Meet Summer 2016 Flash Fiction Winner, Linda Peters!

Linda Peters is a writer and speaker based in Long Beach, California. As an active blogger, Linda writes AndroidAfterForty.com, a collection of lifestyle articles that help people who didn’t grow up with computers to successfully navigate today’s technology and impress their grown children.

Linda’s first book of flash fiction, Somewhere to Turn: stories (written as Linda Courtland) is included in the Seaborne Library’s Flash Fiction Special Collection, which was compiled by the directors of the International Flash Fiction Association (IFFA) at the United Kingdom’s University of Chester. Linda is also the author of Way of the Whale: A Novel (2014), a story about finding peace from the point of view of a captive killer whale.

In 2016, Linda and her husband Tom Peters co-authored Our Socially Awkward Marriage: Stories from an Adult Relationship on the Asperger’s End of the Autism Spectrum, a collection of flash memoir stories about the effects of Asperger’s Syndrome on their relationship. Together, Linda and Tom write and lecture about relationships, health and disability issues. They also do business writing, strategic planning and grant consulting for nonprofits and arts organizations through their company, Peters Communications. Follow Linda on Twitter at @WayOfTheWhale.

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on your first place win in our Summer 2016 Flash Fiction competition! What inspired you to enter the contest?

Linda: Thank you so much!

I’ve followed WOW! for many years. In 2008, I entered the WOW! Winter Flash Fiction contest (as Linda Courtland) for the first time and my story, "Change Management," won second place.

I drifted away from flash fiction and wrote a novel about a captive killer whale and also co-wrote a book of essays about Asperger’s Syndrome and relationships with my husband Tom Peters. And I kept reading WOW!’s newsletters.

When the Summer 2016 Flash Fiction contest was announced, I read the bio for guest judge Stephanie Fretwell-Hill of Red Fox Literary and thought my writing might be a good fit. I edited Difficult Relatives down to meet the word count, crossed my fingers, and sent the story off through the ether for judging. I’m so glad that I did.

WOW: Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, Difficult Relatives?

Linda: I’ve always loved nature and am concerned about what’s happening to the planet right now. If I toss an empty plastic water bottle into a regular garbage can, I can’t help but think, “Hmm, what would the Earth have to say about that.” It wasn’t much of a stretch to give the Earth a voice.

WOW: What’s your revision process like? How much editing did you have to do on your flash fiction piece?

Linda: I had a writing teacher once who forced us to eliminate all adverbs from our writing and he’d only tolerate the occasional adjective. It was a great experience and it turned me into a ruthless editor. When you have to convey information with only nouns and verbs, you’re forced to find unusual ways to tell your story. All these years later, I’m still brutal with modifiers.

WOW: We’d love to know more about your writing routines. Could you tell us when and where you usually write? Do you have favorite tools or habits that get you going?

Linda: I know it sounds cliché but my stories usually start as a flash of inspiration. When an idea grabs me, I work best when I can take it and run—just sprint to the finish line and then wait until the next idea takes hold. To keep track of ideas as they occur, I still use pen and paper, but if I’m out and about, I’ll use my smartphone to jot down a sentence or two and then email it to myself.

In terms of place, it doesn’t much matter where I am because the story is being told inside of my head. I just scribble it all down. A lot of writers set aside a certain number of hours each day to write, taking a marathon approach to their craft, but that type of routine has never worked well for me.

WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Linda! Before you go, do you have any tips for our readers who may be thinking about entering writing contests?

Linda: You’re welcome!

I do have some advice: Don’t let fear stop you from expressing yourself. We’re all scared to put our work out there to be judged. It’s totally normal to panic about sharing your stories with strangers. The challenge is to find a way to do it anyway.

***

Our Winter Flash Fiction Contest is OPEN
For details and entry, visit our contest page

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3 comments 2016 Summer Flash Fiction Contest, Contestant interview, first place winner, flash fiction, Linda Peters, writer inspiration

Finding My Writing Tribe

This shirt I got as a gift says it all. 

I have a problem with accountability. I know I do. I also struggle with getting into regular writing habits. This weekend, I was reading an interview with Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project,” and she listed some routines each writer should get used to practicing. The one that hit me the hardest was the section on “Building Your Team.” This includes the people you surround yourself with (editors, agents, critique groups, etc).

I’m afraid this is the main area where I fall short. While I have a small tribe of close friends in real life that help me stay sane, I don’t really have anyone to help keep me accountable when it comes to writing. I think the main problem is that being an introvert, I am too shy to ask anyone to read my writing, unless I am paying them for it. A few years ago, another writer mom friend of mine who also writes young adult fiction asked me to partner with her. We swapped the first few chapters of our novels and critiqued them for one another. After a few weeks, I got discouraged because whenever we would meet to discuss the chapters, she asked more questions about what I thought about her work and could never keep the names of the characters in my book straight, which led me to believe she didn’t really care for it. We eventually quietly gave up on trading chapters.

I do well when I take a writing class, participate in NaNoWriMo or hire an editor to work on my manuscripts. But other than that, there is no one to keep me accountable with my writing, and as a result, getting into a regular writing routine that isn’t related to my paying clients is difficult.

In her book “Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids,” author Christina Katz discusses the importance of finding your tribe, through networking events, local writing classes, regional writing workshops and conferences, etc. While I’ve participated in all three of these types of events, my follow through hasn’t been great. I need to take a closer look at the network I already have in place to find some like-minded writers who are eager to find a productive writing relationship.

How do you stay accountable with your writing? Do you have a good tribe in place or do you struggle putting yourself out there? I’d love to hear your tips  and experiences in the comments below.

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who regularly writes for regional magazines and blogs. Her website and blog are currently under construction but you can check her out on Pinterest and Instagram in the meantime.

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9 comments critique groups, critique partners, finding a writing tribe, Renee Roberson

Writer, Heal Thyself

Our writing can make us laugh--as well as others--and certainly everyone can agree:  laughter makes us feel better.

But what about sorrow? What about anger? If those feelings are expressed in our writing, are there any benefits?

Everybody has stuff  they have to deal with. Since most of us have to deal with some dysfunctional family dynamics at least occasionally, consider writing about it.

For example, I have a creek of mental illness watering my family tree. My birth mother killed herself because she couldn't deal with her depression and she didn't see herself getting any better. Several of my stories deal with her life (and death). An unstable pair of grandparents is also part of the matching set.

Now, if I'd just written the same thing over and over (My birth mother had an awful life. My birth mother had an awful life) it wouldn't help move me forward. In fact, it'd probably just keep the wound open and festering.

photo by pexels.com

However, if a writer can find meaning in the horrible things that happen to them, if they can use words like "because," "understand" and "realize" in their writing, they just might start getting healed... and there are studies and more studies to prove it.

A few years ago, my life became a mess. A family member was hooked on painkillers and after more than a decade-long addiction, relationships were in shambles.

At the time I was working on a manuscript that was more-or-less a memoir, cloaked in fiction. After dealing with the real-life grief ineffectively, I decided to fictionalize it even more.

I changed the ending. Instead of missing out on saying good-bye to a parent before they died, in my story, I got to the hospital in time. Instead of having so many things left unsaid, in my manuscript, I got to express what was in my heart. Instead of getting reduced to becoming a walking vat of sorrow and rage, I found a way to forgive.

And that's one of the weird things about writing. In the story I was crafting, I knew what the ending was going to be. The main character (Maggie/me) was going to have some revenge-filled fun... fun that was going to result in a maggot-of-a-man being permanently disfigured. However, when it came to the end of my manuscript... well, let's just say there was a twist in the plot just as there had been a twist in my life.

Natalie Goldberg says, "As writers we live life twice, like a cow that eats its food once and then regurgitates it to chew and digest it again. We have a second chance at biting into our experience and examining it..." I've been privy to brave stories from writers. Stories about abuse. Stories of assault. Stories of drug use. And each time a writer delves into their life, they're making more meaning out of their experiences. They're working things out...

... on paper.

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10 comments healing through writing, natalie goldberg

Writing from an Outline: Room for Improvisation?

When I write a book for Abdo Publishing, I always start by turning in a first chapter and an outline. Once I have the outline in place, it is easy enough to run through it, chapter by chapter, writing each section as I reach it in the outline. Invariably, I come across a something that just doesn’t work as outlined.

The first time this happened, I panicked. The outline had been approved by my editor. How closely did I need to follow it?

When the panicked subsided, I remembered the whole point of writing the outline. It isn’t a contract written in blood. It tells the editor what major topics I will cover. An outline is an opportunity for writer and editor to agree on a big picture plan. I’ve never had an editor comment when I make minor changes to my outline.

Minor changes include fiddling with sidebars. When I plan a book, I look for the best possible place for each sidebar. As I expand the outline and write the text, I sometimes find that a sidebar is actually a better match with a different chapter. Moving it is no big deal as long as I have the right number of sidebars in each chapter.

Sometimes a sidebar doesn’t need to be moved anywhere but the recycle bin. If my sidebar idea is logically flawed or weak, sometimes I can reslant it for a workable fix. Other times I cut it and come up with a better idea.

Then there are those sidebars that I have troubles keeping short enough to actually be sidebars. Some of them just need to be radically edited. Others just aren’t tangential enough to be sidebars. That means it is time to make it a chapter section which can help solve another problem if I have a chapter section that isn’t strong enough to be part of the main chapter.

Generally I can make these kinds of changes without messing with the big picture plan I created in my outline. Needless to say, if I’m going to make a change that does interfere with that plan, I clear it with my editor first, usually by sending a brief e-mail.

An outline gives me a goal for my manuscript. It isn’t a set of constraints. It is a plan, nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes that plan has to change slightly to produce the best possible book and that’s an okay thing.

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.

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1 comment rough draft, Sue Bradford Edwards, working with an editor, writing outlines

Friday Speak Out!: On the One Knee

by C.K. Austin

Too often we hear “On the one hand,” but what I’ve struggled with has been my knees and the toddler that demands to sit on one while I’m writing. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. You’re focused on your work, steadily typing away when you feel a slight tugging on your pant. You think, I’ll ignore it and he’ll go play with his toys. But the more you ignore that tug, the more forceful it becomes until there is a tyrannical, temper-tantrum producing toddler that finally manages to completely pull you away from your writing.

A lot of parents don’t have the daily struggle that writers do. We’re constantly being distracted by Susie putting a necklace on the dog or Johnny peeing in the potted tree. Our toddlers take pride in their antics as thousands of YouTube videos have shown.

Some of you may have your own methods on how to balance work and parenting, but for those of you that don’t, here’s what worked for me.

Bedtime

I’m a night owl and stay up late at night, long after my daughter’s 8:30 pm bedtime. That may work for you, as most writers I know love the quiet and peace. But for you early risers, the same concept applies. Get up early before your little one and get to work.

Leave the house!

Leave the kids with your mother, father, spouse, significant other, life partner, or neighbor. Get out! Find your spot, whether it is a clichéd coffee shop, a bookstore, library, or neighborhood park.

Play and Distract

My daughter is a die-hard Bubble Guppies lover. She can’t get enough of those cute little fish children and I use that to my advantage. Play with your kids, tire them out, and then distract them with their favorite toy, game, or educational program.

On the one knee

Sometimes you can’t get out of the house. The neighbors are out on a date or having a family game night. Your mom’s not answering her phone after the latest flour destroying kitchen fiasco. Pick up that little pant-tugger and get to work. When they tire of the view from your lap, they’ll want down to grab their favorite noisy toys.

Schedule, schedule, schedule!

Those pant-yankers and rolling on the floor temper-tantrum tyrants often want something: food, diaper change, butt-wipe, juice drink, or attention and love. Give it to them! Make sure you schedule your day accordingly. After breakfast, play before that next blog post. After a nap, snuggle before that next chapter. Get down on the floor of the bathroom and play with those bath toys after dinner. When they’re tire of playing with you, they’ll find that book they hid under the couch or the toy piano you hid behind the bookshelf. Pencil in that time on your calendar so you’re not struggling for time and your child still knows you care.

I hope you can take my experiences and find what works for you. Happy writing!

***

C.K. Austin is the author of Shifting Sky, available on Amazon (http://bit.ly/ShiftSky) and internationally sold. She served as a cryptolinguist for the US Navy. She is a mom of two wonderful children who have been known to steal her manuscripts on occasion. She is currently at work on another novel titled, Into the Darkness, and hopes to release it in late 2016 - early 2017. To learn more about her Shifting Sky series or to connect with her, you can catch up with her on Facebook (http://bit.ly/CKAbooks), Goodreads, or Amazon.
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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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4 comments C.K. Austin, Friday Speak Out, writing and parenting

The Portable muse: Creative Writing Cards by Melanie Faith - Giveaway!

As a writer, you know there’s nothing more intimidating than staring at a blank page, cursor blinking, without an idea in mind. I like to show up to the page with purpose, but sometimes my muse takes a vacation. When she abandons me, I refer to my library of writing prompts and toolkits to get my pen moving. I have a deck of flash cards that say things like “raise the stakes” or “switch media” that I randomly select to help me get unstuck, a set of writer’s dice to help plot my novel, and many, many writing prompt books. So when I found out that WOW instructor Melanie Faith created a set of creative writing cards, I couldn’t wait to share them with you. Melanie has inspired so many of her students to produce quality writing, and these cards are bound to do the same!

The Portable muse: Creative Writing Cards are available at Melanie’s Etsy shop and contain 30 new prompts on beautiful, durable card stock that she created and had professionally printed. These portable cards are sure to inspire fiction, essays, poetry, and more! Slip them into your purse and take them to your writing group or classroom, give them as a gift, or keep them for yourself to inspire thirty new pieces of work. Some prompts include quotations, some situations, others a title or setting. They are good for individuals and for groups, and they are gorgeous!

Here are some suggested uses:

• Shuffle and pick one card at random each day for a month. Three wild cards included.
• Shuffle and pick two or three. Combine into one draft.
• Choose one for your class or writing group. Each writer pens for fifteen minutes and shares. Alternately, each writer can choose one card.
• Workshop!
• Meet a writing friend. Both pick a card and write for twenty minutes without stopping. Share. Repeat.
• Game night. Use singly or on teams.
• Use on your commute.
• Use during lunch breaks.
• Take for a spin during daily free-writes when you are without ideas.
• Use in waiting rooms.
• Teaching a seminar or class? For all age groups, middle school and up.

They make an awesome gift for writers of all levels!

I’m in the holiday spirit of giving, so I’m providing a set to one lucky winner. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and we’ll randomly choose a winner a week from now (Dec 15th). The winner should have her cards by Christmas. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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8 comments flash cards, Melanie Faith, the portable muse, writer's block, writing inspiration, writing prompts

Mom Nearly Killed the Elf!

Yes...
I'm THAT mom. I'm the mom who tries really hard to make everything magical for her family. I'm also the mom who burns the cookies, forgets the early release days, and to top it off, this year I nearly killed Jackson the Elf. Jackson has been part of our family for seven years. Each year, he appears like clock work. We read the story and spread the magic with the youngest children. This year, the older children are old enough to read the story to their siblings.

It's supposed to be magical, right?

It's supposed to encourage good behavior, right?

As much as I love the joy in their voices as they find Jackson each morning, this elf thing can be stressful. I forget to move him - A LOT. The morning of December 3rd 2016 I was feeling pretty crafty. Jackson was nestled in the lampshade of an antique lamp above my rolltop desk. The lamp hasn't been used in months and the little elf looked so adorable peeking over the top of the shade. To make it more fun, I even added an old wooden block and flipped it to the icecream cone picture. I left the house mid-afternoon with 3 of our 4 children in tow. We were headed to a benefit for the Salvation Army and we were looking forward to cocoa and cookies with Santa. Andre who is 8 stayed home with Dad. Andre would be joining us later. Long story short, Andre thought it would be interesting to turn the lamp on. Yes, the lamp under the elf and the wooden block. Luckily my husband noticed the smell and asked Andre what could be causing it. Andre quickly turned off the lamp and nothing more was said. Hours later, I was tucked in bed with our youngest and realized I forgot to move the elf. I text my husband and his reply was "that must be what smelled - the elf is in rough shape". I was a bit confused at his response because the afternoon incident took place completely unbeknownst to me.

The next morning there were 3 little faces peeking at me from the side of the bed (the youngest slept through the ordeal). Not only was the elf singed, but the children saw it. A family meeting was in order. That's when we got to the bottom of what had actually happened. I went through the mom lecture about playing with fire and how we were lucky the house hadn't burnt down. Now we had to move forward and I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice our writing skills. I mean, you can't just have something like that happen and then go out and buy a new elf, can you? I suppose you can, but where's the lesson in that? Jackson the Elf is currently being housed in a hyberbaric chamber to help his burns to heal. Eventually he is going to need a prosthetic foot because he lost the entire thing in the fire. Since Jackson isn't able to move around the house anymore this year, the children are going to be responsible for reporting their daily activities to Jackson.

I'm determined to take this epic mom fail and turn it into something positive. Hopefully, this journaling activity will help form a healthy habit for the children. Maybe by next year Jackson will have made a complete recovery. One can only hope.

Here is a note Santa left this morning:

Dear Otto Children,

Jackson is having a difficult time due to his injuries. Here is a notebook. Each day I'd like you to leave a note telling me about your day. This will help me decide if you belong on the nice list or the naughty list and it will take the burden off Jackson. I know you're worried about Jackson, but the Doctors have him in this Hyperbaric Chamber filled with oxygen and it will help him heal. Once his burns have healed, the other elves will make him a special foot (called a prosthetic). It shouldn't take long for him to be good as new. In the meantime, you'll need to be extra good for mom and dad.

Love,
Santa

Wish me luck friends. I'd love to hear from you:

How do you encourage your children to journal?

What would you have done if you melted the elf?

Do you have an elf on the shelf?

What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Crystal is a church musician, babywearing 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, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 9, Andre 8, Breccan 3, and Delphine 1), two dogs, two rabbits, 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 at:http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

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2 comments elf on the shelf, epic fail, holiday traditions, journaling, journaling for kids, journaling therapy, journaling to heal, kids writing, mom fail, shelf elf, traditions

3 Tips to Title Your Blog Post and Draw Readers In

You've heard time and again from articles, blog posts, and conference speakers that titles do matter, and you've probably spent countless hours coming up with titles for your prose. Here's another point to consider about titles: the titles of your blog posts DO MATTER too. I feel like they are even more important than for an article or book, especially if you are tweeting and Facebook posting about your blog to draw more traffic. I have been WOW!'s social media manager for years as well as blogging for the Muffin. I also have my own blog and have done guest posts on several sites around the blogosphere. Your title needs to tell readers what you're writing about--cute and clever doesn't work well for a blog post.

Here are three tips to help you create a good title to draw readers to your blog and keep them coming back:

1. Put a number in your title (if that works for your post):
All of my titles do not have numbers because that doesn't fit every type of post I write. But if I'm giving tips or making "points", then I number them, and I place that number in my blog post title. Why? Think about yourself when you're on the Internet. It's usually a different mindset and even a different physical place than when you're curled up with a magazine or book. You want information and you want it quickly. As soon as you read "three" tips, you most likely think: I can handle this. I will read this and find three tips. Next time I write a blog post, I can follow at least one. 

Think about how often you're drawn to click a link on Facebook or Twitter when you see something like: "5 Tips to Make Christmas Shopping Easier" or "4 Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store" or "7 Agents to Send Your Work to Now"

2. Explain Exactly What the Blog Post Will Contain
This is pretty simple to do when you write a blog post like this one (see my above title for an example) or any of the ones that I just mentioned in the above point. When you're writing to inform, it's easy to come up with a blog title that tells readers what you're explaining. But how about when you're writing an inspirational or entertaining blog post? You still have to explain what the post concerns.

It's much harder--I agree. But to draw the most readers in, you must figure something out. When I was writing all those posts about how I wasn't writing and how hard divorce is, I could have used titles like I would for essays: "Coming From a Dark Place" or "In the Brain of  a Non-Writer". Instead though, I tried to consider someone clicking on WOW!'s blog from our home page or receiving the post emailed to them. Readers want to immediately know what the post is about: "Why I Haven't Written for 3 Months"  or "Writer's Block Has Taken Over My Brain" give a clearer picture about the content.

3. Think About How Your Title Will Draw Readers From Social Media
This point is especially important if you have your blog posts set up to go directly to Twitter and Facebook on publication. Depending on your settings, your title and link to the post are probably what appear on social media. If your title is vague, it will not make readers click on your link unless they are your biggest fan or your mom. Even if you don't have a set-up where posts go directly to social media, a good title will make it easier and quicker for you to create a meaningful tweet or Facebook post.

I usually create a title, write my post, and then go back and revisit my title to see if I've accomplished all three of these tips. Try these for a few weeks and see if your blogging life is a little bit easier for you and your readers. Stay tuned for my next post (in about a week) about the first paragraph of your blog post.

Margo L. Dill is the social media manager for WOW! Women on Writing as well as a long-time blogger for the Muffin. Check out her books and her own blog at http://www.margoldill.com

keyboard photo by orangeacid on Flickr.com

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3 comments blog advice, blog titles, Margo L. Dill

So You're a NaNoWriMo Drop-Out?

If it’s possible for one to get a failing grade for participating in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), then put a big “F” on my paper, because that’s exactly what happened this year.

I’m guessing a lot of you are just like me. We sign up in October, hopes high, dreams full of 90,000-word novels which will be fresh and original. We won’t crank out a mere 3,600 words a day. No! We’ll be more prolific than Nicholas Sparks, churning out 6,000 emotion-filled words in a sitting! Months later, having ignited the enthusiasm of our dream agent, we’ll land a contract with HarperCollins, quit our day jobs, and never look back.

And if you are anything like me, we stumbled out of November only 7,036 words into a new novel.

I’m sure you can agree that writing is one of the most rewarding and maddening tasks we will ever do. While there are times the words flow from us, churning and tumbling like beautiful music, more often we stare at a blank screen, procrastinating on social media, convinced that if we just wait a little longer, the ideas will finally arrive in droves. The worst part is, though, that when inspiration fails to grace us with its presence, we become frustrated – tempted to give up on our writing projects.

Despite my shortcomings this November, I’ve decided that making the choice to enter NaNoWriMo means I didn’t fail. Sure, I only managed to write about three days a week. Even then, I was lucky to get in more than an hour of writing before the distractions started. But I wrote, and that, alone, is a success.

Any time we sit down to write, whether we crank out a measly 50 words or a mighty 5,000, we are doing meaningful work. Writing is hard. Writing is time-consuming. Writing takes persistence. But it is our passion, and we love every hard minute of it. Whenever we write, we take one more positive step towards our goal, and that’s what matters.

So take heart, fellow NaNoWriMo drop-outs. We may not complete the perfect novel in a month, but that doesn’t mean we’re giving up on our dreams. Keep those ideas coming, and keep writing, because even one sentence brings us closer to success.





Bethany Masone Harar is an author, teacher, and blogger, who does her best to turn reluctant readers into voracious book-nerds. She hopes you’ll join her in this lofty endeavor.

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5 comments

How to Survive the Holidays When You're a Writer

Getting to this point each year . . . the struggle is real. 

I’m going to throw this out there and hope that some of you relate. The holidays are always a tough time of year for me. Most of my family lives halfway across the country and I’m the product of a broken home and an only child, so the get-togethers often revolve around my husband his extended family. I’m pretty sure I have Seasonal Affective Disorder and suffer during the colder months when there’s not enough sunlight to go around. I tend to want to hibernate like a bear in the winter and it can take a lot for me to come out of my cave. Throw all the holiday parties, gifts, and other obligations to try and keep things festive and it can get downright stressful, especially if you’re a writer or editor and your income stream depends on you not sinking into a funk! (Don’t get me wrong—I do love the holidays, what I don’t love is all the added pressure from the world to make everything so dang perfect in the process.)

Here are a few ideas for how to survive the holidays when you’re a writer:

1. Be prepared for your normal deadlines to get pushed up. It’s not secret that the publishing world pretty much shuts down between the week of Dec. 20 and the New Year. If you’ve been assigned a story that’s due during the month of December or the beginning of January, plan to interview sources early before they become unavailable. If you have regular deadlines each month, check with your editors and make sure nothing has been moved up. One of my deadlines got moved from the 10th of the month to the 5th, so I’ll be doing a bit of scrambling myself next week.
2. Make a list of gifts you still need to buy and make a strategy for tackling them. For me, we usually like to purchase some gifts and gift cards for our children’s teachers, and the fact that my kids get out of school by the 16th always throws me for a loop. This morning I sat down and mapped out a plan of who was going to get what so I can purchase and deliver the gifts before the winter break.
3. Put all social events on your calendar. Now. I'm really bad about this (are you sensing my lack of organization yet?) and need to do this immediately after completing this blog post. Between choir practice, my daughter’s orchestra practice and concerts, a Cub Scout campout and Christmas party, my husband’s work party, etc., my head is swimming. This will also help you keep track of that shopping list where you may need to purchase a Dirty Santa gift or whip up a dish for a potluck.
4. Pencil a date to meet a friend for coffee or dinner. Yes, we’re all busy. Terribly busy. But the holidays are a tough time for many, and sometimes it’s good to vent over a Peppermint Mocha or join forces and do a little shopping together. You’ll realize everyone is in the same boat and we’re all just trying to survive.
5. Work on a fun project during the break. Once you’re deadlines are met, do something fun for you and work on that short story you’ve been itching to get back to or print out a few pages of your work-in-progress for friends or family members to read. It will be a good way to be productive during some well-deserved time off.

Because, after all, the snail’s pace of January will be here soon enough.

Do you have any tips for surviving the holidays?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor whose favorite gift to hand out during the holidays is Cookies in a Jar. 

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4 comments being productive during the holidays, holiday survival tips for writers, Renee Roberson, writing advice

The Mighty Power of Our Senses

Momma Nell's Recipe Box

I’d had a conversation, reminiscing with a cousin on the other side of the family, about fruitcake cookies. And so this morning, I rummaged around in a cabinet until I found my mother-in-law’s old recipe box. I sat down with my cup of tea and pulled up the lid.

And I was instantly transported back to her house.

The contents smelled just like Momma Nell’s home. But not like what you’re thinking. It wasn’t the scent of years-ago grease from all that Southern fried chicken and steak. Instead, it was slightly musty, sort of like when you open an old book.

Momma Nell had lived in the same house for over fifty years and though it was immaculately clean, it was also like a museum. Sort of a “Life in the 1950s” kind of exhibition. And that smell—dry, musty, with just a hint of Pledge—assaulted my senses and all kinds of memories flooded back.

How powerful our senses are! And yet, how often we leave them out in our writing. Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway, the point is this: if you want to make your writing stronger, add sensory details.

It’s easy when we’re writing about sensory-rich subjects. Even I, notorious for bare bones writing, can come up with some pretty good and smelly details if I’m writing about Christmas. But put my character in some average spot, like an apartment, on an ordinary day in June, and I’ve got nothing.

I think writing with sensory details must take practice, and I admit that it’s not high on my practice list. But it should be, and I realized that little nugget of writing wisdom the minute I had a whiff of that recipe box. That smell connected me to a hundred different feelings and images, in just a fraction of a second. Imagine how many words I’d need to make that same connection if I were describing how my mother-in-law's house looks!

I’m going to put that recipe box on my desk so I’ll remember this lesson. But I have another motive as well.

I didn’t find the index card for her fruitcake cookies, but I did find a couple of other recipes that looked interesting. Some were typed, but others were carefully written, and I thought how glad I was that she’d put them down, in her hand. There was something very comforting about reading those words in her handwriting. I suppose that, again, it was a sensory detail and I sighed, remembering Momma Nell in the kitchen.

I remembered, too, that one year, I’d written down my favorite family recipes—it didn’t take long; I’m not much of a cook—and gave the book to my daughter for Christmas. But I never quite got around to doing the same for my two boys.

I hope this is the year that I’ll get that gift completed. So that someday, my children will read a recipe in my chicken scratch handwriting and maybe a hundred different memories will come flooding back to them, too.

Well, okay, maybe two or three memories. It’s the thought that counts, right?

~Cathy C. Hall

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11 comments Cathy C. Hall, recipe books, recipes, sensory details, writing advice

Friday Speak Out!: What If . . . ?

by Lisa Ricard Claro

A few years ago I posted here at the Muffin about blogging as an antidote for writer’s block (http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/2010/01/friday-speak-out-from-block-to-blog-in.html). The problem with that suggestion, of course, is that not everyone enjoys blogging. But no worries. I’ve got a method for unblocking the jam on Creativity Boulevard that works every time. Yes, you heard me. Every time.

It’s called the “What if?” game, and it works like this:

Step 1: Grab a pen, paper, cookies, hot cocoa—because what isn’t made better with chocolate?—and the nearest kid. Age seven is perfect. Wait. What? No kid at your disposal? Well, do you have a husband? Because that’s almost the same thing. No husband either? Grab your best gal pal, trade the cocoa for wine, and you’re in business. You can go it alone, no problem, but it’s more fun with a companion.

Step 2: Munch the cookies, sip your beverage, and chat. Explain to your buddy that no idea is too big or too small, no subject taboo. Absolutely everything—and I do mean everything—is (age) appropriate for this exercise. Giggling encouraged.

Step 3: Stream of consciousness, no heavy thinking, just blast out as many what-ifs as you can:

What if while sipping cocoa I’m sucked into the mug and trapped inside a marshmallow?
What if I discover the poops in my cat’s litter box have turned to gold?
What if my farts were so bad they made smoke and set off the fire alarm at school/work?
What if the UPS man was really Hugh Jackman?

Okay, so that last one is for me and me alone, but you get the idea.

Step 4: Using the what-ifs you’ve created, write anything. You aren’t writing for publication. You are writing for the sheer joy of stretching your mind and putting words on paper, no matter how silly. No one ever has to read your output. The format is up to you. Choose whatever will be the easiest and most fun. Don’t think, don’t stress, and don’t wait. Just write.

What if while sipping cocoa I’m sucked into the mug and trapped inside a marshmallow? No story idea coming along? Write something simple then, like a warning label: CAUTION: Contents may be hot and hungry.
What if my farts were so bad they made smoke and set off the fire alarm at school? Not into kid lit? Pen a letter to your mother: Dear Mumsie, You’ll never guess what happened to Junior at school today!

Apply “what if?” to popular fiction. Can you pick out these books?

What if vampires sparkled in the sun?
What if a psychotic wife planned her own disappearance, making her husband look guilty of murder?
What if a teenage girl with a bow and arrow changed the course of her dystopian society?

What if you play the “What if?” game? What if you come up with a brilliant, high concept idea?
What if you write about it and it becomes a bestseller? What if . . . ?

* * *

Lisa Ricard Claro is a professional editor (www.RicardWritingEditing.com) and award-winning author with published articles and stories spanning multiple media. She resides in Georgia but dreams of beach living (usually while stuck in Atlanta traffic). Lisa has a heart for rescued pets, and you’ll find one in all of her novels. She loves all genres—a mystery is in the works and she also writes for kids—but Romance is a favorite because she believes in love and happily-ever-after. To learn about the books in her romantic Fireflies series,or to connect with Lisa, visit Amazon, Goodreads, or her author website, www.LisaRicardClaro.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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6 comments creative juices, Friday Speak Out, Lisa Ricard Claro, story ideas, what if, writer tips

I am Spider-Man (at least for a little while)

If you've ever cried or felt your heart pound while reading a book or watching a movie, then you've experienced what I call "reality blocking"--the process of becoming so engrossed in a story that you ignore your own feelings and adopt those of a fictional character. In the real world, nothing has happened, but your brain processes the information you see or read as if it were real, which, in turn, causes your body to react as if it were true. You "become" the character and see the world through his or her eyes.

Good writing focuses on shared emotions. Regardless of whether you write fiction or nonfiction, tapping into the emotions that make us human can improve your writing. Readers will root for the boy to get the girl of his dreams because we have all loved someone, and readers will empathize with the athlete who loses the race because we have all worked hard for something important, and suffered defeat. We feel the character's pain or joy.

So when I follow a fictional mother down a long, dark hallway toward her children's bedroom because she heard an unearthly noise, my fear increases with every step. She begins to sweat, and I begin to sweat. I relate because I worry that something bad might happen to someone I love. Because I care, I want to know what happens, and will continue to turn pages or sit through a movie that scares me.

This also explains why I care about alien invasion, Spidey Senses, or a wizard who casts away evil. None of these things will ever affect me (probably), so why am I not content to sit at home and pet my cat and work on a craft project? Instead, I willingly spend my time and money sitting in a dark theater, or curled up in a comfortable arm chair to experience a world that looks nothing like mine.

Through empathy, I can put myself in Spider-Man's shoes (does he wear shoes?) and think about what I would do in his situation. Would I feel guilty for Uncle Ben's death? Probably. I can relate to that emotion because I have experienced my own guilt and sorrow.

Audiences will care when they know why the main character cares. If there is no emotion behind the action, then we are just watching a guy in a spider suit. Although I will never spin a web from my wrist, I connect to his emotions and put myself in the center of the action, which makes me believe that I am Spider-Man (at least for a little while).

Here's a link for more information: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-fiction/201208/entering-anothers-experience

Mary Horner is a freelance writer, editor, and author of "Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing." She teaches communications at St. Louis and St. Charles Community Colleges.

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7 comments Character Emotions, empathy, Reality Blocking

No No NaNoWriMo?

There's definitely some benefits to doing NaNoWriMo in November. However, if you couldn't do it this month, don't despair. You can reap the same rewards in March. Or July. It just takes some creativity.

Think of these NaNoWriMo components--and create your own writing challenge:

• Accountability and Support--Let your writing pals know what you're embarking on (go public with it) and you'll be amazed at the outpouring of love and help you get in return.

This is one page from my 2016 NaNo.
I shared it at a writing retreat a few weeks ago.
Four different writers gave me feedback.
Those purple notes on the margin are going to be gold when it comes time to revise.

• Networking and Perks--Sure, when doing the official NaNoWriMo, you can network with other NaNo-ers all over the planet. However, if you're doing a DIY NaNo, you can create your own network. I'm working on a historical fiction project centered in the 1920's. A writing friend was at a teachers' convention a couple of weeks ago, and she snagged a free YA novel about the same era--just 'cause she knew it would fuel my fire. And yes, if you do NaNo in November, you can earn all sorts of cute badges and banners. But you can set up your own perks if you do your own version of NaNoWriMo.

When I add 800 more words to my manuscript, I'll treat myself to 1/2 a jar of Nutella.

When I finish this chapter, I'll mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookies... and I might even bake some of 'em.

Well, you get the idea...

• Competition and an Artificial Sense of Urgency--A bit of friendly competition never hurt anybody. Pair up with a writing colleague, and see who can make the most progress in a month. (Remember:  whatever headway you make means you're a winner, writing-wise.) And having a self-imposed deadline looming over your head? When word count is all that matters, you go into "down draft" mode.

What's a "down draft," you ask? These three draft stages come from Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. With the first draft, the ultimate goal is get the story down. Lock that internal editor in a closet. Who cares if your writing is horrid? It's all horrid in the first draft...

The next draft is the "up draft." Now's the time to fix your story up. Look at the down-and-dirty word choices, and revise. If you've got big chunks of telling, transform it into showing. Pretty it up with some rich similes. Fiddle around with the rhythm.

The final one is the "dental draft." Just like your dentist checks every nook and cranny in your mouth to make sure your teeth, fillings and gums are all in perfect shape, you should now be checking the tiny details of your manuscript. Punctuation. Typos. Missing words. Tense changes. Take your time and be thorough.

So, if you didn't take the NaNoWriMo plunge, it's not too late. Pick a month, any month... and dive in.

Sioux Roslawski is a St. Louis dog rescuer with Love a Golden, a grandmother and a writing teacher of middle-schoolers and adults. This month she was a NaNoWriMo loser, getting only an anemic 22,018 words down as of today--far less than the required 50,000 to be considered a NaNo winner... yet she's loving this WIP and will continue to plug away at it. To find out more about Sioux and her writing, please visit her blog.

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13 comments anne lamott, Bird by Bird, first drafts, NaNoWriMo