IWSG: Killer Openings

Firstly, I would like to apologize, and apologize in advance, for my busyness, for not posting regularly or visiting my buddies' blogs. I've been moving to a new place, looking for a second job, and working through various other life issues. I may need to take a blog break soon (but hopefully not for too long and definitely not until after I'm done the Game of Thrones read-along!).

Now, down to business. I want to talk about killer openings in novels. And when I say killer openings, I don't mean awesome beginnings, I mean the kind that will kill your novel because readers will stop right there and move on to something better.

Here's a top 10 list I've compiled from some writers' and literary agents' opinions (combined with my own). Some of these are general and some specific to sci-fi or fantasy.

1. The dream
Starting with a dream is not shocking any more. It's been done and people expect it. If you're going to try to toy with my mind, do it in another way, I beg of you!!

2. The backstory
There's nothing that will make me shut a book faster than the info dump. I want to be thrown into the action, not have the world explained to me.

3. The looking in a mirror
There has to be a more creative way to explain what your main character looks like.

4. The dialogue
Too many people talking at the beginning just gets confusing, and it can be boring if I'm not invested in them (which I'm not, because I just met them).

5. The getting sucked into a portal
Narnia did it, and it was neat. Do it in a new way and I'll be impressed.

6. The gathering herbs in a forest
I remember a literary agent I'm familiar with complaining about how sick she was of reading fantasy stories that start this way. Don't. Just don't.

7. The educating
This a no-no particularly in YA and MG, but I'd argue for adult too. I don't want to be aware that I'm being taught something... I want to read a good story! Take me straight to the action.

8. The battle scene
This is a problem because, once again, I am not invested in the characters yet and I don't know what's at stake. Why should I be interested?

9. The distant, third person narrator
In fantasy, often the Boy or the Old Man. I also dislike the narrator we first meet disappearing after a chapter or two to be replaced by the main character. Just start me out with the main character!

10. The prologue
Vastly debated among amateurs and professionals alike, I am definitely on the con-prologue side. I've never read a book that had a prologue and couldn't be started at Chapter 1 without missing ANYTHING important.

And there you have my list. What do you think is important to avoid and important to get right in a first chapter?

Writing Pet Peeves

We've all got those things that bug us when we do them and when we see others doing them. Here are five of the nitpicky things that bother me!

• double spacing at the beginning of sentences

This convention was used with the typewriter to make it easier to tell when one sentence ended and another began. With word processors that eliminate this issue, it is unnecessary anymore! It is habit for a lot of people still, though, and can be hard to kick.

• misspelling names

This bothers me more in the business world than anywhere else. If I sent you an email with my name clearly printed at the bottom, can't you take a second to read it and check that you are spelling it correctly when you reply? I get a lot of "Alisons" and "Alysons" and even one "Dear sir" (yes, that was an actual person, not a bot.)

• modifying absolutes

 Something can't be "very unique." It's either unique or it isn't.

• saying "I" is always right

Sometimes "me" IS correct! "Mark and I went to the store" is right, but so is "Do you want to go to the store with Mark and me?"

• which or that

This didn't used to bother me until I learned the difference and now I notice if it is wrong all the time! "Which" should be used for nonrestrictive (nonessential) clauses. For example: "The door, which had scratch marks, was red" as opposed to "The door that had scratch marks was red."

And there you have it. What are your writing pet peeves?

Last call for submissions to WRiTE CLUB!

I interrupt my regular scheduled blog posting to bring you this message from DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0.

Writers, sign up for WRiTE CLUB now, or you will regret it for the rest of your life. Every morning after June 30th, you will have to drag yourself out of bed, hitting yourself again as you remember you didn't sign up, go through your day in a morbid trance because you know you missed out on this wonderful opportunity.

Okay, those might not be DL's words.

But these ones are:

"Are you ready to RUMBLE?!?!?!?!"

If you don't know what WRiTE CLUB is, it is a good-natured writing competition, where pairs of writers bout off with 500 word samples, submitted under a pen name. See here for all the details and if you want to sign up!

It's a lot of fun, and a great place to get constructive criticism on your writing from a lot of readers.

Want to join in the excitement? This Sunday, June 30, is the cut-off date for submissions. You know you want to.

Let's rumble!

IWSG: Fantasy Cliches

As I am plotting a new fantasy novel, I keep worrying that I'm not telling anything new. Now, I know that there's nothing new under the sun, but even if the story is familiar, I still want to tell it differently than how it's been told before.

This got me thinking about cliches, and which ones I'd like to avoid. Some cliches are okay--beloved, even--but others I could do without. Here's a list of a few:

• The orphaned hero -- Sometimes the parents should be alive, darn it! The orphaned hero does make the reader feel sorry for the character, I suppose. (examples: Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Spiderman)
• Talking animals -- I can live with this one, though I don't know if I'd use it myself. (examples: Smaug, Charlotte, Aslan)
• The chosen one -- I get tired of prophecy telling people what to do. I want the character to choose to be awesome, not have it chosen for him/her! (examples: Harry Potter, Rand al'Thor, Shea Ohmsford)
• The villain who's evil for evil's sake -- Give them some good back story, I say! (examples of great villains: Voldemort, Zuko, Saruman)
• The wise, bearded wizard -- I like this one, but it is used a lot. (examples: Gandalf, Dumbledore, Merlin)
• Enchanted swords -- Ah, the good old sword that can save the world... (examples: The Sword of Shannara, The Sword of Truth, The Blue Sword)
• Good vs. Evil -- Sometimes it's not all black and white.
• Alternate worlds -- There has to be a really interesting spin on it for me to read another story about a kid falling into another dimension. (examples: Narnia, Wrinkle in Time, The Sword Bearer)
• Ugly evil faction -- Evil can be pretty, you know! (examples: orcs, trolls, Voldemort's minions...)
• The large, often fuzzy, friend -- Okay, who doesn't like this one? (examples: Hagrid, Chewbacca, Fezzik)

Which cliches peeve you in fantasy fiction? Which ones are you okay with?

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event!

IWSG: Motivation

Lately, I've been really frustrated with the books I've been reading. I find myself getting bored halfway through (often sooner), and starting to skim, sometimes giving up completely.

I've been trying to figure out what it is about the stories I didn't like. Bad writing? Boring plot? No and no.

I think I finally figured it out. It's character motivation--or, rather, a lack of it. The latest book I read had an interest plot, wonderful world building and a variety of unique characters, but it fell flat because the heroine didn't desire anything; she was just along for the ride. She had a stubborn personality, did some daring things, and was very likeable, but she didn't want anything. Nobody's that altruistic!

As an example of how to do it right, take Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed and Al are totally driven to get their bodies back. Plenty of other things happen to them, but that is the force behind the story, and you keep watching episode after episode because you want them to succeed too. (And, of course, this is combined with fantastic world building, loveable characters, and fascinating plot.)

I also think of the Hunger Games, where Katniss's driving force is her love for her sister and her desire to keep her safe. Or Lord of the Rings, where Frodo must destroy the ring to save the Shire.

This is the kind of motivation that I want my characters to have, and what I've been working on in my WIP; the kind that keeps people reading and that keeps my characters going.

What are your characters motivated by?
 

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event!

End of NaNo and U Got the Look

Well, it is the end of NaNoWriMo! Did I make it to 50,000? No. Did I make it to my goal of 30,000? Yes! And that is 30,000 more words than I would have had if I hadn't participated, so woohoo! To all you NaNo-ers, give yourself a pat on the back for getting down words this month, whether or not you "won," and take a break.

I've been tagged for the U Got the Look meme by Tyrean, where you hunt down the word "look" in your WIP and post the surrounding paragraphs, so here is a piece of my NaNo project:

He had to hold on for ten seconds. She heard pounding footsteps approaching from the corridor behind her, but ignored them

1… 2… 3… 4…

The cylinder ripped away from the wall and Taren flew towards the opening as if in slow motion, still gripping the piece of metal in his arms as though it could save him.

No. This couldn’t happen.

She locked eyes with him, realizing this would be the last time she would look at him alive, and something changed in her. It was as though a switch had turned on in her head, unlocking a power she never knew she had.

I will pass on the meme to Annalisa Crawford, Alex Brown, and Ellie Garratt because I know you ladies participated in and won NaNo, so feel free to share a snippet with us too!

Have a great weekend, you awesome people, you.

NaNoWriMo Update

You know how no matter how nicely you put away those earbud headphones, they still end up completely tangled the next time you take them out? (I blame that on what I call headphone gremlins. Nasty, mischievous creatures.) Well my novel feels like a huge box of hundreds of tangled up headphones. It is messy. It is out of order. It is a messy, out of order, tangled jumble of character development and storyline.

All right, maybe it's not THAT bad. But I am a neat freak and so it is bugging me! But NaNoWriMo is all about pumping out that first draft without worrying about going back to edit, so as much as I want to, I am trying not to look back.

On the upside, since I started late to NaNo, I made a 30,000 word goal for myself, and I am at 26,000 words now, so I've upped my goal to 40,000 by the end of the month. Hurray for getting words down on the page!

How is your NaNo project coming? Fighting off the temptation of going back to edit and organize too? One week of madness left to go!

November Craziness and I'm Thankful for My Readers

I signed up for NaNoWriMo, which may have been a crazy plan because guess how many words I have written? 0 out of 50,000. That is right. I'm afraid to sign in to my profile on the website to see how many words my fantastic blogging buddies have gotten down already.

The reason I haven't written anything is because the beginning of the month was crazy. I moved out of my old apartment and moved in to a new one. I've been going to job interviews, and this weekend I worked 11 hour days at a comic convention. Soooo... do I just give up because it's day 5 already? Heck, no. I am going to start working on it today. I may have to lower my 50,000 word goal to something more manageable, like 30,000, but that's okay.

So if I disappear for most of November from my blog and yours, this November craziness is why, and I apologize for my absence.

How are you NaNoWriMo participants doing? Feel free to gloat about your high word count--I don't mind :) Getting those words down is exciting.

And now... the I’m Thankful for my Readers Blog Hop, hosted by Tara and VikLit.

I've always been thankful for my dad, who has encouraged me in my writing, helped me think through plots, and read first drafts (telling me they were all awesome even if they were crap, of course. haha).

I am thankful for my new CP VikLit! It is great to be kept accountable and have someone encourage me to keep at it!

I am thankful for you blog readers and blogging buddies, who have given amazing support whenever I have posted any of my writing (I haven't posted much, but what I have has been well received).

Thanks all! Enjoy this crazy month.

The Next Big Thing

Well I've been tagged for this blog meme three times by the lovely Mina Burrows, Jamie Ayres, and Shell Flower, so I figure I better do this post!

1. What is the title of your book?
The working title is Shifter, but I don't really like it so I think it will change by the end.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
It all started after my brother and I had just finished watching one of the Star Wars movies, and I asked him what colour lightsaber he would choose if he was a Jedi. That's right. Oh, you want the rest of the story? Well there really isn't much to tell... that sparked the conversation that eventually developed into the idea for this novel. We both liked the idea of a brother and sister who had telekinetic powers learning to use them at a training facility. And no, it is not a Star Wars novel.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
YA Sci-Fi.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
The characters are young, since it is YA, and I am not a fan of most of the well known young actors out there. It would also be tricky because the main characters are twins so they have to look somewhat similar. I'm thinking maybe some unknowns. A couple younger actors I do really like are Ellen Page (Inception, X3) and Molly Quinn (Castle). Can't think of any boys. For older actors, I think Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings), Jeremy Renner (The Avengers), Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter), Helen Bonham Carter (Harry Potter) and Charlize Theron (The Italian Job) should be in it. Wow, that is an interesting cast now that I look at that list. lol.

5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
After a terrifying accident, 15-year-old Anasta Dreav discovers she can move things with her mind and, along with her brother, starts training to join the ranks of elite military operatives called Shifters.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I would like to go the traditional publishing route.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
One month. I did it for NaNoWriMo last year, and am completely rewriting it for NaNoWriMo this year!

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I haven't read a lot of YA sci-fi. In fact, I don't know if I've read any. I guess I'd compare it to Divergent by Veronica Roth or A Coming of Age by Timothy Zahn (which I've only just started reading so I'm not sure if it is a good comparison, but they is about kids and telekinesis).

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Jesus, Star Wars, my dad, my brother, and lots of other people and things.

10. What else about your book might pique readers' interest?
Well it's about a galactic war, two kids trying to make a difference after their mother has been captured, a secret training program for kids with telekinetic powers, telekinetic children with grudges, an AI with personality to boot... what's not to like? In my plotting class I was asked to pick out my themes from the plot, and I discovered I was writing about "Good vs. Evil," "Family Bonds," "Love Requires Sacrifice," and "Not letting yourself be defined by others" among other things.

This blog meme has been around the block, and I feel like all my writing blogger buddies have participated already, but if you haven't, by all means do so and let me know in the comments!

Relationship Arcs

As some of you know, I've been taking a course on plotting for pantsers by paranormal romance author Suzanne Johnson. I don't write paranormal romance, but the lessons are just as applicable to sci-fi and fantasy! She is taking us through several lessons a week which are helping me develop my basic plot ideas and characters. I am learning tons, but even if I wasn't, the course is keeping me accountable and making me actually get the work done.

One of the most interesting techniques she uses when plotting is planning relationship arcs. I've never thought of doing this before, but it makes perfect sense and is so helpful in defining the plot. What you do is take your main characters and match them up with every other character in the book and define their relationship at the beginning of the book and how it changes at the end (if it does change). You can also define the relationships between your supporting characters (the important ones, anyway), and this really helps to lay the groundwork for your novel.

It is a lot of list making, but I am already seeing the plot of my novel unfold as I work on this.

Have you plotters out there ever thought of doing this? What are some of your techniques?

If you are interested in reading more about Suzanne's plotting method, you can check out her explanation of it here.

Pantser or Plotter?

I mentioned I was a pantser working on becoming a plotter to some of my friends when they questioned how my writing was going, and they laughed in confusion and asked what that meant. I guess that is writing terminology at its finest!

I find being a pantser is a lot of work. I have to write, then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. This is okay for short stories, but I wrote a draft of the novel I'm working on and it is a mess. So I want to try writing a detailed outline and then rewriting it. A lot of writers love being pantsers and that is just what works for them, and that may be the case for me too, but I'm going to give this a shot.

I am actually participating in a neat online class this month with paranormal author Suzanne Johnson where she shares her method of plotting. I am sure I will learn a ton, though even if I don't, it will still get me working on that outline, which is great! The unfortunate truth is that sometimes I need accountability to get anything done.

What about you? Are you a pantser or a plotter?

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event!

Why I Like Scrivener

Dear fellow writers, when I got this writing program it just made writing easier. Suddenly, I wanted to write more often. I wasn't having as many problems concentrating as before. My head was constantly in the clouds of imagination and creation, and I got so much done.

Hahaha. I can't even type that with a straight face.

No, Scrivener will not magically help you to write more or increase your desire to write. But it is a really handy program, and I will tell you why I now use it instead of Word for my works in progress.

One of the things I found annoying using Word was that I had to have separate files for my manuscript and research, so I didn't have to keep scrolling up and up and up to find my character information or my page of place names. Also, when the document gets long, it is hard to find a particular spot that you are looking for because, again, you have to scroll through many pages.

In Scrivener, you can divide your work into sections; I like to divide them into chapters. You can also have separate pages for your research and open the document in a split-screen view so you can see the chapter you are working on AND your research pages. Everything is handily located at a menu to your left for easy access. And don't worry, when you are done, Scrivener will compile all your chapters into one document.

One of my other favourite features is you can take a snapshot of a section that you want to rewrite, and then it will always be there in the file after you have made changes if you ever want to go back and look at the original version. Nothing is lost.

There are a ton of other cool things you can do with this program, from tagging sections to tell you whose point of view they are from, to marking the status as complete or in progress, to adding summaries to sections to keep yourself organized.

No, it will not make you a better writer, but it is extremely handy at keeping you organized. You can get it here or download a trial version if you want to check it out. The tutorial is helpful in learning everything it can do.

What do you use to write? A different writing program? Word? Plain old pencil and paper?

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event!

Rejection

Have you ever submitted a piece of writing somewhere that you knew was not your best, because then if it gets rejected, you can say "Well, that's okay. It wasn't my best work"? I have done this before. I don't feel so bad about those rejections, because I wasn't writing in the genre I love, or I didn't take the time to make the piece really shine. If I had sent them my best work, they would, of course, have been blown away.

And behind that reasoning is the fear that if I did ever send my best work away, it would be rejected too, and then I might really feel bad about myself because I don't have any excuses to hide behind.

How do I get over this insecurity? I'm not sure, but I send my best writing out despite that feeling because I know my polished writing is good and someone, somewhere is going to enjoy the stories that come from my crazy imagination.

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event!

Books on Writing

There are two types of writers who read books on writing: people who want to improve their work, and people who are procrastinating and want to do something, anything, associated with writing to make themselves feel better. I have read books on writing for both these reasons, and my advice is this: do not be the second type of person. Read books to improve your writing, to inspire you to write, to learn how professional authors write, but not in place of the act of writing. That being said, here is a list of five wonderful books that have inspired me and helped me to become a better writer.



On Writing by Stephen King

I am not a fan of Stephen King (I don't mean I dislike his writing; I mean I have never read any fiction by him), but this book is a fabulous compendium of writerly wisdom, tips, and life stories from an experienced author. Every writer I know who has read this book has loved it.







Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Lamott has a refreshing way of encouraging writers through her stories and humour. I especially appreciate her advice on "Shitty First Drafts," and now I don't feel guilty when my writing sucks at first. It is nice to know professional authors have these problems too.

 The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Don't argue, just read this book if you haven't already. At about 100 pages, it is short and won't take you long. You won't regret it. This is a handy resource that I keep on my desk at all times as it concisely describes the elementary rules of usage, composition, and form that every writer should know.

Fiction Writer's Workshop by Joseph Novakovich

This is an excellent guide for writing fiction that includes advice on setting, character, plot, point of view, dialogue, voice, revision, and more. It also has exercises at the end of each chapter to help you practice the techniques discussed.







Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks

I like this one simply because Terry Brooks is my favourite author, so I am interested in learning more about him and how he writes. He tells about the lessons he learned with specific references to books he's written, and highlights the importance of outlining, showing instead of telling, and developing believable characters.






This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event! 

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There is also still time to enter my giveaway to win a book by Terry Brooks! Enter by commenting on the post below.

Cherie Reich's Flash Fiction Blogfest Entry

I discovered Cherie Reich's blogfest the other day and decided to join in! I have an awful time keeping my stories short (they usually turn into novels), so this was a challenge for me. But it was a great way to get me writing again when I wasn't feeling like it. The rules are to write a story below 300 words and begin with the clause "lightning flashed." So for your inspection and hopefully reading pleasure, I give you "Soul Stealer."

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Lightning flashed, missing me by a mere two inches. I jumped as it lit up the dark, empty street. Who knew sorceresses had such hot tempers?

Her long hair blew in the wind and her green eyes sparked with anger. Literally.

"Give it back, little man," she hissed, advancing on me. Her voice might have been nice if it hadn't been coated with ice and rage.

She was suddenly right in front of me, gripping my throat and cutting off my air supply.

"I... I sold it," I managed to choke out in shock. She let go and I crumpled to the ground, gasping. I dealt with magic-users all the time, but usually not when they were awake. It was easier to steal their memories when they were asleep.

"To whom?"

Despite the fact that I might be fried for this woman's early breakfast in a minute, I was overcome by curiosity.

"Why do you want it back?" Memories were powerful magic, especially the ones from sorceresses and warlocks. I stole them and sold them to magic vendors in the black market. But I only took bad memories. I figured I was doing everyone a favour.

Her stare sent a chill through me and I fought the urge to scramble backwards on the hard cobblestone street. I gave her the name of the vendor. I thought she might strike me down then and there, but her expression softened.

"Memories are part of who we are, even the bad ones," she said. "You stole part of my soul, and I want it back." She turned and walked down the street in the direction of the black market, no doubt to recover the haunting memory I had stolen from her.

And as rain began to fall, I felt regret.

Write What You Love

Wanting to please people too much is an annoying trait I often find in myself. When I am working on a novel or a story, sometimes I wonder if it would please so-and-so, or if so-and-so would approve. Here I am, writing an action-adventure story; it's not deep enough; there's a little violence; it's for a younger audience so my older friends would find it too juvenile. So-and-so would surely disprove of this. Maybe I shouldn't write it. Maybe I should write something else that would please everyone better.

These are terrible, terrible thoughts. And if you find yourself thinking them, stop! My reasoning is this: I will never be able to please everybody. Even fantastic books like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter get bad reviews. Also, if I don't write what I love--the story that is taking up space in my brain and demanding to be let out--I am not telling the best story that I can. Readers will notice that I am not in love with my story; they're pretty clever, those readers.

I recently read an article by C.J. Henderson, in which he wrote: "Many a great idea has died without ever seeing the sun because fear stopped its heart from ever beating. If you want to write vampire adventure romantic comedies that take place within a Buddhist monastery, then do it. Either your unique perspective will create the very thing the world has been waiting for... or at least you'll get the damn lunatic notion out of your system once and for all. Either way it will be good for you as a writer" (The Bulletin of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, "Are You to Embarrassed To Be a Professional Author?" p. 6).

These words are great advice, I think. I still struggle with this, but I am working on writing what I love no matter what others might think (and, anyway, the problem is actually more what I think others might think, not even what they actually think. Sheesh. Sometimes I think we writers torture ourselves for no good reason).

Do you struggle with wanting to please people? Got words of wisdom for those who do?

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event!

The Lucky Meme Award

So my blog is experiencing a lot of love these days! This is my third award this month. Thank you so much, awesome people. Thanks for tagging me, Tyrean! If this keeps up, I may have to stop accepting them for the sake of keeping my regular blog posts up, but this one is a lot of fun, so I'm going to participate. I'm not going to tag anyone else though, cause I know these things are spreading like wildfire.

For this award, I am to go to page 77 of my current MS, go to line 7, copy down the next 7 sentences or paragraphs and post them as they're written. No cheating. Here goes:

From page 77 of Black Star:

            Taren went over to the console to check. It was dead. He pulled the power cells out of the panel below, to find them shattered from the impact. He pulled his helmet back on and accessed the comm channel. “Black Star, do you read? Black Star, come in.” There was nothing but static on the other end.

            “Maybe they’ll send a rescue,” Marcus suggested, hope glinting in his eyes.

            “Maybe,” Taren said, pulling off his helmet. “But maybe whoever sabotaged the ship thought of that, and took measures to prevent it.”

            Marcus shoved him against the hull, and Taren was too surprised at the move to avoid being slammed against the metal with Marcus’s hand pressed against his windpipe. His leg hit the bench, sending the message of pain to his brain.

            “I don’t want to die here, Dreav,” Marcus breathed.

            “You’re not… gonna die,” Taren gasped out. “But you might… wanna let up if… you want… my help getting back.”

            Marcus released his grip and Taren slumped down to the bench.

I haven't done any revisions on this first draft yet, so I am cringing at leaving some of these lines as they are. Oh well, "no cheating" it is.

Writer's Block

What does one do when wanting an excuse for not writing today? One goes to Calvin for advice.

 

I've been having a bit of a dry spell with my writing, what with being busy, sick, and just not feeling like it. But I've started plotting a new novel, and am excited to get back into it. Hopefully won't be needing Calvin's invention for much longer. So that is my advice to you and myself, short and sweet--take the writer's block off your desk and get to it, even if it is only a few hundred words a week!

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check the link for some of the other blogs participating in this event! 

My Origins Story

When I was little, I loved being read to. My parents read me all kinds of tales, from beginning readers to fairy tales to nursery rhymes. One day, when I was three or four, I decided I would write a story of my own! (And when I say "my own," I meant I decided to re-tell one of my favourite stories.) I took one of the little square pieces of paper from the pad by the phone, and laboriously wrote down what I remembered of the tale, titling the story "The Frog Prince."

When I was done, filled with satisfaction at the product of my hard work, I ran to my mom to proudly show her the first story I had ever written. You can imagine my mortification when she took the piece of paper and her smile turned into a frown of anger and surprise.

"Allison! Where did you learn that word?" she asked me.

I leaned forward, tears coming to my eyes. What had I done wrong?

"What wowd, Mommy?"

"That one!" She pointed at the title.

"It's 'The Fog Pince,' Mummy, you know... the stowy whewre the fog tuwrns into a pince!"

"Ohh. I see." And she smiled with relief, told me what a good job I had done, and proceeded to ask me what exactly the story said and wrote out a translation of it before we put it away.

I found this story in a box of old things a few years ago, and laughed at the horrible spelling. I would have had no idea what any of it said if my mom hadn't included her translation with it. The title read, "Te Fog Pis." She had thought I had learned a "bad word," and that's why she had been angry at first.

So there you have it, the origins of my writing story; misunderstood right from the start!


This post is part of the Origins Blogfest, hosted by DL (Crusing Altitude 2.0), Katie (Creepy Query Girl), Matthew (Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment), and Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click on the link to check out the others participating and read how their writing dreams got started!

Making Time

These days I am swamped with school, a job, and life. I'm finding it hard to make the time to write every week (notice my wording here--I did not say I don't have time, because I do. It's just a matter of using it wisely). At the end of the day, I just want to kick back and do something brainless; I often don't feel like struggling with the holes in my plot or managing the development of my characters. To be a successful writer you have to write constantly--not just when inspiration hits. This I know. So how do I kick start my brain into gear?

I know I'm not the only one who's busy--in fact, I'm sure all of you are. So what do you do to keep yourself writing every week? Tips? Tricks? Suggestions? Struggling with this yourself? Do share.

This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Check out some of the other blogs below participating in this event!