Maybe There’s Something to Those Things!

As I mentioned in previous post, I know several authors who almost sound like they can’t write without listening to music, and Have to spend a lot of time putting together just the right playlist of music for them to write by.

               I take it back, they don’t almost sound like it, they really do sound like they can’t write without listening to music, and specific music.

James River Writers has even suggested a playlist for you to check out for the Conference in October.   [See previous post.]

       

I never wanted to spend that kind of time looking for music, let alone specific ‘write by’ music.  But I thought what the heck.

My book I’m working on hasn’t exactly been flowing along with words, the characters have been either ignoring me or just belligerent with attitudes.

I really don’t need that.  Especially from characters, in my head.

So as I was sitting looking at a blank screen and fussing at characters in my head, that it was their fault anyway, that I was starting back at Chapter 1.

I started pondering about if I did put some music together, what would it be.

Well, all that came to mind was 

Christina Aguilera’s ‘Say Something’ 

I don’t listen to music much, but I have heard the song a couple of times.

“Say something, I’m giving up on you”

Okay, so I really wasn’t, but apparently my characters didn’t know that.  

Yay.

Since I’m back up in Chapters again.  And beyond where I was, before it became their fault it wasn’t working in the first place.

Well, some of the writing is pieces that I had written before, just tweaked now with the new developments and all.

And I haven’t hit double digit Chapter numbers yet, but that’s okay.  For now anyway.

So maybe there is something to it after all.

And maybe you can learn some new things too.  New ideas.  New ways to write.  

New ways to get your book written, published, or get it written or published better.

All that and more will be at the James River Writers Conference coming up in October.

With Workshops too!

So check it out, and learn something new.  Or better.

Meet Agents! Take Workshops. Learn all kinds of things Writing! Have a Great time!

The James River Writers Conference things are Hoppin’ !

If you’ve had your eye on one of the one-on-one talk with / pitch the Literary Agents, you might not want to wait -

One agent’s time slots are already filled - Gone.   Sorry, you missed it.

Others are still open — but filling fast!!!

David Henry Sterry is almost filled up!

Time’s a-awastin’ people!   

Need to sign up for the JRW Conference Soon!  Especially if you want your pick of one of those Agent one-on-one slots!

Well, the ones that are left.

But if that’s difficult for you this year check out the Friday Workshops.  

There are Really great Workshops!   Really!

You don’t have to come to the Conference to sign up and take the workshops.

Of course we’d like for you to sign up, and come to the Conference.   We’d REALLY Like it!

But you’re going to want to come to a Workshop.

Just take a Look!  

Choices and help for your writing, your writing career.  All Kinds.

Publishing help.   Query Help.   If you’re a writer trying to get your work out to agents to get published (hopefully) then you’ll know what that means.  And how valuable that is.

 Uh-huh.  See.   You can learn a lot from them.   More if you come to the Conference too.   *Grin*

James River Writers has been kicking off our conference for several years now with Pre-Conference Master Classes. Absorb the wisdom of the experts and gain hands-on experience, whether you want to discover that perfect angle to get published or explore nuances of your craft.

The Pre-Conference Master Classes take place on Friday, October 17, 2014, at the Virginia State Capitol, Capitol Sq., Richmond., from 9:00-11:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m.-1:15 a.m., and 2:00-4:00 p.m., with two options in each time slot. You must be a registered conference attendee to sign up for the Conference Master Classes. After October 1, if space remains, classes will be available to those not attending the conference.

Friday, October 17th, 2014
9:00 am – 11:00 am	Literary Agent Jody Rein To Self (Publish) or NOT to Self? How to Decide! with Jody Rein A personalized step-by-step workshop on the key decision every writer working today must make. What is the best publishing path for you, your book and your writing career? A self-published ebook or an agented, traditionally published hardcover? Or something in-between? What are the options? What are the real costs–in time, in money, in reputation, in sales?	Author Kelly O’Connor McNees Point of View: Who’s Telling and Who’s Listening? with Kelly O’Connor McNees Fiction writers have to make choices about how and why our narrators tell their stories. Does your novel call for a first-person point of view with a strong voice but a limited scope? Or an omniscient narrator to tell the story of a whole town, allowing us to peek in the windows? Through exercises and short readings, this class will explore the role of point of view in crafting compelling fiction, and how to find the perfect storyteller for your tale.
11:15 am – 1:15 pm	Author Hugh Howey Author Platform: What You Need to Know with Hugh Howey With so many books competing in the marketplace, how do you get your fair share of attention? An effective platform has never been more important for authors than it is right now. Learn how to build your author platform by increasing your discoverability, extending your network, and reaching your target audience.	Editor Jane Friedman How to Get Your Book Published with Jane Friedman This class covers all the basics on how to get your book published. Topics include how to research markets and contact agents; how to capture the attention of a New York publisher; what expectations you should have when it comes to the marketing and promotion of your work; and how to analyze publishing options.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm	Author Sheri Reynolds Speed Up, Slow Down, Cast Forward, Flash Back: A Multi-genre Exploration of Pacing with Sheri Reynolds Update your writer’s toolbox with a firm understanding of tempo. What makes a narrative speed up and slow down, zoom in and zoom out? How does a writer shift gears smoothly from scene to summary to scene again? Analyze excerpts from fiction and nonfiction to see how successful writers manipulate time. Get hands-on experience with techniques to control the tempo of your narrative.	Editor Jane Friedman How to Write a Query That Gets Manuscript Requests with Jane Friedman If you’ve written your query like a pro, then you should be getting requests for your manuscript (or proposal) about 50% of the time. Learn the five key elements of every query, what it means to sell the sizzle, and how to avoid problems that plague (and sabatoge) queries.

- See more at: http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/what-we-do/programs/annual-conference/friday-master-classes-2014#sthash.LaZNxAbM.dpuf

Writer's Playlists

Most writers have playlists.   Music.   What did you think I was talking about.   Really?

Some writers like Maggie Stiefvater and new-book-coming-out Kat Spears apparently spend Loads of time constructing said playlists and Very carefully looking for Just the right music to write their books by.

Yeah.  Okay.  So, not me.   But that's the great thing about writers, and readers, we like different things.

So if you are interested in Playlists check James River Writers Conference 2014 list.

Conference Fever:  JRWCon 2014 Ultimate Playlist

By Lana Krumweide Music makes everything better. Learning, working, socializing, healing—everything goes more smoothly with the right song.  Why should the James River Writers Conference be any different? We’ve put together a playlist to help you get ready for the conference: Track 1: Madness (Muse) You write because you can’t not write, and we get that. Spending a weekend with people who share this peculiar sort of madness will make you feel sane again (results may vary). Track 2: A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley) Start off the weekend with ourFriday hands-on Master Classes taught by top-notch writing instructors and publishing professionals. For example, if you find that your writing needs a little less conversation and a little more action, Sheri Reynolds’s class on pacing can help you with that.

See the Entire Spotify JRWCon14 Playlist Here

If you have signed up for the JRW newsletter, then this is in it.   So you might have seen it.  But you might not have opened it yet, so that's why I posted it here.  

In case you needed another chance to see it.   You know.  Cause we're all different.

Reasons to Come to a Conference

Well, reasons to come to the James River Writers Conference in October.

I keep hearing more and more people talk about they’ve been thinking about writing or they have thought about writing.   Or variations along that theme.

Literally Everywhere I go, there are people talking about writing.  

In all it’s forms.

If you - or Anyone you know - has expressed those sentiments, thoughts, or dreams,  Or anything of the sort.    Or near it.

Now would be the time to have them sign up for the 2014 James River Writers Conference

Why, you say, the James River Writers Conference -    So Glad you asked!

There’s the Friday Master Classes -

Where you can learn from agents, and writers, and ….

Hugh Howey !!

Yes - you read that correctly   ----    The Hugh Howey !

If you are still scratching your eyebrow then just google him 

- and check him out on the JRW site

To give you brief teaser of why you should google …..  

           He self published and went on to make Big deal with publisher.

Yeah, thought you’d want to google him.    

Just as I am Sure you are going to want to some see him and hear him at the JRW Conference.

And even check out the Master Class he’s doing for the Conference on Friday.

At the Conference you can Meet Hugh,  and have one-on-one talk with Literary Agents !

No matter where you are in the writing journey, even if you are just thinking about it, the Conference will have something for you.

Working on your writing, whether characters, pacing, etc….  

Thinking about self publishing and if that’s going to be right for you.   

How to get yourself noticed and build a platform.

Need some help with query letters and pitching?

Or even want all the above.

You’ll find it all at the JRW Conference.

And More.

A Whole Lot More.

So check it out.     Registration is open now.

James River Writers Conference 2014

Writing Process Blog Tour

So, I’ve been tapped.

For those not knowing about this — I admit, I’ve been focused…. Okay, so Trying to focus on getting the current book I’m working on actually done.  You know, quasi finished.

So I’ve not been keeping up with blogs and all - sorry.

There’s a lot of things I’ve not been keeping up with, but we’ll not go into that part.

Anyway, when a friend asked if I would do this blog tour thing for a friend of his….. Well, this is a person that is hard to say no to.   

Then I got up the next morning and realized what I’d agreed to. [Talk about shades of the late writer Emyl Jenkins who could do this in spades.]   

Like everyone these days, especially writers trying to actually write and, well, live at the same time, I have a lot going on in my life.  So there was probably a lot of mental arm flinging involved.  Literal arms were too busy typing up notes on all stuff I’m supposed to be working on.  Except for the actual book I’m supposed to be actually working on… hmmm….

Then as I was thinking of three writers I was supposed to tag to take this on, I looked around my circle of writers.  Many of them had already been tapped for this, but the really great thing about being a part of a great writing community - James River Writers, in case you aren’t a part of it yet - is that I have contact with a whole bunch of writers.

So I got to thinking about some of the writers I know, and since this is not exact questions we ever talk about, I got to thinking about some of the ones that I would really like to know the answers to these questions.

And so here I am.

The person who tagged me is :    Libby.  

Be sure to check out her answers to the questions over at her blog.  www.subourbonmom.wordpress.com

And you Know that’s what we like to do, right?   Check out what other writers say about how they write, and what works for them, so we can see if we can find better ways to handle it all.

Like I said, great thing about being part of James River Writers, you get to meet a lot of writers. 

So, now, on to the questions everyone answers:

Answer the 4 questions below about your writing process. (I didn't choose these questions!) 

1)     What am I working on? 

I am currently trying to finish a YA (young adult) novel about a girl named Kelpie struggling with the aftermath of Celtic legend’s clash with strong southern women, and facing the past secrets that those southern women carry around in their lilting accents.

I read eclectically, and usually am reading more than one book at a time.  Apparently that’s how my mind wants to write too, since I’m constantly fending off characters and conversations from other books that are sitting in my file folders in various stages of ‘dress’ and ‘undress.’

So the other book I’ve been trying not to work on at the same time is a commercial fiction novel, that I’ve titled “Running with Fire” about a woman dealing with her health and her marriage reaching the end, having to make a trip back home to settle her past after the death of her parent, and being shocked at what she finds.

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?   

The biggest way I can think of is that it is written in my unique voice.   We all have a unique voice as writers, although I’ve heard of some teachers and other writers wanting to change and ‘helpfully’ mold other’s into images of their voice.  I have worked hard and waited until I felt comfortable in my own voice to begin to put my writing out beyond my own computer.

Like this great Neil Gaiman quote says - 

Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that — but you are the only you. ― Neil Gaiman

3)     Why do I write what I do? 

Short answer:  self-preservation and sanity.

My stories just pop up in all kinds of weird ways and places.  Characters show up and want to natter on and on about their stories.  Often it feels like I’ve been dropped into a viewer port into someone else’s life.  Although, I’ve also had them show up and not want to talk, just hanging and lurking around all mysterious like.  They just seem to want me to somehow write it out    They don’t give me a category or genre or anything.        I don’t really like those characters.

So really to me, the question is Why I write at all.  And I have heard a few writers say it better, like author Kyle Mills at the 2007 James River Writers Conference, and I don’t have the words exact but basically it’s that you Have to write for some reason it’s hard for even you to fathom.  If you could do something else and not write, it’s much easier.

Something along the lines of this quote -

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. — George Orwell

Enough said on this?

4)     How does my writing process work? 

I have a process?    

Yes, of course I have a process.   I really should.   I know I should.    Of course, phhhffft, shoot yeah, I have a process.  Of course.

Uhm.   Well.      Right now I have a process that involves a lot of mental arm flinging, and physical word flinging every chance I get.

Does that count?

Really, I seem to have thoughts about stories and characters almost always rolling around in my head.  So I always try to keep some kind of documenting instrument around to use - phone, computer, pen, some scrap of paper, to jot them down before they get trampled under by the other thoughts and story ideas rampaging around.

Scrivener Software has Really helped me a Lot!   It helps my ‘process’ tremendously!

It helps me keep my thoughts and stories and ideas at least somewhat organized.

I can jot down any thoughts and ideas that come to me and put in the files and folders where they belong.  Or where they seem to belong at the time.

I don’t write in a linear fashion to start with, and I’m a very visual writer.  The thoughts and ideas are like in snippets of film segments that I have to try to describe and bring into form with the best words I can.  With Scrivener I’m able to put all this in a place where I can go into to work on the detail, and I can look at them as a whole and move them around if they came to me out of sequence.

Yeah, still working on making the characters do that nicely.

I work on writing as I can.  When I’m not able to sit and type things into Scrivener, and when I am in lull times of being out doing other things, I am thinking and plotting and coming up with more details and facets on the story and characters I am working on.

Okay, so that’s my process I guess.     Needs more tweaking?

Well, while I’m dong that, and trying to get back to work writing with Kelpie and her problems, be sure to check out the answers of the writers that will be posting next week on April 14^th.

J. T. Glover has published short fiction in Fungi, Handsome Devil: Stories of Sin and Seduction, and Underground Voices, among other venues, and he has a co-written story, "Pale Apostle," forthcoming this summer in The Children of Old Leech. He is currently shopping one novel to agents and drafting another. In 2014 he joined the Board of Directors of James River Writers. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and a not inconsiderable number of fur-bearing friends. By day he is an academic research librarian specializing in the humanities. You can find him online at http://www.jtglover.com, where he blogs about reading, writing, publishing, libraries, and everything in between.

Bill Blume discovered his love for the written word while in high school and has been writing ever since. His debut novel Gidion's Hunt (originally titled Tales of a 10th Grade Vampire Hunter) was published this past August by Fable Press. His short stories have been in many fantasy anthologies and various ezines. Just like the father figure in his first novel, Bill works as a 911 dispatcher for Henrico County Police and has done so for more than a decade. He also served as the 2013 chair for James River Writers in Richmond, which produces one of the nation’s best annual conferences for educating and connecting writers. You can learn more about Bill and his stories by visiting his website: www,billblume.net.

Check out his answers on his blog:  http://billblume.wordpress.com/

Cynthia Price has been telling stories her whole life. She started off as a newspaper reporter and then turned her focus to media and public relations and strategic communications. She writes a blog called Cynthia's Communique: http://cynthiapricecommunique.com/ about communications and leadership.

She is active in communications groups and enjoys mentoring young people as they launch their careers. She's also an avid traveler/explorer of the world and is currently on a quest to visit all 50 states.

Why I’ve been a Part of ….. for Years.

 I’ve been a part of, and a long time volunteer with, James River Writers for years.  

Many years.

This is why we’ve chosen to be a part of James River Writers for so long.

this great video taken at the wonderful 2013 James River Writers Conference shows why

-   JRW 2013 Conf Video

We’d welcome you to be a part too!!!

Come find a place where you belong.   

James River Writers

There’s always room for you.

Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators

So, as I was ‘writing’ recently.  Yeah, so I was ‘preparing’ to write.  Okay, I guess I was procrastinating.

We call it many things, don’t we?    Research.  Thinking.   Although, sometimes it really is research, and thinking, mulling, story lines and characters.   And it’s all legit and all.   Other times, we know it’s more of avoidance of the blank page.    Never does blankness hold such nervousness, or downright terror, than a writer facing a blank page.  And feeling like you have a blank mind to go with it.   Or is it worse to have an overfull mind teeming with all sorts of things and having difficulty getting them all down on that page in a way that constitutes not just a story, but a good one.   

Since we all want to be good writers, right?

So as I was looking at things to make me a better writer I came across this on writers procrastinating.

Of course I had to read it.  Research, you know.

Forced into a challenge we're not prepared for, we often engage 'self-handicapping': deliberately doing things that set us up for failure.

……..Whether you are more fixed or more of a grower helps determine how you react to anything that tests your intellectual abilities. For growth people, challenges are an opportunity to deepen their talents, but for “fixed” people, they are just a dipstick that measures how high your ability level is. Finding out that you’re not as good as you thought is not an opportunity to improve; it’s a signal that you should maybe look into a less demanding career, like mopping floors………..

In reading the article I found some people I have met and know.

I’ve actually heard someone say they had trouble writing because they felt like an impostor.

I haven’t heard them talk about writing anything in a long time.  Sad really, since they had gotten quite good.

The fear of being unmasked as the incompetent you 'really' are is so common that it actually has a clinical name: impostor syndrome.

This fear of being unmasked as the incompetent you “really” are is so common that it actually has a clinical name: impostor syndrome. A shocking number of successful people (particularly women), believe that they haven’t really earned their spots, and are at risk of being unmasked as frauds at any moment. Many people deliberately seek out easy tests where they can shine, rather than tackling harder material that isn’t as comfortable……

I’ve heard even some very driven seeming authors talk about their procrastination, and after reading this article wonder if this is what applies -

[Bolding / highlighting is mine]

…..“Work finally begins,” says Alain de Botton, “when the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of doing it badly.” For people with an extremely fixed mind-set, that tipping point quite often never happens. They fear nothing so much as finding out that they never had what it takes.  …..

I Really liked this part -  

All the highlight bolding is mine, since I think it is true that we, perhaps, have a whole different view of other writers.  Perhaps a bit of an unrealistic skewed one.   Especially the very published ones that we would like to join the ranks of.

And this is hard to consider when we are in the midst of our own struggles with words and characters and plot lines and all.

…..Students are rarely encouraged to peek at early drafts of those works. All they see is the final product, lovingly polished by both writer and editor to a very high shine. When the teacher asks “What is the author saying here?” no one ever suggests that the answer might be “He didn’t quite know” or “That sentence was part of a key scene in an earlier draft, and he forgot to take it out in revision.”  …..

So this part is very helpful to remember -

Again, bold highlighting is mine.  Because I probably do fall into this.

……“You never see the mistakes, or the struggle,” says Dweck. No wonder students get the idea that being a good writer is defined by not writing bad stuff.

Unfortunately, in your own work, you are confronted with every clunky paragraph, every labored metaphor and unending story that refuses to come to a point. “The reason we struggle with"insecurity,” says Pastor Steven Furtick, “is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”   …….

Boy, does this make sense!    Right?

I won’t say I resemble any of this, but I’ll just say I recognized some people I know.

Maybe some more than others.

You might find some too, so if you want to read the whole thing rather than just the few excerpts here’s the link 

Do you see anyone you know here?

Do you see yourself here?

Let me know and maybe we can help each other.

We are stories

A good story, no matter what form it takes, 

will touch our hearts, our minds, and our emotions.

A good story reminds us of our humanity 

and yet invites to rise above it.

We are a humanity linked by stories.  

Stories of all kinds and all types feed into our psyche from all cultures, 

binding us into one humanity.

Storytelling seems to have existed in some form or another since the dawn of time, 

helped in part, until most recent times, by the immortal words, “Tell me a story.”  

Does any child, or anyone for that matter, utter those words anymore?  

Are we the poorer for it?

We are a varied collection of experiences

held together by memory and stories.

When we stop being part of the memories and the stories,

is that when we stop existing?

Take a Step from your fear

Take a Step from your fear

Come out from your fear,

Make that one small step that starts. 

It’s all right if it’s a stumbling one

As when you started as a child

The walking gets easier

And just as then, there can be tumbles.

But you didn’t stop there either

Regardless of what others were doing

Or saying.

Even if then they were encouraging

And now they aren’t

You still kept on

Perhaps we are always still keeping on

Walking step by step

If not away from our fears

Then away from the hold on us

That keep us locked away

From all that we really want

Do we see ourselves in others,

In their fears for themselves?

The beauty that only sees herself as not,

not like whatever the current flavor.

Or the talent that crumbles from low self-worth.

And walks over dreams that were once shiny and bright.

Are these reflections?

Mirrors reflecting back what we see in ourselves?

Can we change what we see in those reflections?

Maybe if we have the right people.

Come give it a try.

Take that step.

That step toward a dream.

There are others here too.

Are you ready fly?

To take the first jump

And give your wings a try.

They get stronger with use.

If you are a writer.    You want to be a writer.     No matter what kind.    I bet we have something for you.

This weekend.

Or even if you’re a graphic artist.     We have someone for you!

Are you just a reader?      We have Lots of someones for you!

        Whether you want to meet a much liked author.   Or discover some new ones.

Come check out the James River Writers Conference this weekend.

You can even get a one day ticket if that fits you better.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if the two days fit just fine.

And you’ll meet a lot of fine people who can reflect back whatever you want.

Here’s a link for conference registration

You Gotta HURRY tho' - the Great Workshops are tomorrow!  Some you still might be able to go to.
And the Conference is THIS Saturday, and Sunday.

When to put away childish things

Okay, so I’m taking a little license with that title.  I mean, after all, we are writers, we don’t exactly have to.  Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t, but that’s for a whole different discussion.  One that you should probably have with a professional.  Know what I mean?

Yes, you do.

But sometimes it does make you wonder about dreams, you know?    If your dream is to be a writer, is that something you should put away for the ‘real world?’

Only you can really answer that.    Being a writer is not easy.   Or perhaps I should say being a Good writer is not necessarily easy.

It’s a lot of hard work.    Least it is for a lot of writers I know.

Which some people who just decide they are going to be writers and crank out that book to sell, find out.   

Or maybe they don’t until they try to sell it.    And make enough money to take themselves to dinner maybe.

I’ve seen that a lot.

Especially once you’ve gone beyond selling it to all your family and friends.   And sometimes maybe their friends.  If you’re lucky.

And do you want to do more than one book?   Are you going to force them to buy it too? 

With the world the way it is today with self publishing so easy, and cheap, it’s so easy to be a writer.   Or think of yourself as one.   Or tell everyone.

But are you a Good one?

And working all the time to be better?

These days there’s still a lot of discussion about self-publishing.  

Or no discussion, just publishing that way.

Which gets mixed feelings.

There can be good out there that is self-published.

And as a lot of us have seen, there’s a lot that ….isn’t.

There’s a lot of feelings, on both sides of the issue.  For self-publishing, or for going the traditional hunting down an agent [yes, that rather does sound like a sport, huh.  Hmmmm…] and going with the traditional publishers.   

And to contort the issue even more — there’s the ‘traditional’ agents who will help you self-publish.  Uh….  ???

Or even the small publisher route, which I know a few authors who are extremely happy with that option.

Recently Hugh Howey did a really great post.     If you don’t know who he is, do a quick google.  He’s one of the Great success stories of Self publishing.

“This past week, my latest self-published book debuted at #7 on The New York Times bestseller list. Crunching some numbers, it appears that I’ve sold a million books in the last two years.”

But I met Hugh this year, and I can tell you, he’s not the ‘normal’ writer, that I’ve met anyway.  Including me.  

Yes, writer friends kid around with each other about not being normal, but I think the most normal thing about most of us, is the tendency to not be super social outgoing people.    In the computer jargon of the past, people like that were referred to as ‘back roomers.’     

Most of the writers I know and have met are not the tops of the social outgoing personality scale.  

There are exceptions to that of course, the Great Adriana Trigiani is one of the big exceptions.  But she is one of the traditionally published authors.

Hugh Howey is one of the other Big exceptions.    And Successfully self-published.    He’s a success for part of the reason, is his wonderful outgoing personality.   He’s nice.   And very personable.

So if you are going to self-publish, it wouldn’t hurt to read his blog.   

And interviews he has done.

Like this.

If you are a writer.   Or thinking about it.   Or even dreaming of it.  You should read it.

He gives you some great perspective and thoughts.

Told you.

And after you finish reading Hugh’s great post, take a look at this one I found about looking at your writing and knowing when to put it away.

Gulp.

Yeah, Hard one, Huh?

It came to mind because of all the self-published books out there - and no, I’m not saying some aren’t good.  Maybe they could have been better.

Maybe they should have read this first.

All I’m saying.

Writing Inside the Drawer

I’ve put away a few of my own stories.

*Ahem*   quite a few.

I don’t consider my ‘drawer’ a never-never land of ‘lost things.’   

I am always growing and learning as a writer.    

The things that made me spend time with those stories are still there, but maybe I wasn’t the writer I needed to be to do it justice.  Right then.   Doesn’t mean I can’t get there.  Someday.   I’m working on it.

And if this is all getting you down — or making you think too much.

If you need encouragement — I mean, Really, are you a Real writer?   Then you need encouragement.

At least some time you are going to need it.

Join up with James River Writers.

We are great people.

And if you really want encouragement and an atmosphere of it, come the JRW Conference in October.

There’s still openings, and openings in some of the Terrific Workshops being offered the Friday before!!!!

We have Literary Agents coming.    So you don’t have to go safari game hunting.  They’ll be right there for you to talk to.   And if you move quick, even get one-on-one pitch time.

We make it easy.    Or easier.

Hey, I'm a writer, I take all the help I can get.

Why We Should Support Our Independents

In Whatever form they take?

But Especially our Independent Bookstores.

Such as Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia.   They do shipping too!   Like they ship Art doodled, Signed Maggie Stiefvater Books!   Like Maggie’s new book in the Raven Boys series coming out Soon!!!

Just saying - the Maggie doodled, signed books are Pretty Nifty looking!!

In the current issue of Shelf Awareness, a great interview with Cynthia Voigt about writing this book.

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things

by Cynthia Voigt , illust. by Iacopo Bruno

Which the Interview has some great insight -

Max's knowledge of theater overall and of Shakespeare in particular often leads to the solutions he seeks for the dilemmas he's hired to fix. As Max says, "You can't know a lot of plays well, some of them written by William Shakespeare, without getting a good understanding of how and why people do what they do." 

Sounds like a great book.

But also she has some Great information on how she wrote it, in which she has some great interesting tips on things that might help all writers with their writing.

Such as this:

The "Lost Things" apply to things large and small--Max's parents being the large thing--to something as small as the Baroness's spoon, and yet the spoon's significance is large. Did you have fun coming up with what would be lost and how Max would "find" it?

I went about it not directly, because, as I say, I'm not a good plotter. Originally, the first paragraph of the first chapter read, "When Max was 12, he lost his parents." Then I thought about, "What does it mean to be lost?" You lose your mind, you lose your way, your sense of direction, your watch; you lose track, you lose an idea. I thought about the kinds of things you can lose and the variety of ways in which you lose them. Things like the dog that wasn't lost but ran away.

Check out the great full interview here:

Sometimes you think you have the answers, but the answers change as you change.

You need to accept that, too, that the answers change as we go through life. There are so many things that any sentient adult wants to plant with kids, there's no room for them to think for themselves.

We also learn things about pirates.  Or being a pirate.   Or pirating… or, …..okay, your choice in how you write.  *Grin*

Thanks, Kelly, Fountain Bookstore!       @FountainBkstore     

Arghhhh!!!!