Judgment Day

Smack in the middle of life, I volunteered to be a judge for a writing contest. Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? Coerced is more like it...though I did manage to wheel and deal a few concessions in exchange for my time from said coercer.

So with a looming deadline (this weekend), I figured I should pull out these contest entries and start judging away. Wow. What a can of worms that opened emotionally. Who am I to judge? What if I scar these vulnerable little author-wannabes? Is it wrong to want to beat someone over the head with a grammar book?


I've entered exactly two writing contests in my life. Each time I was sure I'd win. I bundled off my baby and mailed it in, expecting some well-known, advanced and highly experienced author and/or editor would read my entry and be wowed. In the end, no one offered me a contract. I didn't win the contest. I was depressed. So bummed, that for a time, I set aside my writing.


I don't want to do that to some hopeful soul, but the writing in a few of the entries I'm currently reading is...well...let's just say my creative writing high school students have a better grasp of basic writing elements than a few of the contestants.

Now that I've been on both sides of the contest fence, I've got a few things to say.


Top 3 Nuggets of Advice For Those Entering A Writing Contest


1. Grow up first.
Don't enter too soon in your writing career. Newbie writers pretty much all make the same mistakes. Save yourself hours of weeping by learning what those bugaboos are and work them out of your system. 


2. Put on your big girl/boy pants before you get your results.
The feedback you'll receive from a time constrained judge isn't going to be fluffy and pretty, at least it shouldn't be. It should be honest. Before you enter a contest, self-evaluate your confidence level. Are you ready for criticism? Not that a judge should rake you over the literary coals, but if they're trying to help you as a writer, they'll point out bloopers.


3. Understand that your final score isn't a judgment from God.
There are 3 possible outcomes. You'll rack up some fan-freaking-tastic points, you'll be lumped in with the mediocre middle crowd, or your total will be better off as a golf score. Whichever scenario plays out for your contest entry, realize that judges are human. Contests are subjective. Don't get a big head or slump into the dumps based on your scores.


Whether you're an entrant or a judge, there's one more tidbit of advice that applies to all (and penned by one more learned than me)...

"It is impossible to discourage the real writers ~ 

they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write."

Sinclair Lewis

CAC: Crazy Acronyms for Critiquers

Writers use acronyms all the time...POV (point of view), WIP (work in progress), IM (internal monologue), etc (etcetera). 


But writers especially use acronyms when critiquing another author's work. There's the usual GWS (goes without saying) and RUE (resist the urge to explain), but why stop there? Here are some handy dandy abbreviations to perk up your next crit session.

STS

Send to Shredder. A not-so-kind way of saying delete. This is the big gun you want to pull out for never-ending paragraphs of purple prose.

HGS

No, not short for hugs. This means did you Hit a Good Sale? Used when a writer obviously got a great deal on a particular word and uses that word to the point of overkill.

JPP

Just Peed my Pants. This is a variation on LOL. Think of it as a high-five for a well-written humorous scene.

MBH

My Brain Hurts. This should be used when there's a logic error in the flow of the story and it's twisting your grey matter figuring out what the writer is trying to explain.

WTF

Well That's Fantastic. Yes, I think we should redeem this maligned set of letters and use it for good instead of evil...though you might want to clue in the buddy you're critiquing first.

BGB

Buy a Grammar Book. Are you finding commas everywhere? Are semi-colons running rampant throughout the chapter? Might be time to stop using punctuation like a salt shaker.

WHAWI

Whose Head Are We In. Spot a POV error or wondering who's POV you're even in? Go for WHAWI.

SCN

Send Chocolate Now. Personally, I like to end all my critiques with this one.


How about you? Got any favorite acronyms to share?

The Big Secret

Grab a cup of java, put up your feet for a few minutes, and reflect on the miracle of Easter via story...

Okay, so I'm no actress. But if you know one who'd like this in monologue format, check out this Easter resource for churches: Traveling Calvary's Road.

45k Wingding

Woo-hooo! It's half-way party time! I hit 45,264 words on my WIP. A round of Starbucks and chocolate cake for everyone...on the house!

Caveat: you'll have to toodle over to my house to claim said java and treat.

Nevertheless, hitting mid-point on a manuscript is a big deal for any writer. Why?

CONFIDENCE

The task ahead doesn't seem quite as daunting now that half the story has been captured on paper. If you were able to make it this far, for sure you'll be able to finish. The pressure of wondering if-I-can suddenly morphs into I-can-do-this. It's all downhill from here.

FAMILIARITY

Knowledge is power, and by now you really know your characters. They've become your friends, which makes it easier to predict how they'll react to any given situation. Most of the personality decisions have already been made so there's less brain power involved in fleshing out your protag and antag.

EXHILARATION

You're closer to the climax, which is the most fun to write. All the writerly juggling balls are up in the air...it's pretty, it's intense, and it's fun to watch. It's time to throw your literary hands in the air and howl on the ride down.

While these 3 points are true, I'm not saying the rest is entirely a piece of cake (yes, I'm still thinking of cake). There will still be days when you get stumped over a plot point or a character who acts...well...out of character. But the end is in sight, which makes the next 45k (or whatever your projected halfway mark is) a lower hurdle to jump.

Writing is hard work.

Take every opportunity you can to celebrate small victories.

And let me know when you hit your halfway mark...I'll be sure to eat some chocolate in your honor.

WIP STATS ~ DAY 68

Word Count: 45,264

Sentence of the Day: Whispers rustled in the corners of the room, like dead leaves skittering across cobbles.

How Green is Your Grass?

I'm not a geek, but I married one. I mean that in the best sense possible...and no, it's not Seth Godin.

Occasionally hubby sends me links to techie sites. Sometimes they're funny, other times thought provoking. But there's one site he turned me on to that's a gem no matter what business you happen to be in.

Seth Godin has a lot to say about marketing and life in general, but more often than not, what he posts directly relates to writing. Here's an excerpt from one of his latest entries:

"If your happiness

is based on always getting a little more than you've got...

then you've handed control over your happiness to the gatekeepers, built a system that doesn't scale and prevented yourself from the brave work that leads to a quantum leap."

Think about it.

Do you honestly think you'll be happier when you land an agent?

Will it be the best day ever when an editor takes your manuscript to a pub board?

Does signing a contract with a major publisher mean you've 'arrived'?

Is Nirvana a 3-book deal?

As a writer, there's always going to be a carrot dangling in front of your face. But you know what? If you're focused on the carrot, it's really hard to see your computer screen, making writing a problem.

So my challenge for you today is to take delight in your current WIP, your crit partners, even your blogger buddies. Happiness isn't an event. It's a journey. Enjoy the ride.

On Writing

I did it. Finally. I forked out the cash for Stephen King's On Writing. And since I paid full price, I decided I'd read every word. I didn't even make it past the forward(s)...there are 3...before I started underlining.

This read is going to be well worth the moolah.

So today, I've got 3 insights into writing from the 3 forwards of this how-to write classic...

"What made me think I had anything worth saying?"

Stephen Mega-zillion-bucks King struggles with self doubt?! Not only is that mind boggling but oddly comforting as well. In fact, if you don't have qualms about your writing, perhaps writing isn't the game for you to play.

"Fiction writers, present company included, don't understand very much about what they do--not why it works when it's good, not why it doesn't when it's bad."

Oh, we like to think we know (especially when we've got a blog about writing). But beyond the basic building blocks of writing, I think it comes down to voice. Either your voice resonates with others, or it doesn't. And voice isn't something that can be taught. But that's a whole other posting in and of itself.

"To write is human, to edit is divine."

Yes! I love editing. Editing is the spit shine, the polishing to a fine sheen of a roughed-out framework of words. It's like the Saturday of creation, all a-flurry with tweaking and cutting and arranging, then wham! It's Sunday. When you're finished editing a manuscript, you can finally sit back and say, "It is good." (note: I did NOT say it is perfect)

Stay tuned for more insights from the master author as I slowly read through On Writing.

WIP STATS ~ DAY 67

Word Count: 44,443

Sentence of the Day: Millie's lips tightened into a thin line, not nearly as pretty as one of Emily's pouting poses--and for some reason, that pleased him.

Baseball and Monkey Wrenches

Obviously I didn't get a whole lot of writing done last week...physically, that is. But my mind never shut off.

I discovered a thousand stories in the corners of an ER waiting room, in the gentle handshake of a hospital chaplain, in the ringtone of a police officer's cell phone (theme from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly). I also discovered people have passionate opinions about whether a 91 year-old should be driving and that body language is sometimes more hurtful than words.

My word count didn't go up, but my life experiences increased exponentially...something I suspect will add a flavor boost to my current WIP.

Lesson learned?

When life throws a curveball into your planned writing schedule, snatch that ball and run with it.

Instead of fretting about "lost time" when a monkey-wrench fouls up the cogs of your writing plans, live in the moment. Soak in every experience (good and bad). Be there for the people you love.

When you do get back to your regularly scheduled programming, your writing will be all the richer for it.