Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement! I have taken a big step forward in my dream to publish my novel, The Cube, and have signed on with a hybrid publishing firm called Windy City Publishers. Windy City Publishers is a local company that came highly recommended to me by a fellow Chicago Writers Association member and #WritersQuick5 alum. WCP is a woman-owned and woman-run business that has been helping dreams come true since 2009. The woman who owns it is an author herself, so she understands the writer’s point of view. I have really enjoyed getting to know them and their business model.
So, what does this mean for me? Well, I’m so glad you asked! First, (and for those of you who know me well, you’ll understand why I think this is rad) they use an online project management tool to keep track of our work. So, I can log in at any time and know what my to-do’s are, what their to-do’s are, all our communication is tracked in one place, all of our shared documents are in one place -- it’s all very organized and well-run. Second, it means that I’m in the midst of completing all the tasks I need to complete to have my book published (in paperback and e-book format) by sometime this spring or summer (fingers crossed). Finally, in case you haven’t noticed, it means that shit just got real. I’m actually doing this. And pretty soon you’ll all be able to read my book. Which gives me both utter delight and MORTAL TERROR. For the moment, I’m just going to focus on my to-do’s. At first, I had a lot of basic setup information to provide them, and now I’m working on formatting my word doc in a way that allows them to easily put it into the typeset for the paperback. Actually, let me rephrase that. Formatting my word doc is what I should be working on, but I haven’t actually started yet… because the second I start formatting my book the more real it becomes and I, apparently, need to take my time in doing this. So, to give myself time to emotionally adjust but still be productive, I have been doing all the other things on my to-do list like writing my author bio, writing my acknowledgements section, taking notes on marketing ideas, etc. All of these things need to happen, I’m just doing them in the order that my brain (and heart) will allow me to do them. I’ve also been busy working with my friend Glenn on my book cover and my friend Adam on all the graphics that are in the book. Both of those endeavors have been immensely gratifying and emotional. The first time I saw the first draft of the book cover, I got goosebumps all over my body. It’s been so much fun to tweak it and see what’s only been in my head come out as a beautiful image. And seeing my name on a book cover. Lawd, help me. And revisiting the graphics has brought it all back. All the planning. All the plotlines. All the ins and outs of what makes this novel tick. We had to revisit the graphics for a bunch of reasons. Partly because they were done in color, so we needed to re-do them in grayscale for the paperback, but mostly because some of the graphics in the book are really compilations of the original graphics. So, as a shortcut, in my neophyte ways, I made the compilations by putting the originals in a word doc they way I wanted them, and then took a screenshot of that, and used that screenshot as a rudimentary jpeg placeholder. That worked for the time being, BUT, that won’t do for the final version. So now Adam is helping me make the compilations for real. Thankfully, he’s as detail oriented as I am, so he has taken all of my crazy instructions in total stride. Aside from write-ups and graphics and dreaming of my book being out in the world, I’m also trying to re-imagine my website and starting to move things around in preparation for the fact that I’m actually going to have something that you all can buy and sell. (EEEEEEEKKKK!) Changing my webpages to say “Coming Soon!” wherever The Cube was mentioned made my palms sweat. That’s normal, right? Finally, and I hate to admit this, I am rewiring my brain to be as proud of self-publishing as I would be of traditional publishing. And that’s taking me a hot minute because for some reason I still feel like I came just short of my goal. But I know I didn’t. I have so many role models and friends that are producing their own art and work. I’m proud to be in that camp. For all my friends that are putting out their own books or movies or their own music or their own blogs or podcasts, or starting their own businesses, I think it is just the best. Somehow I need to hold myself up the same way I would hold up any of my friends in a similar position and say that producing art is producing art. Whether it comes with formal book sale and a fancy publishing house label or whether it comes from a small shop via hardworking women supporting each other to put indie books out into the marketplace, it’s all meaningful and it’s all good (and when you put it that way, doesn’t the latter sound pretty rad anyway?). When I had my first call with Windy City Publishers, I told the owner that I’m not looking for fame or fortune, which is totally true. I simply want to take this story that I love so much and share it with all of you. So, here we go. I’m checking through my to-do list and I will keep you all updated on a regular basis. Please stay tuned for more details… because eventually… this is going to culminate in a book cover reveal, a book release date, my first sale, and the most photos ever posted to Instagram of a book… EVER. Love you all. Thanks for continuing to support me in my journey. 2018… the year that it happens.
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We are almost two weeks into 2018 and I’m still chasing my writing dreams. I have two main goals:
As for Amache’s America, it’s a pure joy to write and it keeps me writing every week. I love the characters, I love the story, and the one chapter a week goal seems very attainable to me. It’s also a source of great positivity in my life. I love seeing it listed under “Most Popular” on the website homepage and it’s now consistently listed in the “Featured” section as well. I also get reader feedback and it’s all been so kind. It’s a joy to have people read what I’m writing and know that they are enjoying it. So… why finish it then? Why not just have it go on and on? Well, because for this particular serial novel, I do have an end in mind. I might start another series on Channillo when this is done that is more open ended, but for this particular tale, I know it has a beginning, middle, and end. The end I can picture for sure. Plus, I’m going back to the Writing Workshop of Chicago this summer and I’m hoping, after upping it to one chapter a week, Amache’s America will be complete enough to pitch it to agents by then. After more than a year of researching the market, I think a female-driven, Japanese-American, personal story has a better chance of getting picked up than a male-centered, high-concept, sci-fi novel does. In fact, recently I contributed to the #AsAmCreatorRollCall hashtag on twitter, a lovely effort to help promote and lift up Asian-American creators in 2018, and it felt good to step my toe into the waters of the diverse writers community. There’s a big call right now for diverse voices. And hey, guess what… that’s me! Side note: I’m also looking forward to the conference this summer because I won’t be so nervous and it won’t seem like there is so much riding on it. It will be nice to go in with more confidence. Now, back to The Cube. Self-publish you say? After all of the posts about query letters and agents and wanting to see my book on bookshelves? I should clarify that I’m actually hoping to work with a hybrid-publisher… and when I get further down that line I will 100% share my experiences will you. But, here’s the long and short of it:
So, I’m starting my hybrid-publisher research and am declaring that 2018 is the year. This is the year it will happen. That I will make my dreams come true. That I will have my own book. In my hands. And that people can buy it and read it. Man. That just sounds so frickin’ cool. 2018. Time to focus. 2018. The year that it happens. Friends,
Almost a year ago I started a little project, an experiment if you will, to connect with other writers and to learn from their experiences and life journeys. At that time, I was trying to write full-time and found it a relatively solitary experience. But, I was convinced it didn’t have to be that way. I didn’t know where my project would take me, or if people would be willing to participate, but I decided to at least give it a try. “Give it a try” is a big motto in my life. Because, how can you really know until you try? So, I started reaching out to people that I know and love and asked them if they’d be a part of my new idea. My baby, #WritersQuick5 - an interview series where writers of all genres and ilks gave us the answers to the same five questions. I figured the continuity of always asking the same questions would give the interviews a rhythm, and the readers would know what to expect, and the writers could compare and contrast their own experiences. I am happy to report that the people in my life are just as amazing as I knew they were and they said yes. And soon, the ball was rolling. More and more people said yes. And #WritersQuick5 quickly became an awesome way for me to get to know other people, people from the Channillo family, people from the Chicago Writers Association, people from the writing community at large. Friends of friends, folks on Twitter, the list goes on. Every time someone said yes I was excited and humbled and still feel that way. And here we are, almost a year later, and 36 incredible people have taken the time to tell us all a little bit more about their lives and their writing experiences. I am incredibly grateful to each of them and to all of you for reading. The “Where Are They Now?” post from a couple weeks ago was one of the most read posts, showing me that a lot of people are interested in following-up on this amazing crew. But, as TNG as taught us… “All good things…” (and if you get that reference, I love you even more) Truth is, recruiting people to be part of #WritersQuick5 is a joy, but it’s a lot of work. It actually takes me more time to recruit that it does to post the interviews. And, as we come up on the holidays, and as I’m really getting rolling in my new full-time job, I’ve had to face some hard truths and admit to myself that I don’t actually have time to do everything right now. Something, something had to give. So, I’ve decided, for the moment, that #WritersQuick5 is that thing. I can’t bring myself to say it’s over, so I’d rather phrase it like this - we are at the end of Season One. And, following in the footsteps of Netflix, no one (not even me) will quite know when Season Two will start. But, hopefully it will be sometime in 2018, and I’m sure Season Two will be just as great as Season One. So, as I always say, stay tuned. There are other things coming up for me in 2018 writing-wise that I’m very excited about and I can’t wait to continue to share all of these experiences with you. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everyone who was a part of #WritersQuick5. It has been a true highlight of my life. XOXO and Happy Holidays! I’ve had the opportunity to feature so many incredible people in this #WritersQuick5 series, and they just keep doing amazing things!
I’ve wanted to do this re-cap for a while and have been debating the best way to do it. Feature everyone? Just a few people? Try and be comprehensive? Just highlight the things I know about? I decided there’s no way I could comprehensively update you on all of the amazing things going on in their lives and careers, and some people were just featured a week or two ago so there’s not much to update on. SO, I have settled on quick hit updates for everyone in the first half of the #WritersQuick5 series to date, up through week 19. Without further ado here’s a snapshot of some of the latest and greatest from 19 of our #WritersQuick5 crew! Week 1 - MaryLou Driedger
Week 2 - Amanda Hollis-Brusky
Week 3 - Martha Carr
Week 4 - C.C. Ekeke
Week 5 - J.C. Reifenberg
Week 6 - Margaret Hahn
Week 7 - Alex Thomas
Week 8 - Bill McStowe
Week 9 - Keely Flynn
Week 10 - Christopher Waltz
Week 11 - Briana Bryon
Week 12 - Kerriann Curtis
Week 13 - Marcie Hill
Week 14 - Paul R. Lloyd
Week 15 - Bibi Belford
Week 16 - Renee James
Week 17 - Jennifer Johnson
Week 18 - Erin Slucter
Week 19 - Mike Mentz
To all of these amazing people - congratulations!!! And if there is anything major that I left out that you’d ever want to plug, please let me know and I will give you a big shout out the next time around! I am so honored to know each of you. Rock on! Welcome to a special week of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week I decided it was finally time to post my own answers. It’s a little scary to put myself in the ranks with the rest of the amazing people that have been featured, but it’s good to do scary things! Over the past year, I have been inspired, I have laughed, but mostly I have been in awe of the incredible talent of all the writers who have shared their journey. And, I have been equally touched that 36 people have taken time out of their day-to-day lives to provide answers and take part in this interview series. Next week I will be post a special “Where Are They Now?” edition of #WritersQuick5 that catches people up on some of the incredible accomplishments of the writers featured since their answers have posted. I’m super excited for that so stay tuned. As for me, I will forgo any long intro to my work except to say that I completed my novel, THE CUBE earlier this year and am still trying to break into the agenting world to get it published. I also write a serialized fiction series called AMACHE’S AMERICA on Channillo.com. AMACHE’S AMERICA was recently named the Best New Series and the Best Historical Fiction Series in the 2017 Channillo Awards. I also wanted to add that I do a fair amount of writing in my day job. IT management and project management require a completely different set of skills and I am writing policies, procedures, scope documents, discovery reports, requirement documents, etc. etc. every day. I’m glad that I can bring my skills as a writer to the field of IT. I just wish I had more time to do things like put together a department newsletter! (never say never). Okay, so… without further ado… let’s see what I have to say… :) Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? If I have the time, I write in my home office. I have multiple screens where I can pull up my notes and write at the same time. I usually like it to be very quiet, no podcasts, no music. I mostly like writing at home because I can let my guard down (and, truth be told, go to the bathroom whenever I want without having to pack up all my stuff). If I’m on the go I have a couple favorite spots, including the Drawing Room at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Lately, I’ve been popping into my writings at work when I need to take a break from my day job. Fifteen minutes here or there, maybe a whole lunch break (although that’s rare). That’s why I do a lot of my writing in Google Docs so that I can open them up whenever I have the chance. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I write in several genres, but there is a through line. I like to write about good people. Good people who love other good people and who do good things. It sounds corny, but writing about people that I can believe in and that I would love if I knew them really helps me. This sometimes means my personal challenge is where to find the tension and where to create the challenges for the characters. For THE CUBE, the unique quality came in the concept itself. It is something I can see so clearly in my head but took many attempts to get across on paper. High-concept sci-fi requires knowing when to do a deep-dive descriptive paragraph and when to let the reader’s imagination take over. For AMACHE’S AMERICA, I needed to draw the line between the fictional characters that I write about and my own family’s story. Also, the serialized nature of it is definitely different than sitting down to write a novel. Every two weeks I jump to a different character’s viewpoint and jump to a different format (audio recordings, journal entries, exposition) so it makes the writing very fresh and I find that what I produce is often colored by my mood at that time. I think the story overall would be quite different if I was just sitting down and writing it all at once. I like that it flows along with me. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? Honestly, it depends on the platform. On Twitter or social media I have none. Anything goes. People type quickly and so typos and word mistakes are par for the course. In prose, I think it should be okay to end a sentence with a preposition and I find it awkward when people bend over backwards to try and make a sentence end without one. I will say though, when I get a text message with “your” instead of “you’re” - even though texts are as ephemeral as social media - it does bug me. One final thing - it’s spelled “whoa” not “woah.” Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? For THE CUBE, I brought people in every step of the way, relying a great deal on my editor, Laura Alsum. She reviewed my outlines and gave me feedback on chapters. It was invaluable. For AMACHE’S AMERICA, there just isn’t the time, so as scary as it sounds, I write it and post it and that’s it. I sometimes have waking nightmares that there are glaring errors in the book series, but let’s hope there aren’t! Ideally, I’d like to write a large chunk of the work and then get feedback. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Patience is key. You will need to be patient while the ideas come to you. You will need to be patient when you are writing and when you are revising. You will need to be patient when you are waiting for feedback from anyone. You will need to be patient when you are working on getting things published. You will need to be patient as your readership grows. Aside from that though, I would say that you should write what you love. If you love dogs - write about dogs. If you love spaceships, write something set in a spaceship. If you love the topic, you will love writing about it. DON’T write for what you think someone else will want to read. If you want to read it, and you love it, that’s all that matters. Thank you to everyone who has followed along on this #WritersQuick5 journey and for allowing me the self-indulgence of writing up my own answers. It’s been an amazing year and I am so grateful to each writer that has participated and to each of you that has followed along. I hope you all have learned as much about writing as I have! *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. Okay my friends, it’s time to get real about query letters again. I just got my latest query “no” for my novel, THE CUBE. This brings me up to 21 “no’s.”
The “no’s” have run the gamut. Some were no response whatsover. Some were clearly form/template responses. Some were generally nice, but also the standard “it’s not for me.” I think the “it’s not you it’s me” responses come off the worst, but are probably the most honest. I genuinely try and put myself in the agent’s shoes. They don’t make money unless they sell the book. They can’t sell the book unless they absolutely love the book. Do you know how hard it is to fall in love? Remember dating? Or are you still dating? Because it’s just like that. But, I’ve also gotten a handful of very thoughtful replies. One agent sent me two bullet pointed lists, one of the lists had the things she liked about it and one had a few suggestions for how I could make improvements (I made every improvement she suggested). I was happy the first list was longer than the latter too. One agent explained her approach to her book list choices (which I found very informative and helpful). The one I got most recently said I was an “accomplished writer” but that it just didn’t pull her in the way she wanted. But she told me to keep going. That my agent was out there. I thought that was the best kind of response. It wasn’t the “good luck finding an agent” response. And it wasn’t only “it’s not you it’s me” response. It was much more than that. It was a vote of confidence that I just had to find the right match. Of course, the best "no" would be a ‘revise and resubmit’ but I’m convinced that’s the white whale of query responses. The Bigfoot of the query experience. Some say it’s real, but I doubt it. Also, I feel like it would be really risky to do a lot of revision before a commitment of representation, right? (again, I’m still very new to this… insights are welcome!) Overall, I keep telling people finding an agent is like catching lightning in a bottle - you need to pitch the right agent, at the right time, looking for exactly what you are offering, with an opening on their book list. It’s about mood and timing and chemistry. And, I have to say, in my life I have already defeated all the odds by hoodwinking my husband into marrying me 12+ years ago. And by some miracle he seems to love me more now that when we first met. What are the odds that I find a different kind of love now? That book kind of love? :) What I can tell you now is this: I have a list of about ten more agents that I want to try. And then I’m going to reassess my options. I recently read a blog post from Chuck Sambuchino that said you shouldn’t give up until you’ve queried 80 agents or more. While that sounds absolutely physically and emotionally exhausting, I get his point. Even if you just play the odds, that’s a low percentage of attempts. I can’t say that I have 80 query letters in me, but I owe it to myself to keep trying for a little longer. My future blog post may veer into the world of hybrid publishing, but for now, I’m still going to ‘just keep swimming’ because I have this bottle. All I need is some lightning in it. Welcome to week thirty-six of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week I am thrilled to bring you screenwriter Jeremy Palmer. Jeremy writes for stage & screen and has been published by Next Stage Press. He also just received his MFA from USC School of Cinematic Arts. Congratulations Jeremy! If you would like to check out some of Jeremy’s work, he wrote and curated the Cinevox webseries for Phamaly Theatre Company. “The Phamaly Theatre Company (formerly known as The Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League) produces professional scale plays and musicals year-round throughout the Denver Metro region, cast entirely of performers with disabilities across the spectrum (physical, cognitive, emotional, blindness, deafness…etc.).” Its mission is to “ inspire people to re-envision disability through professional theatre.” Learn more at http://www.phamaly.org Let’s see what Jeremy has to say... Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I write at home, either on my laptop or desktop (which sits on a folding card table while I write from a folding camping chair) because I need mostly quiet and focus. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I don't have a genre within screenwriting. I have intentionally cast a wide net over multiple genres and have yet to find one I like above all others. I do like to insert disability issues whenever possible assuming it fits in with the story naturally. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I recently realized that lots of people put apostrophe s onto words as a contraction for "is". Like they'll say "Billy's crazy" rather than "Billy is crazy" when the 's should ONLY be added to pronouns to avoid confusion with possessive 's as EVERYONE KNOWS!!! But that's about it. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Once I have a complete first draft, even though I know it will need lots of revision. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? I think there's never any one right way to do something, from outlining to rewriting and everything in between. One person's wrong way is another's breakthrough method. Thank you Jeremy for these lovely answers. And I agree - there’s no right way to do something. From time to time, I get feedback about this writing series, saying you can’t learn about your own writing from someone else. But for me, it’s the opposite. I learn so much from hearing about what other people do - even if it’s nothing like what I am doing myself. Publishing these interviews fuels my writing. One could say #WritersQuick5 has been a breakthrough for me. Thank you Jeremy for being a part of that! *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. So, a week ago I turned 36. While a very small part of me had the obligatory, “oh gawd, I’m officially closer to 40 now” moment, 99% of me was absolutely thrilled. I love getting older. I feel more like myself every year. I’m no longer pushing to prove my identity (at least, not as much) and I am much more comfortable in my own skin. One can only hope that by the time I’m actually 40, I will be that much closer to thinking of myself as a cool person (just in time for my daughter to become a pre-teen and tell me that I’m not, haha).
In honor of my latest birthday, I decided I wanted to do something new. Something fun. And I settled on getting a journal to write down my dreams. Now, mind you, I already have one of these, but I use it sparingly, only when something SUPER cool happens while I sleep, something I just can’t let go of. That is, afterall, the origin story of my novel, THE CUBE. I had a dream vision of a glimmering cube that was actually a game and just couldn’t let it go. Score one for the dream journal. This time I wanted to really document my dreams and so I bought a daily journal (spending WAY too much time at Target going through each one to finally settle on one that was ‘close enough’) and have decided to document my dreams every night for one year. The good, the bad, and the not-so-memorable. I was so enamored with this idea, that I actually started the week before my birthday to get a head start. So, I’ve been doing this for two weeks now, and I can tell you, it’s already been enlightening. First of all, it’s harder to remember my dreams that I thought it would be. I figured if I wrote them down when I first woke up, I’d have no problem, but even then I find they fly their way out of my mind quite easily. I’m learning a new discipline of dream retention, which hopefully will prove useful for something else down the line (you never know). Secondly, I don’t have great dreams every night. Some nights my dreams are merely flashes of images, drops of color, flitting fits of dream-lets. But, other nights my dreams are long-sweeping, in-depth storylines, one fully-written scenario leading to the next. And, as it turns out, the nights when my dreams are more in-depth are the mornings I wake up feeling more rested. My brain and body like a good story. From a writing perspective, I am fascinated. The vivid imagery I can remember, the storylines I have pulled out, the ideas for short and long form storytelling I’ve already set aside for further exploration, are just so much fun. Imagine how many stories I could have told if I had been doing this longer?! For example, the other night I had a dream that scientists were training rats to eat mosquitoes and then putting them in mini helicopter like outfits to have them flying around campsites to cut down on campfire mosquito bites. WTF?! Who wouldn’t be fascinated by that? I can't imagine turning that into a novel anytime soon, but at least it was original! Score another for the dream journal. Now, I’m not one for dream analysis. Some dreams are obvious - worrying about family or work. Others are a little insane (hello rat flying in front of me eating mosquitoes!!). But, at the end of this year, I do have a feeling I’m going to know myself even better. And hopefully discover some through lines to my subconscious. I guess my initial take away is this: if you are ever looking for writing inspiration or some writing prompts, look no further than your own dreams. It’s all there. You just have to write it down before you forget. And then you’ll be able to extrapolate and write something you’ll remember forever. Spoiler Alert: I see some short story writing in my future, and some short story reading in yours. Stay tuned! Welcome to week thirty-five of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
Today is my joy to bring you insights from one of my best friends on the planet, the incomparable Sara Russell. Sara is a storyteller, a podcaster, and a social media expert, all of which is interwoven into her own personal sales business via Arbonne. Sara tells her stories in live performances, through her online posts, and most recently through a new podcast called ‘Sarakeet: In My Car’. She also writes trainings for sales and small business consultants. I can tell you from personal experience, Sara weaves her life into a tapestry of meaningful lessons and she gives great advice. She is also an avid reader and has given me many amazing book recommendations over the years. She is a renaissance woman. Let’s see what Sara has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I write from home. I like to write early in the morning whenever possible. I need quiet to hear my own thoughts. I start early before the day distracts me, before I need to tend to a child or a dog. Often times, I have moved my laptop to the dining room table. The sun coming through the front windows of my house lets me know how much time I have left. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Personal stories walk a line between self-indulgent and entertaining or helpful to others. While writing can be healing personally, those of us who share our stories with others always have to check that there is some insight or, at least, entertainment value for others as well. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? As a performer, I tend to read aloud. I don't notice grammar and punctuation errors like some writers. I do get irritated when the same word is used over and over throughout someone's work, though. There are a lot of great words. Get a thesaurus. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I am a big reviser. I write a whole lot of junk and then pick over words and sentences many times. By the time I let someone else read what I've written, I feel pretty solid about where the piece is going. I ask for help when I'm not sure how to end a piece and have a couple writer-friends who always make good suggestions. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Get started. Write what you know. Write what you remember. Then, cut your first draft in half. That's the part the rest of the world needs to hear. Thank you Sara for these incredible answers. It’s always good advice for people to write what you know. Even if they are in a world of science fiction, what the characters are going through has to be rooted in the familiar. And it cannot be said often enough: I’m glad that I know YOU. Please be sure to check out Sara’s website for more information on her stories, performances, and her sales. Also be sure to subscribe to her new podcast via Apple Podcasts or on Sound Cloud. You can also follow Sara on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. Welcome to week thirty-four of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week it is my pleasure to bring you sci-fi, horror, and psycho fiction author, Joe Prosit. I know Joe from his short stories series, Vulpine One on Channillo. Yay for the channillo network of amazing writers! Joe has also been previously published in Sanitarium, Under the Bed, Freedom Fiction, Dead Gun Press, and on the Dead Oaks Podcast. Joe lives with his wife and kids in the Brainerd Lakes Area of northern Minnesota. If you’re an adept stalker, you can find him on one of the many lakes and rivers or lost deep inside the Great North Woods. Let’s see what Joe has to say... Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I write everywhere, whenever I can be alone. Deer stands, bars, I've use a dictation app to write during long drives, hotel rooms are great, my ice fishing house... I'm actually writing this right now on my phone from a mechanic garage in Sweden. Of course I have my big desk with dual monitors in my house where I edit and re-write, but I can do first draft stuff anywhere. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I write both sci-fi and horror, and I think both of those genres play off fear and uncertainties. With sci-fi, the future is scary and uncertain. With horror, often it's the past that is scary and uncertain. But at the end of the day, it's really about the main character's insecurities and fears about themselves that take root and make a good story. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? Mostly my own ineptitude regarding grammar. Or when a publisher requests some unique formatting guidelines other than Shunn's industry standard of formatting. Triple spaced with two inch margins in Wingdings? Seriously annoying. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Earlier in my writing journey, I'd crank out a sketchy first draft and wave it around for anybody who'd give me the time of day like I was a 1930's newsboy yelling "Extra extra extra!" Now days I've learned to be a little more patient and give it a good solid second draft before anybody lays eyes on it. You don't want your critiques and beta reads to focus on all the dumb typos and senseless plot holes you could have fixed yourself. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Enjoy the ride! Don't live in a bubble. Join a writing group, online or in meatspace. Critique others. Have them critique you. Grow a thick skin. Take in all kinds of fiction, especially in your genre, cram them into your mental blender, hit purée and pour out the fictional smoothie into your writing. And have fun! If you're not having fun you're doing it wrong. Thank you Joe for these fantastic answers - submitted from Sweden no less! I agree with you that you that it is so important to have fun. And growing a thick skin is a big part of that. There is a great community of supportive writers out there. Find your clan and have a blast! Be sure to check out his website at JoeProsit.com or follow him on Twitter, @joeprosit. *** If you would like to be featured as a writer in the #WritersQuick5 series, please just reach out and let me know. I’d love to promote your work as well! For updates on #WritersQuick5 and other info from me, please follow me on Twitter or check back with this blog for all the latest. |
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