The Hawking Index

post by Michelle Griep

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President

"Of course any reader ought to cultivate his or her taste so that good books will appeal to it, and that trash won’t. But after this point has once been reached, the needs of each reader must be met in a fashion that will appeal to those needs. Personally the books by which I have profited infinitely more than by any others have been those in which profit was a by-product of the pleasure; that is, I read them because I enjoyed them, because I liked reading them, and the profit came in as part of the enjoyment."

~ Teddy Roosevelt

I don't agree with ol' Ted on a lot of things, but on this we are one . . . life's too short to read boring books. Here's your official permission slip to stop reading a book if you're not sucked into it by chapter 3:

Sure, go ahead. Print a few out. You never know when you'll need them. But if you still feel guilty, like you're the only loser in the world who's daring to quit reading a story before The End, never fear. Have I found a study for you . . .

The Hawking Index measures how much of a book readers actually read. It was created by Jordan Ellenberg, a mathematician (go figure). It's not a scientific measurement, being that it only looks at Amazon Kindle books, but it is kind of fun. And it also let's you know you're not the only one who's skipping out on a snoozer of a tale.

Just make sure you're not skipping out on one of my books.

Happy 2016

It's a new year. Be awesome. Wear a helmet. And don't forget to call your mom. Or your therapist. Whatever.

Why Writers Write

"Writing provides a pocket of time in the present moment to reflect, digest, and to think deeply."

~ Meredith Maran

Yesterday's post established that writers gotta write. Today we'll tackle the why. For the sweet love of all that's holy, why would a person sit alone in a room, pounding out story after story without the guarantee that any of it will ever be published, admired, or even that the dang computer won't crash and all will be lost? What drives a writer to write?

The reasons are as varied as the writers themselves. Here are a what a few big names have to say about why they write . . . 

Neil Gaiman

" . . . you get to feel like both the creator and the audience. Everything is suddenly both obvious and surprising… and it’s magic and wonderful and strange.”

Lord Byron

“If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad,” he once confessed.

Stephen King

Says that in the end all writing is about “enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”

Gloria Steinem

“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

He didn't write because he wanted to say something; he wrote because he had something to say.

So those are the big names. What about the nobodies, the wannabes, the little fish in the big writerly pond? The website Author's Promoter recently did a survey with 100 authors and here is the breakdown:

       30%  To educate, influence and help others

       15%  As a way to express themselves

       13%  Because they have to

       10%  Because it's therapeutic and pleasurable

       8%    Because of their imagination

And then there's a bunch of other assorted reasons that came in at lesser percentages. Again, this shows that there's no one reason why a writer writes. That's horrible news for someone who wants to know THE absolute answer, because there isn't one.

But it's also great news for the varied writers out there who write for myriad reasons, to let them know they're not alone in having a unique reason to write.

So rest assured, little writers. Your drive to write appears to be an inborn desire, like your love for chocolate or hatred of rutabagas. You are completely normal. You are a writer.

Hope on a Monday

We can choose to define ourselves (our smarts, our brand, our character) on who rejects us.

Or we can choose to focus on those that care enough to think we matter.

 ~ Seth Godin

Things are not giggles and laughs in the Christian book market lately. In fact, literary agent Chip MacGregor says, "CBA fiction is in a world of hurt." 

That means sales numbers are down across the board.

That means publishers are skittish.

That means if you're a new author, or an author with less than stellar sales numbers, you're probably going to get rejected.

And you know what that means? That's right -- increased profits for Ben & Jerry's.

But here's what it doesn't mean . . . that you and your writing don't matter. You do. It does. Miriam Webster Dictionary defines "author" as: a person who has written something; a person who has written a book or who writes many books. Notice there's no mention of contracts or publishing. 

Do not let rejection define who you are;

let it refine you.

Remember that next time you're tempted to give in to despair because someone's shot down you or your dreams.

Success Redefined

Instant success. Everyone wants it, whether they admit it out loud or not. Most people would even settle for near-future success, as long as they knew it would be attainable sooner rather than later. But success after decades? Or maybe not until just before you take your last breath? Yeah. That's not so popular.

But honestly, that's the way it sometimes is with writing. Unless you're one of the lucky few, born when all the stars were in perfect alignment, then success is going to be a long, slow, slog, taking all the stamina you think you've got. And more. Sounds kind of depressing, eh? Right again, buckaroo.

Unless you redefine success.

Who says a yearly book contract with one of the big five is the measuring stick of victory?

Why is a certain dollar amount the validation of being a "real" author?

Not that those are bad things. Shoot, I'd snatch 'em up in a heartbeat. And I acknowledge that even with those things, it's still a ton of hard work to write a novel.

But maybe the real successful writers are those who pound out words every day, with no guarantee of a buyer for their story by the time they type The End. Those are the brave souls writing because of an inner drive. Those are the writers I want to cheer for.

“If we had to say what writing is, 

we would have to define it essentially as an act of courage.” 

~ Cynthia Ozick

Habits Aren't Always Bad

"To overcome an irrational fear
replace it with a habit."
~ Seth Godin

Scared to let someone critique your manuscript?
Don't give them the whole thing. Just a paragraph. Just one. After you live through that experience, move on to a page, then a chapter, and pretty soon handing over your book baby won't terrify the bejeebers out of you.

Afraid to pitch a manuscript to an agent or editor?
First practice pitching to your dog. Helpful hint: make him sit and stay first. A pocketful of cut up wieners helps, too. Then pitch it to a friend. You probably won't need as many wieners this go around and the sit/stay is a bad idea.

Terrified to type "The End?"
No, this isn't a stupid, made-up fear. I always get sweaty armpits ending a story (sorry for the visual) because I wonder if I tied up all the loose ends, or if my characters completed a satisfying arc, or if the plot is even feasible. The habit cure for this is to type The End at the end of every chapter, causing you to suffer through mini-sweat scares. It will also make you analyze each chapter so that by the time you really do type El Finito, there won't be any plot holes or wimpy characters.

The list of things writers fear is endless, really. The point here is to:
face the fear by beating it down to size through the action of taking baby steps toward it.

And here's a little bonus for you . . . this isn't only for writing related fears. This sage advice works for any anxieties in your life.

Brainstorm in Moderation

"My feeling is that as far as creativity is concerned, isolation is required. The creative person is, in any case, continually working at it. His mind is shuffling his information at all times, even when he is not conscious of it . . . t

he presence of others can only inhibit this process, since creation is embarrassing. For every new good idea you have, there are a hundred, ten thousand foolish ones, which you naturally do not care to display."

~ Isaac Asimov

Writing is neither a team nor a contact sport. Well, unless you count smacking your head repeatedly against a computer screen when you get stuck. My point is that the grueling, day to day act of pounding out words to complete a novel is necessarily a singular activity. Yeah, I know. That's kind of a given. 

So, how does brainstorming fit into this equation? Usually at the beginning of the novel writing process.

First, a writer comes up with their own idea for a story. Maybe a character they've been noodling. Or a theme they want to explore. Something that the writer is passionate about. These are all story seeds, and it's the seeds that are brought to the brainstorming table to sort through.

When you've got some ideas to discuss, then you call your brainstorming buddies. Note: this isn't an entire tribe of yes-men to hold your hand and sing Kumbaya. This is two, maybe three writerly friends who you feel comfortable with sharing your seeds. They'll tell you what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly about your ideas, and then add their own. This is where you work out the general idea of a story, discussing it until you feel like you can take the ball and run with it.

Then you do. You run away. You write. Alone. If the story bunches up some in the middle, then another, smaller brainstorming session can be held. Otherwise, it's you and the words. The danger for writers, especially newbies, is to groupthink novels to death. 

The Dangers of Too Much Brainstorming

• It sucks the voice right out of you. 
• It stretches the story into awkward shapes that don't belong to the writer but to the collective. 
• It takes away risk, turning the words to a grey meh.
• The pressure to conform increases anxiety in the writer.
• The presence of others can even stifle creativity.

So go ahead and toss your ideas around with writerly buddies, but just like everything else in life, partake of this pastime in moderation. 

Don't Be a Failure at Failing

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure 

with no loss of enthusiasm."

~ Winston Churchill

When I was a kid, I used to love doing connect-the-dot puzzles . . . except for when I failed and the picture ended up looking more like my knotted shoelaces than a cute puppy playing with a ball. No worries, though. I'd simply rip out the page and pretend that picture never existed, then go on to mess up the next page. It made for a pretty tattered book by the time I finished, but I loved every minute of it.

I haven't sat down with a puzzle like that in decades, but I don't need to. Life is a series of connect-the-dots, which is sometimes hard because the stupid little dots don't have numbers by them. As a result, failure is easy, especially for a writer. There are a bajillion different ways writers face defeat:

- a plot wrinkle that won't iron out

- a character arc falls flat

- you can't land an agent, editor, contract

- one-star reviews

- a self-esteem the size of a sesame seed

But whether you're a writer, a mom, a business exec, or a llama farmer in Wyoming, failure isn't a matter of if. It's when. You will fail and you will fail hard. It's part of the human condition. The question is how will you handle it when you fail? Decide now. Go ahead. Take a minute if you need to. I'll still be here.

It's an emotional thing to not succeed at something that's important to you, but I propose that the emotion doesn't have to be despair. Flip that coin over to determination. Eventually you'll figure out what works and what doesn't, and the payoff will be fantastic: deep satisfaction.

Success . . . What's Your Definition?

"If financial success becomes the standard by which to determine if you are successful or not, you are likely setting yourself up to feel disappointed in yourself and your work. It’s not fair to your craft, to put this kind of pressure on it. Get a job on the side to pay the bills, and learn how to live an inexpensive, frugal life."

~ Elizabeth Gilbert

Define success. Go ahead. I'll give you a minute. 

What? You need more time than that? Of course you do, because success is harder to pin down than simply slapping a dollar sign in front of a number and then running headlong toward that amount. There are other things to take into consideration when defining if you're successful at any given task, things such as:

• contentment
• joy
• contribution to society
• knowing you're doing what God wants you to
• putting a smile on someone's face

So go ahead and define what success means to you, but keep in mind that bank accounts, sales numbers, or the sound of coins jingling in your pocket are poor measurements. 

Be Yourself . . . Unless You Can Be A Unicorn ~ Then Be That

"Don't worry about being original. Originality is overrated. The one thing that's unique about your story is that you're the one writing it. Your voice is the original thing."

~ Chuck Wendig

Overthinking ought to be a felony. Wait a minute. Scratch that. We've got way too many laws on the books as is. 

My point is that wasting energy on your WIP -- be it a novel, blog entry, or letter to Aunt Gertrude -- by wondering if it's "good enough" or "fresh enough"  or "original enough" is exactly that . . . a waste.

Life's too short to fret over things we can't change. What's that? You think you can change your writing? Sure, writing can always be tweaked. You can grow as a writer, but -- step a little closer and listen up -- not if you're too busy fretting about your writing. 

Whatever it is you need to write today, just be real. Write like you speak, as if you're saying the words out loud. There's only one you. Unless you're a clone . . . and I'm pretty sure that is against the law.

Discernment: It's a Grown-Up Thing

"When you’re just starting out, you’re at the bottom of everything going on. When you’re at the bottom you need every opportunity you can to climb higher. Each opportunity opens new doors, builds your experiences, and can help create new connections. But as you grow in your career, you need to instead focus on producing quality work. More opportunities later in your career can hinder, rather than improve, your ability to do focused work."           ~ Liz Danzico

No matter what it is you're pursuing, it's tough to figure out where you're at on the spectrum of experience. Oh, it's easy enough to pinpoint when you're a newbie rookie, but when exactly does one cross over into semi-professionalism? Is it a dollar amount? A certain number of books published? Getting asked to speak or being sought after for endorsements? Or is it something more nebulous like a confident state of mind? 

Yes, yes, and yepper. All those ingredients go into creating a professional writer. Taking on different writing challenges helps you gain experience. Case in point: I started out writing poetry and devotionals, moved into time travel, and settled in historical, though I've taken breaks to pen a contemporary mystery and some non-fiction. Trying various formats is fun and stretching, making growth as a writer almost a given, but at some point, it's time to buckle down and focus/achieve in one particular area. 

The most difficult thing about being a writer is learning when to stop saying yes and start saying no. Tweet That.

It's hard to turn down offers. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the good for the best, and that goes for all of life, not just writing.

Why Are Writers Strange?

"Writers have always been weird."
~ Jeff Goins

Last night, I finally got around to seeing the movie Saving Mr. Banks. A short synopsis is that it's the story behind the anguished author of Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers. Great movie. Freak of an author. Which raises the question: why are writers so weird? What is it that causes such eccentricities?

I think it's a mixed cocktail of imagination and a set of filters that are a grade too wide. Creative types sometimes say exactly what they're thinking, and often that's way different than what others are thinking. But again, that begs the question why?

Scientific Answer:

According to neuroscientist Nancy C. Andreasen, creative people are open to new experiences, have a high level of tolerance for ambiguity, and their approach to life enables them to perceive things in a fresh and novel way. This is opposed to the average Joe Schmoe who generally "quickly responds to situations based on what they have been told by people in authority, while creatives live in a more fluid and nebulous world."

Psychologically, writers often live in two worlds: the real one and the other that is a repository for their creative ides. Being able to escape reality--which yes, could be construed as psychotic--is actually an advantageous necessity.

My Answer:

Writers are freaks.

Separating Self-Worth From Words

“When something you make doesn’t work, it didn’t work, not you. You, you work. You keep trying.” 

~ Zach Klein

I'm always entertained when a newbie writer comes along all bouncy and starry-eyed, expecting their first draft of a story to outsell Harry Potter. I was that newbie writer. Every writer was at one point in time.

Then rejection comes along like a sharp pin bursting a balloon and everything falls apart. Your self-esteem falls to the ground in little pieces. You're sure everyone hates you. Life isn't worth living anymore. You should probably go eat worms.  

There's a certain amount of failure involved in the writing game, but just because you fail doesn't mean you're a failure. A writer who doesn't land a book deal is still a writer. It simply means the methods you're employing aren't working and perhaps you ought to change them.

Authors stick with it. They write no matter what, whether their writing sells or doesn't sell. Lack of publication, fame and fortune, great reviews or awards does not stop a writer from writing because ultimately that's not what writing is about. Oh, it stings a bit when rejection or lack of success slaps you across the face, but real writers don't link their self-worth with the words they crank out on paper.

Perseverance is the hallmark of a writer.

How To Write A Killer Story

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“Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.”

~ Kurt Vonnegut

Marketing. Platform. Publishing. Grr. Grr. Triple grr. And that's not just my stomach making noise from the half-tub of Trader Joe's hummus I ate for lunch (seriously... have you had the triple layer?).

These three biggies -- not the hummus -- are important ingredients in a writer's life, but when you put your focus on them, they turn into giant, sucking leeches that drain the joy from putting words on paper.

I hate that.

Sometimes the push to get published is merely a status symbol. . . Oh, I've got fifty-three books under Harper Collins and seventy-two more contracted by Simon & Schuster. What's that? You're self-published? HAHAHA! What a loser!

But really, do most garden-variety readers care what the imprint is on the title page? Not as long as the story is a killer. And that, my friends, is what writers should really focus on. No, really. Not kidding. So, how does one go about that?

3 Tips For Writing A Killer Story

1. Give the reader a character to root for.
Everyone loves an underdog, except for maybe Hitler. Not sure on that one. The thing is that everyone wants to be a winner, even vicariously through fiction. Or maybe especially vicariously through fiction. It's a lot less risky than real life.

2. Never, ever, stop the action.
Every sentence counts. You don't want readers skimming. Each sentence must either reveal a character aspect or advance the action.

3. Life is pain, princess.
No matter how much you or your readers love your characters, bad things must happen to them throughout the story, otherwise it's not much of a story, hmm? Not that the focus must be on doom and gloom, but when awful circumstances arise in the life of a character (or human, for that matter), it's a window to the soul of that person, revealing what's inside of them.

The Key to Great Art

"Finding the humility to happily walk away from those that don't get it (your art, whatever that may be) unlocks our ability to do great work."

~ Seth Godin

Currently, like a few thousand other writers, I'm considering walking away from traditional publishers who just "don't get" my writing. One problem, though. It frightens the bejeebers out of me to even think about self-pubbing. Why? 

Because walking away from tradition is pee-your-pants scary, no matter the profession. 

Risk is like jumping out of an airplane. Will the parachute open and you'll make a safe landing? Or will you plummet to your death in a messy splat of human juice? I suppose you'll never know unless you step out the door.

Take an inventory of your own life. Is there a risk you're avoiding?

Close Enough for Government Work

"Artists who seek perfection in everything

are those who cannot attain it

in anything."

~ Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)

Want to know the secret formula to writing a book? It's pretty simple, really, and hopefully Nike won't be all up in my business for using these 3 words in a row... Just do it. Sit down and write the dang story, then cut the umbilical cord and send your baby out into the world.

It's not about perfection. Are babies perfect when they first come out? The mother always thinks so but seriously? With all that cottage cheesey stuff in the cracks and a red, squished up face?

The thing is, you'll never write the perfect book because--newsflash--you're not perfect. All you can do is use the tools in your writerly toolbox to craft the best piece of writing that you know how to pen.

If perfection is your goal, you'll never finish a manuscript, so wad up all your perfectionistic ideals and lob them into the garbage can.

Then get writing.

That Crazed Guinea Pig Feeling

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."

~ Mother Theresa

Other than blog posts and grocery lists, I've written jack squat since April. I know. Horrifying admission from a writer, eh? Sometimes life deals out a hand that has just too many cards to hold onto. Something's got to give, and for me, it was writing.

Life is still busy, but I'm ready to swing my leg up into the authorly saddle again. I need to. It's either kill off some characters or commit a felony. And jail time kind of mucks up the ol' schedule, know what I mean?

The tricky part is getting back into the story that I started. It had a lot of twisty plot turns and intricate characters. The thing is...it's kind of like trying to gather up a flipped over crate of guinea pigs who are all making a run for the border. I don't have a guinea pig net, they're not all headed for the same border, and oh, did I mention the handicap of wearing oven mitts just to make it more of a challenge? Yeah. I'm talking overwhelming.

But not impossible. Sometimes tough jobs require a little elbow grease and perseverance, but mostly perseverance. So here's a reminder for us all: Keep at it. Plug away. Eat that elephant one bite at a time.

Because you will fail if you don't try.

Are You a Liar?

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"All readers come to fiction as willing accomplices to your lies."

~ Steve Almond

Call it validation therapy or creative license or even perfidious prevaricating, if you like. But the fact is that if you're a fiction writer, your pants better be on fire. Lying is part of the game.

Yeah, that sounds a little harsh. We've been taught all our lives that lying is one of the Big Ten to be avoided. But before you go running off to light a few hundred repentance candles, allow me to expand this thought.

One of the definitions of the word fiction is:

Invention or fabrication as opposed to fact.

The thing is, when a reader picks up a piece of fiction, they know in the back of their mind that it's not true. There's no deception involved. Readers expect a story world of believable make-believe.

Next time someone asks you what you do, tell them you're a professional liar. It's a great icebreaker, worth the shockfactor in raised eyebrows alone, and fun to count how many times someone's comeback is, "Oh, so you're a lawyer?"

The Meh Factor

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Sometimes writing flows. More often it doesn't. Those are the 'Meh' days, when typing each word is a chore akin to washing dishes. What makes the difference?

Passion.

"Passion is the genesis of genius."
~ Tony Robbins

The surprising thing is, though, that you don't have to necessarily be passionate about your particular manuscript. You just need to have a strong feeling about something. Anything, really. Emotions are timeless and universal. They'll work in any genre and/or setting.

Words flow the fastest from my fingertips when I'm hyper-emotional, either negatively or positively. When strong feelings roil, the human psyche ignites, which usually results in a doggone fantastic word count for the day.

Now I'm not suggesting that if you're experiencing writer's block you go pick a fight to work up some passion. But it wouldn't hurt to whip out your laptop next time you're hyped. Even simply jotting down a few words about your feelings will be a kick-starter next time you get stuck.

Kick in the Pants

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Yeah, I admit it. I've been a slacker lately when it comes to writing. Even NANOWRIMO didn't give me the kick in the pants I was hoping for.

Do you have a project you'd really like to accomplish but just don't make the time for it? Sometimes it seems decadent to take time away from what needs to be done (like dishes or laundry) to pursue something you love. I mean, it's more noble to do something you don't like than to spend time doing what you enjoy...right?

Or is that how amateurs think? I came across a great quote this weekend that might do us all well to take to heart.

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration,

the rest of us just get up and go to work.

~ Stephen King

Yeah. That one hit me between the eyes, ranking right up there with Nike's Just Do It.

Perhaps I'll do something crafty with Stephen King's sage advice, like pulling out threads from a piece of burlap to form each individual letter, then frame it and hang it over my desk. I'm sure someone's already done this on Pinterest, so maybe I'll just pop over there first and take a looksie.

Hmm. Maybe not. I suspect that's where the amateurs hang out.