone presents a unique problem that if you run out of ideas then there isn’t anyone else there to kick in a new thought or angle. What if you are trying to come up with an idea for a new story idea and you have no clue of what to write about in the first place?

This was the question posed to our group and it was so amazing to see the ideas flood our meeting providing quite a few resources for story ideas.  I haven’t had the time to check into all of these, but it is on my to-do list that, although never ending, I hope to get to next week.

  • Look for intense moments in life. Being born is about as intense of a moment as you can get in life and it is right next to watching a loved one die.  Do a little wandering through your life and pick out as many intense moments as you can find and write them down. These are just the beginnings of an idea list.
  • Ask yourself “if” questions. The questions need to be thought provoking or at least questions that lead to a more extensive answer.  No “yes or no” questions here…they don’t trigger ideas.  Some examples of leading questions might be: “If I’m the last person on the planet what would I see?” “If my car sailed over a bridge what would that moment between the bridge and the ground feel like?” “If a ghost came to me and asked for help, what would they need help with?”
  • Play with attractions. This is another part of your idea list. Write down one word bullets of things that you are attracted to.  Have you spent your free time rock climbing, skiing, or parasailing? Maybe you love wandering through art museums, antique shops, or garage sales. What sorts of things attract you?  What gives you a jolt of adrenalin? All these combined, or separate, can give color to a great scene or short story.
  • Pam McCutheon’s Brainstorming Kit. I have ordered her kit but haven’t received it yet. From what I understand this has flashcards with ideas on them.  You pull a card and write on that idea.  Once I get her kit and test it out I’ll have a new blog post for it.
  • Duo Trope’s Calendar. If you have never heard of Duo Trope then you are missing out. This resource for writers is chalk full of everything a writer needs for publishing.  There isn’t enough space here to go into all the details, but trust me when I say, “Check it out!”
  • Make an idea list. I am a list person. I have notebooks filled with to-dos, dones, and everything in between. I do have an idea list too.  It is a very simple handwritten bunch of scribbles that have every story idea I have ever considered. So many times I’ve thought of a great idea that I might consider writing about and as soon as I think of it I forget it. These days (my mind is as old as dirt) I forget many things faster than I can think them up so I have learned to write them down.  Now, when I haven’t a clue for a story I pull out my list and run through them to see if anything strikes my fancy.

Brainstorming is really just time spent with yourself pondering the next great American novel, or the next great short story by YOU. On the other hand, it is nice to just grab a friend and take them out for coffee and toss around a few stray thoughts and see what floats to the top. Remember that you are the one who has to write your great novel so be sure your brainstorming sessions bring out the best in you.  Your story may take you on a helicopter ride to a magical land filled with ideas that float through the air waiting to be discovered by you. Pluck one of those ideas down and start writing.

*Note: Watch Delve’s blog for their exploration into a Feedback Loop – Coming Soon!

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October 20, 2013 · 9:27 pm

When is it Done?

In the comments of my previous post, my friend Mardra posed the question, “”When is it done?”   I would like to take a guess at the answer (keyword, guess). I am working on a short story (that’s the one I keep talking about) that I had thought was done at least 5 times and with each new revision I think, “OK, this one is done,” and with each new revision my editor says, “Its not done yet Kathie.” Her notes are copious, “Bring out the reason we should care about your character. Where is this taking place? What kind of room is it? Put more emotion into the world around your character.”  There are days that I’m with Mardra, “I just wish that when I want a piece to be done bad enough it will miraculously be good enough.”

As writers we all write, and re-write, and revise, and grumble, and pace, and write some more. Our own, self-inflicted pressure to make it perfect adds to the already daunting task of getting the story done and each word can be a monumental task to get onto the page.  On the other hand, there are times the words flow faster than we can type and we find ourselves panting as we race to get each scene on paper before the inspiration is lost.

After all the blood, sweat, and tears have flowed into our work is there a time that we can say it is done? I feel I’m pretty solid in my answer when I say, “Maybe.” I go back to the theory that “there’s always room to improve.”  I know Mardra doesn’t like that particular professor, but he does have a point. If there wasn’t room to improve there would be no reason to re-write, revise, and grumble our way to a piece of writing that might be done, one day, MAYBE.

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September 19, 2013 · 8:27 pm

Kind Of….

The catastrophe here in Colorado is something that I would expect to see in a movie. It is beyond a catastrophe and the floods are still surging into Nebraska.  My post today is actually not about the strife of the flooding, loss of life, nor the property lost to the poor people who have suffered.  These stories are already written and have the event well covered. This post is about the live news coverage and the on the spot reporters who, in their vast array of word knowledge, could only KIND OF put their words together.  Don’t get me wrong, the reporters are brave souls who venture out and face dangers in every type of disaster and l, for one am glad that they were out there and not me.  What they do is quite heroic in its own way.

A news report came from one of the many flooded areas. The reporter told her listeners that there was water kind of everywhere. Really?! The camera shot most certainly showed water all over the place. Do rivers and streams only kind of go over their banks?  Throughout this report, and others, I heard the newscasters say, “kind of” more times than I could count.  The water kind of went through the house behind me….  This car kind of came down stream…. Raw sewage is kind of leaking into the flood waters….  The water WENT through that house and destroyed it, there IS raw sewage in the flood waters, and vehicles of every kind DID float into houses, and pile up everywhere.  There is, and was, no kind of about it.

These two little words are a non-commitment that gives everyone an excuse out.  A person should commit to the situation, “the car floated down stream.” This simple statement commits the speaker to the fact that the car did indeed float down the stream, but what if it was already there?  What if there was no floating involved?  This lack of confidence, in terms of speaking, has permeated our culture.  Are we so afraid of saying that something IS?  Have we lost the confidence in the use of the word “is” that we now have to fall back on “kind of”?  Take these famous quotes (Shelley, Einstein, Buddha), and how they are completely deflated when there is that added piece of uncertainty.

Go forth and kind of prosper.

Imagination is kind of more important  than knowledge.

The tongue like a sharp knife kind of kills without drawing blood.

The rivers in Colorado didn’t kind of overflow their banks, they did. Let’s take those two words and put them to better use.  Colorado is a proud state and will be a stronger community.  The flood waters are receding but the mud remains everywhere.  Are the people kind of taking care of it?  No, they are tackling it.  They have shovels, buckets, and strong backs that will scrub every nook and cranny where the mud is.  I hope that the media does more than kind of follow the clean up.

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September 19, 2013 · 5:20 pm

Four Edits and Counting

I have spent the day writing.  This morning was dedicated to a short story that has been in the works for about a month now. When I hacked out the initial version I was so excited.  I gave it to my editor for her seal of approval.  I got it back with all my delusions of granduer wiped from my mind.

When I finished today’s writing session I proudly informed her that I thought my story was done.  She looked at me (without even reading it) and with a smile said, “I doubt it’s done.”  Wait, WHAT?  I have re-written this story four times and she tells me it’s not done? I trust my editor’s judgement, painful as it is to hear and If it wasn’t for her I would have called it done after the first draft.  Now that I’m on #4 I can see how the story has more life blown into it, but does it really need improving?

I have learned a great deal through this writing process and I am more aware of the pit falls the novice writer can fall into.  The goal in doing this short story is to improve my writing skills and get my mental gears turning when I dive into my book. I thought it would be good to save each draft of this story separately so that I can go back to review how it has has developed over the course of editing. The before and after snapshots in this piece really tell the story of my story. Take a look at the opening paragraph.

The first draft….

This morning I woke in a hotel room.  The streaked windows were clear enough to see down to the wet streets and blowing trees.  A gloomy day at best.  I went to the lobby for the usual coffee, powdered eggs, slimy sausage and a bland bagel.  The breakfast was always the same, the lobby always the same, the people always the same. I carried my tray back to my room for a solitary breakfast sitting by the window looking out at the dark day.  After my shower I dress appropriately for the morning and in my reflection I see my black dress, black sweater, and black shoes.  Always the same.

The fourth draft…..

The sheets are fresh and crisp.  My head burrows deeper into the reaches of the white cave.  A sweet melody plays from the alarm that contradicts the dreary day ahead of me.  Peeling my eyes open I fumble my fingers to slide the alarm into silence. Today presses heavy against my chest allowing only short shallow breaths.  I trudge to the closed curtains behind which hangs a gloomy day.  Water runs down the window pane in torrents.  Beyond are streets slick with rain and mammoth trees hanging low from the weight of the deluge. The window mounted cooler kicks in with a blast of cold air pushing me back into the room to dress. I prefer to ignore the need to move forward in the day.

Both paragraphs tell the reader that this is about a person who is in a hotel room and it is raining outside.  What the first draft fails to do is bring feeling into the story.  By the fourth draft not only is it raining outside, but everything about the weather is also a part of the gloom of what the character reluctantly faces in the day ahead.

I once knew a speech teacher who never gave his students an ‘A’.  He explained that to give an ‘A’ was to restrict the student from improving.  An ‘A’ implied they were perfect and there was no need to strive higher.  I think my editor follows this same theory and she is right, this story isn’t done yet and there is still plenty of room for improvement.

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September 10, 2013 · 2:58 pm

Do Not Mock Me

There you are, sitting in front of me, mocking me.  Do you not understand what it takes to decorate your face with just black ink?  How am I to write upon you when you are not giving me any expression or meaning?  I have needs too you know? Are you amused when I wince uncomfortably searching for just the right word, sentence, or structure?  I am a writer who crafts words to put on you while you laugh each day that I struggle to fill you.  Be wary my white friend.  The day will come when you laugh too much, or taunt me into a cruel corner.  I will crumple, shred, and send you into oblivion without a thought then turn my back on your pitiful pulverized mess and pull a clean sheet from the stack.  This new paper will not disrespect me, and  I will continue to write whether you are a clean slate or a small mount of powder in my waste bin.  I am a writer and I will fill your face with my words, and laugh at your weak attempts at ridicule.  Now, step aside, I have a story to write.

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September 10, 2013 · 9:25 am

A Quote

The other day, on arbitrarydustbunnies, I posted this quote as a stand alone entry:

“The wind had blown off, leaving a loud, bright night, with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life.” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Great Gatsby has page after page of beautiful descriptives that paint a masterpiece of words. Fitzgerald has taken a simple moment and filled it with life in a single sentence. I was there, breathing the night air right along with Nick listening to the symphony of sounds.

Another passage from the book takes the idea of a telephone jangling in the background, as if it were an additional guest at the party, and twists it into a tight ball of nerves preventing anyone from ignoring it.

I couldn’t guess what Daisy and Tom were thinking but I doubt if even Miss. Baker, who seemed to have mastered a certain hardy skepticism, was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind.”

The story captivated me from the first chapter to the last word, and, in the end, I was left saddened. This world of Gatsby, Daisey, and Nick was painted in my mind through the written word, and with the last letter, I had to leave.

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July 31, 2013 · 10:03 pm

How I Did It

The other day I posted about those pesky verbs that take the color out of telling a story.  I gave you all a prompt sentence to re-write and put color to:  While playing pool with friends, Mary thought about Jake .
I’m sure everyone is still busy working on something awesome for this writing prompt and I have finally finished mine.  Here it is:

  • She lined up her next shot. CRACK! The colored balls scattered in every direction across the sea of green felt.  Each ball slowly rolled to a stop short of their respective holes.  “Crap!”  With burning eyes she slapped the stick to the table and pinched the bridge of her nose.  Talking to no one, “What was he thinking? “ 

How would you bring that sentence to life?  Add it to the comments if you like.

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Thought Verbs by; Chuck Palahniuk

I found this post by way of another post via another post (amazing how these things work).  Chuck Palahniuk makes a challenge to fellow writers to drop certain words from their writing vocabulary and I, for one, am going to take him up on that challenge.

Anyone care to join me?

Below is a sentence that break’s “The Rules of Chuck” (as I have decided to call them).  Your challenge is to create of the perfect way to write the sentence following “The Rules of Chuck.” Write several sentences, or even a paragraph. Get creative!

  • You must read the article (link at the top of this post)
  • You must follow “The Rules of Chuck.”
  • It must be rated PG (yes folks, I’m a bit of a prude)
  • This will be open for comments forever (or until the post gets lost in the past).

Here’s the prompt:

  • While playing pool with friends, Mary thought about Jake .

Here is a short list of just a few of the words mentioned by Mr. Palahniuk:

  • Thinks
  • Knows
  • Understands
  • Realizes
  • Believes
  • Wants
  • Remembers
  • Imagines
  • Desires
  • Is
  • Has
  • Wonders

The list can go on and on, but you have a few of the disallowed word choices.  So, read the article about Thought Verbs and come back and face the challenge.  This is a great place to practice.

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July 29, 2013 · 1:58 pm
July 25, 2013 · 6:03 pm

I’m Writing a Book….

It’s true.  I am still on the skeleton of the book, but I am writing it.  I have read hundreds and hundreds of books over the years (maybe even pushing that thousand plus mark), and I decided it was time.  At the end of every well written book I get that “post-book depression.”   I want more of the story.  I want more of the character’s lives.  As I close the last page I want to know who these characters are, where do they live, and what happened after the story ended?  During the story I became best friends with the characters and after the last page they’re gone.  They have moved away and there is a good possibility I will never see them again.  Enough is enough.  I’m tired of saying goodbye to these wonderful characters and by writing my own story I will have the privilege of getting to know each and every one of them.  Better still, if there is anyone in the book I don’t like I can kill them, or just edit them out of the book, and if there is someone I truly want to know better they may return in future stories so you too can get to know them better.

“The Manx” is my debut into the world of book writing.  Kat Manning, and all the rest of her friends, will be off on the adventure of a lifetime. As she saves magic from being completely drained from the world,  she will face trials, pain, growth, and a rainbow of joys.  She will visit Between where she meets her Guide, all the while battling against the evil forces of King Magnus.  Of course, a story of magic wouldn’t be complete without a cast of fairies, knights, and few Buggans just to keep it fun.

I look forward to sharing this story with you and to those of you who actually purchase a copy and read it from start to finish, I say, “Gur mie eu!”

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