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Tag: writing about writing

Writing Retreat

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Writing is a solitary activity.  Yes, we solicit feedback (and I’m fortunate to have a wonderful online writing community for that), and perhaps we have a handful of people off of which to bounce ideas.  But for most of us, we sit alone at home, or alone at a library or coffee shop, to hone our craft.

Despite this, there are times when writers crave physical contact with other writers.  Supposedly.  I’ve attended NaNoWriMo write-ins, where everyone sits in a room and pretends to write while discussing our novels.

I live in a fairly large metropolitan area with a vibrant writing community, at least according to the local writing center’s website.  I’ve considered attending their conferences, but the timing has never worked out.  So when I saw that they were hosting a day-long writing retreat for a decent price, I decided to bite the bullet and attend.  If nothing else, they were offering snacks all day.

I arrived just in time for the opening remarks by a couple local authors.  The dozen or so attendees were instructed to channel our muse, find our “sacred spot,” and create.  The goal was to have something to share for the group reading at the end of the day.  One of the local authors would be at a nearby coffee shop to offer advice and discuss the writing process, if we felt so inclined to sign up for a mini session with her.

I promptly loaded up on orange juice and bite-size cinnamon rolls, found an empty room, and did exactly what I was supposed to – I wrote.  In one hour, I’d written another of the Nik Kershaw stories I’m slowly creating.

At that point, it was time for my session with the local author, Robin Throne, who heads up her own publishing company, 918 Studio.  We had a lovely chat about the problems with writing and publishing literary fiction, especially short stories, compared to genre fiction or poetry.  We also discussed how the writing process worked for each of us, from the idea stage, to finding time to write the damn things, to feedback and publishing.  Although I frequently discuss these ideas with others online, it was nice to do it face-to-face.

At that point it was lunch time.  I had some nice conversations with other writers, about their processes and ideas, and about what they write and why.

And then it was back to writing for the afternoon.  I worked on the ending to a story I’ve been slowly writing and tweaking for almost a year; I think I almost have it figured out but not quite.  I made the mistake of finding a new spot to write, right next to the snack table, and so I was a bit distracted and couldn’t focus as well as I did in the morning.  Also, I needed to access Dropbox to get that story, and as everyone knows, productivity decreases with access to the internet.

Finally it was sharing time.  There were some good things and some not so good things.  Most made mention of God, so I decided it was best not to read my story which has some rough language in it.  Then there were closing remarks, and we were set free.

All in all, it was a good experience.  While it was nice to get some writing done, the most helpful parts of the day were the conversations with other writers, all of whom came at writing from different perspectives and backgrounds (I was probably the youngest participant by about 10 years; the average age was probably about 55).

Now that I know what’s out there, and the benefits of a local writing community, I’ve gotten a membership to the writing center and plan on attending more of their workshops and retreats.  Just not all of them; I’m still not a people person.

What’s your experience with local writing groups?  What benefits and drawbacks do you find compared to online groups?  Do you regularly attend workshops or retreats?

September StoryADay update no. 1 #storyaday

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It’s about halfway through the September StoryADay Challenge.

I’m not sure why I even bother with these challenge things.  So far, I should have 14 stories.

I have 7.

Two written from scratch, although one needs to be expanded.

2 already-started stories finished, although one needs to be expanded.

1 I’m cheating on: it’s a 7-part story (alternating narrators), and for the purposes of this challenge I’m counting each section as a story.  I’d already written one section, and I wrote a second.

1 story started and about 1k in.  Based on the depth of the plot, this might turn into a novella – probably at least 10k when I’m done with it, maybe 15k.

And 1 nonfiction essay, written as an example for a writing test.

Conclusion: I need to get my butt in gear.

If you’re doing the StoryADay Challenge, how’s it going?

Stories based on songs

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Ever since a Scribophile writing contest a year or two ago, which asked us to write a story based on the song “The Riddle” by Nik Kershaw, I’ve developed a bit of a crush on the guy and his music.  I’m not sure why, exactly – everything I’d heard by him was early 80’s pop, which isn’t the most remarkable music.  And let’s not even mention his hair.

As I listened to more of his songs – really listened, paying attention not just to the sound but the lyrics and themes – I decided it would be fun to write a story based on each one of them.  Maybe stick them in their own collection someday.

I mentioned it in my writing group, and the other day I received an email about the project:

I was wondering if you would be able to give me some answers re writing stories based on songs.

You said in a thread not too long that you’re currently attempting to write a story for every song Nik Kershaw has ever released. (That’s so cool, btw). That’s something I’ve been intrigued by (with?) for quite some time and I’ve also attempted something similar for NaNo 2010. So, the questions:

  1. What about those songs that don’t tell a story you can use or don’t inspire one? Do you just keep listening to the song until you think of something?
  2. Do you listen to the song while writing the story? 
  3. In your opinion, how much does the song has to affect the story? For example, a story having just the same theme/atmosphere as a song… would that qualify? 

Rather than just email him back, I thought I’d share my answers here.

  1. I planned to listen to each song multiple times, write a story, and then move onto the next song.  I started with his first album, The Riddle.  I listened to “Don Quixote,” and I wrote a story.  Then I moved onto the next song, “Know How.”  I had an idea for a story, and characters, but not enough of a plot.  So I stopped listening to that album.  Then the car adapter for my iPod died and all I had to listen to was the same songs on the radio, or the same songs on his 15 Minutes album.  A couple songs gave me ideas right away, and others after listening several times.  Some I’m still not sure about.
     
    As this is a project that’ll probably take forever to finish, and there are over 100 songs to listen to, I think it’s better to just write as inspiration hits, since forcing myself to write results in crap.
  2. I have a hard time writing when I don’t have complete silence, which is why I tend to do most of my writing late at night when no one’s awake.  I’ll listen to the song several times before I start writing, as well as look at the lyrics.  And it might take me several times of listening before I get a story idea.
  3. The first story I wrote, “Wise Men Fold,” was based on a song that Kershaw admits makes no sense.  So for that one, I just pulled out a few pieces.  For “Don Quixote,” the second one, I tried to stick with the theme of the song – a guy who considers himself a hero but is actually pathetic.  And I threw in details from the song.  For another I’m currently writing, “Billy,” about a guy who’s been emasculated by his wife, the story is what happens after his drinking buddies convince him he’s whipped.  Another, “God Bless,” pulls out just one line – “Praise be this coffee machine” – to become a satirical prayer to the almighty coffee god. 

    I think with over 100 songs, there’s a lot of room to change things up.  And, of course, the fact that no one I know has ever heard of Nik Kershaw, let alone his songs other than maybe “Wouldn’t It Be Good.”

Have you ever written stories based on songs?  Any tips you’d like to share?

2012 StoryADay Challenge, take 2

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It seems there’s always a writing challenge, if you know where to look.

January: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest
February: FAWM (February Album Writing Month)
March: NaNoEdMo
April:  Blogging from A to Z April challenge,
May: StoryADay Challenge
June: CampNaNo
July: break time?
August:  CampNaNo
September: StoryADay Challenge through Scribophile
October: GothNoWriMo
November: NaNoWriMo
December: The Plot Whisperer

Einstein is credited with the quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”  I’m obviously insane, because I’ve decided to once again try the StoryADay Challenge.

It’s day 5, and so far I’ve finished two already-started stories.  I have a full folder of ideas and started stories, so it shouldn’t be too hard to beat my performance in May 2012’s challenge: 15 attempted, 7 finished.

If you’re doing the StoryADay challenge, how’s it going?

Dealing with rejection

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According to Duotrope, I have a 14% acceptance rate for short stories over the past 12 months.  Add in responses to novel queries, and I’ve received over 100 rejections in the last year.

For the most part, I shrug them off.  It’s easy because a lot of them are form responses: ‘Thanks for your submission, but it’s not what we’re looking for.  Best of luck.”

Some of them are personal, and they range from helpful – “The ending just doesn’t fit” – to just downright mean – “How could a character be so stupid as to act like that” (that one was based on my own experiences; ouch).  I get them, and I resubmit somewhere else, maybe with some editing thrown in.

Rejections from people I actually know are harder to shrug off.  “Who would want to read about boring real life stuff?” “What’s wrong with you that you write stories like that” (referring to my latest story, “Tim and Sara“)? “What else are you going to do at night, sit and write your book?”

I deal with most of that by not discussing writing stuff – publications, story ideas, etc – with people I know aren’t interested in any of it.  Which sucks, because I’d like to share my publications and ideas, but it’s worth it I guess for the decreased drama in the long run.

How do you handle rejections of your works and writing in general, both at the publications and personal levels?

Midyear writing goals rehash

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Way back in January, I set some goals for myself for the year:

  1. Get an agent (which means stop picking at my novel and just send it out already).
  2. Finish my already-started novel, A Handful of Wishes.
  3. Have at least fifteen stories out on submission at any given time.
  4. Get in shape, and then stay in shape.
  5. Learn how to neatly and nicely-looking lattice a pie.
  6. Date a rockstar (doesn’t matter who).

I briefly followed up on them in April.  The year is now roughly half over, so I’m back to take another look.

  1. Get an agent – I’ve sent out a bunch of queries, and I need to send out more.  I’m considering the small press route instead, and I need to look into that more closely and send out queries.
  2. Finish A Handful of Wishes – August is Camp NaNoWriMo, and I’m going to try to make a good-sized dent in this story once and for all, then maybe hammer the rest out for the real NaNoWriMo in November.
  3. Have at least fifteen stories out for submission – currently I’m at two.  But in my defense, I’ve had five stories accepted so far this year, almost one a month (“Bardo Bureaucracy,” “The Futility of Loving a Soldier,” “Hope for Change,” “Riding the Rails,” and “Of Gods and Floods“).  I have quite a few I’m polishing or finishing up, and a couple more sitting around to be sent out.  I should be able to get this number up to at least ten without too much effort.
  4. Get in shape – Towards the end of the school year I was chasing students all over the damn school (my classroom was in the basement and I routinely made 5-8 trips to the top floors, which is .2 miles round trip), so I’m not doing too bad with this.
  5. Pies – I can’t even remember the last time I made a pie.  Oops.
  6. Date a rockstar – I know a guy who plays the guitar.  Does that count as progress?

Overall, I’m not doing too bad, at least for the writing stuff.   I’m making progress and staying mostly focused, which I think is the most important part of having year-long goals.

If you’re a writer, what are your goals for the next few months?  If you set goals for yourself at the beginning of the year, how are you doing with them?

Picking out your audience

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As I wrote last week, it’s important to know your audience – their vocabularies, their interests, their attention spans.

Recently I’ve come across a couple quotes about audience that I love enough to share here:

“I believe that basically you write for two people; yourself to try to make it absolutely perfect; or if not that then wonderful. Then you write for who you love whether she can read or write or not and whether she is alive or dead.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Sometimes when I write, I’m just writing to tell a story, with just a general audience of I-don’t-care-who.  And sometimes I have a particular group in mind, and sometimes I’m aiming my story at a specific person.

When you write, do you write for a specific person or target group, or are you writing just to write?

As a reader, can you tell if a story is targeted at a specific group?  If you’re not in that group, do you keep reading?

Evolving villains

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A couple months ago I participated in the 2012 A to Z Challenge.  Being a nice reciprocal blogger, I also read blogs by others taking part in the event, which basically consisted of writing a post for every letter of the alphabet.  Many had posts like mine – completely random – but author Christopher Starr over at Crooked Letterz focused on villains, including in-depth analysis of what makes them tick.  Even if you’re not a fan of comics or movies, I highly suggest you read his insightful posts on what makes someone bad.

I recently had a brief conversation with another writer about the decline of chivalry.  He lamented that girls go for the jerks who treat them like crap, passing over the nice guys who would never hurt them.  I countered that perhaps girls see something redeeming in those jerks, something that no one else sees that makes them worth being with.  For example, I knew a guy who generally came off as arrogant, abrasive, and crude, and overall annoyed the hell out of me.  But one-on-one with him, he was conscientious of my thoughts and feelings and instinctively protective of me.  He shared his backstory with me so I could understand his motivations, and after that it was very difficult for me to see him as a one-dimensional bad guy.

I just finished the Hunger Games series.  I’ll try not to spoil the ending, but one thing that stuck out is President Snow’s behavior at the end.  President Snow is despicable, no question about it, but at the end he reminds Katniss of a promise he made to her, a promise that brings him a bit of redemption.  In other words, he evolves from a horrible excuse for a human being to a, well, slightly less horrible excuse for a human being.

My whole point with this – if you want a memorable, effective bad guy, don’t make him a completely one-dimensional bad guy.  Like President Snow, have him kill villages of people without hesitation but keep a promise he made to a young girl.  Like my friend, make him insufferable to be around but loyal to his principles.

To be a good villain, I think the bad guy needs to be someone we can identify and sympathize with, and someone the protagonist can connect with as well.

Christopher Starr asked, in the comments of one of his posts, “Ed, what do you think about the responsibility of making the villain evolve over time? Do we have more compelling villains if they have similar emotional/developmental arcs?”

I responded, “I think they are more compelling, because it becomes a moral lesson for the audience. Two similar characters at some point branch out from the same event – a shared childhood, a trauma, a disappointment. Faced with two choices, one aims for morality and the other for base revenge. It’s a choice we all have to make, and I think it makes the villain that much more terrifying, because we realize how easily we ourselves could be that villain.”

And that’s the key, I think, to writing a good antagonist or villain: “we realize how easily we ourselves could be that villain.”  And in order to connect with that villain, in order to see that, we need them to have redeeming qualities, because no one thinks of himself as all bad.  We need common traits, like love of orphans or kittens, or chivalrous behavior, like holding doors open.

If we know the villain can be good, it leads to the question, what about us?  What’s keeping the protagonist or us from turning into that villain?  If you want your story to stick with people, I think that’s an important point to address.

Who’s your favorite villain, either literary or in movies and pop culture?  Do they have any redeeming qualities, and how does that affect their relationships with the protagonists?

Huh? Knowing your audience

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The class I taught is part of a national program, and as such, we have a standardized post-test we give at the end of the year (I won’t get started on the idiocy of teaching to the test, I promise).  Although I taught high school, many of my students are reading far below grade level, a problem many students across the country face (that I also won’t rant about here).

Here’s one of the test questions:

Which of the following are negative attitudes that create bad feelings toward others?
A. Sympathetic, tolerant, and involved
B. Impartial, decisive, and motivated
C. Idealistic, thrifty, and serious
D. Secretive, complacent and distant

Want to guess how many of my students got that question right?

About 25%.

Several students asked me what sympathetic means, and impartial, and idealistic and thrifty and complacent.  Quite a few more just guessed, and got the questions wrong.  However, I know if I’d given the kids the question as short answer, they could’ve all answered it correctly.

In another similar situation, a month ago I took some students to a day-long team-building workshop.  One of the activities was that the teams had to make various machines (mostly appliances) out of their bodies.  It was a lot of fun, except the kids (many being low-income minorities) didn’t know what a food processor was.  Or an espresso machine.  They lost points as the clock ticked away while we judges tried to explain it to them.

Same thing with logic puzzles – most of the kids had never seen them before, so they didn’t know how to complete them.

What’s this have to do with writing?

Make sure you know your audience.  Slang in dialogue, jargon to describe the setting, even big words used unnecessarily – all could alienate your readers.  I’m not suggesting that you dumb down your stories; just have in mind who you’re writing for.

For example, I recently read Kim Stanley Robinon’s Mars trilogy.  All the characters are scientists, and the books are about the colonization of Mars and the terraforming process.  So there are tons of hardcore geology terms, specific rocketry terms, detailed economic terms.  For this book, it makes sense because the audience is (presumably) nerds such as myself who revel in accurate, realistic hard science in their sci-fi novels. Now, if the audience were people reading for the romance among the characters, they’d throw it across the room.

Like the test makers I mentioned at the beginning of this post, know your audience’s limitations.  Let them reject your story for the plot or characters or theme, not because they can’t understand it.

Have you ever stopped reading something because you couldn’t understand the vocabulary?  Or ever had anyone stop reading something of yours because of your word choice?

StoryADay update No. 5 (final update) #storyaday

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So, the  May StoryADay Challenge is over.  I know I’m a week late with the wrap up, but I’ve been preoccupied with herding recently-graduated students now set adrift in a big scary world, as well as finding a new job (I won’t go into details; suffice it to say the split was less than amicable).

So, how did I do?

Stories began: 15.
Stories finished: 7.

It’s not as good as I’d hoped, but about what I’d expected. And it reiterates something I’ve learned from NaNoWriMo the past two years:  I can’t force myself to write.

First, it comes down to time, and other hobbies and obligations.  My son comes first; any writing done needs to fit around his schedule.   My job, obviously, is next – lesson planning, grading, etc.   And then sometimes I just feel the urge to make crocheted monkey finger puppets.  Or grill up some kafka to go with the parsley pilaf and tahini sauce I made for dinner.

While writing is important, it’s not everything.

Maybe more importantly, however, is inspiration.  Or ideas, perhaps. 

For example, I have a short story, “Hope for Change,” in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine.  When I sat down to write that I knew who the main character was – a homeless guy.  I knew what the story was about – his life on the streets.  But until I had a plot arc – a guy gives him money and it spurs him to make a life change – I couldn’t write the story.

On that vein, I have a ton of stories like that.  Maybe I’ve written a page.  Maybe I’ve written ten chapters.  But unless I have that plot arc, I can sit and write all day and nothing will come of it.  I need time to let that idea organically grow.  And once it’s formed, I can crank out the story in a couple days (assuming I have the time and I’m in the right mood – I can’t write dark stuff if I’m feeling silly, for example).

I’ve noticed I have a hard time responding to prompts as well.  There are two contest pieces I’m working on right now:  one is slipstream (kinda like magical realism, I think), and the other has to have a horse, a dog, and a boat.  Fortunately I was already working on a slipstreamy story that I can submit.  And another story can easily have those three things woven in.  Which worked out well, because I’ve spend several days trying to come up with stories specifically for those prompts.

So, lesson of this challenge:  I need to find a way to force myself to write.  Or perhaps I need to stop signing up for these challenges.  :)

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