Great Writerly Blogs and . . . THE WINNER

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

The contest is over and we had a blast!  Samantha Warren had a humdinger of a 30th birthday celebration, we all had fun visiting various blogs looking for answers and finding interesting new blogging voices, and by now some lucky person has won a Kindle Mini.  I actually came in second on one day’s quiz and won a copy of Reluctant Guardian from Kristy K. James, but since I was participating with my blogs, I wasn’t eligible every day and so didn’t have a chance at the Kindle Mini.  Awwww.  But hey, a Kindle Touch is still on my Christmas list!

Hmm, let’s not get sidetracked here.  The winner of Stephen King’s On Writing here is . . . Francelia Belton!  She’s a writer, a fellow member of the WANA1011 class, and is just setting up her blog.  Maybe when it’s live, she’ll stop by here and post a link!  And thank you to everyone who commented, linked, and tweeted about the Blog Scavenger Hunt and my book giveaway.

Just for stopping by to see if you were the lucky winner, here are some great writerly blogs I found this past week:

  1. Donald Mass asks four critical questions about your protagonist over on Writer Unboxed.  Definitely a must-read!
  2. Jami Gold gives a great look at weaknesses in our writer-selves (everybody sucks at something, right?) and how to turn them into strengths.
  3. And what if you never get published?  (Horrors! Never say never!) Is there a value in writing without publishing? What do you tell your in-laws, BFFs, or co-workers?  What’s the value of writing if you are published?  Holly Lisle has some intriguing thoughts.
  4. On the way to publication (that’s what we’re all after, right?), time gets crunched and stress levels rise.  Jeanette Marie Powell reminds us of some stress-relieving shortcuts to help keep our writing time.  And if her tips don’t match your life, they’ll trigger your own ideas of what to do.

Congrats again to Francelia Belton, and I’ll be back this week with some writing tips. Especially if I use some of Jeanette’s tricks!

 

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Last Day to Enter Book Give-Away: Stephen King’s On Writing

Posted on December 10, 2011 by

Just a reminder before I get back to my regular blog schedule:  Tonight (12/10/11) at 11:59 pm is the cutoff for entries to win in the book giveaway.

The prize?  A copy of On Writing, by Stephen King.  If you’ve never read it, half of it is awesome writing advice and the other half is the story of his own writing journey.  It’s a great read, with more nuggets of information and inspiration than I can count.  And if you have read it, it makes a great gift to another writer friend.

How to earn entries?  Comment on a blog post (1 entry), subscribe to this blog (2 entries), or post a link to Jen’s Writing Desk on your own blog (2 entries), FaceBook page (1 entry), or Twitter (1 entry).  See my original Scavenger Hunt blog post for the rest of the nitty-gritty details (like US address only, shipping arrangements, etc.).

Good luck, and I promise some more writing tips and prompts soon.

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Turn a Childhood Memory into Fiction

Posted on December 6, 2011 by

Many of us started out writing stories based on childhood happenings:  being picked on by a bully, feeling left out, falling off a rope swing, getting a pony, getting bucked off a pony.  (Hey, there’s got to be someone else out there that got bucked off a bazillion times, too.)

The problem comes when the story gets stuck in our past and doesn’t gain a life of its own. The process tends to work something like this:

  1. Think of a fun or traumatic incident.
  2. Write it in story form.
  3. Fictionalize it by changing names, places, how many siblings, etc.
  4. Try to make the opening more exciting.
  5. Realize it’s lacking something.
  6. Try to add conflict.  Maybe even add a friend or sibling who wasn’t actually there.
  7. Take a bigger chance and change the dialogue or action to what you wish you said or did, instead of what actually happened.
  8. Give it to your mom, who says, “I remember that!”
  9. Give it to your critique group, who says, “Umm, okay.”
  10. Pull your hair out.

There’s an easier solution.

To truly fictionalize an actual incident, you need to step out of it enough to develop the necessary story elements: vibrant characters, strong conflict, compelling dialogue, etc.  Until you have enough experience to do that directly, try this:

                    Change the gender of your main character.

You’d be amazed at what happens to your story when your bullying victim changes from a girl to a boy.  Or when a boy, not a girl, isn’t allowed to participate in an activity.  Or a girl, not a boy, moves to a new town.

You can keep the conflict, the plot, even the ending.  It may seem like you’re writing the same story, but with a boy instead of a girl (or vice-versa), you’ll gain enough writerly distance to change anything else you want.  All’s fair in love and war and the quest for a stronger story!

Sure, your main character’s motivation may change – boys are different from girls, after all.  His or her reaction to someone may change, or how he goes about getting what he wants, or his attitude as he talks.  Or she. (I hate the whole he/she thing.)

It becomes a story that is informed by your experience, instead of a simple retelling of your experience.  And as a writer, you’ll be better able to follow the story where it wants to go, without the restrictions of your own memory.

Happy writing!

PS–Don’t forget to subscribe/comment/link for a chance to win a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing.  Details here.

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Weekly Blog Mashup for Writers

Posted on December 4, 2011 by

As I browse blogs each week, I’ll post a mash-up of the best ones here.  Some have great writing tips, some are focused on publishing, and some are just plain fun.  Enjoy!

First, some awesome advice from Joanna Penn:  Writer’s Block: The 12-Step Cure

Jane Friedman has a great post over on Writer Unboxed about shifting our normal writers’ attitudes about query letters and blog headlines.

If you’re interested in finding like-minded people on Twitter, with some Twitter etiquette thrown in, try Kristen Lamb’s excellent post here.

Children’s and YA writers know that the kids need to solve their story conflicts themselves, not have parents or teachers step in for them.  But does that mean parents shouldn’t show up at all?  Kait Nolan has some great advice.

And last but not least, have a little fun with I Write Like….  You enter several paragraphs (or more) of your own writing, and it checks for style and word choice and tells you what famous author writes in a similar style.  Of course, if you’re good (unlike me), you wait until after you’ve finished your writing for the day.

I entered several samples, just to make it . . . scientific?  Consistent?  Or maybe just to have fun?  Turns out I wrote like Stephanie Meyer in one blog post, like Stephen King and Gertrude Stein for one character in my women’s novel, and . . . wait for it . . . Margaret Atwood fairly consistently!  Any bits (and the whole thing) of the short story I’ve been working on, plus any of my American character in my women’s novel.   My Irish character scenes are written like James Joyce, but gee, if I change the names from Conal and Murphy to John and Jones, I no longer write like Joyce, I write like Chuck Palahnuik!

If I could choose, I’d emulate Stephen King (without the horror) or Margaret Atwood.  But somehow I think it’s fun, not science.  Drat.

 

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Blog Scavenger Hunt: Win Stephen King’s “On Writing” or a Kindle Mini!

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

http://www.samantha-warren.com/p/scavenger-hunt.html
Fellow blogger Samantha Warren is having a blog scavenger hunt to celebrate her 30th birthday, and I’ll be part of it, both here and at JenniferJensen.com. To participate, go to Samantha’s blog (click on the picture above) where you’ll be directed to different blogs each day. She’ll tell you exactly how it works, but the gist is that you’ll have to search for the answer to a particular question on each blog, and then report back to her. She has several prizes, but the person with the most correct answers will win a Kindle Mini! (Hmmm, can I do it too? Have to check the rules!)

In addition to Samantha’s fun, I’ll be providing two prizes of my own. Here at Jen’s Writing Desk, you can win a copy of one of my favorite writing books, Stephen King’s On Writing.  Over at my main blog, you can win a copy of Susan Wiggs’ lovely book, The Goodbye Quilt. (Click here to read an excerpt.)

How do you enter? Good question!

You’ll get two entries if you subscribe to this blog, one entry if you comment on a blog post (only one per post counts), and two entries if you link back to my blog from your own blog post. You can also get an extra entry if you post a link to my blog on Twitter or from your FaceBook page! I should see the comments and link-backs automatically, but drop me a note at Jennifer (at) jenniferjensen (dot) com to get credit for your Tweet or FB post, and for subscribing. Don’t forget to leave me contact details!

Other stuff: The rules are the same for either blog, but each is run as a separate contest. All entries must be received (posted/linked/emailed, etc) before 11:59 pm EST on 12/10/11. The winner will be chosen at random from each blog’s entries. Books will be shipped by USPS Media Mail to U.S. addresses only.

Hope to see you through the week, and good luck!

 

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Great Gifts for Writers

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays . . . what do you give the writer in your life?  Speaking as one of those writers, I have a few gift ideas.  (Are you reading, Hubby o’Mine?)

A Kindle or Nook e-reader.  I’m not an iPad wanna-have – that’s what I got my fancy phone for.  But boy, do I want a Kindle.  So many books, so little time, and if I have an e-reader, I can tuck it in my purse and always have something to read, not to mention lighter luggage when I travel.  And the frugal Scot in me loves the fact that I can borrow e-books from the library for free!

Computer Stuff.  At the top of this list would be a new computer, of course.  But there are all kinds of other things that we writers need/want:  a laser printer that’s cheaper to run than the ink jet the family shares; a new mouse; a USB hub; a laptop cooling pad; a mouse pad with your picture on it (or the cover of his/her forthcoming book!); and if your writer doesn’t have an external hard drive for back-up, put that first on the list!

Books.  Discover what your writer has on his/her reading list and head for your local bookstore.  If you can’t find out discretely, browse her bookshelf.  Then look for genre-specific books (romance, sci-fi, etc.) or a writing craft book she doesn’t already have (Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Stephen King’s On Writing are classics).

Subscriptions.  What magazines does your writer crave?  Writer’s Digest? Poets & Writers?  Don’t forget online versions and subscriptions to paid sites such as Writer’s Market or favorite research sites (historic newspapers, anyone?).

Writing Supplies. Writers go through supplies faster than my kids go through cinnamon rolls.  Sticky notes, index cards, a case of printer paper (and the ink to go with!), pens, pencils, notebooks (especially a luxurious Moleskine notebook) would all be welcome.

Software.  Most of us have a word processing program of some sort, but if it’s a 2001 copy, the current version would be nice.  And what about a novel writing/organizing program like Scrivener?  Or an upgrade for our WordPress blog theme, so we can use all kinds of fun fonts and put things exactly where we want them?

Writing Time.  Possibly more precious and more appreciated than any of the above, how about giving your writing sweetie a whole day to write?  Or several hours several times a week for a month?  You take the kids, the cooking duties, clean-up, shopping or whatever, and let your writer write!

Personally, I already have a laser printer, a nicely-running MacBook, Scrivener software, the Weaver Theme upgrade for my blog, and time to write during the day.  (We won’t mention the fact that I have too many things to write before I get back to my novel.)  So my wish list includes a Kindle Touch, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, a Kindle Touch, Hooked by Les Edgerton, a USB hub, a Kindle Touch . . . well, you get the idea.

What’s the best writerly gift you’ve received?  What fun gifts have you given to writers?  What’s on your wish list right now?  (Put it in the comments, and then send your significant other here to read it!)

PS:  If you’d like to make a specific wish list on Amazon, click here.  If a purchase is made, I’ll get a smidge of commission and maybe have enough for something (*cough* Kindle *cough*) on my list if Hubby o’Mine doesn’t come through!
 

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How to Succeed as a Writer

Posted on October 28, 2011 by

Any writer has newbies asking how to make it in the publishing world.  And judging by the tweets and blog posts, most of us are still trying to figure that out ourselves.

The classic response is BIC: Butt in Chair.  (Or, as one writer friend likes to put it, DEC: Derriere en Chaise.)  In addition, you can go with BIC-HOK:  Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard.  My favorite is BIC-HOP: Butt in Chair, Heart on Page.

With that in mind, here’s my easy formula for success in writing:

  1. Write, write, write.
  2. Read, read, read.
  3. Write, write, write..
  4. Study, study.
  5. Write, write, write..
  6. Repeat 1-5 for the rest of your writing life.

Notice that there’s a lot more Writing than anything else.  In any worthwhile endeavor, nothing takes the place of practice.  Notice also that Reading is an integral part of writing well.  It has an element of Study, which is why I don’t spend quite as much time there as Reading.

But really all that addresses is how to succeed in writing a great story.  If you’d like some encouragement and a few tips for making it in publishing, head over to a blog post by the awesome Kristen Lamb (author of We Are Not Alone – the Writer’s Guide to Social Media).  She lays it on the line, and it’s amazing how much we’re actually in control of our success.

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Finding a Short Story Ending

Posted on October 26, 2011 by

Plotter or Pantser?

I turned my short story in yesterday and I’ve discovered what happens when a Plotter tries to write as a Pantser:  the story comes out well, but when Pantser gets to the end of the story and she finally has everything figured out, said Pantser has to go back and completely re-write the beginning!

Not fun, but okay.  Seriously.

As mentioned last week, I knew my main character would find her daughter’s diary, be tempted, and finally read it.  I spent an evening writing teenage diary entries (complaints, gossip, and a whole lot about her boyfriend behind closed doors), and the next day it took me several rambling pages of the mother’s worries before she even read it.  I still didn’t know how it would turn out.

When I wrote the second half, I discovered that the teenager the Mom was reacting to wasn’t the deceitful girl becoming sexually involved that I had written a few days before.  Instead, she was still innocent, moody on the outside (what teenager isn’t?) but basically a good kid.  Her mom had read the diary for nothing.  So Mom tries to carry on – shouldn’t be a problem, right? But unbeknownst to Mom, daughter has a small object as a bookmark that had fallen out.  Mom puts it on the dresser while cleaning up, daughter knows diary has been read, and Mom is left clueless on how to rectify the betrayal of trust.

Once the ending had clarified the story for me, I could go back and fix the beginning, putting scenes in that would show the mom better, heighten the conflict and make the daughter’s actions fit a moody-but-innocent teenager.

I guess the result is a story that’s different than if I wrote it planning on Mom’s reaction to lies and cheating and sexual entanglements.  I don’t think the character of the daughter would have changed if I had known the ending toward which I was writing.

On the other hand, I did plan and re-write the first half with this ending in mind, so isn’t that a way of being a plotter?  It took extra revision time, but it worked.

Would I be a Pantser again?  For a short story, probably.  But I sure wouldn’t want to write a novel and have to revise the whole first half that way!

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Weekend Writing Prompts – 6 Spooky Story Starters

Posted on October 22, 2011 by

In honor of Halloween, we’re doing spooky story starters this weekend.  Dust off your ghost-story-telling abilities and see where these ideas take you.

  1. Daylight, dense fog, muffled sound. You go for noon walk anyway. Describe your walk, and what happens when a dark shape suddenly looms before you.
  2. Late at night, flat tire, country road. What do you hear? How do you feel? Do you trust the man who pulls up in a pickup truck?
  3. Children are in bed, you’re reading a book in the living room.  You suddenly feel a prickle of skin – someone is watching you. What happens next?
  4. Turn several lights on in hotel room, put wallet on dresser and use bathroom.  When you come out, wallet is on the bed and two lights are turned off. What do you do? How do you feel?
  5. Dusk, walk through autumn woods with dog, listen to birds. Dog whines. Birds silent. Describe how it feels.  What’s happening?
  6. Strange noises come from abandoned house at end of lane. What do you hear? Do you go in?
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Begin at the Beginning – a Plotter Tries Being a Pantser

Posted on October 20, 2011 by

Which came first – the chicken or the egg? The beginning or the end?  When you write a story, do you start by knowing the characters and the opening, and then write to see where it takes you? (Option 1, writing by the seat of your pants, or Pantser)  Or do you start with the characters, the situation and the ending, and write to get there? (Option 2, plotting the story in varying degrees, or Plotter)  For the first time, I’m experimenting with Option 1, being a Pantser.

Well, not exactly the first time.

My mind usually percolates a situation, character and end, and I build the plot and the character together until they work.  What-ifs can show up – I definitely don’t outline everything – but I’m still writing to meet the ending I’ve envisioned.  It just works best for me.

For NaNoWriMo one year, I did try writing to see where the story would go.  I found I didn’t have enough structure to keep the story going, even in that month of turn-the-internal-editor-off-and-just-write.  My brain wanted to explode, not having enough time to think of what a character would do, how she would feel, how someone else would react.  I ended up with a  theme I may use someday, but otherwise my story was a total mucky mess.  Anyway, I scurried back to where I feel safe (and clean):  knowing the ending first.

But tonight, I’m sitting at my computer, resorting to being a Pantser again.  I have a short story due on Tuesday, and any idea that’s danced around in my mind just hasn’t clicked with me.  It’s now Thursday, and I need time to write, revise, let it sit, and revise again.  AND I have no way to work on it Saturday or Sunday.  Time to start looking for short-cuts.

I found the best short-cut in my WIP.  I know those characters, so why don’t I take one of them, throw them into a situation that might even help with backstory, and see what happens?  So here I am.  Amanda, my American in Ireland, will find herself with the temptation of reading her teenage daughter’s diary.  I know her well enough to know she’s torn – reluctant to invade Kelsey’s privacy, but worried enough to do it anyway.

What I don’t know is what will happen after she reads it.  Will she ‘fess up? Will she keep it to herself? I’m not even sure if Kelsey will find out, although I suspect so.  Right now, I’m going to write and see just what Kelsey puts in her diary.  I have to know what Amanda’s going to react to, after all.  Next week, I’ll let you know what happened after.

What about you?  If you’re a Plotter, have you ever written a story as a Pantser?  If you’re a Pantser, have you ever done a stint as a Plotter?  How did it turn out?

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