Interview with Janel Gradowski, Fall 2010 Contest Runner-Up

Janel Gradowski is a wife and mother who lives among the farm fields in Freeland, Michigan. She has been a stay-at-home mom for the last 12 years, but has an Associate in Desktop Publishing from Delta College. She decided she wanted to be a writer in the fifth grade after her story about a talking car received glowing reviews from her classmates and an A grade from her teacher.

After the birth of her second child she began making jewelry. Soon after she began designing beadwork and had her first pattern published in an international beadwork magazine in 2004. Since then she has had over a dozen patterns published in magazines and online. In 2010 she switched her writing focus back to her first love, fiction. She enjoys writing micro, flash and short stories. She can often be found writing with her Golden Retriever, Cooper, napping nearby. You can find pictures of Cooper and observations on life as a writer at her blog: http://janelsjumble.blogspot.com/.

If you haven't had the opportunity, do read Janel's winning entry, A Relationship with Food, then join us for our interview with her.

Interview by Jill Earl

WOW: Hi Janel! Welcome to the Muffin and congratulations on your win! How did you develop the idea for A Relationship with Food?

Janel: I am thrilled to be a runner-up! It’s an honor to be recognized with so many other fantastic writers. A Relationship with Food came about because of a combination of two things. I love culinary fiction. I actually have a bookshelf, which happens to be overflowing, dedicated to culinary fiction books. I decided to try my hand at writing a food-centered story. At the same time I had also read a story where lists played an integral part in the plot. I loved the list idea and challenged myself to incorporate grocery lists into a story.

WOW: As a die-hard foodie, I loved reading your piece and enjoyed how the grocery lists showed the course of the character’s relationship. A clever way to create a story, and you definitely rose to the challenge! Can you tell us what your daily writing routine looks like?

Janel: During the school year, I write while my kids are in school. I’m working at setting up a writing space in the basement that I can retreat to this summer. I find that I write best in the late morning and early afternoon, after my morning coffee has kicked in. The weekends are family time, so I usually take the time off from my writing.

WOW: It’s so important to have a dedicated place to write, so here’s hoping you’ll get that writing space finished. Looks like you’ve got a good work-life balance going, too. And I’m there with you on the coffee jump-start---love that miracle liquid! Moving on to writing influences, what tools, books, authors or styles inspire you?

Janel: I am a writing book junkie. My favorite chair to write in sits next to a bookshelf full of writing books. On Writing by Stephen King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg are classics and you can’t go wrong following the advice in these books. A few of my other favorites are The Power to Write by Caroline Joy Adams, A Writer’s Book of Days by Judy Reeves and Thinking Write by Kelly L. Stone.

WOW: Those are some great selections from your writing book collection, thanks for sharing. Let’s talk a bit about your writing history, starting with your return to fiction writing in 2010.

Janel: When I was in the fifth grade I wrote a story about a talking car. My classmates liked the story so much they asked the teacher to read it twice. I was hooked, but life got in the way and I never seriously pursued my writing. In 2002 I found a new hobby that I enjoyed, beading. I quickly started designing my own beadwork patterns and soon set my sights on publishing those patterns in beading magazines. My first pattern was published in 2004. I turned 40 last year and had a sort of writing mid-life crisis. While I have enjoyed the creative and technical challenges of writing beadwork patterns I decided to return to my first writing love, fiction. Writing in short forms - short, flash and micro fiction, is now my passion.

WOW: From writing beadwork patterns to writing fiction---that’s quite an interesting path towards publication. And your passion for short fiction definitely shone through your winning entry, good work! Now you’re a member of She Writes, an online community. For readers who might not be familiar, can you tell us about your experience with them?

Janel: She Writes is a community for women who write. I have found some wonderful writers who I now consider friends because of She Writes. There are many active groups within the community where you can connect to everyone from flash fiction writers to mothers who write and even book bloggers. I recently participated in a blog hop organized by one of the groups and I was delighted to meet so many new people as we all visited and commented on each other’s blogs.

WOW: You’ve inspired me to check them out myself, Janel. Can you tell us what projects you’re working on?

Janel: I would love to have a short story collection published. I have several ideas for themed collections that I want to explore. I will most likely go with a small press or e-publisher. I have even been researching self-publishing e-books, but I haven’t decided to go that route yet.

WOW: Sounds wonderful, good luck with everything! Wrapping things up, what’s some of the best writing-related advice you’ve received and what advice would you like to leave our readers with?

Janel: You have to write if you want to be a writer. I think if you spend time with your writing, really try to hone your craft, you will succeed. Good writing will find an audience. Write the best stories that you can, then find the courage to submit your work. You will never be published if you don’t submit anything. Be courageous and don’t take rejections personally. Rejections happen to EVERY writer. Mourn a bit, if you want, and then move on. Tenacity and resilience are good qualities to adopt if you truly want to succeed as a writer. Most of all, enjoy writing. If writing makes you happy, it will show in the quality of your work and success will follow.

WOW: Such wise words, Janel, thanks for encouragement we all can use! Many thanks for chatting with us today and best wishes with your writing!

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6 comments Contestant interview, Fall 2010 Contest Runner Up, Janel Gradowski, Jill Earl

I Won’t Write Today

"You can't say, I won't write today because that excuse will extend into several days, then several months, then...you are not a writer anymore, just someone who dreams about being a writer." - Dorothy C. Fontana

Earlier this week, co-WOW woman Robin did a post on handling life's
challenges and staying on course with your writing. I loved her description of being in a “ bus-runneth-over state” at the time of writing. I am so there right now and got the tire tracks on me to prove it!

While I’ve continued writing assignments and projects---I’m participating in Script Frenzy this month---the above quote applied to my journal writing. In fact, I hadn’t journalled in a little over six months. While there are some who have lengthy periods of time between journal entries, I’m not one of them. Days, weeks, a couple of months at the most. Journalling serves as a catharsis for me, but seemed like ‘the bus kept running over’ me. My “I won’t write today,” stretched days, weeks, months and I saw some of my writing suffer.

Then one day last month, I spotted my journal near my bed, still new, waiting to be opened. That day I wrote, releasing months of pent-up crap. Ideas started to flow. It was lovely.

By the way, Fontana has some serious street cred. Better known as D.C. Fontana, she’s written numerous episodes for various Star Trek shows including the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and so on. She’s also written for The Waltons, children’s shows such as Land of the Lost and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe; Six Million Dollar Man and Dallas. Imagine if she decided not write!

Ever said “I won’t write today?” Share how that turned out for you.

By Jill Earl

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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3 comments I Won't Write Today, Jill Earl, making time to write, writing, writing time

A World of Writing Inspiration

Writers are always on the lookout for inspirational ideas to turn into new writing projects. Once while exploring HOW, the online version of the graphic design magazine, I came across an article by Sam Harrison, author of several books on creativity and editor of ZingZone.com. In 10 Ways to Get Inspired by the World Around You, he suggests close examination of our surroundings can reveal more ideas than we can handle.

Most writers already practice number five, ‘Observe and Take Note’. How else would we acquire and develop those ideas we come across? Two of the world’s more notable notetakers are mentioned, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison, whose books were filled with diagrams, sketches and of course, notes. I agree with the author’s suggestion to “capture ideas while they last---(to) take verbal and visual notes.”

I have a worn notebook containing expansive family trees of characters I created back in high school. Over time, I’ve returned to its pages to flesh out characters for some of the stories and scripts I’ve written.

Check out number two, ‘Explore the Masters for Material’. Artist Willem de Kooning was inspired by Rubens and combined classical and modern into a new art form. Does Dali do something for you? Gazing into his life may inspire you to create a graphic novel. Harrison also encourages writers to list masters they admire, then explore their lives, methods and ideas to see what they might walk away with.

Watching Pixar/Disney’s Ratatouille, the Oscar-winning animated film about a rat (!) aspiring to become a chef in Paris, inspired me to not only create a gourmet meal, write a post for ‘The Muffin’, but also fine-tune the cooking talents of a couple of characters I’ve been working on.

Sometimes, as number ten states, you ‘ Stay Where You Are’, Inventor Charles Pajeau did just that observing his children building structures with pencils and thread spools they found. And the outcome? Tinkertoys!

Read the rest of the story, as the late Paul Harvey used to say, right here.

The world provides such rich inspiration for the writer. Get out there and get them!

By Jill Earl

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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2 comments Jill Earl, writing, writing inspiration

Script Frenzy vs. Life

Yeah, that was me after I got home from work yesterday. Except my robe was navy (I don't do pink). And I wear glasses. And it was night. You get the picture. Anyway, it's seven days into the first full week of Script Frenzy and I'm--behind. Life, as it tends to do, has intruded into my carefully-laid plans to write like a maniac this month.

It was perfect. Character sketches, logline and plot were completed. Script writing software waited to be activated. Friends were alerted of my limited availability. A supply of dark chocolate, assorted teas, and wine were on hand. April 1st arrived and I, along with countless 'Screnzy'ers', got to work. The momentum continued through the weekend, with short breaks to go food shopping and to church. Then, Monday arrived and back to work I went.

Sounds familiar? Probably, if you're a writer. You learn to make time to write whenever you can and wherever you may be. That's the only way to grow into your craft, finish your projects and ultimately, earn money. At the day job that means knocking something out during my lunch break. Yesterday, I worked on dialogue and conflict between protagonist and antagonist. A couple of days ago while zoning out on the commute home, a few ideas started crawling around in my brain and when I got home, I had the end of my script. You never know when ideas appear, so I keep a notebook handy.

I'm looking forward to this weekend full of writing. Having taken a couple of scriptwriting workshops in the past few months and studying the scripts of various movies and T.V. shows has been helpful. When Monday rolls around, the day job and rest of life taking up where it left off, the Frenzy will patiently wait for a convenient time for us to meet and create. So will I. In the Frenzy vs. life conflict, sometimes the Frenzy wins, sometimes life does. Now, if you will excuse me, my script--and some chocolate calls.

By Jill Earl

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4 comments Jill Earl, Script Frenzy, scriptwriting, writing challenges

The 'Challenging' Month of April

By Jill Earl

If you’re looking for a way to develop or sharpen your poetry or scriptwriting skills, check out a couple of writing challenges happening in April.

First up is the Poetic Asides PAD (Poem-A-Day) Challenge. Created by Writer’sMarket.com editor Robert Lee Brewer, the goal is to write a poem each day; using the daily prompt provided by Brewer is optional. The submission deadline is May 5, 2011, and any received after this time will be disqualified. Poems should either be submitted either in the body of the e-mail or as a .txt or .doc file. Out of all the entries, Brewer will choose a ‘Top 50’ of the month. You don’t need to register and participation is free. Full guidelines can be found at the Poetic Asides blog.


Then there’s Script Frenzy, sister to November’s National Novel Writing Month Challenge. Participants write a script (or multiple scripts) of at least 100 pages total, individually or with a partner. Just about anything can be written: screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, adaptations of novels. There are lots of resources for Frenzy participants to use, including how-to guides, inspiring interviews, forums and a neat Plot Machine if you need some help coming up with a script idea. You must register, but there’s no fee to participate. Everyone who reaches the 100-page goal receives a Script Frenzy Winner's Certificate and web icon. I’ll be joining the over 10,000 (so far) in this year’s Frenzy myself. Go to the Script Frenzy site for more details.

Think you’re up for the challenges? Check one or both out, sign up--and get to writing!

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6 comments Jill Earl, PAD Challenge, poem writing, Poetic Asides, poetry, Script Frenzy, scriptwriting, writing challenges

In Pursuit of Persona

By Jill Earl

Struggling with the voice for that story you’re working on? Try swapping your persona with one other than yours to add interest in your writing.

What’s persona, you may ask? It’s defined as a character assumed by an author of a literary work, or the voice a narrator adopts to tell a story.

It was at a conference’s essay writing session where I became acquainted with persona. For part one of an exercise, we wrote about our first kiss. With pens scratching on pads, we raided our memories. When time was up, we groaned and giggled our way through our stories.

The instructor passed around a bag for part two of the exercise. The assignment: rewrite our piece in the persona each one of us selected for ourselves. Some of the choices were martyr, grouch, misanthrope, philosopher and pundit. Again, giggles and groans were heard as we attempted to ‘speak’ in these new voices, then figure out which persona was which.

I ended up with ‘martyr’ and did more spluttering than speaking in this voice. Since the class received copies of the ‘persona in a bag’ list, I’ll be using this literary device in my writing.

Think up some personas of your own to work with. How about know-it-all, grouch, tattletale, liar? The choices are as endless as your imagination. The more personas you use, the stronger your character development. And the stronger your writing.

Give it a try. Pursue that persona!

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Leave a Comment character development, Jill Earl, persona, writing, writing tips

Add Some 'SPARK' in Your Writing

By Jill Earl

Ever heard of SPARK? Founded by freelance writer and editor Amy Souza, it’s an opportunity for artists, writers, and musicians to use each other’s work to create new work of their own in a collaborative project.

The rules are simple. For each round, participants are paired with someone from a different art form, then the partners trade their work. Participants have 10 days to create a new work using their partner’s piece for inspiration.

Why would a writer be interested in something like this? Well, besides networking with other creatives, you might be able to take a work-in-progress in a new direction or be inspired to try a new genre or art form.

SPARK Rounds take place four times during the year, February, May, August, and October. For more details and to see the results of this month's round, SPARK 11, click here. You’ll also be able to see works from previous SPARK rounds and sign up for the next round.

Give it a try and ‘spark’ up your writing!

Image: "Some holiday fireworks on the night sky" by Algol

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Leave a Comment collaborating with other artists, Jill Earl, SPARK, writer inspiration, writing

Saving Libraries: A Writer's Perspective

by Jill Earl

The Bookseller, a site covering every aspect of the publishing industry in the U.K., reported earlier this week that a pair of government officials received a letter that called for the ceasing of library closures in the country after a series of read-ins. Besides signatures from organizations, high-profile authors including Terry Jones and Kate Mosse signed off on the letter. Alan Gibbons of Campaign for the Book wrote in regards to the protesters, “They have put out a positive message: our libraries, our communities, our right to have a say over their future."

The article brought back memories of a situation regarding the library in the neighborhood I lived in during my early teens. It was small but it was there I did homework when I wanted a change of scenery and where I spent Saturdays searching for the latest YA novel, or geology guide. l ignored rumors of its closing until a flyer posted on the entrance door confirmed it. Upset, I wrote to city officials, had my mother take me to community meetings, and wrote to the local paper. In this case, the closing was due to a lack of interest and the general outcry was far less vocal than it should’ve been and wasn’t enough. About a year later, the library shut its doors.

In recalling this incident, the message put out by the community at the time wasn’t positive. An opportunity existed for residents to have a say over their future and those of their children, yet many opted not to. That made me sad. Having moved from the community decades ago, I have no idea whether a new library ever returned there. I know that if a situation arose regarding the library in my present neighborhood, and with the county dealing with budget cuts, it very well could, I’d once again fight for a wonderful community resource. As a writer, I’m on board when it comes to encouraging a love of reading, which led me to writing in the first place.

The rest of the Bookseller article can be found here. I don’t know how things will turn out, but I sure hope closures on both sides of the ocean cease.

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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2 comments Jill Earl, libraries, writing

Throwing Off Those Bowlines

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off your bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Writing is a career I’ve chosen to pursue, so to navigate this life, I must sail away from the safe harbor. The voyage involves stepping out of my comfort zone. Risking rejection. Rising to challenges. The trade winds beckon and grow stronger. There’s no going back.

For now, I explore script and short story writing. Dreaming of possibilities, I devour books on the subjects, take classes and write. The bowlines are thrown off.

I’ve submitted a short story to an paying online gardening journal I discovered some time ago and wait for a response. The process of market research, submission prep and job search doesn't end, though.

Last summer, I was part of a local nonprofit’s movie production crew. Hours were spent crisscrossing the state filming various scenes, while I learned how to operate the camera, tended the lights, kept actors’ makeup in check, held the boom mic. Soon there'll be post-production film editing. I’ve attended a couple of screenwriting classes too, analyzing film classics such as ‘Psycho’ and ‘Chinatown” along with current films like Oscar-nominated ‘Winter’s Bone’ and “Devil Wears Prada’. We read aloud from the scripts of these movies, saw the corresponding movie scenes. Lively and fun lecture and discussion followed. These experiences allow me to see both sides of filmmaking, beneficial as I develop my own scriptwriting skills.

Thing is, I don’t want to look back twenty years and see I’m anchored to the same harbor, trade winds sweeping by. Afraid to try new genres and styles. Afraid to further my career.

Take a chance. Throw off those bowlines, leave the safe harbor behind. You'll never know where your writing journey may lead. Book deal, perhaps?

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2 comments Jill Earl, Throwing Off Those Bowlines, writing, writing inspiration, writing life

Interview with Mary Krakow, WOW! Summer 2010 Contest Runner-Up

Mary Krakow enjoys the sound, shape, and rhythm of words. She finds putting them on paper to paint a picture or tell a story tremendously satisfying. She writes fiction, essays, poetry, and letters to the editor. She teaches full-day Kindergarten in Metolius, Oregon and is a member of Central Oregon Writers Guild. Published credits include The Oregon Science Teacher and Teaching Tolerance. This is her first published fiction.

Take a look at Mary's winning entry, Impact!, then come back and settle in for our conversation with her.

WOW: Welcome, Mary! Thanks for taking time to with us today and many congratulations on placing in our contest! Please tell us how did your story come to be.

Mary: Thank you. The WOW! flash fiction contest was a real boost to my confidence and has given me the guts to pitch stories and search for an agent. As for my story, my 80+ year old mother was in a fender bender this past summer. Impact is the fictionalized story of the two car crashes she has experienced in her life.

WOW: You know, as I read your piece, I appreciated how well you incorporated flashback into the present day setting. Great example of how using real-life experiences connects readers to the work.

Let’s shift gears and talk about your writing background a bit. Did writing find you or did you find it?

Mary: I was always the kid at school who never had enough time to write. The teacher would say, "It's time to stop" when I had just gotten to the meat of my story. So I would say writing found me. In my early writing, I never had time to wrap up the ending of a story, so that is something I have worked really hard at. So in a way I found writing too.

WOW: (chuckles) Yeah, I was one of those frustrated kids too, glad to know I wasn’t the only one! After reading your piece, I’d say you’ve aced learning how to wrap up a story properly!

Now, you have a full-time job of teaching kindergarteners, in addition to writing freelance. How do you balance the two and has some of those experiences found their way into your work?

Mary: Funny you should ask. This year's New Year resolution is to find more balance in my life. Typically, during the school year I am consumed by all that goes into teaching: lesson planning, material preparation, grading, meetings, trainings, reteaching, encouraging students, teaching parents how to be partners in their child's education etc. Since Jan 1, I have tried to spend more time reading and writing.

The Oregon Teacher Association magazine had a short blurb in their January issue asking for story ideas. So of course I suggested a story on our wonderful Adult ESL evening class held every Tuesday during the school year. To be honest, I had never attended the class but had heard fantastic things about it and had seen improved behavior and engagement from my kindergarten students who had parents attending the Adult ESL class. To my great surprise and dread, the editor emailed me asking if I would like to freelance a 1700-word feature for the statewide publication! This was based on the mention that I am a member of Central Oregon Writer's Guild. I accepted and submitted my article yesterday. It was a positive learning experience for me.

WOW: What a thrill, congratulations on your article’s acceptance! Speaking of which, can you share about your involvement with Central Oregon Writers Guild?

Mary: I have been a member of Central Oregon Writers Guild ever since my dental hygienist invited me to a meeting seven years ago. I have been a "worker bee" on the events committee and this year was assigned the chairmanship (chairpersonship?) of our 4th Grade Book writing contest. Our monthly Guild meetings always feature a speaker and often focus on the craft of writing. I also belong to a critique group that meets twice a month.

WOW: Your experiences are good examples of how membership in a local writing organization helps writers develop and enhance skills, and provides networking opportunities, among other things. Not to mention being a resource for writing gigs, as you’ve discovered.

Moving on, you’ve said in your bio, you write fiction, essays and poetry. Do you have a preference for one over the other? How do you think writing in each of these genres helped shape you into the writer that you are now?

Mary: I like all three. Fiction is fun because it's so open. You can write long or short, serious or funny and everything in between. I write rhyming poetry and I like the constraints that offers. The lines have to rhyme, you have to pay attention to the rhythm of the words, and it's pretty obvious when you come to the end. But, I suppose essays are my favorite. I am very opinionated and essays allow me to try to persuade you to my way of thinking! Each genre adds something. Fiction is creative and forces me to put the reader in the moment, poetry is descriptive and lyrical, and essays really allow me to focus on an articulated point of view. I think writers use elements from each genre unconsciously.

WOW: I have to agree on that. At times I do see some of those elements you’ve mentioned slipping into my own writing.

What about projects? Do you happen to have any in the works?

Mary: I finished a middle grade novel several years ago. Placing in the WOW! Summer Flash Fiction Contest has given me the courage to start my agent search. Wish me luck! My current project is a Young Adult novel with the working title COMMUNICATION CAMP. It takes place in the foothills west of Silicon Valley where I grew up. I'm having a lot of fun mentally revisiting the land of my youth.

WOW: It’s sounds like you’re having fun, and isn’t writing supposed to be fun anyway? Before we finish, is there any advice you’d like to leave our readers with?

Mary: A critique group is the best investment of time you will ever make. You start to hear their voices as you write--write in an active voice, not passive. Get rid of all those 'thats'. Break that long sentence into two for more impact. A second and third and fourth set of eyes will help you polish your best work.

WOW: I so agree, thank you for those wise words! Again, Mary, it was a pleasure meeting you. Best of luck to you, especially in your agent search, and we look forward to seeing more of your work!

Interview by Jill Earl

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3 comments Contestant interview, Jill Earl, Mary Krakow, Runner up, Summer 2010 Flash Fiction Contest