Putting Your Story Aside

It’s no secret. I have a tendency to bounce between projects. In part, this is because I do work-for-hire and it may very well interrupt a “fun” project. Yeah, that’s what I call my own writing – my fun work. But it isn’t all that fun when you can’t make it work. 

About three weeks ago, I started playing around with a new preschool poem. It was originally a Golden Shovel poem in which you use one line from a poem you love for inspiration and to supply the first word in each line of your own poem. Mine first attempt was a riff on a Poe’s Eldorado. Kindly put, it was awful.

Version 2, written the next day, was longer and worked better except that it still contained blank lines. Version 3 had everything filled in but the rhythm was off. On Day 4, I’d change one word and then change it back. Then I’d do that with a different word. Fortunately, I recognized the signs and turned my back on this particular project.

After a break of about a week, I got it back out. Coffee cup in hand, it took about 10 minutes to fix. Why?  Because I was smart enough to turn my back on the project. 

Unfortunately, it sometimes takes intervention to make me do this. I've been working on a picture book. I LOVE the premise. LOVE IT. Really. But something wasn’t working. I added a secondary character, but things still weren’t quite right.  I took the secondary character back out. Then I printed the manuscript for my critique group.

But I kept hearing this little voice.  “Don’t let them read it. It isn’t ready.”  I brought the manuscript home and handed it to my husband. Then I ran and jumped in the shower. Lots of water would mask the sound of him turning pages. 

I didn’t bother to dry off completely before I hunted him down. “Well?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t work.”

“What? What do you mean it doesn’t work?” It’s one thing for me to think it doesn’t work but where does this non-writer get off?

“You’ve got way too much going on. Yeti. Yoga. Cats. Too much.”

“But . . . yeti!”

“Too much.”

He was right, of course. I’d known something wasn’t working but apparently this time I needed someone else to tell me to set it aside. Hopefully a solution will come in time, because -- yeti! Seriously, how can I not write about yeti?

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins August 14th. 

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4 comments distance, rewriting, taking a break, when something isn't working

Friday Speak Out!: Taking Time to Write

by Amanda Crofutt

Balancing writing and my family has been something that I have struggled with since my first child. I now have three kids and two step kids. I think with time and practice it gets easier, but it is definitely something that is learned. I have written since I was a young teenager, writing was always an outlet for me. I am sure it is that way for many of us, but as I got older I discovered that I wanted to also inform people. I didn’t just want to put my emotions out there. Then at nineteen I had my first child, and I thought I would have to give it up. I loved him with all my heart, but at the same time I was a single parent struggling some days to find time to shower yet alone to write a quality essay of any length for anything, or anyone. As he got a little older I realized that as much as I loved my child I had left everything I had once loved behind for him. I had to start making time for me again. I had this Epiphany around the time he was almost a year old. I met my now husband around the same time, there is a lot that he helped me through but that is something that can be talked about some other time.

I realized that I needed to dedicate an hour to me a day, that was my magic number, as I call it anyway. The amount of time I spent doing something solely for me that made me feel good and happy and whole. I started by dedicating that time to writing, spending time at a lake, walking. As I did I realized what had been missing for a year was me, and my writing. I don’t know about most of you, but writing is how I make sense of the world around me. So to lose that most sacred part of me was almost like someone had cut out a large chunk of my heart. When I had my second child two years later I did not let up off of having one hour a day to myself, and now that I have five kids I still have one hour a day to do what I please, to write, to experience, to live life without thinking of being mom first and writer second.

The point of all of this is, find your magic number. It may be different than mine. It took me almost three weeks to figure out that it was an hour every day for me. It may be two hours every day for you. It may be an hour every other day. Find it, and then hold yourself to it until it is second nature. Take that time to take a walk so you can hear the birds, finish another chapter in your book. Maybe you just need an hour binge-watching your favorite show. We all get inspiration from different places, but find yours, take it and turn into something. You can’t do that without dedicated time to write. Here’s to your next piece.

* * *

My name is Amanda, I have been a writer since my early teen years. Now I am a mom of five with a full time job. I have been married for three years to a veteran, which comes with its own ups and downs. I have recently decided to take to publishing my work. Visit: https://amandacrofutt.wordpress.com/  

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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2 comments Amanda Crofutt, daily writing, finding time to write, Friday Speak Out, juggling family and writing, making time to write, writing and parenting, writing schedule

The Best Laid Schemes: When Life Forces a Writing Moratorium

Ten days ago, I was in a car accident. Days later, after trying to ignore a constant headache, sick stomach, and concentration difficulties, a visit to the emergency room produced the diagnosis; I had a concussion.

"The best laid schemes. . . "
-Robert Burns

I hear about concussions all the time. Student athletes at my school frequently suffer from them. I knew these students struggled to keep up with school work but, until ten days ago, I didn’t realize what an impact a concussion could have on a person’s daily life.

The doctor’s instructions were simple: No reading. No writing. No computer. No phone. No television. I was to rest in a darkened room as much as possible until the symptoms subsided.

These instructions would be a tough pill for anyone to swallow, but I’m a writer. I’m a teacher. I’m a blogger. I’m a mom. It’s the last two weeks of summer break! I’m in the middle of manuscript edits requested by an agent!

All my work plans came crashing to a halt. I couldn’t write or read. I felt lost. Worse, I felt woefully behind on my progress and was worried how my writing aspirations would suffer from the loss of this precious time.

As I sat on the sofa, staring at the wall, I had to think of other ways to stick to my goals. I thought about my work in progress – the characters, the plot progression, the ending – and had time to contemplate each one. Small plot holes came to mind. I started to “talk out” the book with my husband and friends – anyone who would listen, really, because sitting on a couch in a darkened room all day is enough to bore anyone to tears - and they helped me find solutions to my problems. I couldn’t write, but I could think and talk. I had my daughter jot down important notes for me as new ideas emerged.

Parts of the book which plagued me began to take shape. I was fixing them – not in writing form, but in my head. I imagined the story, which was just as vivid as writing it down.

As for the no-reading rule – that one was easy to fix. I downloaded a few books on tape and listened to them as I did small tasks, like laundry, or cooking, or resting on the couch with the lights off. This, too, proved beneficial. One book – which will remain nameless – repeated words and phrases so often it was distracting. I made a mental note to watch out for that same mistake in my own writing.

I think everything happens for a reason. In this case, maybe my muse decided I needed to take a writing break and think my story through. As much as I wanted to work on it these last two weeks, taking a break has helped my novel.

I still have the concussion, but I’m doing my best to make the most out of this writing moratorium. As Robert Burns said, “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.” No matter how hard we plan, something can always go wrong.

Even if life isn’t forcing you to take a writing break, you might want to consider backing off for a few days. It could be the solution your story needs to take a step forward.


Bethany Masone Harar is an author, teacher, and blogger, who does her best to turn reluctant readers into voracious, book-reading nerds. Check out her blog here and her website here.

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3 comments author, Bethany Masone Harar, concussion, Robert Burns, writing, writing breaks, writing struggles

Book Review: Jodi Picoult's "Change of Heart" by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

About Change of Heart:

The acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a spellbinding tale of a mother's tragic loss and one man's last chance at gaining salvation.

Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? 

Is what we believe always the truth?

One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to happen.

For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child.

Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?

Once again, Jodi Picoult mesmerizes and enthralls readers with this story of redemption, justice, and love.




About the Author:
Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty-two novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers "The Storyteller," "Lone Wolf," "Between the Lines," "Sing You Home," "House Rules," "Handle with Care," "Change of Heart," "Nineteen Minutes," and "My Sister’s Keeper." She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.



Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (December 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743496752
ISBN-13: 978-0743496759



Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto:

I absolutely love the writing of Jodi Picoult. She draws me in each and every time. Her writing is poetic and the descriptions help you see each character so you can really experience the emotions and plot. In Change of Heart I had it figured out from the beginning, but still read each and every word - and enjoyed them immensely. I had a deep desire to know the "why" of the story and how all the pieces of the puzzle were going to fit together. This is a rather long book and I read it in a single day. I could not tear myself away.

The flow of Picoult's writing is definitely a work of art and though some might say the ending is a let down or it's predictable, there was nothing about this book that left me feeling let down. In fact, I would love to know more about each character and the stories of their lives before Change of Heart as well as in the aftermath of this tear-jerking tale.

A book I will definitely read again, and a style so many authors can learn from. A tale so beautifully woven together it reminds me of a hand-made quilt. Filled with love and emotion. Each page to be savored.

About today's reviewer:

Crystal is a council secretary and musician at her church, birth mother, babywearing cloth diapering
mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 10, Andre 9, Breccan 3, Delphine 2, and baby Eudora due this fall), two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff here, and at her personal blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade!

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5 comments 5 star review, bestselling author, book review, change of heart, Jodi Picoult, picoult

Meet Winter Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up Meg O'Connor, Author of "Lost Soul"

Congratulations to Meg O'Connor for your beautiful story "Lost Soul" !


Meg O’Connor is a geologist by trade and a writer by craft. Her writing has been shaped by her travels: from the kangaroo-ridden pastures of the Blue Mountains, Australia to the moose-ridden highways in Fairbanks, Alaska. Meg has taken many odd jobs in order to travel to these new places: a hand at a dude ranch, a paleontology research assistant looking for arctic dinosaur footprints, and a deckhand on a brigantine. These experiences have shaped the settings and characters in her fiction, as well as given her plenty of material for writing creative non-fiction. After graduation from Williams College, Meg worked as a high school science teacher before pursuing a graduate degree in geology at Louisiana State University. Her geologic passion is the Mississippi River and the ways that it uses mud to shape the delta. She is currently wrapping up a contemporary western set on a dude ranch, and she writes short fiction to stay sane while editing her novel.


WOW!: OK - I love your life (and I'm sure many of our readers feel the same); you've been so many places and done some amazing things. Is it hard to decide what you are going to write about? How do you chose when you obviously have so much life experience?


MEG: The people I meet while traveling or working in unique places as well as the landscapes drive my writing. When I meet a unique person, I'm always thinking about how they would react in different scenarios or when facing challenges. My characters are not directly based off of any one person, but they are often inspired by the places my imagination takes me when I ask those questions. As a geologist, I often reflect on how a landscape impacts the way a person or a community behaves. For instance, working on a boat and working at a ranch nestled in a valley were very different environments. But both were isolated, harsh environments where one person's choices could impact another person's safety, and in that sense they produced some similar community dynamics. I have written stories that combine my observations from multiple environments in a new way.


WOW!: I absolutely knew your writing was based on your many experiences. So...what inspired the story "Lost Soul"? You have clearly been a young piano student - or at least your writing convinces me you have an intimate knowledge of it. Is this story based on your life, or can you tell us more about the characters and story line?


MEG: I actually have never been a young piano student, though I casually--and rather poorly-- played the clarinet growing up. I wrote Lost Soul after attending a memorial performance for a music teacher who had lived in my neighborhood. Students of all ages performed tributes, and he had clearly impacted the lives of so many kids. I was extremely struck by the range of expressions of grief in the kids, and I wrote Lost Soul in an attempt to capture some of the poignancy in that experience.


WOW!: I'm absolutely floored that you were not a piano student - thank you for explaining your muse. What advice to you give other writers who may be hesitant about flash fiction and/or flash fiction contests?


MEG: I'm not sure I feel qualified to give advice, but here I go anyway... I think Lost Soul was successful in part because it sprung from an experience that was very emotional and powerful, and I attempted to capture those feelings. However, I have written many other stories that felt important and emotional to me but did not "succeed" in contests or resonate with a broader group of readers. "Be willing to fail" is a fairly common piece of writing advice, but I'd like to add to that: fail quickly and in rapid succession. I tend to be more successful putting a "failed" story away for a while and generating new material than trying to continually edit a piece that maybe didn't have the spark or emotional impact I desired to begin with. I put "failed" in quotations because, like most writers I know, I have gained something from each piece I've written. Especially the awful ones.

WOW!: I agree that your story is very powerful; thank you for sharing your advice!

What is your writing life like? Do you find you need a special space, particular lighting, etc...and what about time management? What advice can you give others about making sure their writing life doesn't take a backseat? Especially with such a demanding career and exciting life - how do you balance it all?


MEG: I have NO requirements for how, when, or where I write. I can focus on writing even in hectic environments like train stations, which is just straight luck that I'm wired like that. When I edit my work, in contrast, I need a calm environment and cannot even listen to music with words. I fit writing into a hectic schedule by doing the opposite of most advice I've heard: I don't write on any strict schedule, I just write whenever I feel like it and have a ten minute or longer chunk of time. The challenge then becomes making sure I frequently "feel" like writing. I keep my motivation up in a few ways. I always create a music playlist (basically a soundtrack) for a novel in progress. I choose songs that help me get in my narrator's head, and I order them so that they progress as the tone and stakes of the story change. Starting the music tends to help kick writer's block. I also recently designed a beer recipe based off tastes and smells that reminded me of the setting of the novel I'm writing (Wyoming), and my home brewing boyfriend helped make it a reality. We agreed not to crack one until a draft was complete, at which point we had a release party. It was a great way to keep me moving!

WOW!: I love your ways - this is awesome! Thank you for being so open and honest.

How did you or how do you plan to celebrate your placing in the WOW!Women on Writing Winter Flash Fiction Contest?


MEG: I can be shy about sharing my writing with friends and family outside my circle of fellow writers. I will celebrate placing in the WOW Winter Flash Fiction Contest by sharing the story with some friends I might not have otherwise shown it to.


WOW!: Congratulations again Meg and thank you for taking your time to have this lovely chat with us and our readers/writers here at WOW! Women on Writing. We look forward to seeing you again in our winner's circle!

Our Summer 2017 Flash Fiction Contest is NOW OPEN!

For information and entry, visit our contest page.

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1 comment Contestant interview, crystal otto, flash fiction, Me O'Connor, short story, Winter 2017 Flash Fiction Contest Winner, writer inspiration, writing tips

Make a Writing Bucket List

Pexels.com

Lately I’ve been mentally compiling a list of places I want to visit in my lifetime—Paris, France, the Florida Keys, Big Sky Montana, etc. I’m making a list and talking with my family over which places we want to prioritize; for example, focusing on places right here in the United States first. I remember seeing something on social media a few years ago about a bucket list for writers. I figured since I’m already working on compiling one for travel, why not make one for my writing goals? Who knows—maybe seeing something written in print will give me the kick in the pants I need to get moving.

From what I’ve heard, making a list, regularly reviewing it and taking conscious steps to check things off a concrete list can help you accomplish dreams more quickly. It can also help you lead a more productive life.

Here are a few goals on my writing bucket list, including a few I’ve already achieved.

• Publish a newspaper or magazine article. Check.
• Attend a writer’s conference. Check.
• Participate in National Novel Writing Month. Done, twice.
• Self-publish something a novella or larger work of fiction/non-fiction.
• Sell a true-crime article to a national magazine.
• Have an essay published in a women’s magazine or major newspaper.
• Find a literary agent.
• Complete an outline for a new suspense/thriller novel I have an idea for.
• Publish a novel.
• Write a play or a screenplay.
• Create and produce a podcast. 
• Develop and pitch a television series.
• Publish a short story.
• Get a paying gig speaking publicly about writing.
• Get invited on a press tour to a travel destination I’ve never been before.
• Go on a book tour.

Do you have a writing bucket list? Please share a few of your goals with us!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who is ready to print out her writing bucket list and hang it on a wall where she can look at it every day.

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3 comments Renee Roberson, setting goals, writing bucket list, writing inspiration

Odds and Ends: Recipes for Writers, Success, and Social Media

Many of you may know that I am WOW!'s social media manager, and with this job comes great responsibility. (smiles) One of those responsibilities is to make sure readers know what wonderful things have been going on with our social media accounts. Here are three happenings from social media lately, in case you missed them. And if you haven't followed us on these lovely places yet, please do. We just added a fourth!

Recipes on Facebook
One evening, after a full day of work and writing, I wondered: what do people make for dinner on these types of days? So I turned to our loyal Facebook fans to ask for some advice, and we received a lot of great comments. Here's what the original post said:

Anybody want to share quick meal recipes for those writing days when you or your family still need to eat?

Here are a few of the great ideas we received: 

• Fry a couple eggs, top with ham and cheddar cheese, and serve on toast--a "brinner" sandwich. Total cooking time: 5 minutes
• A garden full of vegetables lends itself to large salads and stir fry
• Minute rice with black beans, seasoned with taco seasoning. Then you can add toppings: cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc
• Kristy from the website, PaidWrite, supplied a link to a post she did about 7 Crock Pot meals for when "you have to work nights". You can see that here. 
• And Maggie Kate Harris said to check out her book: Travel Food: Recipes for Wanderers and Lazy Cooks 

Success stories (Twitter, FB, and Pinterest):
On our social networks, we often put a call out for success stories for our WOW! readers and subscribers. We love to hear about your writing success, small or large. We publish these periodically in a newsletter that is sent to email subscribers, who love to read about other writers' success. (Sign up for our free newsletter on our home page if you haven't yet!) If you have a recent success (book published, blog started, contest win, agent secured, etc), then please let us know in 100 words or less, and email to me (margo@wow-womenonwriting (dot) com) in the next week. She already has several, but we are always looking for more and more. Here's an example:

Molly A. Writer just won the best contest ever with her short story "Made For You." You can read the story on THIS WEBSITE (link). She also self-published her memoir, You Bet I Can, available here (link)

Pinterest and soon to be Instagram
If you missed my post about a month ago, WOW! is now on Pinterest, and we are building a lot of boards, full of great resources, from contest and publishing opportunities to information for fiction writers to marketing ideas. You can find all of that here, so follow us! I also started our brand new Instagram account today, so you can follow us here.

We know social media can eat up your time, and we don't want to do that. But we like to highlight wonderful things writers are doing, share our classes and contest, send a smile or inspirational quote, and build a community of writers on these sites. So join us if you are already active on one, and we'll see you there.


We'd love to hear below how you use social media OR your recipe ideas. . .

Margo L. Dill is the social media manager for WOW! Women On Writing. She is also a writing instructor in the WOW! classroom where she teaches writing a novel with a writing coach. 

Crock pot photo above by Janine on flickr.com

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5 comments Margo L. Dill, recipes, social media, success stories