Archive for December, 2006

Dec

Of Snow and Inspiration

Posted by: Michell in SWN Archives

Wow! We actually got snow, and just in time for New Years… who’d a thunk it? I know my kids really wanted to go tobogganning at Christmas, but a decided lack of snow prevented it… until now, that is. And, in a sense, isn’t snow much like inspiration? It’s never there when you want it.

Take Nanowrimo, for instance. There was many a night where I logged onto our local IRC instance to see how everyone in region was doing. Often the reply was: “I just can’t seem to get anything down. Nothing is flowing. I don’t know what to write.”, etc. etc. etc. Usually someone on the IRC would throw out an idea that everyone had to include in the next piece of writing and we’d have a Word War (a challenge to write as much as you can in a set period of time). At the end of the ten or fifteen minute Word War, even the most stuck writer often had writen another 2 – 300 words.

Inspiration? Hardly. Perspiration is more like it.

So what do you do when nothing is working? I like what Yves had to say about it. He posted that he has a number of random sentences that he refers to (I’m paraphrasing a bit here). I’m not suggesting that his method would work for everyone, but it does give me an idea. Essentially, take yourself out of your current writing project and focus on something else. It could be another story idea you have or just trying something you’ve never done before. That change of pace might be enough to get the creative juices flowing.

It might even be taking yourself completely away from your writing for a short while. Take a walk. Listen to some music. Don’t sit in a dark room and stew about it. Anything that gets you away to somewhere new might just trigger the next great chapter. I remember it happening to me.

I had been plugging away at my book. It was still very early in the story and I was having a lot of trouble moving the story forward. I went for a walk with my mp3 player one night to clear my head. I heard the song “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal and suddenly had what I considered a terrific idea for a story. It didn’t help with my current writing, but it was set in the same world and gave me a much needed kick in the pants to move my book forward. It also gave me a great plot element for the next book that I’m writing.

Aaron was complaining to me the other day about having too many ideas. “I haven’t even finished my first book and I’ve got all these other ideas in the back of my brain” was truly bothering him. I think he was worried about not being focused enough to finish what he has started. I’ve been there too when the ideas came fast and furious. Almost too much to allow me to write on my current project. That’s not a bad thing. Just write down what you have in your brain while it’s fresh and put it aside until later. You will probably find that you suddenly have an increased excitement about your current project.

Now, I’ve got snow to shovel and some sledding to do. Oh yeah, and New Years preparations. And… Gee, there’s got to be a story in there somewhere.

Have a Happy New Year! See you next year.

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Dec

Deck the Halls

Posted by: Michell in SWN Archives

I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge and as usual it’s Aaron throwing down the gauntlet. Well, my friend, your challenge is accepted. En garde!

I’m going to look at this holiday season with a slightly different view. But then, don’t I always? That’s the beauty of five different writers on the site. There’s bound to be one that errs on the side of the unusual. I think it must be my turn by now.

So what exactly do I plan to “deck the halls” with? Not boughs of holly, I’m afraid. You can never find fresh holly when you want it. So, instead, I’m going to go with more of a writer’s flair. I’m going to deck the halls with pages of manuscript. Now picture the horrified expressions on my wife and kid’s faces. It’s a Kodak moment for all the wrong reasons.

OK, so what am I seriously proposing here? Am I really planning to wallpaper my house with printouts of my work? Not if my family has anything to say about it! But, there are many thoughtful things you can do to get the message out to your family and friends that you are an aspiring author. And you can make it fun too.

Write a story about your family rather than a Christmas letter. Send it out with your Christmas cards;
Give the readers in your life a professionally bound set (I hear Kinkos does wonders with coil-ring) of sample chapters or short stories. Make sure you sign the work; and/or
If you’re having a family gathering, slip a page into each guest’s gift (same chapter, but different page for each). Let them make a game of putting them in order and reading the chapter.

Notice I always included some activity or tie-in with your writing. Just handing a sheet of paper to someone at the door seldom works. I know, my son would likely just build a paper airplane out of it.

So am I suggesting you make the holidays all about your writing? Not at all! The holidays are here for a reason and celebrating your creativity isn’t it! But I am suggesting you make it fun and memorable. It will increase the network of friends and family who know about your passion.

And maybe by next holiday season, you might get some of the types of gifts mentioned by Aaron. Or better yet, you might be able to give those same people their own copy of your recently published, soon-to-be best seller. You never know.

For me writing and Christmas are both important. They both bring me a great deal of pleasure and joy. Shouldn’t I share in that wealth?

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Dec

Getting in My Head?

Posted by: Michell in SWN Archives

I’ve got to confess, I’m a bit surprised and maybe even a little freaked out. In the past week, I’ve had two different people (who have never met, by the way), who first asked me how my book publishing is going and then said, “I really want to read your book so I can get in your head”. Is it just me or is there something just a little bit spooky (and un-nerving, not to mention just plain weird).

I honestly didn’t realize that I was so darn fascinating.

It makes me understand why some authors decides to use pseudonyms. I mean, who wants to let the world see what really makes them tick? In some (many?) cases, a writer could honestly expect to have people start walking around them while watching them from the corner of their eyes. Case in point, Edger Allan Poe.

Reading his work, you’ve just got to wonder if he was completely there. So what about me? What message am I sending? Am I revealing too much of myself? Should I publish under a different name? All good questions. I just don’t know if I have a good answer.

So rather than answering the question, let me approach it from a different angle. Have I put any effort into my writing? Am I proud of the result of my writing? Do I actually want to be recognized as a writer? The answer to each is, yes. So why wouldn’t I use my own name? Am I afraid of too much fame?

Hmmm… I think that would be “NO!” But, I somehow don’t believe it would ever be a problem. After all, while I would like to be as successful as JK Rowling, that’s not really my ultimate goal (and not terribly realistic even if it was). Instead, I would like to be able to make a comfortable living with my writing and maybe gain recognition as a leader in my field. Not really the stuff of “Fame” per se.

If that’s not your cup of tea, that’s OK. Everyone has different goals and desires. That absolutely extends to how much they want to make themselves public. If you’re not really interested in publishing under you’re given name, that’s perfectly fine. After all, it’s your life… and your career.

So what do I say to those people who “Want to get in my head”? I say, that I’m looking for a publisher. Sorry, but until the book is in print, you will just have to wait. And then I say, ”I’ll be happy to sign your copy after you buy the book”. You want into my head? That’s OK. You can get there for the low price of a book.

And maybe they’ll see something worth coming back for in the sequel.

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