Tag: writing tips

How-to writing books

Hi, kids–

One of the ironies of writing is that we tend to read other writers’ guides on how to write. And we should, because there are some really good writing guides out there. It’s important to have guides on hand to grammar and punctuation, guides that help us figure out infrastructure, and tips that we can implement in our own writing to take our games to the next level. And then there are inspirational writing guides that can make you feel warm and fuzzy after you’ve had writing issues.

So here are a few of my suggestions.

For mystery writers, check out Chris Roerden‘s Don’t Murder Your Mystery (that link will also show you another of her great guides, Don’t Sabotage Your Submission). The tips in that book you can use for other genres, as well.

Looking to write more descriptively? Try Rebecca McClanahan‘s Word Painting. It includes instruction and exercises, as well as examples from the masters, classic and contemporary.

Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s already on its 10th anniversary. Part memoir, part guide, this handy toolkit will address just about everything you need in your bag o’ writing tricks. The fundamentals, my friends. Plus, it’s a warm, intimate look at King’s early life and how he himself approaches writing. But don’t just listen to me. Go check out the link.

Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones (originally published in 1986, but it was updated in 2005). This is sort of a “Zen and the art of liberating your inner writer” kinda book. Might not be everyone’s style, but it’s a different approach and delves into creativity and its potential spiritual elements.

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. It does not matter that this book first started life as an in-house writing guide for college students in 1918 by Cornell’s William Strunk. Nor does it matter that this pup got new life in 1959 when E.B. White revised Strunk’s 1935 edition. It’s freakin’ timeless, this book, and addresses things like the most misspelled words, common word usage errors, and proper punctuation. The book does have its critics, but it’s a nice brick to have in your writing framework.

Also get on over to Keith Cronin‘s recent blog over at Writer Unboxed to see his list of suggestions for writing guides. We overlap in a couple of places, but that’s okay. I like his list and I’m going to take his suggestions on a couple of things.

And here’s a list by Jon Winokur over at HuffPo (from 2010, but that’s quite okay).

Hopefully, that’ll get you started. Happy reading, happy writing!

by Categories: Books, Cool stuff to read, Inspiration, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , 1 Comment

Writing a mystery series: tips and timing

Hey, kids–

Hope this weekend treats you well. I’ve been thinking about series. That is, the series of books that authors write — usually in genre fiction like mystery or speculative fiction. In addition to my standalone short stories and novella-length stories, I write two series. One mystery, one sci fi.

Like many writers (most, probably), I have a day job, which means I have to really budget my time and make schedules so that I get writing time in as often as I can. I generally try to write every day, but some days, I’m really tired so I don’t. I don’t beat myself up about that, because trying to write when I’m tired means I’ll be doing lots of re-writing later, and if I’m just too tired, I can’t be present for the writing session.

Point being, because I have a day job and can’t devote 8 hours a day to writing, that means it’s hard to do that book-a-year thing that many series authors do. I also had a bunch of other issues crop up over the past year that required my full attention, so I had to back-burner (for a bit) both my series. I’m finishing up the third in the sci fi, and I’m over halfway through the fourth in my mystery series. So I’m playing catch-up. But that’s not really what was on my mind.

I recently saw the movie Looper (which is completely awesome though if you’re fragile in certain ways, it is very violent and there’s lots of cursing), and because there’s time travel involved, it got me thinking about that and other time conundrums. And that, in turn, got me thinking about series.


Source: Nova (re-sized here)

WTF, you say? Read on!

Continue reading →

by Categories: Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , 3 Comments

Writers’ Police Academy

Hey, kids!

Okay, so I had the super-cool chance to attend the Writers’ Police Academy this year.


source

I’ve been wanting to go, and this year I had the chance. So I did. I’ll talk more about it in a later blog, as I’m still trying to catch up after my almost 4 days of constant go go go. But I do want to make a few things clear in this blog. You’ll see those below.

Something that helped me immensely: As a member of the organization Sisters in Crime, my registration cost was $100. That was a giant bowl of awesome. Obviously, like other workshops, you have to arrange your own transportation and lodging (the conference hotel had a conference rate) and a few meals, but for things like this, it’s totally worth it, especially since workshop/conference registration can sometimes be super expensive for many of us, like $300-$500 in some cases. Nevertheless, try to save up so you can go. And professional organizations can help cut that cost a bit.

So let me stress the following points about events like this:

1. It’s important to continue to expand your horizons as a writer, and to continue to develop your skill set.

2. Workshops/conferences give you a chance to network. You never know who you’ll meet or what new avenues you’ll be able to explore.

3. Get the most out of your conference/workshop experience. Go to panels that not only interest you, but that have something to do with projects you’re working on. The people leading the panel and the audience are all not only interested in the topic, but working on projects that deal with it, too. Networking opp!

4. Talk to the instructors/people leading the panels. They can provide more information, direct you to even more resources, and become a potential contact.

And do yourself this favor:
5. Join professional organizations that cater to the type/genres of writing you do. Membership gives you perks, including deals on conference/workshop registration. They’re also great networking opportunities. And I recommend you share the love back, and give of your time and energy to the organizations as you can. They’re always looking for volunteers to help with projects. I cannot stress this enough. Join professional organizations. Keep current on your dues, utilize the resources, and make yourself known.

Next time, I’ll give you more of my experience at WPA. In the meantime, check out this schedule. That’s what I did from Thursday night through Sunday afternoon. For those of you who write thrillers and/or mysteries, Writers’ Police Academy is something you really need to think about doing. I’ll tell you more next time.

Happy Tuesday!

by Categories: Coolness, Events, Inspiration, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , , 1 Comment

So you want to be a writer. Bless your heart.

Hi, folks–

I’ll be on the road in the next few days, so I won’t be able to check in as often as I’d like. But DON’T WORRY! I’ll be back, and probably with some tales to tell.

Anyway, I follow Broadside (because it’s an awesome blog. Hello.) and today, Caitlin Kelly (the woman who does Broadside) had a super good post about what it takes to be a writer. READ IT. Not that I’m pushing you or anything.

She didn’t use the term “stubborn,” but I sure will (Caitlin used “persistence”). Because that’s important. You must be stubborn and stick to it, if it’s what you want to do. And you must continue to do it, in the face of what some days feels like you’re wearing a pair of concrete cowboy boots in a shit tornado. In spite of these things, you must persevere, if this is what you want to do.

You will be rejected (and some of those will hurt). You will be dissed on the interwebs (and you must not respond). You will submit your work a gajillion times and only one of those times may garner you a notice. But it may not land you a contract. You must, as Caitlin points out, have a hide the thickness of a fossilized dinosaur’s (okay, she’s more eloquent) but the sensitive heart of a Bambi-eyed puppy. You must suck it up and smile, even when you’re in the middle of that poo typhoon, and exhibit graciousness and humility because people remember what you say and do. Readers like to know that you’re not some cranky-ass sodden heap of negativity spewing thunderbolts of judgment at everybody who wanders across your time/space continuum. And if you are, readers remember. Hell, everybody remembers. Why bring that on yourself?

And, a couple of my favorites from Caitlin: be curious, and be generous. I’m intensely curious about everything and everyone. How could you not be? The world is an endlessly fascinating place and we are a totally mondo-bizarro species doing all kinds of wild stuff. I also like giving of my time and energy to others, because you never know who you’ll meet. Plus, it’s just good ju-ju to share the love.

Caitlin also supplies some links to other blogs about what it takes to be a writer. Check those out. And here are a couple I liked.

(the always irreverent and happy sailor-mouthed) Chuck Wendig’s 25 things he wants to say to aspiring writers

And another Chuck post about things writers lie about to themselves

And here’s Chuck’s secret to writing:

source (re-sized here, and he did register it with a Creative Commons license, so share away!)

by Categories: Cool blogs, Inspiration, Things that make you think, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , , , 2 Comments

Dude, where’s your story?

Hi, peeps–

Hope everything finds you groovy. I’m currently working on my latest novels. One is the third installment of my science fiction series and the other is the fourth book in my New Mexico mystery series. And I like to keep up with blogs that offer tips and writing hints/fun stuff for authors. To that end, this post by writing guru Lisa Cron over at Writer Unboxed has some excellent advice.

The post, titled “The Biggest Mistake Writers Make and How to Avoid It,” notes that STORY is the crapfall for writers. That is, many writers don’t know what that is or how it works within the framework of their plot. You’re scoffing. But wait. Hear Lisa out.

So even though they have a great idea and their prose is gorgeous, there’s no story, thus no sense of urgency, and ultimately, no reader. It’s as simple – and heartbreaking – as that. And it’s extremely common.
(from “Biggest Mistake“)

Does that make sense? Really think about that. No story = no sense of urgency. Lisa tells us that THIS is what her definition of a story is:

A story is how what happens (the plot) affects someone (the protagonist) in pursuit of a difficult goal (the story question) and how he or she changes as a result (which is what the story is actually about).
{from “Biggest Mistake”)

A story, she says, is not about the plot. It’s about how the plot affects the protagonist. It’s thus INTERNAL, not external.

Thus, first and foremost, a story is about how the protagonist makes sense of what happens, and how she then reacts as she pursues her goal. In short, it’s not about what she does, it’s about why she does it.
(“Biggest Mistake”)

Cron then notes 5 reasons that can make your story go astray. I’ll give you Point 3, here:

3. Good novels very often trick us into believing that the writer never ventured into the protagonist’s mind, when in fact, that’s where the story unfolded.

Pull just about any novel off your shelf and look specifically for how the writer is conveying the protagonist’s internal reaction to what happens; you’ll see it everywhere. When reading for pleasure it’s nearly invisible, precisely because it’s how the novel gives us the sense that we’re in the protagonist’s skin. That’s why it’s maddening that writers are often warned not to include internal thought. Why is this advice given? Because when done poorly, internal thought can turn into long, rambling, irrelevant monologues that derail a story. So the best advice is simply this: learn to write internal thought well. After all, it’s what lets us know how the protagonist is really responding to what’s happening, and that’s where the power of story lies.
(“Biggest Mistake”)

Author Joan Opyr and I had a conversation about writing and writing styles a while back. She observed that good writing and good structure means that a reader is caught up in the reading. She said it’s when all the moving parts work seamlessly together. When they don’t — when there’s a little hiccup or a grinding of the gears — that means the novelist missed something in the telling of the story.

I struggle with story myself, and I know I’m not the only author out there who does. Cron leaves us with this advice: “. . .in the beginning, it’s all about nailing the story. When you get to that last draft (which will most likely be many drafts away), it’s about polishing the prose.”

Good reminder. Thanks, Lisa.

Happy reading, happy writing!

by Categories: Cool blogs, Inspiration, Things that make you think, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , ,

Common writing boo-boos

Hi, kids!

OMG before I get into some really common spelling/grammar boo-boos, I simply must share with you my latest snack craze. Holy cow, these things are good:


source: Blue Diamond (re-sized here)

Serious yum-yum.

Anyway. Where were we? OH! I’m going to list a few of the most common boo-boos I see in writing. Care to see? Well, carry on!

Continue reading →

by Categories: Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , , 7 Comments

Groovy Writing Links!

Hi, kids–

Got some groovy linkage here you might find useful for your writing and publishing selves.

Keith Cronin tells us: DARE TO SUCK! Great advice, because all writers (at least all the ones I know) go through a phase where everything they write or try to write feels like it’s no better than drunken monkey poo thrown liberally across greasy burger wrappers. That’s okay! Write it anyway! Or skip the scene that’s giving you nervous hives and write another one. The important thing is to keep writing, because you need that momentum (and if you want to find out more about Keith, click here).

Lydia Sharp says: It’s okay to watch movies and TV shows! Cuz you can learn cool things that translate into fiction writing! I agree. Catch her post about 5 ways novelists can benefit from doing that. And find more Lydia here.

Meg Wolitzer at the New York Times gives us some food for thought about the state of women’s fiction and women writing fiction. Go see. And find out more about Meg Wolitzer here.

The problem of knock-off ebooks at Amazon (that is, copy-cat books based on legitimate titles that Amazon posts). Check the comment thread, too, on that one. I guess my question on that one would be: If you know the title and author of the book you want, why would you buy a knock-off with a slightly different title/author? Hmmm.

And Stevie Carroll has a discussion about female friendships in fiction going over at Women and Words. Readers, you might want to check that out and offer suggestions to Stevie and others about books that have female friendships. Find Stevie at her LiveJournal here.

All right, friends. Happy reading, happy writing, and happy Tuesday! And please do feel free to provide links you think will benefit us here in The Situation Room in the comments. Cheers!

by Categories: Cool articles, Cool blogs, Cool stuff to read, Ebooks, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , , , , ,

Cool issue of Writer’s Digest

Hey, peeps!

Hope your week is treating you well. Mine’s outta hand, but no worries.

So I finally got around to reading the May/June 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest. Writers, if you buy one issue of this magazine this year, make it this one.

There’s a big ol’ piece called “The New Era of Publishing: Making It Work for You” by literary agent April Eberhardt. It’s a good primer for coming to grips with how publishing is changing, and what that means for you in terms of finding the right model for how you want to proceed as an author, regardless of where you are in your writing career.

There’s also an article by e-publishing guru Jane Friedman, called “The Basics of DIY E-Book Publishing,” which is another crash course in that subject, with Jane’s easy-to-understand info and tips. You can find her HERE, too, for more awesome-ness from her guru-ness. (No, SRSLY. Jane Friedman is considered an authority in e-publishing. She’s currently a professor in e-media at the U of Cincinnati and a former editor of Writer’s Digest.)

The next piece is called “Today’s Best Strategies for Savvy Self-Publishers,” by Joel Friedlander, author of a book on self-publishing and an award-winning book designer. Go see.

And one of my personal faves, WD’s best websites for writers. This is their 14th annual “101 Best,” broken down by category like “Creativity,” “Everything Agents,” “Online Writing Communities,” “Jobs & Markets,” and “Publishing Resources.” A couple that readers here might find intriguing include WOW! Women on Writing, an ezine that supports women through every step of the process. Go here. The current issue is about the art of storytelling. Novel Rocket offers tons of interviews and advice from published authors and literary agents. Grammar Girl (she is freaking supercalifragilisticexpealidocious) takes on grammatical quandaries that authors of all levels deal with. Check it out. And one more, to whet your whistle — Coalition of Independent Authors, a group of self-published writers who created the Coalition to gain exposure for their work.

That is just a taste of the 101 entirely useful sites in this list. The catch? You have to actually purchase the print copy of this mag, as these groovy tips are not available at the website. However, there are lots of cool things on the site for writers in terms of tips, writing prompts, exercises, and workshops to consider. So even if you opt not to subscribe or buy this issue, the Writer’s Digest site offers some good info for all kinds of writers.

Happy writing, happy reading!

by Categories: Cool articles, Cool stuff to read, Ebooks, Publishing bizness, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , 1 Comment

Have an affair…with your muse

Hey, peeps–

I have a few things I do before I sit down and start writing. Not sure whether “ritual” is the right word, but it involves preparing my space, getting things in order, and creating a welcoming environment not only for me, but my muses. I was thinking about that and BAM came across this blog at The Write Practice about your relationship with your muse, and 7 reasons she might not be talking to you. Or, if your muse is male, why he isn’t talking to you. For ease, we’ll stick with a female muse.

Here are a few things that might make your muse cranky, according to the blog:

We refuse to work until she shows up.

We put demands on her, like a perfect first draft or we demand that she show up whenever we want her to, and we expect she’ll drop everything to accommodate us.

We dink around on other things on the computer or whatever during the time we’ve committed to her.

We don’t pay attention to her or note the ideas she gives us nor do we give her credit when we create something.

Basically, treat your muse the way you would treat someone special in your life. Why the heck would your muse want to hang out with you if you diss her and diss your writing by not making time or space for it?

The reality is, your muse is only as good as you make her feel. And if you don’t treat your writing like the gift it can be, you’re going to end up with a muse who doesn’t give a rat’s ass, either.

Think about that. If you create the time and space for your writing, and treat it as something more than just sitting around playing on the computer, you create the good ju-ju (for lack of something more scientific) for your creative process (note the number of times I used the word or root CREATE in that sentence).

So if you’re having a difficult time and the muse isn’t talking to you, maybe get her some metaphorical flowers and make a date night. And make that a habit. See if you don’t notice an improvement in your relationship.

Happy writing, happy reading!

by Categories: Inspiration, Things that might make you think, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , 3 Comments

Characters and historical context

Hey, kids!

I heard a story on NPR on Saturday (yeah, I’m a geek. I listen to NPR on the weekends!) about the approaching “cashless society.” This dude tried an experiment, where he didn’t use cash for two months. He has a smart phone with the apps that allow you to purchase things with the codes, and he liked the ease of not carrying cash around, but some things, he noted, needed cash. For example, tipping. He ended up having to stiff people, and that really bothered him. And he also noted that some people still prefer the anonymity of cash when making purchases, and he acknowledged that with cash, there are no hidden fees. It is what it is.

The story got me thinking. I still carry cash for tips and small purchases, and “just in case.” I never travel without cash, and I never leave the house without at least a few bucks and some change. Call me weird. It’s how I grew up, and it’s a habit I’ve refused to break.

So what does this have to do with writing characters? Well, click on and find out!

Continue reading →

by Categories: Books, History, Writing, Writing tipsTags: , , , , , , 5 Comments