writing

Talking Writing with Writers

Once a month I realize how lucky I am. I belong to an organization called the Professional Writers Association of Canada, and am the president of our local branch. I’m lucky, because once a month we have a meeting at my house and I get to spend the evening with other writers.  Aside from the fact that it also means that, at least, the main floor of my house gets clean, it’s a real pleasure to talk writing with other writers.

I know my family loves me and supports my writing life, but no matter how much love and understanding comes my way, they just don’t quite get it. My fellow writers “get it.” They get that it’s actually normal to be excited about a rejection letter because it contained a personal note of encouragement from an editor. My husband says, “But it’s a rejection!” while I’m fist pumping at what, for me, is a breakthrough moment.

Tonight is one of those nights when the writers gather in my (clean!) livingroom and share what they’re working on, what they need help with, and what’s ahead in their writing life. Amid the tea and goodies, we share the ups and downs of the freelance writing profession with humour and support, knowing that everyone in the room “gets it.”

Priceless!

Writing Prompts

It felt really good to finally finish the draft of my story, in spite of all the delaying tactics. It’s been set aside for a week or so and now I’m in editing mode. Yay! And not a moment too soon since it’s due on January 15th.

I decided to give myself a treat for the new year to keep me inspired for 2012–a copy of Writer’s First Aid by Kristi Holl. I enjoyed Kristi’s second instalment, More Writer’s First Aid so much, that I thought I would get the first one, too. The book is still en route, but I’ll post a review as soon as I’ve read it.

I’ve been creating writing prompts for The Writer subscriber’s website since July and have enjoyed reading the various responses to them. They’re such fun to write, that I thought I’d create some just for this post. Hope they give you a creative boost into the new year. For more prompts, check out http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com/writing-starters/

1. Use one, a few, or all of the following words in a story or poem: tree, calendar, photograph, link, ribbon

2. Brainstorm around the word ice-cream. Write a poem or an opening paragraph with the images you see.

3. Think of all the meanings, expressions and words that use the word “run.” Here are some examples: silent running, run (in pantihose), the run around, running in circles, run for your life, end run, in the long run, runny nose, rum runner … Play with these and any others you can think of until one of them leads you to a story or poem.

4. Use one, a few, or all of these words in a story or poem: window, sheet, key, mark, drop

5. Think of the longest trip you have ever taken. What are your best memories of that trip? Write them down and share them with the people you travelled with, or illustrate your memories with photos from the trip and save them in  a special travel diary on your computer or in a binder just for you.

At the Edge

Our family had a wonderful vacation on the east coast in mid-August and I learned something about them and myself. They love edges. Yup they walk right up to them and look over. Could be the rail of a boat, a look out (or look “off “depending upon where you are) over the Atlantic Ocean, or a hiking path along the Cabot Trail. My husband and my son go straight to the edge. No worries. No fears. Just a need to see as much as they can from the edge.

I, on the other hand, am not that kind of edge person. I’m genuinely afraid of heights and I approach edges (even those with stout barriers) with caution and baby steps. I sometimes envy my men and their openness to the edge. I count myself brave when I stand beside them, but it doesn’t always last and there are times when I have to turn back or block my view of the sea and the cliffs and remember to breathe as we drive along a switchback in the Cape Breton Highlands.

Do I feel a desperate need to change my approach to edges? No, not really. I have my small conquests and the view is just fine a few steps back.  I have my own edges that I inhabit, that lead me to take risks, change jobs, approach editors, stand in front of people and speak or lead a group, and put my writing ‘out there’ to be reviewed and critiqued by others. I’ve walked to many in the past and I intend to keep on doing so. I embrace those edges with a blend of fear and anticipation in varying proportions. Those edges are enough for me.

Are you an edge person? What kind of edges do you inhabit?

Getting it “Done”

This isn’t an original idea, but if you have a goal you want to reach, it’s an idea that works. I got it from an article in The Writer Magazine a few years ago. In the article a writer said that members of her writing group sent emails to each other with “done” in the subject line when they had completed their writing goals for the day.

This is such a simple idea, but I can speak from experience that it is effective. Right now I’m working with a small group of writers and we’re sending out “dones’ every day. The first time we did this our goals were all writing goals. This time we’ve expanded our “done’ to encompass whatever individual goal a person chooses. We’re going to work on our goals for a month and then share what our goals were in August.

So, if you have something you want to do every day–exercise, write 500 words, read War and Peace–find a group of people to exchange emails with daily and you will be on your way to achieving your goal.

Do you have any great goal-reaching tips? I’d love to hear what they are!

What’s Your Favourite Short Story?

I’m starting to write a short story that, I hope, will be one of several. I haven’t read any short stories for a long time, except for mystery stories in The Strand Magazine  and some Sherlock Holmes stories on my Kobo.  I think I should do something about that.

Do you have a favourite short story? What is it? A favourite author? What makes this writer’s stories exceptional?

I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

New Neighbours

We have new neighbours. A family of five has taken over our front porch and we’re going to be watching them closely over the next few weeks. We’ll also be cleaning bird droppings and avoiding using the front door for a few weeks, too. Ain’t nature grand.

The lid fell off our ancient porchlight in one of many episodes of high spring winds, and the bulb blew shortly thereafter. Now our carriage-style light is stuffed to overflowing with dead grass and has this tidy little nest perched on top of it. My job is to take regular photos to keep my mom, who loves watching birds, up to date on the progress of the activities in the nest.

I’ve been so eager for signs of spring this year. The weather has been highly uncooperative with few warm sunny days, lots of cold nights, gloomy skies and even snow. My daffodils survived two snowfalls long after leaves and buds were established, and they’ve been tossed by 75 km winds and battered by hail as well. I’m surprised they didn’t just lie down and give up. I know I’ve been ready, too, on more than one occasion. Even under gray skies, my maple trees are budding, a stray hyacinth bulb that got included when someone passed along some unwanted day lilies is blooming, and the neighbour’s forsythia is finally yellow.  

So I’ve learned something from my new neighbours. Spring isn’t just in the sunshine. It’s in the persistence of life to keep bending with the wind, blooming and growing, and in my robins’ case, make something broken into something special. Smart aren’t they.

What are the signs of spring that you watch for? (And if you have any tips for removing bird droppings from concrete, please let me know!)

A Different Direction

In my fantasy life, I write a wonderful book and a traditional publisher can’t wait to take me by the hand through editing and production and present me with the printed copy that I can see on bookshelves everywhere. And of course, this is followed by the sale of movie rights and the author’s tour with TV and radio and … well, you get the idea. In my fantasy life, this all takes place over a matter of months, but that isn’t the reality. Getting a book from manuscript to the book shelf can take 1-2 years. And in my real life, that follows a year or two writing and editing the book to get ready to put in the envelope in the first place.

I’m just not getting any younger. So getting published by a traditional publisher is a goal/dream that I am going to put aside in favour of a different model for now. Yup. Self-publishing.

I self-published my book, Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens, and really enjoyed the process and writing my promo blurb and choosing the cover. I enjoyed the writing and editing, and I actually enjoy doing the marketing. Luckily, reviews have been good and from sources I’m proud of such as CM Magazine and Canadian Teacher, and  my favourite one from a teen reviewer in What If? Canada’s Creative Magazine for Teens. The book has opened doors to my doing writing workshops with teens at my local library (so much fun!) and this summer at the Southampton Art School (can’t wait!) Last Saturday, I took my workshop “25 Ways to Get Your Students Writing” to the CITE conference at Ridley College. I couldn’t be happier.

If you look at the first two sentences of the previous paragraph, you’ll see the key reason for my decision: the word “enjoy.”  I earn money by writing magazine articles and short stories, website copy, brochures, and lots of other things.  I also teach part-time at my local college. I want to keep my “other writing” as close to joywriting as possible. I’m heading toward non-fiction and I have ideas bubbling away that I can do the market research about and decide whether or not they are worth the risk. I know qualified editors that can help guide my work until it shines and I am willing to put in the time and energy it takes to market my product. I can research my publishing options, costs and benefits. I, frankly, like the idea of being in control of the process and I enjoy (there’s that word again!) doing all that stuff.

Am I closing the door to other options? No. Am I going to find myself 6 months down the road totally obsessing about a novel I just have to write and want to submit to a publisher? Probably. But for now, this is the path I’m choosing. Just for me–and just because it makes me happy.

Teen Writing Workshops Come to an End

I’d just like to send out a big ‘thank you’ to Christy Giesler, Teen Services Librarian at the Kitchener Public Library and the librarians and staff at the Country Hills branch who were so helpful while I ran my teen writing workshops. Their support was wonderful. They gathered books written by teens for display in my workshop room and prepared a display in the library of how-to-write books and printed a handout of a list of resources for teen writers that are available at the library.

I had such a great time working with the young writers. We averaged between 12 and 15 participants over 4 weekly workshops. As always I was blown away by the creativity and imaginations of all the writers. They enthusiastically jumped into the exercises and activities and now have a cache of story ideas and writing tips to take them into the future.

Later this month, we are going to reconvene and the writers are going to share some of their creations. I can’t wait to hear what they’ve done with the story prompts we’ve used. I’m smiling already, just thinking about it. I got to do what I love for four weeks and now I get to hear where their imaginations have taken them. Priceless!

If you are looking for a way to jump start your own creative writing, check out my writing starters at http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com. Have fun!

Can’t think of anything to write? Read someone else’s mail.

No, I don’t want anyone to break the law; but there is a way to find great story and poem ideas in someone else’s mail.  Check out your nearest flea market or antique store and see if they have any old postcards–old used postcards.  Though ideas for stories and poems can be found in the pictures, inspiration awaits in the writing on the other side.  These notes from real people to real people are an Aladdin’s treasure cave full of humor, pathos, mystery, bravado, family life, and love.

 Here are some of my finds.  See what stories or poems you can conjure up from these real-life messages from the past.

 One card, addressed to Mrs. Arthur Ridgewell and dated 1907, reads: “I suppose you are still in Plaster Rock.  Heard that Frank 1st has left you.  I guess he must be a wanderer.” 

 Like all good story openings. this card leaves the reader with lots of questions.  And when the reader is a writer, a story is bound to follow.  Who is Frank 1st? (And, for that matter, who is Frank 2nd?) Why did he wander before? Why did he come back?  Why is he leaving again? Where is he likely to go? The word ‘still’ seems important to the writer. Where, other than Plaster Rock, should Mary be?  What is the relationship between the sender and the writer?

 A card from Vancouver, dated 1911 and addressed to a Miss McLeod in P.E.I., reads:  “How soon do you think you can leave College to come west?  You are needed very badly as chaperone and we would be more than pleased to have you with us.”

 More questions: What was Miss McLeod studying in college or was she a teacher?  What kind of person would think it perfectly acceptable for a woman to leave college, head west, and become a chaperone?  Why would the sender need a chaperone ‘badly?  Why is there no salutation to the note–no Dear…?  What social milieu are we dealing with here? Is the sender wealthy and is Miss McLeod a poor relation?

 The following card is posted from Winnipeg in January 1909 and addressed to Mrs. Sharpe in Listowel, Ontario.  “Just a line to thank you for the nice Xmas cards you sent.  We were too poor to send anyone anything this winter as Will’s work will be done this week.  Things are dreadful dull and it is so dreadfully cold, about 42 below.  We did not go far when it was that cold.  Dick and Elsie are well.  He is working steady. How is Clarence? Remember me to him.  Love to all from all.  Sade”

 Think of how Sade must have felt writing that her family was too poor to send Christmas cards.  The postage on the postcard was one cent and though the card was dated January 1st, it wasn’t mailed until the 8th.  Did Sade have to wait that long to get the postage or was it just too cold to go out?  Who are these people and what work might they be doing?  The card is addressed to Mrs. Fred Sharpe; then, who is Clarence and why does Sade wish to be remembered to him?  What if he is a brother of Mrs. Sharpe that Sade was fond of once, or perhaps Mrs. Sharpe is Sade’s sister and Clarence is Sade’s nephew.  Put yourself in Sade’s shoes while she is writing this card or in Mrs. Sharpe’s when she hears such sad news from her friend.  Maybe Mrs. Sharpe is a relative of Sade’s husband and Sade is hinting for her husband to be rescued from unemployment in Winnipeg and offered work in the family business in Listowel.

 If you are a poet, think of the wonderful ‘found poems’ that are waiting for you in these postcards.  You could weave a poem like the following:

 Winnipeg, 1909

 Just a line to thank you

for the nice Xmas cards you sent. 

We were too poor

to send anyone

anything.

Things are dreadful dull

and it is so dreadfully cold.

How is Clarence?

Remember me to him. 

Sade

I paid three dollars for those postcards and have covered a couple of pages in my journal with possible ideas from each one–a small investment in inspiration.  Consider what some postcards could do to fire your imagination or help you break out of one of those (thankfully rare) cement-brained-writer’s days? 

 Inspiration on a postcard?  Why not?  Find the wonderful stories and poems that are possible when your writer’s imagination meets someone else’s mail.

Lists and Me

I confess. I’m a list maker. I love making lists because I really enjoy crossing things off them when the jobs are done. In fact, it’s so bad that if I get part way through my day and realize that I have completed tasks that I didn’t write on the list—like making a phone call for a dentist appointment or putting a load of laundry in—I add those items to the list, just so I can cross them off.

A good time for me to write my list is just before I go to bed. It’s the best way for me to avoid lying awake worrying that some the things I have to do the next day will be forgotten over night. (I’m a worrier by nature, so anything that can short-circuit the worry reflex is good by me.)

I make lists when I’m writing, too, especially in the early stages. I make lists of possible names for characters, hobbies or special skills they might have, places they might have visited or lived, things they might carry in their pockets or purse. I write down just anything I think of. Some items on the list will get scooped up because they seem just right for my character or make me ask good questions about my character that add a needed dimension. Other things on the list might be picked up by secondary characters and the rest languish unclaimed until another story comes along. I use coloured markers and pens for these lists, too, because I find ideas at the brainstorming stage come more readily when I’m not working with black and white.

Are you a list maker, too? How do you use lists when you are writing?

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