Reason #73 Why It's Tough To Be A Writer

Scene: Sitting in my green, overstuffed chair, java at my side, MacBook in my lap, dogs at my feet, late into the morning, alone at last. Review my WIP, send my mind back to 1807, London, rainy, danger, and--cell phone rings. White-haired little old lady’s face pops up.

Sigh. I have to answer.

“Hi mom.”

“Just thought you should know I’m getting a new roof and windows for free.”

“Nothing's free mom, least of all a roof and windows.”

“But the man on the phone said so.”

“I told you not to answer the phone unless you know who’s calling. Why didn’t you check the caller ID before you answered?”

“I couldn’t see it.”
“Did you look?”

“No”

Bigger sigh. “Please tell me you didn’t give out your social security number this time.”

“No, you told me not to do that.”

“I also told you not to answer the phone without checking the ID first.”

“Oh yeah.”

“I’ll have to deal with it when I come over tomorrow.”

“Can’t you come over now?”

“I’m writing.”

“Do that later.”

“Mom, we’ve been over this before. My writing time is limited enough as it is and the next hour is all I’ve got for today.”

“Oh. Okay. I just thought you’d like to be here when the nice insurance lady comes over with my free toaster.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, she’ll be here in a half hour. Oh…didn’t I tell you that?”

Ginormous sigh. “Be right over.”

“See you then.”

When In Doubt...Make It Up!

Last night I went to a premiere reading of a screenplay. The screenwriter (waving at Larry Matthews) constructed his words in such a way so that it was like watching a movie in my head. Besides the memorable characters and intricate plot, want to know what stood out most to me?


Fricky.


Yes, I'm allowed to say that in public and yes, I do still kiss my mother with this mouth. Fricky is Larry Matthew's clever combination of frustrated and icky. One of his characters used it describe how they were feeling, and doggone if it isn't spot on to describe a frequent mood of one of my daughters.


Fricky is a super cool word, which got me to thinking about other cool words that have stuck with me. Ever heard of any of these:


Eyeball
Seems simple enough, like it's been around forever, but it was William Shakespeare who coined this everyday expression.


Growlery
Charles Dickens used this made-up term for the den that Jarndyce liked to retreat to when feeling out of sorts.

Nerd
It wasn't the sale of pocket protectors that introduced this word. It was Dr. Seuss.


Cyberspace
Nope. Wasn't Al Gore that came up with this little gem. it was sci-fi author William Gibson.


Fantabulous
Couldn't find the author of this fantabulous word, but I sure use it a lot.

Craptacular
This one came from a TV show. Ever watch the Simpsons?


See...it's not so hard. Just chop off two words and mash them together. And that's my challenge for you today. Whatever piece you're currently working on, toss in a made-up word by little ol' you. Who knows? Perhaps one of your word creations will make it into Webster's 2050 edition. 

Facebook Likefest: Fruitful or Frivolous?

I took part in a Likefest this weekend. No, it didn't involve running naked through the woods or toking the wacky weed at a Woodstock-esque rock-n-roll blowout. This Likefest was simply a concerted effort by a writer's group to drive up the the number of "Likes" on our Facebook pages.


Why would I do such a thing? Honest and shameful answer: pride. Who doesn't want to see a big "like" number, whether on Facebook or in any other venue? Yeah, I know the single most important like is to have God's stamp of approval through what Christ did on the cross, but doggone if my flesh doesn't do a Snoopy dance when someone likes me. 


Once the shallow zing wore off, though, I started to wonder if there were any other benefit to increasing a Facebook Like #. So I did a little research, and here are the results...


Is there any value to random Facebook page likes?


"There is some value from having a large volume of people liking a page for SEO, social proof, and the fact that all these people still see the updates to your wall in their news feed."

(taken from PRLOG)

"Likes" have grown to be a measurement tool used by distributors and stores when deciding on stocking their shelves with little known brands, by advertisers who have made note of Facebook "Likes" before placing their ads in hard copy publications, and by any kind of business associate who regards "Likes" as a point of reference as to where a brand stands among their competitors."

(taken from Creative Concepts)

"Big companies like McDonalds and Coca-Cola have been collecting Facebook fans (likes) for quite some time because they have already discovered that all of those fans helped increase their profits."

(taken from Social Networking Success)

"The value in using social media is that every person, every Like, comes with their own network that can be activated in an instant, and at no additional cost, for the organization." 

(taken from Allison Fine)

I realize that the Likes on my page aren't all from ardent gotta-buy-your-next-book-or-die kind of fans, but you know what? I don't care. For now, I'll just bask in the pretend world of being well liked.

Getting Published Isn't A Destination...It's A Journey

It's the 1 year anniversary of UNDERCURRENT (a Viking tale of love, honor, and sacrifice). Here are a few things I've learned from the publishing experience...

Scaring Away Blogging Fears

There's a lot of misconceptions about blogs out there in the general public. Some of the questions I'm frequently asked are, "How can you write a blog entry every day? Doesn't it take a lot of time? Where do you get your ideas?" So today on my blog, I'm going to talk about...wait for it...blogging!

Blogging isn't that tough. In fact, it's way easier than I thought it'd be. Sage advice: don't let the fear of starting a blog keep you from doing it. This applies to vlogs as well. Now then, let's take those questions and dissect them one at a time...

How can you write a blog entry every day?
A blog entry doesn't have to be a dissertation. In fact, it's better if it's not. Who has time to read a 10,000 word essay, let alone write one? My point is, keep your entries short and focused, and you won't have any problem writing an entry a day.

Doesn't it take a lot of time?
Blogging can be a great time drainer--but it doesn't have to be. It's a choice. Your choice. Honestly, I spend about 15-20 minutes per weekday to write an entry, 30 minutes if I'm really struggling for words. Think it, write it, hit publish, and move on with your day. Don't overthink your entry.

Where do you get your ideas?
Before you start a blog, deciding on a topic is key. Choose one that gives you some leeway. Example: I chose the broad topic of writing, which gives me about a gazillion different directions to go. I keep a page of ideas that I jot down when they enter my pretty little head, and when I get stuck on any given morning, I flip over to that page, pick one, and run with it. Places that give me fresh ideas are:
- quote pages
- statistic sites
- writing craft books
- daily conversations
- other blogs
And if you're really stuck, here are some fantastic links to jumpstart your brain:

I Help You Blog
Chris Brogan
Skelliwag
Marluck Marketing

The thing is, once you start coming up with ideas, your brain kind of kicks in even when you're not intently thinking up blog starters. You'll find them in movies, at the grocery store, when you're arguing with your teenager, yada, yada.

Parting wisdom: whatever you do, be consistent. You don't have to write every weekday like I do. You can do just 1 day if you like and still have followers. The trick is to be consistent. Readers like to know when they can visit your site to get a blog fix from you. Don't let them down.

So Many Books, So Little Time

Do you have a TBR pile? Yeah, I hear you. Stupid question. Who doesn't?


Currently on my heap, I've got a box-of-kleenex death-of-a-hero type of book; a futuristic who-dunnit story; a re-read of a historical romance just because I love it; a half-dozen craft books; and I think there's even a young adult and a speculative contemporary lurking in that pile. That's not even counting the shelf of Regency England research books I have yet to finish perusing.


Don't get me wrong. I'm not whining. There's way more titles I'd add to that stack if I had the money, but even if I did, where would I find the time to read them all? Surely with so many books and so little time, the topic of reading outside your comfort zone is a moot point, isn't it?


No. It's not. I'm a big advocate of reading outside your comfort zone even when--and especially when--your time is limited.


Why? Lot's of reasons...


1. Gets you out of a rut, opening your eyes to other storyworlds that just might spur you on to greater creativity.


2. It demolishes prejudice. How do you know you don't like a western if you've never read one? If story is king, the genre doesn't matter. I'm not saying you pick up some trashy paperbooks in an alley dumpster. That would be a waste of time...literally. When choosing to read outside your comfort zone, pick some titles that are classics or bestsellers (because there's usually a reason they're in that position).


3. If you want to be a well-rounded writer, you must be a well-rounded reader. Don't forget short storys, poems, and plays can teach and hone different skills than a novel.


4. You just might discover a new favorite author. It's happened to me. Because I write reviews, I don't always get to choose what books I have to read. I've come across some fantastic new authors this way.


5. There's always something to learn, from a new time period, to a people group you're not familiar with, or even scientific theories you've never heard of. Reading outside your comfort bubble is educational.


So go on...nudge, nudge...step out of your suffocating little box. Fling a completely out-of-your-zone book onto your TBR pile today. You can thank me for it later.


Preferably with chocolate.

Stomping the Goalie

I'm starting a new writing challenge for the month of May with a couple of writer buddies of mine. The newbie of the bunch is going with a conservative goal of 1,000 words. I'm the middle-of-the-roader with a respectable 10k in my crosshairs, and the professional superstar is hoping to crank out a whopping 40,000 new words. Our plan is to check in each weekend to see how we did, wherein we'll either dish out some palm-stinging high-fives or partake in some serious butt kicking.


But why do this? Why stress ourselves out? For the same reason I used to teach homeschool classes for other children in my living room. If I don't have someone holding me accountable, I'm going to be a slacker.


Note: I didn't say loser. When I'm not participating in a writing challenge, I still write, just not as much. Joining with others notches up the pressure to perform, which is a good thing, especially since my personal goal was to finish my current manuscript by the end of the summer.

But a writer's challenge group isn't the only way to meet your goals. Here are some other ideas to stomp all over the goalie when you're trying to finish a manuscript...


- Reward yourself. Think of this as the dangling carrot approach, but every now and then, the carrot actually lands in your mouth. For each mini-accomplishment you achieve, give yourself a treat. I'm not talking mink coat or trip for 2 to Mazatlan. It could be something as simple as dark chocolate or a bike ride around a lake.


-  On the flip side, there's punishment. If you're not the Pavlov's dog kind of person, you might need something more drastic. If you don't meet your goal, perhaps a deprivation is in order. Give yourself a writerly spanking. No movie on Friday night and nix the Ben & Jerry's until you reach a respectable word count. 


- Hire a hit man for the editor...inner-editor, that is. First drafts are for capturing story, not snipping off every dangling participle. Write now, edit later.


- Be consistent. Set a timer. Write every day, or at least every weekday. Think of writing as exercise and just do it. Don't go to bed at night unless you've met that time requirement.


- For the techies amongst you, open Excel and make yourself a spreadsheet. Sometimes seeing the numbers all laid out makes the task less daunting.


And those are just a few. What are some of your favorite ways to meet a goal?