[My Guest Post] A Message to New Writers at SFWA.org

This month, I decided to write a column geared for new writers at SFWA.org. This month, I talk about how it’s okay to ditch all the writing advice and focus on your craft. Then, I offer several resources where you can turn to sharpen up your plots and trim your prose.

The mentality that you have to “get your first stories published or else” is incredibly foreign to me. I opted for an undergrad degree that allowed me to simply learn and write. Due to the flexibility of my Creative Writing program, I developed my own course requirements to focus on multiple forms of writing. While there are benefits and drawbacks to any academic program, I have no regrets: the environment allowed me to concentrate on the words I wrote as opposed to selling them. — SOURCE: Message to New Writers: It’s Okay to Focus on Your Craft

I hope you’ll give Message to New Writers: It’s Okay to Focus on Your Craft a read. I recommended Nascence as one of the resources and author Tobias Buckell was kind enough to provide me with a quote.

I feel that this issue is worth exploring, especially given the glut of writing advice and popularity of different topics. No, this article may not be relevant to you, but it’s definitely something to think about when you’re fresh out of the gate.

Fighting the Seriousness of Writing with Silly Stupid

I don’t know about you, but I get serious’d out. Yep, there’s absolutely no other phrase for it. Just out. I was reading some of my old posts the other day, and I was laughing at how oh-so-very-professional they were. To some extent, they had to be due to what was going on at the time, but I’m straying from that and mixing it up a bit.

Just as one example of how I’m getting serious’d out, is when I think about the publishing industry. The only thing that I’ll ever bet money on, is that you never know where an artist — including yourself — will end up. It’s impossible to bet on what will happen in terms of success, because you don’t know. Even then, it’s all relative. Even then.

One of the ways I’m coping with the uncertainty of the industry, is to simply sit back, ignore the news and laugh when I can. I feel there are so many serious discussions, so many things people worry about, it’s not healthy to stress about it so much that it creates writer’s avoidance behavior. The news has no bearing on my work. The only thing that changes for me is my path, and I’m always adapting/shifting/changing/growing. Always. What I don’t lose sight of, however, is the next story.

I was going to offer sage advice, but instead I will offer you two things: an XKCD strip that’s extremely relevant and Sushi Cat for some silly stupid fun! Because really, silly stupid fun is a good remedy for super seriousness.

Sushi Cat is a blast if you haven’t played it. You guide the cat through sushi-filled goodness to ensure he’s got a full belly. Along the way, he falls in love with a stuffed kitty and faces his nemesis: Bacon Dog. There’s the original Sushi Cat, Sushi Cat: Honeymoon and Sushi Cat 2. It is addicting, but the levels move pretty quickly.

By the way, here’s the strip I mentioned. Note the last panel. I defer to XKCD‘s wise, wise words of wisdom which are applicable in any field, for any man, woman or child.

Marie Curie Sage on XKCD WebComic

Peanut Butter and Frosting, Starve Better and a Few Links

Okay. So one of the benefits of being an “adult,” is that you can have whatever you want for breakfast. Since there are only so many bowls of crispy chocolate flakes I can eat, peanut butter plus chocolate frosting is the equivalent of taking a cruise to a tropical island in the middle of winter. Yes, you may believe that this concoction may be a poor substitute for Nutella, but you would be mistaken. NOM NOM NOM.

But I digress. I got my copy of Starve Better: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life in the mail yesterday. It’s a book written by Nick Mamatas that’s full of tips (and non-tips) that, quite frankly, are really relevant for today’s writer. It’s pragmatic and blunt and the unpopular stance, because it isn’t a bunch of “this’ll make you really happy” floofie crap about how writing is all sunshines and rainbows. Quite frankly, this is exactly what aspiring writers need to hear because there’s a market for writing advice, and it’s not always coming from an experienced source. While Mamatas’s take on many topics is blunt, he can be. Like any other book or article out there, I’d say take what you want and leave the rest, but his logic is sound on a lot of the tips.

I also received my first issue of Bead and Button magazine. I’ve got a few projects I’ve been working on at the moment, but this’ll be good to try some new techniques. My style is more modern than frou frou, but the biggest battle is learning the stitches. For that, I can deal with a couple of flowers and crystals before I move on to skulls. Muwahahaha.

Anyhoo, gotta fly. We’re going to go see Thor yet again this evening, and I can’t wait. Who’s my favorite thunder god? THOR.

[My Guest Post] Dig Deeper to Find a Heroic Heart

Today, over at the Rogue Blades Entertainment website, I’m talking about the nature of a true hero and heroine in Dig Deeper to Find a Heroic Heart. Take a look:

When I’m writing a heroic character, the physical aptitude and appearance of a hero or heroine isn’t as important as what shortcomings that character must overcome. When I’m designing the world and their backstory, I look at limitations within physical, mental, social or emotional spheres. By going about it this way, I am not painting my character into an artistic corner. I’m not saying, “Well, my heroine can’t possibly do X because she isn’t shaped like X” right off the bat. I have more freedom and more flexibility to work with the character than I would if I focused on gender or simple concepts like “super strong” or “invisible.” Sure, a character can be super-strong, but that’s not enough to sustain a story. Why are they strong? How does that power affect their self-worth? Their relationship with other people? Their role in society? — SOURCE: Dig Deeper to Find a Heroic Heart at Home of Heroics

Within that article, you’ll find my thoughts on why I think it’s silly to obsess over the physical aspects of a character, and why I believe we can have more unique heroes and heroines that don’t fit into the traditional mold.

Day 25: Face Yourself

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from going dark, is that there’s a lot I can learn by talking to other people about their experiences with social media. This time, that insight comes from Ann Voss Peterson who recently conducted our local writer’s workshop about characterization. Ann and I were talking afterward about social media, in part because she has co-written a thriller novel with J.A. Konrath entitled Flee and I was wondering what she was doing to promote it. We were talking about my 100 days experiment and I mentioned I’ve noticed a positive impact on my writing. She said something to the effect of: Well, of course. Because you wind up facing yourself.

Ever have one of those moments where everything starts swirling and you wind up in a scene from Mortal Kombat?

Yeah, okay. I did.

What does that mean? Face yourself. Shutting out social media means turning the mute button on two types of voices. First, you turn off other people’s voices that sing/yell/whisper across your screen. By doing so, though, you are automatically shutting off a second voice. YOURS. The one you use to interact with people on these tools. Which is not the same as your author’s voice, but a separate one. (And before you ask, I view blogging to be yet another voice.)

Just how profound is this? Well, I feel understanding what this means is crucial to self-promotion, time-management and good storytelling. After all, if you don’t have any words on the page, then you have nothing to revise. If you have nothing to rewrite, you have no manuscripts to polish. If you don’t have any finished manuscripts, then you don’t have any stories to submit or hand in for your deadline.

Sure, every writer is different. Some can write fast; others not so much. Still others have no problem pounding out the words, connecting with people, and making it all work. For me, though, I need to have a foundation. I have to figure out what time I need to process my work, to wrap my head around my story, article, etc. I need to listen to “the Monica voice.” To do that, to listen to that crazy girl, I had to tone down the number of voices and have a care to what she’s saying. The more voices I jam into my head, the less I can hear my gut instincts. My inner girl o’ awesome.

Is there some truth to this? That in order to be a better writer you need to face yourself?

For me? Yes, yes it is. Many other things have changed for me during this lights out period, because I wanted that silence to work on other goals. I feel like this simple phrase (“Face Yourself”) sums up not only why I needed to do this, but also solidifies what is happening all around me as well. More on that later!

About 100 Days: From April 4th to July 13th I’m turning the lights off on Facebook, Twitter and IMs for personal use. Read 100 Days: Turning off the Lights on Social Media for more information. You can also read the 100 Days post archive.

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