Move Over Shakespeare

DAY 55

Word Count: 34,451

Sentence of the Day: Darkness bathed his body as he stalked down the corridor until he was submerged, leaving behind nothing but a shiver.

A writer buddy of mine (waving at Yvonne Anderson) introduced me to an interesting web site. It's called I Write Like. All you do is enter a chunk of your writing and wham-o! It analyzes your style and compares you to a well known author.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has long been on my TBR pile but I suppose I'll really have to flip open the cover now. Apparently I write like Douglas Adams.

The first time I tried it, that is.

I never can leave well enough alone. So I revisited and entered a different sample--from the same manuscript--and this time it came up with William Shakespeare. Seriously? Not that I mind being compared to the bard, but really...whoda thunk?

Obviously this site isn't rocket science, but it sure is fun. Give it a whirl and see who you write like.

Procrastinators Anonymous

DAY 54

Word Count: 34,122

Sentence of the Day: Nicholas Brentwood's sudden stillness spread from the hallway, wound through the gap in the door, and wrapped around her shoulders.

Hi. I'm Michelle. And I'm a procrastinator. It's mind boggling the amount of time I can waste. Sometimes I wonder if there's some kind of space/time dimension known only to procrastinators that hasn't yet been discovered by scientists.

Can anyone relate to this... Grab a cup o' joe and/or Irish Breakfast Tea, fire up the ol' computer, cozy into your nook of choice with the intention of writing an entire new chapter and then -- somehow you get sucked into Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, Drudge, surfing for new character pictures, checking the weather forecast, scoping out a new CD that you heard a clip from on Pandora...anything BUT writing.

What's up with that?

I want to write. I love to write. I have a block of time to write. So why in the world don't I write?

I suspect it's a bad combination of fear and laziness. I'm afraid that I won't be able to pick up where I left off, that words won't flow magically off my fingertips. Or worse. The words that do flow will be a steaming pile of hee-haw.

And then there's the laziness factor. It's easier to mindlessly flit from site to site instead of turning off the net and buckling down to create new material.

So what's a girl to do? There are several options.

- find a daily accountability partner

- turn off your browser before you go to bed at night, and when you wake up in the morning, refuse to turn it back on until you've accomplished your writing goal for the day

- hard core: forfeit the computer altogether and whip out a pen and paper...if your computer's not in reach, you won't use it

- give in to the urge to surf but set a timer...when the dinger dings, shut down the browser (note: this one is for the uber disciplined)

Those are a few ideas. I tried the daily accountability partner thingee back during NANOWRIMO and that worked great. This month, though, I think I'll give the ol' shut the browser off at night and write immediately in the morning before turning it on a try.

How about you? What's your plan to stop procrastinating? Remember: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Why Writers Write

There's a gazillion reasons people choose to write...and generally it's not for the money. Leastwise, not in the long run. Those kinds of "writers" quickly learn the moolah's not so great and/or nonexistent then move on to other hobbies that require less blood, sweat and blubbering tears.

So if it's not for the cash, why do writers write?

- To explain something near and dear to their heart.

- To tell a story

- To imagine what they would do in a given situation

- To express their inner self

- To exercise an overactive imagination

- To escape

- To impart some nugget of truth

All great reasons, but the number one reason I write can be summed up in one of my favorite quotes:

"Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you've made sense of one small area."

~ Nadine Gordimer

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. That's exactly why I write. What about you? Why do you write?

What Writers Do Best

The Top 5 Things Writers Are Great At...

Authors That Leave a Mark

DAY 53

Word Count: 33,852

Sentence of the Day: A single wall sconce flickered behind him, the resulting shadow a monster against her door.

Who doesn't love a great quote? There's a gazillion of them out there, but there's one in particular that speaks to me every time I read it...

"For books are not absolutely dead things,

but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was

whose progeny they are;

nay, they do preserve as in a vial

the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them."

~ John Milton, Areopagitica

When I read a really great story, I feel like I've gotten a glimpse into that author's life. Not in a creepy stalker kind of way. More like a connection to their spirit. No author can write a book and not leave behind some kind of residue from their soul. Because of that, readers are drawn toward certain writers.

Authors that have left a mark on me (in no particular order):

Charlotte Bronte

Charles Dickens

Carl Sandburg

Lisa Mangum

Robin Hardy

Francine Rivers

MaryLu Tyndall

Julie Klassen

Jill Williamson

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Doug Wilson

Travis Thrasher

Most--but not all--are fiction writers. These are the people that I feel like I could sit down and have a heart-to-heart with because they left behind some of themselves in their books...someone I connect with on a deep level.

Think about it for a minute. What authors have left a mark on you?

A Writer's Life...Really

Yeah...a writer's life isn't really all that and a bag of chips.

Questions You Shouldn't Ask a Writer

DAY 52

Word Count: 33,424

Sentence of the Day: The words were ashes in his mouth.

When people ask me what I do and I tell them I'm a writer, one of two things generally happens. Either they look at me like they're passing a particularly nasty bit of roadkill, or the floodgates open and I'm bombarded with questions. As a courtesy to the next writer you may come across, here's a list of questions you might want to keep dammed up.

How much money do you make?
Seriously? Do you ask the Wal-Mart greeter how much he makes? How about your proctologist? Ever ask him?

I didn't get around to buying your book yet...don't you have a complimentary copy?
No, I don't. I buy my books just like the rest of the general public. Granted, I get a hefty discount, but still...if I don't buy you a Christmas or birthday present, what makes you think I'll gift you with a book?

When they make a movie of your book, do you think you could get me a part?
Right. Like that's going to happen. And if it did, I'm the one who'll be playing leading lady across from Jim Caviezel, not you (sorry MaryLu).

My life is a story. Will you ghost write it?
Unless your story involves Vikings, knights, castles or perhaps a strapping young nobleman, the answer is no.

Does mental illness run in your family?
Why...does it show?