Welcome to week thirty-three of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week brings us fellow Channillo.com writer (and so much more writer) Brian Dykeman. Brian’s series Carcerated Grammar is one of my favorites on Channillo. It is a series of letters he’s crafted about/with another Brian Dykeman he met while on a cross country road trip. He combines art and writing from a point of view that only Brian could produce. I love what Brian has to say about his own writing and writing style, so I’m going to turn the rest of the intro over to him… When asked… what kind of writing do you do? “The easy answer would be to I dabble in fiction, concept work and Auto-Biographical stories. My scripts typically have a comedic drama bend to them with an aim at dialog and terms or phrases I haven’t heard before. I just discovered the word ‘piles’ means hemorrhoids. Now everyone I tell that to says: “You didn’t know that?” Here I am, thirty-three and feeling like I’m from a different dimension because even when you type ‘piles’ into a search engine; Oh, by the way use DuckDuckGo, people, Google isn’t god, but they’d like to track you like one would and also… It’s DuckDuckGo, how silly is that? You have to use it. I’m not a shareholder, just saying. But now I’m going to look into it. Ahh, it’s a private company. Well, good on them. I have even more respect now. Anyway, ‘Piles…’ even when you type it in in a search, that’s what comes up. Hemorrhoids. Turns out it goes back to middle ages. Pila meaning ball. Back to topic, I’d say you could compare my writing to all sorts of different genres and styles. Though I know that doesn’t exactly answer the question. Let’s just say I appreciate minimalism, but am used to working up convoluted messes. I also don’t shy away from using a thesaurus, not to always sound smart, but mostly to find what sounds the best and appeals to the aesthetic without losing the meaning. Oh, I like tangents too. If you hadn’t noticed. I haven’t really been ‘officially’ published, so to speak. Might never be considering I don’t think I would work well with what someone else wants for ‘my’ projects and people don’t like aimless tangents. But there is stuff up on the internet; a subscription sites and a blog that’s probably lost to the aether. And I imagine I’ll go the self-publishing route at least once in my life. But I also just haven’t reached a point where I need to cross that bridge.” You guys are hooked already, right? So am I. Let’s see what else Brian has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? It used to be I would lay down and work in the notes app on a 3rd gen iPod. But, so much of my series is done on paper and on the computer that that is where I ‘have’ to be. So as of recently I work wherever I can set up a computer; usually in the home office or at the kitchen counter. Laying on my bed and writing on my iPod is where I prefer to be though. Most of the magical, creative writing happens there. It’s having to go through emailing it to myself and hence having to put everything into a word document later that I run into the hassle that comes with that particular means of writing. I realize it’s a seemingly insane method but you can’t fight where you find the fool’s gold once you’ve figured out how you best bring it up from the river. Pyrite is priceless, people. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Knee jerk answer, I’d say nothing. Whenever I open a book I run into something I’m doing that another author has already pioneered, and they typically executed the maneuver much better. But I’m not too hard on myself when I find such examples; number of authors out there, number of books, obviously there is going to be some retread. I suppose as long as the destination and mileage varies there isn’t too much of a problem. Actually, one of the reasons I stay away from reading very much is that very reason. Parallel thinking sets me back on my heels when I discover it has occurred, keeps me from fully exploring an idea the way I had been. Which is good too though, it just sets the writing back though. I suppose my overall approach to the work might be one of the most unique things about my writing. Almost everything I do comes about as a result of asking questions, coming up with answers, then asking more; something I can probably attribute to my Philosophy degree. I’d say I have an overwhelming desire to try and make things as different as possible. Throwing in twists bends or slants people wouldn’t otherwise expect or necessarily come away from in an appreciative light. But thanks to my six years in the Marine Corps I’m already well ahead of the curve in that regard since we think about the world in terms that are dramatically different than the average citizen or even other military -non-Marine- members would; Marine’s inherently firing on a weird ignition timings. Honestly though, I gravitate towards anything that keeps me interested and engaged. I mean, I’m passively working on putting together a coloring book of all things. But, I’m very hard to entertain or impress, so I try to put out or invest myself in material that I see some sort of personal or social value in. Basically, I try to focus my life and art around Pirsig’s question ‘What is Quality?’ You know, the question that drove him insane and underlines the entirety of ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ then on into his next book ‘Lila,’ life on a sail boat and the answers he arrived at. Basically, why do something if it doesn’t have quality? To paraphrase Pirsig: we all know when something has quality, but we can’t definitively say why it has quality. So, I try to gravitate toward things I feel are at least noble efforts towards achieving that benchmark; the dynamic versus the static if we are to apply Pirsig’s Metaphysic of Quality found in ‘Lila.’ I also often think of life in terms of my not living to see tomorrow and time passing by, ideas found in the Bushido, but largely instilled in me from potentially life threatening situations encountered while in the military. So for me, there is a concern about whether whatever I’m working on deserves the next day, week, month or years I have left to live, time being our most valuable commodity. Does my work meet those expectations? Almost never. But I strive for it and am always thinking about it. And unfortunately for other writers -for better or worse- it’s something I hold them to also. I realize a lot of times this is their job and what they do to make a living and feed their kids. But I don’t have a lot of those concerns so I suppose I’m more concerned with the art than the cash. It’s a nice problem to have, I imagine they’d say, even though, for me, such concerns probably consume the same amount of time and focus they probably give to said kids and other concerns. The thing with my work is, from the outset, I don’t really believe folks are going to think what I am doing has any quality. I feel like I can almost guarantee that. But I endeavor to have at least something being answered; whether it’s a question outright asked or not, and to provide something entertaining in the interim. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? Probably the people that voice their concerns with it. I suppose seeing incorrect it’s/its; you’re/your; to/too; there/they’re/their usages. But those things have more of a spelling error feel to me than grammar and they slip past me all the time even though I’m well aware of the correct forms. I’m a horrible person to ask that question. I literally have specific punctuation styles for different projects where I use it in specific ways or in ways it’s not necessarily meant to be used. And I am a person that agrees with Cormac McCarthy in his minimalist feelings towards punctuation, they are just silly marks on a page afterall. But I do like to use it in artistic ways, ultimately relying upon the reader enduring enough of it, for long enough, to start getting used to what I am doing. But I also do that for certain reasons I’ve deemed help better frame what I am trying to accomplish or look more aesthetically pleasing to me or for the project. My usage of semi-colons and commas and the various hyphens is also highly suspect. As for Grammar, first of all, I’ve never taking a Grammar 101 class that focuses strictly on grammar. If such a thing even exists. So, grammar in our society is a failing of the education system in my mind. If you are thinking English class, I’ll contend there hasn’t been a single English class I’ve taken where that was anything more than a passing concern. It was only addressed sporadically, but then hammered down upon as if you committed any sins against it. I think it’s a sad state of affairs because as far as I’ve experienced it is something you have to study on your own. And that is a time suck and a half without a teacher. That being said, I’d say consistency is of the utmost importance. You can be dead wrong in how you write something, as far as the rules are concerned, but as long as you keep doing it, well at that point it’s part of your style. I suppose the struggle would be keeping readers who hate what you’re doing invested and being okay with looking like an idiot. You might disagree, but you need look no further than the current application of writing, for better or worse it evolves/devolves depending on popular usage. In my application, however, I come more from a Linguistic/Universal grammar appreciation versus the stricter Element of Style philosophies, because at that point it might as well be music theory. A study which, you lose if you don’t use. It’s kind of like counter-point, you can approach a piece of music and not necessarily be wrong in the chords within the scale you’ve arranged across the measure, but from a counter-point standpoint, be dead wrong in what I guess you might call the ‘eloquence of composition’ because of the inversions or fingerings of those chords you chose; “the bass note of the Major III not leading to the…”; “it would have been better if you had used the second inversion here and the third here…” (or some such), again I haven’t used it in so long I only really remember I was in over my head when it came to terms of counter-point; walking away with an overabundance of red pen marks. But all the inversions and all the proper chords within the scale had been annotated correctly, that was a huge win; had those fundamentals been wrong the professor couldn’t have even moved on to putting the counter-point on blast— In grammatical terms: I may not know what the name of the grammatical error causing the problem, but I know when it sounds wrong. All this said, I still aim for and am an advocate for proper grammatical usage, but not having a well-versed knowledge of it I can’t exactly break down what I’ve been doing shot gun style and figure out/speak to the finer points of what I’ve been doing, even with my own writing. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Point of sale. I’m a complete cynic thanks to the overwhelming percentage of people who haven’t read things I’ve sent them. I’m at a point where I’m convinced the only time folks are going to read my work is if it’s been printed and bound. At which point, they’re paying for it. They kind of had every chance to read it otherwise. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Don’t write just to write. I mean... do, but have a purpose that you think speaks to advancing the dialectic/Universal consciousness. I don’t care if you’re new or been doing it for twenty years. Put reason to the writing. Just being good at it isn’t enough. Find a reason for telling that little anecdote to give it that much more purpose. Depth and meaning are huge. I would much rather work on something with a relevant aim ‘badly,’ than something that does nothing more than serve as a definitive form of escapism ‘well.’ What are you trying to contribute to the cultural paradigm? Ideas and betterment or candy and euthanasia? Remember, our time is limited even though baby needs a new bottle and bonnet. My opinion of you as a writer is also riding on this. Choose wisely. Or better yet… invite the dialectic into your life and find a synthesis between the two. There’s no reason you can’t get your diabetes from something relevant. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, I like consumable, page turning writing (when I’ve read it), but I don’t necessarily strive for it myself, because, well, there’s too much of it already and someone is already doing it better than I could ever hope to. In fact, I made a decision to stay away from anything that isn’t considered literature for the most part because of that fact. Am I missing out, I’m sure. But I’ve also never actually really liked reading, if you can believe that, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Also, If I’m going to participate in something that generally puts me to sleep, I find there’s more benefit in picking up a subject that directly concerns something I’m working on or in trying to understand what masters of the art have done to command such a consideration. It’s funny, one of my background projects I will release in two forms, the so-called: ‘complete intended tome’ and the ‘condensed consumable’; think of it like a hearty stew versus a can of Campbells. I sometimes spend days and hours on chunks of marbled meat narrative to get their comedic philosophical and convoluted facets to read in a somewhat coherent fashion; work which will ultimately be ‘cut from the consumable,’ for fear of choking the reader and, if I’m being honest, because they don’t deserve the choice cuts of meat if they don’t want to put in the work to dissect them. But I will often read them once they are done to my mother, then explain the jokes and the layers and she’ll figuratively pull her hair out. “No one wants to do work when they read!” Broad generalizations aside, I’m sure there is some merit to the comment and I understand where she is coming from, But I think there is something to be said for work that is layered and must be broken down and analyzed, just try to make sure that smallest nested egg is a golden nugget. No one likes digging for no pay off. Writing to me is more often like homework than it is magical; probably why I work so slowly, I’m always fighting it, but when it is magic and all the -sometimes months of- tedious work come together, nothing beats that fleeting three second moment where I’m laughing my ass off and vigorously rubbing my hands together. Synthesis is a great thing. That’s ultimately why I’ve decided to apply myself towards it, even though for the most part, I’m not a huge fan of doing so. Yeah, so, I basically write for me; see my answer to question number four for the reason why, and I suggest you do so for yourself also. Because if you are happy with what you did, nobody can take that from you except yourself or a house fire. So, don’t burn candles. Oh, and look up the words you use, even if you’re sure you know what they mean. I can’t count the number of times they haven’t meant something I knew in my bones they did (There are probably a few words that I missed in this interview that stand as prime examples). See ‘Piles.’ The only reason I found out I was wrong was happenstance editing or really listening to what Mel Gibson said to the dog on the beach in a televised airing of Lethal Weapon 2. My goodness, aren’t these answers incredible? This is going up on my quote board: Because if you are happy with what you did, nobody can take that from you except yourself or a house fire. So, don’t burn candles. If you want to keep track of Brian and the wonder of his writing, you can check out his Carcerated Grammar on Channillo.com. You can also follow Brian personally on Twitter @dizzyke. On Instagram he is @jasper.pdog. One last note from Brian: “The other Brian Dykeman who I call the ‘Real’ Brian Dykeman is @BrianDykeman on twitter. Give him some love and tell him the other Brian Dykeman sent you.” Thank you Brian! *** 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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I’m about to get real folks. Because at the moment it’s the only thing I can do. Because I want to keep writing but I also want to be honest that sometimes it’s hard. And sometimes I honestly can’t.
When I started this blog, I wanted to be open and honest about my writing experience, but I didn’t want to bitch or moan. I didn’t want to focus on the negative. I wanted to be vulnerable, but not pessimistic. So, on the many times that I’ve started a blog about how hard it is to break into the publishing industry or my fears over never being able to write a good enough query letter or my jealously over people who have managed to break through, I’ve taken a step back and thought about whether or not those feelings were deep-rooted or fleeting. And whether or not that was what I wanted to put out into the world. And the answer has always been no. Because that’s not me. Those are glimmers of my humanity for sure. But, day-to-day I’m an optimist. I always tell my daughter, “there’s always a solution.” So on my best days when I think I might not get picked up by an agent I start thinking about hybrid-publishing. When I start worrying about my query letter I turn to the gratitude for all the people that have helped me with it. When I see new authors have their book birthdays, I am genuinely happy and excited for them and think, “if they can do it so can I.” That’s me. But what is also me is this: I suffer from periodic depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety intense enough to make even my gratitude-driven outlook on life utterly exhausting. It is important to note: I’m lucky. My depression and anxiety are not every day. It’s not all the time. But, when it comes, it usually last for weeks. And when it’s bad, it’s really bad. For the past few weeks I’ve been going through one of these periods and it’s been tough. You may be asking yourself, ‘why are you confessing this on a writing blog?’ The simple answer is because it is affecting my writing and I made a promise to share my writing experiences with you. And I don’t view this as being negative and I’m certainly not complaining. Let’s face it. It’s hard enough to write, but it seems next to impossible to do when it takes all your energy just to put your pants on in the morning. Let alone to be a good mom and wife and to try and keep up with the laundry. Oh, and yes, the transition to a new job that is forthcoming. I have been gifted time right now. Down time in between jobs. To deal with myself. To regroup and recharge. I was hoping I’d used the time to jump head first back into writing. To work on my next book and to continue pitching my first book. But honestly guys, it ain’t that easy. So, here’s what I can tell you. I can do the familiar stuff. Writing #WritersQuick5 brings me a lot of joy. It’s familiar and it’s fun and I look forward to it. Soliciting new writers for #WritersQuick5 though can tug at my soul. I don’t like asking people for things. And I don’t like feeling like a sales person. Getting new writers takes a lot of energy from me. But, I’ve deemed it 100% worth it because I love #WritersQuick5. I’ve learned so much and have been touched but everyone’s answers. It’s a true blessing. And for me, at this moment, I’m thankful I have a few more writers lined up for a few weeks out. But after that? It will take all my energy to track down more. I just have to have faith that my gumption and sense of self-worth will be back up to normal levels to be able to tackle that. Because it IS worth it. Writing Amache’s America is a true joy. I am familiar with the platform. I love the characters. And it’s low key. Because I’m not thinking about getting it published (at the moment) it is all very organic. I’m trusting my instincts. I’m writing what feels good. And, the people that do read it seem to love it. It’s a safe place. Editing my query letter for The Cube is a trigger. There is too much hope and destiny packed into those few paragraphs. Every time I think I’ve nailed it, I get feedback that one line just doesn’t work or that I still need to flush something out. It’s gotten to the point where I 100% know I’ve had TOO many people look at it and I’ve thought about it TOO much to the point where it may not work at all. But that may just be an excuse for the fact that sending a query letter out and getting the right agent at the right time seems like catching lightning in a bottle. And again, I’m having trouble summoning up the energy to get dressed. And then there are the suggested edits to the book itself. The book that I love, that I consider to be done. There are ways to make it better for sure, but I also just want someone to read the whole damn thing to know that it’s a complete story and not just the first five pages. A couple of my friends have suggested I do a Kickstarter to help get momentum going and get my book into the world to move on. But, when your depression and anxiety have you questioning your own self-worth, do you know what’s impossible to believe? That anyone will want to participate in your self-indulgent Kickstarter. Reading is a safe place. I’ve read many books this month and reading has made me feel more like myself again. Curling up with a blanket and a book is the closest thing to breathing for me. It gives me life. But, in times like these, it also makes me sad. Because I want someone to read my books too. SO, where does that leave me? Well first, I know this current bout of depression and anxiety will pass. Because it always does. And if it doesn’t, again, I am lucky. I have a therapist I trust and a husband that loves and supports me and the unconditional love of my kid and we will figure it out. The fog was already starting to lift and earlier this week and I had a couple days of playing tourist in my own city followed by a couple days of getting a lot done before I slipped back into the darkness yesterday. I need to remember that there will be good days and bad days and that eventually the good will outweigh the bad and I’ll be back on track. And second, that I need to listen to myself. I have a tattoo on my right arm that says, “choose grace”. It’s a reminder to myself to always give others the benefit of the doubt, but also to give myself the benefit of the doubt too. That even in the darkest of hours, the sunrise is still on its way. And third, that while internal pressure to keep to my dreams and my goals is good. And forward momentum is good. And working hard to realize a life ambition is good. It will do me no good if I harm myself in the process. So day-by-day I will do what I can. And then I’ll lie down if I have to. And then I’ll get up and do a little more. And that, if anything, the fact that I had the energy to write this blog post today is a great sign. Even if part of me is dreading the idea that no one may read it, a bigger part of me is just thrilled to be writing about writing again. A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been able to put these thoughts into words. Healing is a beautiful thing. And ultimately writing is a paradox. Because this blog post isn’t for anyone else but me but simultaneously if just one person reads this and gives themselves some grace that sometimes a person just cannot write every damn day, then that’s a good thing too. Here’s what I believe: at the end of the day, even though writing seems like the most solitary of experiences, in reality writing is what binds us together. It gives us the connective tissue of the shared human experience. And deep down I know that we are all in this together. Even if I feel alone. Even if that’s hard for me to imagine. Reading and writing will get me through. And I will do my best to give myself grace until my inner light shines bright again. Welcome to week thirty-two of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week I am so thrilled and honored to jump back into the world of songwriting with the incredible Schuyler Miller. While primarily a songwriter, Schuyler writes poetry and short stories as well. Along with writing her own music, Schuyler does a lot of songwriting with/for other artists, as well as for licensing and placement opportunities (commercials, TV shows, movies, etc). Be on the lookout for more from Schuyler soon too. She’s currently working on her own solo projects and her debut EP will be released in January 2018. YAY! Let’s see what Schuyler has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I write wherever I am. Generally, I carry around a journal with me wherever I go so that I can write things down when the ideas strike. I don't really trust technology - I prefer good old pencil and paper. Oddly enough, I have a lot of ideas come to me in dreams, so there are quite a few late-night notes scribbled on pieces of paper floating around my bed. The first song I ever wrote came to me in a dream. When I woke up, I remembered the first line and ended up writing the rest of the song that day. Recently, the title of short story came to me mid-slumber and I literally jolted out of bed at 3:30 am and wrote the whole thing. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I think that songwriting is such a beautiful, magical thing. I write for all different genres of music, but I feel like there's always something in there that you could trace back to me. I work with a lot of different songwriters and it's always so interesting to see people's styles come out in their songs. Little things that make you go "Oh! That's definitely so-and-so's melody." Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? When it comes to writing lyrics, or poetry, I think you can pretty much do whatever the hell you want. That's part of the fun. But I definitely get annoyed by grammatical/punctuation errors when I'm reading an article or a novel. Maybe I should be more understanding. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? I used to be so hesitant to let people hear my songs, because I held them so close to my heart. I was very much of the mindset that everything I wrote was special and came through me and onto the page for a reason, and I didn't want anyone to tell me otherwise. To some extent, I still feel that way but I'm much more open to sharing my work now. My songs are my art; my way of expressing myself and working things out emotionally, so it can be difficult to hand that over to someone and say "Here, what do you think of this?" and open yourself up to criticism. But I think that ultimately, it makes you a better writer when you can take critiques of your work and go back and revise what you've done. Because at the end of the day, even though my songs are very special to me and I ultimately want to be the one that curates the end result, I can still recognize the fact that I want them to be accessible to other people. They're my thoughts and my words, but if you can't connect to others through those words then you don't have much. So these days, I share my songs pretty early on in the writing process. I have a lot of people around me whose opinions I respect and trust, so it's great to be able to get that feedback. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? As corny and cliche as it sounds, I'd say "Be true to yourself". It's so easy to get caught up in things and compare yourself in a negative way to other people that are doing similar things, but you have to remember that you're the only "you" there is, and your voice is worth hearing. Also, it's okay to be shitty at stuff sometimes. You gotta be willing to trudge your way through the shit if you wanna get to the good stuff. Thank you Schuyler for these incredible answers. I had my idea for my novel, The Cube, in a dream just like your songs! And I LOVE your advice: remember that you’re the only “you” there is, and your voice is worth hearing. Gosh that’s great. Love love love. Be sure to follow Schuyler on Instagram and on Twitter and stay tuned for January 2018 when her debut EP is released! *** 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-one of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
And we’re back! After a few weeks of summer break I could not be more thrilled to be back and to be sharing out more of this #WritersQuick5 series. I am particularly honored and excited that our first writer back is none other than my dear friend Melissa Joan Walker. I’ve known Melissa and her family for many years; we’ve shared amazing life adventures together. She is an incredible writer and I’m so stoked for you all to get to know her better. Melissa is primarily an essayist now, but she’s published fiction and poetry, too. Her writing has been published on The Manifest-Station and Modern Simplicity; and in Sentence; Chicago Arts Journal; The Denver Quarterly; Banshee; Parable Press; Yes, Poetry; the NewerYork; After Hours; Orion Headless; Ignavia; Wunderkammer Poetry; Disembodied Text; Words & Images; Split Rock Review; Telophase; and Tablet. Isn’t she amazing? She also has an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and you can read more of her current essays on her blog... and subscribe! Let’s see what Melissa has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I get up super early and write in a corner on my sofa in the living room. I like that I can sit here as long as I want, and I don't have to pay for coffee or worry about my computer when I get up to use the restroom. I can choose the music. I usually start with one song that I play to begin my day. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Essay is interesting, and especially my subject area, which is spirituality, because it's so personal. Cheryl Strayed talked about this with Wild, how the criticism of personal essay or memoir is often not about the writing but about YOU, the author -- critiquing your choices, your outlook. I find with my subject area people hold such personal ideas about spirituality, God, the Universe and it's often critical to their identity, so they are offended more easily than they would be if I just was writing fiction they didn't like. But I love talking about things that are important to me, and are really critical for most of us -- these questions of how do we get through the day spiritually intact with all the craziness in the world? How do we stay open and engaged with the world, without letting it overwhelm us? Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? This is a hard question for me to answer. The truth is I get turned off when I see grammar and spelling errors online, ones that seem out of sync with the author's image online. So, if they're an "expert" in a particular area, but they have these grammar issues, I am not so sure about their other expertise either. But the issue of "correct grammar" is often an issue of privilege. I am not talking about choices that are intrinsic to the voice. There are some authors I love who use a different grammar system from the one we were taught in school. I'm just talking about carelessness. Because we can publish ourselves online, I see a lot of carelessness in email newsletters and on personal websites. If I see that, I just bail because it cuts through the author's credibility for me. I certainly make mistakes, too, but I don't blame people if they question me for it. Usually it's an issue of me not proofreading carefully enough. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? It depends. I sometimes bring people in very early but then I often just need a cheerleader for the project, so I'll be very clear and just say "Can I show you this piece and you'll only tell me good things about it?" If I get the feeling they won't be able to do that, I take it to someone else. I have enough experience with feedback to know that much of it is just based on personal preference, so I try to take the piece to someone who is a reader I'd want. So, if someone really loves sci-fi and I hate sci-fi, I wouldn't ask them for feedback on my fiction. In the essays I'm doing now, I show them to one particular person when I've done the first draft, especially if I see a problem in the piece and I'm not sure how to fix it. It helps to have someone else read the piece and then in the brief discussion that follows, I often get a clearer idea of how to fix my problem. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? I'd say to start submitting and publishing as early as possible. I was really shy about this in the beginning but I wish I'd been bolder. I did an internship at a publishing company in college and they passed on a book that I KNOW all of my friends would have bought. So that helped me see that these decision makers have their own tastes and they make decisions for all kinds of reasons, and they also make mistakes. They're not God. So go ahead and start submitting. You'll get a lot of rejections, but even the rejections feel like evidence that someone has read your writing, you're a "real writer" now -- you're submitting and well, yes, maybe getting rejected, but you're learning about the process and you're participating in the full process. As you start to get some publications, you'll develop more confidence and this will help you gain momentum in your writing. If you don't submit, you can be sure you won't get published. And just keep at it. I read a long time ago that a successful writer is just someone who didn't quit. That helped me. YES! I love this advice. Submit your work! Let other people see it. I love the idea that a successful writer is just someone who didn’t quit. I needed to hear that! Please check out Melissa’s website and blog. You can subscribe to her weekly newsletter. You can also follow her on Twitter. Thank you for your words Melissa. I miss you! *** 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. I’ve had a lot of people ask me lately about my book, The Cube. First - THANK YOU! It means so much to me that so many people are invested in my journey.
What I can say is that after the Chicago Writing Workshop, I put myself on a bit of a self-imposed #getpublished break. I needed to step back, take a deep breath, reassess my strategy, and enjoy the summer a little bit. It’s been good. And I’ve had a lot of fun summer adventures. Still, there has been some forward movement.
Up next, my hope is that I will get back to some more aggressive querying in the fall and I still hope to give myself a year of querying (which gives me until next spring). Then? Who knows. Maybe hybrid publishing? I’ll figure it out if need be. Honestly, I don’t want to think about alternatives yet. I want to visualize my goal. An agent. A publisher. My book on bookshelves. In the meantime, I’ve been focusing a lot on my channillo.com series Amache’s America. I really love where that story is right now. I think that when I’m done writing it on channillo, I may even pitch that to some agents. It would take a lot of rework to put it into a longer-form book format, but I think it’s a story that the world would love to read. And let me just say. The folks that do read it on channillo are SO NICE. Their feedback and support means the world to me too. And let me tell you, their writing rocks as well. So much goodness out there! I haven’t worked on Samurai Prophecy in a little while, but my brain thinks about it all the time. I just published my 30th #WritersQuick5. THIRTY! Woot! Woot! Up next I’m going to do a ‘where are they now?’ special edition to highlight some of the amazing things that the writers I’ve featured have done just in the last few months. I love having a cohort of writers to follow and support. And, just as many of my writers on #WritersQuick5 write at work all the time, every day I’m writing away. This week I was drafting a whole series of notifications that will go out to the community. I love the sound of the keys clicking away on the keyboard. So yes, please continue to stay tuned. I have some more big life changes coming up that I hope will bring me back around to focusing on the writing mentioned above. As always, I remain optimistic and motivated. Thanks everyone. Your support means the world to me. XOXO Welcome to week thirty of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week brings you insights and answers from fellow Chicago Writers Association (CWA) member Mary Wagner. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to Mary at several CWA events, most recently at this year’s Printer’s Row Lit Fest. Mary has had such a long and incredible journey with writing, I wanted to let her describe her path to authorship in her own words… “OMG, what a long, strange trip it's been! I started out writing as a stringer for the second-largest daily newspaper in Wisconsin while I was still in college, and then stepped up to the staff of the largest one after I graduated. Then I married, and became a full-time mom to four kids...but essentially became self-syndicated, writing about PBS programming for a bunch of magazines around the country. THEN I went to law school at the age of forty, and thought my writing days were behind me except for legal briefs. I was WRONG! Friends who realized how much I missed creative writing talked me into blogging, which led to starting my "Running with Stilettos" blog at the end of 2006. The blogging led to self-publishing several essay collections that won a bunch of awards (Running with Stilettos, Heck on Heels, Fabulous in Flats and When the Shoe Fits). And now I've turned my attention to writing a series of books for young readers about a rescue kitten who finds a home in a small-town circus museum. I self-published and illustrated "Finnigan the Circus Cat" in June, 2016, and I expect to publish the next one in November, 2017. Early on when I started blogging, I joined both the Chicago Writers Association and the Illinois Woman's Press Association, and both of those groups have been incredibly kind and rewarding for me. As has the Florida Writers Association--Fabulous in Flats was their Royal Palm Literary Awards BOTY back in 2011, and the unpublished manuscript for Finnigan took first place in its category in their 2016 contest.” Thank you Mary for this great example of how writing is a part of each leg of our life journey and how varied and fruitful it can be! Mary has a lot more to share with us too… Let’s see what Mary has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? Over the years that has shifted so often! I have literally been known to scribble essay notes on the back of used manila envelopes in the car when inspiration struck. A couple of years ago I moved from my large empty nest in the country to much smaller digs in the city where I work, and so I'm still mourning the loss of my writing corner in the family room which looked out through large windows over fourteen acres of woods and fields. But I'm now very close to Lake Michigan, and find a lot of inspiration there. I can sit at the shore with a pen and notebook, and the sound of the wind and the waves both crowds everything ordinary out of my mind and sparks new ideas for stories and dialogue. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I should probably be the last person to ask because I usually jump first and think about what I got myself into later. When I was writing for newspapers, the challenge was to be short and concise about complicated situations, and lead with the most important stuff. Then when I wrote for magazines, I had to stretch myself to allow some creative flow and a more sophisticated vocabulary and sneak in actual opinions or personal observations at times. Blogging essays has been the easiest, because it's nearly a stream-of-consciousness process. But writing for kids, wow! I feel like I'm on a tightrope sometimes, aiming for a storyline that a child can follow, but with some twists and turns and grammar and ironic humor that adults would enjoy if they're reading along. Every once in a while my natural inclination is to use a four-syllable word when a two-syllable one would do...and most of the time I leave it in. It does a young body good to look something up in a dictionary once in a while! Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I think the misuse of "comprise" and "compose" makes me absolutely crazy. And I feel like I'm in a losing battle, when I see the number of established websites and organizations that screw it up on a regular basis. Oh, and I am a staunch believer in the Oxford Comma. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Mostly, I don't. Newspaper writing of course has to go through a copy editor, it's the nature of the beast. But the blogging I've done has come straight from the heart, which is why it has been so liberating for me as a writer. I even kept the first Finnigan book very close to the vest. I would run occasional plot twists past my daughter if she happened to be staying with me at the time, but when it came to the writing, I got to the very end before I shared it with just two people. One was a friend who works with young kids, and the other was someone who works with a circus museum. Both had very kind things to say, which really lifted my confidence that I had a created a story to believe in. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Two things, really. One is to sit down once in awhile with a pen and a pad of paper and let the words just flow. I have found in my own experience that what comes out in that linear fashion, when the words racing in my mind have to slow down to the pace where I can put them on paper, can be subtly, or even dramatically, different from what I would type at the speed of light at a keyboard. And the other is to get out and participate in some "live lit." Or even, if your confidence isn't where you can get up and read in front of a group, at least get out there and listen to it. There's so much energy, and synergy, to be gotten from that environment it's truly amazing. Being a writer can be a very lonely, solitary existence, and we can get lost in the existential wormholes of our latest project or our second thoughts about what we're trying to do. Live lit is a great antidote and source of joy and inspiration to counter that! Here are links to a couple of essays I wrote about it, one is about reading an an "open mic" at a place called The Beauty Bar, and the other was at Great Lakes Tattoo for the series "That's All She Wrote." Thank you Mary for these incredible answers! I love the advice to go out and experience Live lit. Hearing words out loud is such a rich and different experience from reading or writing. I wholeheartedly concur! To learn more about Mary, please check out her website and her books on Amazon. You can also find her across social media. Follow her on Twitter! *** 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 twenty-nine of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week brings you insights from Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, a poet, essayist and novelist. Gerayln’s first self-published book LINES, a story of Chicago historical fiction, made Geralyn the winner of the Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project, an initiative sponsored by the Illinois Library Association (ILA) and Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems (RAILS). Geralyn is currently in the research and outline phase for a sequel to LINES. LINES and her chapbook, ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER are both currently available to purchase on Amazon. When Geralyn isn’t writing, she’s serving in one of the world’s most honorable professions… she’s a teacher! Let’s see what Geralyn has to say... Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? Hands down, my writing "home" is a coffee house called the Friendly Coffee Lounge (Berwyn, IL). It's one of three services offered by the Friendly Music Community (the other services are a live-music venue/bar next to the coffee house and a music school upstairs). I'm proud to be one of the first coffee regulars, spending much of my summers in the back corner. I write here because it's a place where I can exist in the role of Writer instead of Mom or Teacher. There's a creative and welcoming vibe at Friendly, unlike sterile spaces I'd visited in the past. Words and images "happen" here for me, as they do for the local musicians who frequently grab a guitar off the wall and start strumming a tune. I owe a lot to this community because they support and inspire me every day. (http://www.friendlymusic.community) Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? I love Chicago. Writing Chicago historical fiction allows me to explore the city's past and imagine what life could have been like for my main character, who, by the way, takes her name and background from my great-great grandmother. The real Livia Haas lived during the time periods in which I write, so even though the stories I pen are completely fabricated, I feel a personal connection to her with good reason. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? As a high school English teacher, I still use the Oxford comma. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? Late. No one saw my first draft of LINES— until there was a complete story. Even then, after two or three readers, it took a couple more years and countless revisions before new eyes came in. However, once the final draft was nearing, I went through three more rounds of readers. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this critique stage. I learned a lot about my story, my style, and my writing habits. (Notice the Oxford comma.) Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Be an active, as well as avid, reader. Take notes, ask questions, analyze an author's tone or a character's dialogue. Highlight a moving passage or clever play on words. Notice detail. It's when I set time aside for reading that I find myself most productive in writing. Thank you Geralyn for these amazing answers. And I love the advice to be an avid reader. It’s so true. Reading can not only provide great examples for great writing, but can also spark creativity and serve as built in role models for all of us -- if they can do it, so can you! PS… the past couple years my friends and I have been doing a mini-competition of trying to each read 52 books a year. The past two years I’ve hit my goal (or gone over). This year I’m way behind. I have to get back to it! Please be sure to check out Geralyn’s website and books on Amazon. You can also follow her on Facebook and on Twitter. *** 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 twenty-eight of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
Today I am pleased to bring you fellow Chicago Writing Association member and indie writer Sue Rovens. Sue writes suspense with slices of horror mixed in for good measure. Be sure to check out her old website, In A Corner Darkly, and her recently launched new website, SueRovens.com to learn all about her appearances, interviews, and availability to speak. All of her books -- Track 9, Badfish, and In A Corner, Darkly -- can be purchased on Amazon (or other places where books are sold) in either paperback or Kindle format. Let’s see what Sue has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? I do most of my writing in our den at our house (that's where the computer is). I do have a laptop, and on occasion I will use it, but I am more comfortable at a desktop computer. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Many people have a preconceived notion about horror, and, to a lesser degree, suspense. It's actually a hindrance and unfortunate that more readers won't give these genres a chance. I think that as soon as someone mentions horror, Stephen King (and all that his name implies) pops into their head. Instantly, a snap judgement is made - the person either loves him or hates him - and they base their feelings on my (or someone else's) suspense/horror book. So for me, writing in this particular genre is a bit of an uphill battle. As great as Stephen King and Jack Ketchum (just to mention a few) are, the incredible breadth of their work has set up a kind of "standard" or "expectation" when it comes to producing material in the horror genre. Although I write suspense/horror, my writing would probably come down closer to the side of Weird/Psychological Suspense than straight up horror. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? I can't really say that I have either grammar or punctuation peeves. However, I don't like it when writers use "he said" or "she said" after every bit of dialogue. I find that very distracting. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? After the second complete draft. I need to finish the entire manuscript/short story before I even entertain the idea of other people eyeballing it. The second pass is when I revise passages and/or take out entire sections. I don't want anyone reading anything that's really "in process" because so much of it could change. I have to be somewhat satisfied with what's on the page before asking anyone else to like it/hate it/comment on it. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Aside from the usual - practice writing, read everything you can, go to classes and/or conferences about writing - I'm going to add a couple other pieces of advice. 1. Don't force it. Some people can write every day, but if that's not you, that's okay. Unless there is a deadline looming or you have a boss/editor/publisher who needs something immediately, don't pressure yourself to be creative. The whole idea of writing (for most folks) is to express yourself through your chosen words. Let it be a natural progression, not an obligatory penance. 2. Write about what interests you and not what you think will sell. Once again, unless you are writing as a job for a paycheck, I would suggest that new writers focus on what they enjoy. No one can predict what readers will want in 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years from now. So, if you are writing to the "current trend", by the time you actually get your book out there, the initial interest could have long passed. Thank you Sue for these great answers! They are actually very timely too. I need to hear the “don’t force it” message. I have found that the busier I am with work and as a mom, the more the writing does seem forced - and that’s NOT when my best writing happens. Focusing on what you enjoy is part of why we keep writing! Please be sure to check out Sue’s website and her books! *** 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 twenty-seven of the #WritersQuick5 series - where we learn about writing from fellow writers.
This week it is my utter delight to bring you insights from Laura Alsum, without whom I would not be where I am today. In a rare treat, I’m going to start this intro with a pre-question… Laura, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? “I received an MFA in film/screenwriting from UCLA, so writing for film and television is my main passion, although I've also collaborated on works for the stage and am currently writing my first novel. Editing is something I'm becoming increasingly interested in, too, and I've been pleased to work as an editor for the lovely and talented Kelly Weiss (ahem). If anyone is looking for an editor, I'd love to hear from you!” YES! Please do use Laura! She’s amazing. If you’d like to reach out to Laura or know more about her services, please use the contact form on my website for an introduction. I cannot speak highly enough about her work - thoughtful, detailed, spot on. She’s the best. She’s also incredibly humble and did not say that she has won awards for her screenwriting and is quite accomplished in the field. Let’s see what Laura has to say… Question #1 - Where do you write and why do you write there? My cozy office is set up so that I can write in a recliner, because if I'm not 100% comfortable, nothing gets accomplished. I've also attempted to create a sort of (what I imagine to be) 19th century gentlemen's club/world traveler's den type of atmosphere complete with old maps, terrariums, glass bottles, and chess sets. I'd like to say this decor helps my creativity in some way, and maybe it does, but mostly I just think it's fun. Question #2 - What is unique about writing for your particular genre? Screenwriting is a whole different monster from novel writing. You use the present tense, you can't explain what people are thinking or feeling since film is ultimately a visual medium, and because the format is exact and precise, most people use particular software programs to make the job easier. Question #3 - What are some of your grammar or punctuation pet peeves? There are so (so) many, but number one for me is using an apostrophe s when trying to make something plural. This problem seems to be increasing at an alarming rate -- to the point I'm concerned for our society. "Try our delicious crepe's!" "The Smith's invite you to their 50th anniversary party!" Rumor has it this bothers me so much that I've taken it upon myself to cross out misused apostrophes on store signs. Question #4 - At what point in your writing process do you start to bring other people in to review your work? It depends on the project. For something larger or more complicated, I like to start right away, either in the outlining process or with the first act/first few chapters. If something central to my plot doesn't work, I want to know immediately. Question #5 - What advice would you give to a new writer about the writing process? Don't write in a cave. You may think you have written the most brilliant, beautiful thing ever, but for all you know, the story already exists somewhere, or you might need major help in restructuring your sentences. Conversely, if you're afraid to share your work with someone, you might never know how talented you are or how important it is to get your story out into the world. Thank you so much for these great answers. Readers, isn’t she the best? I love the last bit… “if you're afraid to share your work with someone, you might never know how talented you are or how important it is to get your story out into the world.” She’s been my cheerleader for years… take her advice and let her be yours too! Share. Your. Work. If you think it’s interesting, someone else will too. Please reach out if you’d like to get in touch with Laura and you can learn more about her on my collaborators page. There you can find links to several articles about her screenwriting and some of the awards that she has won. *** 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. On Saturday, June 24, 2017 I attended the Chicago Writing Workshop. It was a whirlwind day of sessions and agent pitches. It was also my first big writing conference. I’ve attended learning seminars and networking hours and BookCon and all sorts of writing-related events, but never a straight up conference. I am very glad that I went.
I’ve split up this review into four sections: Quick Observations, The Sessions, The Pitches, and Gratitude. QUICK OBSERVATIONS
THE SESSIONS There were three sessions for each time slot. I thought there was a good variety of options to choose from. My day was broken up with four pitches, so there wasn’t a session I could attend in full. BUT, I did get to sit in on large chunks of them, and here’s what I observed / my general thoughts on the sessions. Session 1: A Bird’s Eye View of Publishing Books in the Year 2017
Session 2: Everything You Need to Know about Literary Agents and Query Letters
Session 3: “Writers Got Talent” - a Page 1 Critique Fest
Session 4: Voice and Style in Your Fiction: 15 Tips on How to Write Like the Pros
THE PITCHES Holy crap this was a nerve wracking experience!! I’m not going to get into too much detail, but here’s what I will share.
So, yes, three out of four agents asked for pages. And I learned a lot from each. I soaked in everything they said, every question they asked, every clarification they requested, and realized that I need to make sure I know what the most important parts of my story are. The more high-concept the book is, the harder that is to nail down, but I’m getting better and better at it. I kept imagining that they must ask pages from everyone, but that’s probably not true. It’s just me trying to wrap my head around the idea that I actually got to follow-up with them. The validation of even a small amount of interest from professionals was to-the-moon-and-back cool. GRATITUDE What made the day even better was that I wasn’t alone. Three additional things to be thankful for. First: I got to meet one of my #WritersQuick5 writers in person! Bibi Belford was there and we got to hug and chat. I loved getting to actually talk to her. So special. And, she was a rock star, bouncing back and forth between this event and the ALA event close by. Second: One of my dearest friends, Margaret, came to lend me moral support. She met me for lunch and then hung out the rest of the afternoon and we even rode the El back north together. To have her there, to hug, to process things with, to lean on for support, to enjoy the afternoon, to take a walk when I needed some fresh air, to pump me up, to just have a friendly face. I am so blessed and will be forever grateful. Third: I had a cadre of people that were texting me for updates throughout the day, including my husband and my daughter, my sister and sister-in-law, and several of my girlfriends. I felt wrapped in good will and so grateful that I could share my experience in real time. SUMMARY I left the day excited and exhausted. I seriously crashed when I got home. But it was worth it. I had my first experiences of the verbal pitch. I got to be around other writers and I got to learn from some of the experts in the industry. And my query and my book are better for it. I spent all Sunday sending out my pages (no word yet). Whatever happens next, I’m glad I went and that I’m making progress. If you are an author, new or otherwise, I highly recommend attending a Writing Workshop event. |
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