The Writing Bug

I'm Not (Just) Scatterbrained, I'm a Writer

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:55:00 +0000

Post by Jenny

I’m noticing lately that my body is acting a little older than my mind thinks it should. My knees sometimes hurt. My neck gets stiff. And hold the Rice Krispies, thanks; I hear enough snap, crackle, pop just rolling out of bed in the morning.

And then I wonder how many mental changes I’m experiencing, because I tend to be…what’s that word?…oh, yeah, forgetful. My sons know they’ll need to remind me more than once about important stuff like permission slips and saxophone reeds. My husband knows that if he asks me to bring him something from another part of the house, chances of me actually remembering to do it are about 1-in-3. Pretty good batting average, that, but dismal failure for many other things.

I joke about my short attention span, but the truth, I realized, is much cooler: more often than not, my distracted moments mean that my brain is busy writing. Even when my body is doing something else entirely—making dinner, painting my toenails, clambering toward the summit of Mt. Laundry Pile—my brain is engaged in writerly things. I might be composing a blog post, reworking a sentence six different times to find the best one, or following the thread of an intriguing first line that popped into my head—even if I know it won’t amount to more than a momentary diversion.

When I’m reading or watching a movie, I sift through dialogue and plot, mulling over what works, what doesn’t, what’s brilliant, what’s laughable. When I’m walking the dog or sitting at a baseball game, I might think about how to describe the quality of the sunlight or the smell of whatever is rotting in the trashcan nearby. And, yes, I have to confess that I have spent a few idle moments wondering what it would feel like to be a bestselling author.

If I’m out with a friend for coffee, and we are discussing life and writing, family and friends, I listen fully and respond thoughtfully. But if talk turns to something lighter, say American Idol or Pinterest, a part of my mind will detach and start to wander…over to that exotic-looking woman in the corner, maybe, and start to work up a story about how she came to be sitting in a Starbucks at 10:30 on a Wednesday morning.

Does being a writer make you feel more distracted or more focused? Or both?

Strange Terrain

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:03:00 +0000

Post by Lynn

In my post of January 23rd, I shared that I was leaping into poetry for the first time by taking a class at my local community college. Well, I handed in the final portfolio last week, so I’m here to report on what I saw during my travels into that strange terrain.

Reading, writing and revising poetry for a semester has definitely altered my view of the genre, and forever affected my writing process.

The top three things I learned in poetry class:

1. The difference between image and abstraction. In short, you get at the big issues by way of the senses. I knew this on a certain level, but I sunk into it more deeply with poetry. When you’re in your poet mode do you mention the word “war”? No. You talk about “each round of the M-16 like a high-velocity wind.” Depression? Un-uh. You write: “One plate, with last night’s half-eaten ham sandwich, still on the table this morning.”

2. Adopt a persona. Kristin Abraham, our professor, randomly assigned each student a persona. “Write from this point of view,” she said, “and address your poem to Santa Claus.” Crazy stuff! I got the Headless Horseman. What I thought might be hard turned into a romp. I became a headless fiend, begging Santa for a new, preferably non-pumpkin, head. This introduced me to a previously-unexperienced freedom. I had permission to leave my hidebound self, enter another being and let the words flow from that vantage point.

3. Revision. More than the tweaking of sentences. I learned to take numerous sweeps at a poem, each time with a different goal, and to talk to my writing. Really!

Adapted from Heather Sellers, here are a few questions to ask your poem/story:

• What are you scared to really come out and say?
• Are you keeping any secrets from me?
• What do you really want to be?

There are many more lessons, of course – more than I can share in a short post, but let me just say that with poetry I walked in new places and I’m a different writer because of it.

What strange terrain are you exploring in your writing life?

Hugging the Curves

noreply@blogger.com (RichardK) — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:46:00 +0000

By Rich

I've been reading Andrew McCarthy's travel memoir The Longest Way Home as of late. It's a terrific story of Andrew's solo adventures to places we wouldn't choose for our annual holidays -- Patagonia, for example -- as well as a tale of a man conflicted between his solitary trips and the new family he has waiting for him at home. If you look underneath those storytelling layers, there's yet another theme to his memoir -- coming out of the curve. I'm not talking about Andrew righting himself when he gets lost in Vienna; rather, I'm referencing the curve in the road which led him to life as a travel author.

With a successful movie career and membership in the illustrious Brat Pack, things seemed to be going well for Andrew during the 1980s and 1990s. Then he it a curve as the roles dried up and he battled the ravages of alcoholism. He came out clean and sober, but another bend was up ahead. After a spiritual walk across St. James Way, Andrew hugged the figurative hairpin and came out a different man - willing to settle down and commit himself to a new career. Hence, how Andrew McCarthy, actor, became Andrew McCarthy, award-winning travel author.

Many of us have hugged the same curve as Andrew - minus the Hollywood stardom, of course. We've been absorbed in other careers and lives when, without a yellow sign of warning, a curve pops up on the metaphysical highway. Though some take the curve slow - sometimes stopping to absorb the view - others hug it so tightly they rocket away in a brand new direction.

The same concept applies to what we write. The manuscript sitting on our computer can be almost done, but another idea may pop into our heads quicker than a cup full of Pop Rocks and Coca-Cola, changing the whole concept and thought of the story. In these types of situations the author can let the idea sit on the railing or push it through the curve to see how it turns out. Sometimes the inclusion of werewolf zombies works for your romantic steampunk novel, and sometimes you have to reverse around the curve to get back to where you started.

To close on a philosophical note, life is never a straight line - it's full of curves and dips. It's whether you decide to plow ahead or see how others get through first that determines who you are and what your writing will be.

What curve brought you into the writing world?

A Year of Plummeting

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Guest Blog by Children's Author Debbie Dadey

At the 2012 Northern Colorado Writer’s Conference, Kerrie passed out a carabiner to every participant with an assignment to fill the ring with clippings of things you would not normally do-in essence, to push yourself to do more, to boldly go where your writing world has never taken you before. My particular ring had a quote attached, ‘The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail,’ by Edwin H. Lana.

Frankly, I have to disagree with Mr. Lana. I think the essential part of creativity is doing it anyway even if you are scared to death. And that’s what I’ve tried to do since that 2012 conference. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone to speak at conferences and workshops. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but when I’ve been out of town I’ve forced myself to go to fun restaurants instead of hiding in the hotel with room service or take out like I would normally do. I’ve tried to stop being so shy and speak to strangers. I’ve emailed bunches of book festivals and asked to attend and most of them have said yes! I’ve literally stood at the top of a sixty-foot drop and plummeted down into a pool of sharks. I did it to as research for a book, Danger in the Deep Blue Sea. I was terrified, but I did it.

Why push myself? Why not stay at home in my little writing office surrounded by my three dogs, who love me even if I forget to buy treats? It has to do with the conference and the goal of filling up my carbiner ring. It’s awesome to have goals and I definitely recommend them for everyone: personal and writing goals. My goal today is to finish this blog. It might not be perfect, but it will be done. But, pushing myself also goes back to a quote by Robert Wickman I have right beside my computer. Sometimes, I stop and stare at it.

The quote is: ‘Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, “Wow, what a ride!”‘ That’s the way I want to live my life. I don’t want my tombstone to say she was good at watching TV. I want to push my writing and myself. I want to fill up my carbiner ring and say, “Wow, what a ride!” So, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone again to host a Princess Party, complete with crowns to decorate. It’s scary not knowing if anyone will show up for the booksigning party for my newest book, The Lost Princess, but I’ll be there. And as another conference passes, I’ll have one more clipping to add to my carabiner.

What are you adding to your carabiner?

Debbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 158 books, including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series and the new series, Mermaid Tales. http://www.debbiedadey.com/ LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Spirit of Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie D'Amato Goins) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:40:00 +0000

By Maggie

I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Northern Colorado Writers Conference, and I, as always, got my essential spring fix of information and inspiration to help me to improve as a writer, not to mention the reminder that if I give up trying to write, I give up every chance of publication success. Joining many before me, I thank Kerrie Flanagan and all others who made the 2013 NCWC a creative work of art.

If there had been a way to manage it, such as a quick self-cloning, I would have attended every single workshop offered. With my current novel still in its infancy, though, I chose to draw on three favorite artists of writing to remind me how to lay down a solid foundation for my story and keep it sparkling: Trai Cartwright, Todd Mitchell, and Bonnie Ramthun. Scurry, do not saunter, to take classes from any or all of them. You have a treasure trove of knowledge to gain.

Spending time with new and old writer friends was wonderful. Listening to keynote speaker Andrew McCarthy was a joy, although when he signed his book for me, I wish I had actually said, "Nice to meet you" instead of a suave, "I-ah-baba." Frequent laughter, always a creative and freeing art in itself, rang through this conference. Bonus true-story writing prompt: Bonnie Ramthun, a male hotel guest, and I are descending in the elevator for the lobby when we stop, the door opens, and in walks a man wearing only white hair and a towel…

For me, the novel I’m working on is a must write. This is different. I tried, but I can’t write this one as a pants-er, as I have all my stories so far. My research has slowed my writing down from my usual due to the obvious necessity that my protagonist be authentic. Does this feel different because it really is? Is this The One? I’ll never know if I don’t keep writing with the true spirit and art of writing creativity.

Thanks again, NCWC 2013. I can do this. And I will.

Will you be attending the 2014 Northern Colorado Writers Conference?

Do You Follow?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:55:00 +0000

Post by Jenny

Count me among the hundreds of bloggers who had a blast last month touring through the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. It was so much fun to pop in on blogs I otherwise would not have discovered. Whenever I landed on a new home page, I’d try to find out a little about the host, and then I’d see how many folks were following. I found, as you may have also, that the number of followers didn’t necessarily correlate with the quality of the content. Every great blog has to start somewhere.

So I’ve had following on my mind, especially where it pertains to writing. Even if we haven’t published so much as a fortune in a cookie, writers are encouraged to build our platforms. This makes us very focused on the myriad of ‘following’ options provided by social media. (Anyone else remember that old Genesis song? I will follow you, will you follow me…)

But as you are basking in the warm glow of social media love, please do not forget about three of the most important follows for writers:

Follow instructions. This is not tricky. If you’re submitting a query to a literary agent, for example, and that agent does not wish to receive email attachments, midnight FedEx deliveries, or mite-infested carrier pigeons, please comply. If you’re a free spirit who can’t be constrained by rules and such, prepare to have your query go straight to the trash can/folder/vortex, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Follow through. I hear this is important in golf, but golf is ridiculous and I’m horrible at it. Let’s stick to writing. You’ve queried or pitched to an agent. The agent likes what you have to say and asks to see more. But you never send it. (Believe it or not, I heard straight from an agent’s mouth that this actually happens.) Maybe you’re busy with your show ponies. Maybe you’re frozen in the Mortal Fear of Failure, which is like tetanus except there’s no shot for it. We all have lives and insecurities that get in the way. But if the ball is in your court, don’t put a pointy hat and a belt on it and call it a garden gnome. (And now you know why I'm not writing fortune cookies.)

Follow up. This one trips me up more often than not, but it shouldn’t. If a reply is either promised or strongly implied and is past-due, it’s perfectly okay to send a polite reminder. Communication is a two-way street, and there’s a lot of traffic.

As a writer, what are your most important follows?

Conference Photo Essay

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 03 May 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Post By Kerrie

It is hard to believe that one week ago today at this time, I was welcoming people to the 8th annual Northern Colorado Writers Conference. The event went off without a hitch and everyone seemed happy. It all went by so fast. I love organizing the conference every year, but it is also nice to be on this side of it.

On Monday Rich reflected on the conference in his post The Creativity Vine and then Lynn shared her thoughts on Wednesday with her post You and Your Work.

Here are some of my favorite highlights from the conference shown through pictures.

2013 NORTHERN COLORADO WRITERS CONFERENCE

As the writers arrived, they were asked to stop at our photo "booth"

Even Andrew McCarthy

Sessions began and the learning went into high gear

COCKTAIL HOUR

DINNER HAPPENINGS

The Creative Team made a special movie to
kick off the event
The Artist and The Writer

Colorado's Poetry Outloud State Champion
Alice Kilduff reciting 3 poems

Andrew McCarthy's Keynote Address

"I travel to understand myself and I write for clarity on it."

"It is our job to have the courage to do the work and present it to the world,

because that is why we are here."

"I have to create everyday to feel like myself."

ANDREW MCCARTHY SIGNING BOOKS

SATURDAY

Lots more sessions

LUNCH STORYTIME-THE PLOT CHICKENS
with special help from Ellen Javernick

Ellen Received a Lifetime NCW Member Award for her continued support of the Northern Colorado Writer Conference

Northern Colorado Writer Conference Mural

by local artist Alex Paozols

Happy Faces All Around

Save the Date for next year: Tentatively scheduled for March 28-29, 2014

YOU AND YOUR WORK

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:02:00 +0000

Post by Lynn

I served in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa in the 1980’s and discovered much about the magic of language – and how it reflects the culture of the people who speak it – by learning Bambara, a West African dialect.

When I first arrived in Mali, I was concerned with being polite. One of the first questions I asked was, “How do you say, ‘Thank you’ in Bambara?” Simple question, but it turns out that it doesn’t quite translate. The closest equivalent is I ni baara – “You and your work.”

You speak this phrase when you’re walking around the village, say, and see a guy mixing mud to make bricks. You smile and say, I ni baara, and he smiles and waves back. It’s an acknowledgement of the effort you see before you – kind of like saying, hey, you’re doing good work there, buddy. I grew to appreciate this phrase. It recognizes the inherent value of work and lets the worker strut his stuff.

At last weekend’s Northern Colorado Writer’s conference: The Art of Writing, I was, along with a lot of other writers, witness to the results of a lot of hard work.

I’d like to send out a big I ni baara to:

• Kerrie Flanagan, NCW Director, who labors all year long on our behalf, but really strains her creative muscles (not to mention her leg muscles) to put on this conference. Apparently she drags her whole family in on the project every year and so they deserve our gratitude as well.

• The “creative team” who supports Kerrie in doing, well, I’m guessing lots of creative things like choosing the theme, making cute videos, and designing centerpieces. Sounds like they have fun, too, judging from the wine-enhanced creativity which produced the magnets we received during the last session (mine says “embrace imperfection). Sorry I can’t name names, but your work is noted and appreciated.

• Marie Burghard, who designed the fetching conference poster. www.marieburghard.com

• The Ambassadors who do all the nitty-gritty work to make the conference run smoothly. Again – can’t list you all, but thanks a million!

• The presenters – the dynamic folks who get up front and lay it all on the line for each and every conference participant. There was a dizzying array of inspiration, information, and instigation this year. I’ll be going through my notes and the conference handouts for months to come, ruminating on the insights these writers so generously shared.

Kerrie’s introduction to the conference stated, “My hope is that throughout this weekend you will gain the tools you need to breathe new life and color into your writing, make new connections and be inspired to continue on your writing journey.”

Mission accomplished, Kerrie et al. Thanks to you and your work!

The Creativity Vine

noreply@blogger.com (RichardK) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:13:00 +0000

By Rich

Another Northern Colorado Writers Conference has come and gone, and with it came a plethora of new material which I will spend the following weeks and months digesting and utilizing to refine my writing. I want to thank all of the folks who presented workshops during the two day conference, and apologize for seemingly dozing off. It wasn't you - it was the mix of starches, changes in room temperature, and the amount of knowledge stuffing my brain.

While I learned quite a bit at the NCW Conference, what really stuck with me were two inspirational moments from the keynote dinner. The first came from 11th grader Alice Kilduff, the 2013 Colorado Poetry Out Loud Champion. Winner of a state sailing championship, maker of her own clothes, discoverer of a parallel universe - okay, I made the last one up - Alice impressed the audience with some astounding poetry readings.

The second moment of inspiration came from keynote speaker Andrew McCarthy. Actor, travel writer, discoverer of an adjacent universe, Andrew wowed the audience with a tale of how he united with himself and the world on a walk across Spain's Camino de Santiago. Not only was his speech spellbinding, but it was full of wisdom, particularly at the end when he compared creativity to something growing in nature. To paraphrase - like a plant, creativity needs to be nurtured. If neglected, it will wither on its vine.

As someone in his mid-40s - which is the new five or six, if I'm not mistaken - who let his creativity lay fallow for many years due to fear, the combination of words between Alice and Andrew struck me between the eyes. Whether its been to other writers or my children, I've imparted the same advice to them on numerous occasionDuck Dynasty rather than fulfilling your dreams, let me impart the same advice on your posteriors.
s because I feel it's important not just for their personal well-being, but for the world as a whole. Now, for those of you watching

You live one life on this world - maximize it to the best of your ability. Don't wait until after college, or after your married, or after your children are grown, or after the heart monitor stops beating to pursue your dreams and goals. Take whatever means necessary, save for selling your family on eBay, to make it happen. And, like 11th grader Alice Kilduff, start early, because you never know when your dreams will come true.

Now, stop reading this and water those vines of creativity sprouting in your head.

What advice would you give to others about nurturing their creativity?

Conference Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie D'Amato Goins) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:26:00 +0000

By Maggie

The Northern Colorado Writers Conference is almost here, and I’m very excited! My first year was in 2008, and each one since has brought me new information, inspiration, and lessons I needed to learn. I’ve pitched my work four times and have sent agents the requested partials, some responded to, some ignored, all rejected so far. This year I won’t be pitching, but I will discuss my novel in progress with anyone who asks what I’m working on right now. Input from those in the business is often valuable, and so is gauging interest from other writers, agents, and editors, so I’ll leave my shyness at home.As with each conference past, I’m nervously hopeful that the right connection, the essential workshop, the accidental encounter may help me keep believing that my manuscript will find its perfect-fit glass slipper.

As I sit in the backyard watching my dog’s antics as he tries to ‘make friends’ with a neighborhood squirrel, I’ve decided that my writing so far can be compared to a dog in a tree. I mean, both are interesting enough to make you take a second look, but where does the story go from there? I suppose if while the dog looks down from the tree with a ‘how the heck did I get up here’ look, a squadron of squirrels drops a net over him and pulls him to the top, the story could reach the compelling level. Or, maybe I’ve just been throwing my manuscripts out to the totally wrong places, places they truly don’t belong, and they come flying back to me like boomerangs.

It’s notoriously tough to break into publication, and many of us give up before we make it in. Even the most talented writers have to learn what it takes to get published. One of the best places in the writing world to learn what we all need to know is at a conference of writers.

Let the Northern Colorado Writers Conference begin!

The Over-50 Writer

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Eckert) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Post by Jerry

“Only young writers need submit.” Or so it would seem. Contests and anthologies seek youth; “Five under 35,” or “30 Under 30.” Literary agents blog about publishers wanting younger writers who promise longer term cash flows. Page Lambert, in Connecting People with Nature, challenges the view that writers over 40 have a slim chance of writing anything of merit. “Writers Over 40 Rock,” she counters. Now that I am over 40, and 50, and 60, and Yes, over 70, I thought I might weigh in, just for my superannuated friends – I know you’re out there.

Why Can’t We Write?
For those who say we can’t, two-words: Norman Maclean, who published his first book, A River Runs Through It at 74. Or Laura Ingalls Wilder publishing Little House at 65.

Why Don’t We Write?
1. So many writers flail about, grasping for identities, testing this and that with words. But in our autumn years, we may have found ourselves, discovered peace in that place, and lost our raging angst, or
2. Perhaps there comes a quiescence, a satiety, at the end of a life well and fully lived. We remember Kristofferson who wrote, “You’re goin’ somewhere, but I’ve been to some-where, and found it was nowhere at all.” At least not somewhere we need to revisit, or
3. In our fifties and beyond, we find ourselves at some pinnacle of power, some apex of authority, or just plain overworked because we are experienced, competent, or both. Who has time to write when imprisoned by a career?

Why Should We Write?
1. Because no one else left our footprints, saw life with our eyes. And what we saw, what we thought, has value. Might there be a hunger out there for what we alone can write? Or,
2. Who else can capture what once was, to burnish it as memoir, and offer it as roots to those who will come after? Our words provide sea anchors in the headlong rush of impetuous change, or
3. There can be great joy in living life a second time around, when words awaken memories and clarity flows from hindsight.

Why Must We Write?
1. Because we all would have our minds outlast our bodies. Our mind, the center post in the canopy of graceful aging, needs the exercise, or
2. Simply because there’s a story inside of us that needs to find its wings. This last, I think, drives most of us.

Monday Rerun: Greening Up

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:55:00 +0000

Happy Earth Day! I'm getting in the spirit by recycling this post from a couple of years ago...
Post by Jenny

I’m sitting at my desk sipping my shade-grown coffee with local Morning Fresh Dairy milk and thinking about how writing, compared to many other professions, is pretty eco-friendly. As writers, our toxic waste comes in the form of SFDs (shitty first drafts). Animal testing means reading our work aloud to our pets. And easy opportunities to make writing even greener abound. For example, you may wish to:

Seek out agents, editors, publishers, and contest coordinators who accept electronic queries, submissions, and entries. This has saved me lots of paper and many trips to the post office;
Refill your printer cartridges, and donate them to a good cause when refilling is no longer an option;
Purchase office supplies made of recycled, and recyclable, material;
Opt for energy-efficient electronic gadgets;
Bring your own mug to your coffee purveyor of choice;
Grow something outdoors. Many writers find that their creativity blossoms when they garden. If you’re not sure it’s your thing, start by planting a pot. (Please note that reads ‘a pot’—although I do live in Colorado, I’m not hopping on that bandwagon.);
Start a compost pile. It’s the perfect place to bury those SFDs;
Ride a bike to your favorite writing spot. Wear a helmet! (I imagine the dreaded writer’s block pales in comparison to a head injury.);
Use a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated. The human brain is approximately 70% water by weight. A thirsty brain is much less help in rescuing your heroine from the flooding sewage treatment plant—and may be the reason she’s there in the first place. Bottled water, however, is an environmental disaster; and
Read something that inspires you. My selections for this week are Thoreau’s Walden and Going Green - True Tales from Gleaners, Scavengers, and Dumpster Divers, edited by NCW member Laura Pritchett.

In observance of Earth Day, I’m going to turn off my computer, go outside (weather permitting), and write with pen and paper. Yep, real old school. And if I get stuck, I’ll play solitaire using an actual deck of cards. How quaint.

I’d love to read your tips for writing green.

Pay Attention

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:41:00 +0000

Post by Lynn

Pay attention. Bribe it extravagantly if you have to. Attention is the writer’s secret weapon, because what we pay attention to will reveal itself to us in unexpected ways.

Details matter to our readers – unique, surprising, I-hadn’t-noticed-that details. Isn’t that one of the reasons we read? I know it thrills me when a narrative elbows me in the ribs and shows me something I hadn’t seen before, or had seen but not really paid attention to.

In addition, the particulars of what we notice are unique. Alice LaPlante, in The Making of A Story, points out that “the very individual nature of noticing is your greatest strength as a writer.”

Exercise: adapted from the afore-mentioned book. (Chapter One, page 35)

Take a walk with a writing buddy (or the members of your writing group). Each of you should take notes on what you notice as you go about your walk – but no discussion, no pointing out, “Look at that hat!”

After the walk, share your observations and note how different they are. Some writers focused on the landscape, others on the people. Maybe one person ignored all that and noticed only the air and light. Same walk – entirely different observations.

Then follow LaPlante’s advice:

“Now, notice what you noticed. No, go further: tell yourself the audacious thing that because you noticed, it matters… Because here’s the important thing: creative work comes from noticing. You are being given a warning, an intimation of something, and that something is the creative urge, sometimes buried quite deep in your subconscious, telling you that something matters, there’s information and intelligence there to be considered, material to uncover there, memories and associations to explore.”

I think LaPlante is urging us to take ownership of our observations and see them for the signposts they are. They tell us to look here – see that. This matters. That has something potent to explore.

Paying attention, then, happens on two levels – we mine our world for details to put into our stories, plus we notice what we observe because it points the way to what we should write about.

What do you tend to pay attention to?

The Writing Conference Trifecta

noreply@blogger.com (RichardK) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:38:00 +0000

By Rich

As this comes to press, the 2013 Northern Colorado Writers Conference is a mere 12 days away. At this very moment workshops are being prepared, manuscripts are being completed, keynote speaker Andrew McCarthy is getting ready for swooning crowds of travel writing and Weekend at Bernie’s fans, and NCW director Kerrie Flanagan is in the midst of a nervous breakdown. In the end, when the workshop rooms are cleared, manuscripts are pitched, Andrew autographed out, and Kerrie collapsed in a heap of heaving sobs, those who attended the conference will be grateful. Why? For one reason - they came away with something new and interesting. To put the greenbacks where my pie hole is, here are three reasons why you should attend this or any other writing conference.

You’ll Learn Something
Regardless if you know everything about writing, there will be one point in a workshop where your head pops up from reading tweets on your smartphone and you realize the instructor said something about the craft you never realized in the past. By applying what was learned at the workshop, you will be shocked at how improved your writing gets. I personally learned this at the my first NCW Conference when a workshop instructor taught us about empty adverbs and words like ‘that’. My writing became much tighter not long after the conference ended.

You’ll Connect with Peers
You may know them from their books, blogs, or articles, but never personally met the writers you follow. In some cases, these folks end up attending the same conference workshops with you. When you realize they have the same questions and ambitions as you do, a friendship can develop, leading to potential writing opportunities – both as an individual and with the favorite writer who is now your best friend.

You’ll Kick-Start Your Writing
Before I attended my first conference I was a writer of television reviews and essays and very little else. While I wanted to develop many of the stories I started in the past, the motivation wasn't there. Something clicked in me after I attended my first writing conference - I wanted to be not just a writer, but an author. A few months later, I joined my first critique group, leading to completion of two manuscripts. I pitched one of them to an agent at my second conference, eventually leading to a request to see the entire work.

Needless to say, attending a writing conference changed my life. I hope it does the same for you.

What reasons can you give to attend a writers conference?

Dog Wisdom for Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie D'Amato Goins) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:25:00 +0000

By Maggie

Dogs have a pretty direct approach to most situations in their daily lives. If hungry- they eat, if tired- they sleep, if something bothers them- they bark, etc. Living with humans requires them to follow many of society's rules, but they do so in a dog-ly way. Any dog living with a writer, I'm sure, could offer some helpful people-whisperer type advice, such as:

If you get something good, run with it. This works well with tennis balls, excellent sticks, or story ideas.
Get groomed. Smelling clean is a good thing. Trim, brush. If you don't have fur, wear nice clothes, especially to, say, a conference.
Don't bare your teeth at the dog park or doggie daycare. Not a good way to make friends like sniffing is. Same thing with large packs of writers. Smile if you're shy or aren't into sniffing.
If you feel bored, restless, or your mind is tired, go for a walk. After a walk, writers frequently stare at computers while their fingers run rampant over the keys. Good time for a writer's dog to nap.
Don't whine. Even if all isn't going your way, nobody likes a whiner, human or canine.
Aim high. Jump for that ball in the air. Toss your writing out to high places. Catch every opportunity, even if it feels out of your reach.
Sleep well at night. Even if nothing went right and you're discouraged. When the sun comes up, you get a brand new chance. Every day.

Just a few tips that work well for dogs and their writers. Take what you want and leave the rest. Leave it.

Getting Inside Your Character's Head

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Eckert) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Post by Jerry

A friend is working on her first novel, a horrifying story of a Vietnam vet descending into mental chaos, paranoia and finally collapse. At least it could have been horrifying, a riveting tale that you couldn’t put down. Yet the first draft that came to group for critique was dull, almost a still life painted in words. The story proceeded with lots of analysis and explanation, a lengthy “telling” in a voice best described as “third person enervated.”

Then came the second draft. Wow, what a difference! The character’s rage came crashing through; in his words, his sharply overdone responses, his growing hatred even for those he once loved. His mental deterioration appeared in the increasingly minute botherations which drove him off into a tantrum, in the growing plethora of demons he lashed out against, and in his increasingly distorted grasp on reality. One by one, people in his world became the enemy against which he imagined lashing out. He would show them all by killing, maybe even ridding himself of all of them through suicide, his final freedom. Now she had my attention. Now I could not put this story down. So I asked how she managed, is just a few weeks to so completely get inside her protagonist’s head. The transformation had been remarkable.

“When I get stuck, like I did,” she said, “I rewrite the story in the first person. For a while I can become my protagonist – rage, fears, demons and all. Then, having uncovered the full emotive content on which the story rests, I turn around and rewrite it in the third person.” A trick a friend of hers had suggested.

How ‘bout you? Got any secret pathways into your character’s head?

Branching Out

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:55:00 +0000

Post by Jenny

April is a busy month. Yard work suddenly needs doing (why are the weeds the first things to sprout?); school projects, sports, and performances kick into high gear; and people like me suddenly realize that there are only two months left for burning through the to-do list before summer vacation hits.

But that’s no reason to neglect your writing. After all, nature branches out in all kinds of wild and woolly ways in April, so why shouldn’t we? It’s a great time to try something new. For example, this is National Humor Month and National Poetry Month. If you’ve not tried your hand at either of those, maybe now’s the time. You could even get all E.C. Bentley about it and combine the two. Edmund Clerihew Bentley was an English humorist who invented the clerihew, a form of humorous biographical verse. Yeah, that’s right. Take that Mr. Alex Smartypants Trebek.

(Okay, I confess, I didn’t know that before yesterday.)

When you need a break from weed-pulling, read something from outside your genre while you put up your feet. Or check in with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Even if you’re not participating, it’s a great opportunity to surf a tidal wave of clever, poignant, and fantastically alphabetical blog posts. There are so many dedicated writers out there giving it their all…especially on days Q, X, and Z.

April is also the month for many daily observances to inspire writers: Scrabble Day, Look up at the Sky Day, Reach as High as You Can Day, National Librarian Day, Newspaper Columnists Day, Take a Chance Day, Name Yourself Day (for the perfect nom de plume perhaps), Tell a Story Day, and Great Poetry Reading Day.

And, because some days are just like that, there’s also Blah, Blah, Blah Day and Rubber Eraser Day.

Finally, if you plan to attend a writer’s conference this month, sit in on a session that wouldn’t normally be your first choice. You might learn something that will set you off in a new direction.

Have you tried anything new with your writing lately?

IN ABUNDANCE

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:49:00 +0000

post by Lynn

Each morning I write in a corner of my living room, on a chaise covered with chenille and curved so that your legs bend gently as you sit. With a pillow and journal on my lap, I grab a pen and place it on the page.

This is my Morning Pages routine. It’s a simple assignment, given by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way… just three pages of writing, in long hand, on anything you want. Or on any question that burrows in and demands your attention. Like this one:

Why have I chosen writing as my creative endeavor?

Why don’t I take up crochet, or art history, or the guitar? Quite simply, I write because the impulse has landed before me in my life’s turning like a commanding bird of prey. “Write!” it caws, and won’t be shooed away. It holds its ground, moving from talon to talon impatiently… “Write!”

Fine. But what do I write about? I look around for an answer.

On the wall across from my chaise is a picture I picked up when I was in the Peace Corps in West Africa which portrays two women pounding millet. Each has a baby strapped to her back, and a baobab tree spreads above them. The images are formed not with paint on canvas, but with butterfly wings on a plain sheet of white paper. The wings are snipped into shapes and arranged to create the scene.

“Why did the artist use butterfly wings instead of paint?” people ask me when they see it.

“Well, he had no paint,” I answer, “but he did have lots of butterfly wings. The artist used what he had.”

As I look at the picture today it speaks to me and says, “Use what you have. Write about whatever is in abundance in your life.” I close my eyes and do a mental scan of my days. What do I have in abundance?

Family, I think. I have family in abundance. Wonderful, complex human beings who know me and give me love and worry and hope. I have plenty of memories too, of a life that has lurched along through fifty-six years. And imagination – that deep well that everyone can dip their bucket into, no matter who they are or where they live.

So this is what I draw from, whether in fiction, nonfiction, poetry or a blog post. It’s my abundance. What’s yours?

First Person, Second Person, Fourth Person Future - Once Removed

noreply@blogger.com (RichardK) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:48:00 +0000

By Rich

Warning: This column was posted on April 1st. Enough said.

So, you've decided to quit your full-time job, anger your family, and become a writer. First, welcome to the world of the clinically insane. Second, there are some important rules to impart. For example, commas, are your best, friends, and should, be used, in as, many, places, as possible. Another rule - WRITE ALL EXCLAMATIONS IN LARGE LETTERS - PEOPLE LOVE IT!!!

You also need to know what voice your story is told in. For example, memoirs are in a first person format to make sure readers feel every ounce of pain the narrator did when they were a drug-addled child of Shaolin monks who traveled the country selling Tupperware and throwing stars. By the way, steal that idea and you'll hear from my lawyers. Here are some brief descriptions of voice you may want to pass along to others at literary conventions. Don't worry - they'll be laughing at you, not with you.

First Person Present - A story told by the narrator as it happens, usually to some anonymous party dragged into hearing the never-ending play-by-play. Bathroom scenes are particularly harrowing, especially if the character downed several bowls of Five Alarm Chili ahead of time.

First Person Past - The narrator recollects events that previously occurred to them for someone else to hear. Usually it's to a friend, stranger waiting for a late train, or Dr. Phil, who constantly interrupts the narrator with "So how's that workin' for ya?"

Second Person - A companion of the story's main character who ends up narrating the tale. Normally angry they aren't the First Person voice, the Second Person tries to come up with ways to off the protagonist.

Third Person - The most common narration style, the Third Person is omnipresent, knowing everything happening everywhere. They read characters' inner thoughts, translate their facial expressions, and butt into the most intimate of situations. The Third Person tends to be arrested on trespassing and Peeping Tom charges.

Fourth Person Future Perfect Past - The narrator is some dude who sees parts of what's happening and tries to put it into an intelligent story. Think of the works of Albert Camus or 50 Shades of Grey.

Use as many of these voices as you want. Heck, put them all in one story and make up some of your own. Then, get ready for the ~~rejection~~ letters from agents and publishers to pour in. So, without further ado, get thee to writing!

Five Year Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie D'Amato Goins) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:38:00 +0000

By Maggie

At a recent Northern Colorado Writers coffee, a discussion of online presence led to a reminder to Google yourself every now and then to basically see what you’re up to. When I did, I found several mentions of Maggie Goins, pictured as myself, as a man, as deceased for decades. My writing was on there, also, including my self-published middle grade novel from 2008, on sale for various amounts. Pages of Google later I found content mill articles from years back. The one that caught my eye was a reflection on turning 60, pertinent to me as I’m about to turn 65. Yeah, I know…

At the end of my article was an ‘all rights reserved’ statement by the publisher. So, does that mean I can’t use all or part of this piece anywhere again? Even though I was paid a fist full of air for it then? Not having much experience with the rights part of writing thus far, I went looking for information to remind myself what it means. The publisher’s website stated that as of March 2011, they will have exclusive rights for one year. I assume that applies to this article from 2008, not that I have big plans for it. But, I did find it interesting to read how I felt about myself and my life five years ago.

To quote my 60 year-old self, up until then, “I kept the training wheels on my life-bike and stayed safely in my mind’s own yard… The training wheels are off now, and my mind and I are in places I didn’t ever expect to find us. I didn’t suddenly change, I just figured out at 60 what is really important for me to know.” And on my writing dreams, “I may not have my whole life before me now, but I do, with good fortune, have a large chunk of it left. I will move forward until my body folds in on itself and my brain shrinks to the size of a California raisin.”

Good thoughts, Maggie at 60. I wonder what I’ll have to say about myself five years from now, as Maggie at 70? My five year plan is to be in a position to help other writers find success, from my own experience.

What's your five-year plan?

What Trying to Paint Like Georgia O'Keeffe Reminded Me About Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:55:00 +0000

Post by Jenny

Well, we’re about a month out from the 2013 Northern Colorado Writer’s Conference, and the creative team, including yours truly, is working hard to make it a special experience for those of you who are able to join us. So dust off your wands and robes for two days of wizarding excitement as we bring the magic of Hogwarts… I’m kidding. This year’s theme is The Art of Writing.

For a visual representation of the theme, we chose a fun project: decoupage book pages onto blank canvases and paint on them in the style of A Famous Artist. Choosing a book to cut up is not easy for me, and I finally went with Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. (My reasoning being that if any books are tough enough to take it, his are.)

Having affixed McCarthy’s spare writing onto the canvas, I then wanted to copy an artist whose work fit the landscape of The Border Trilogy. I decided on Georgia O’Keeffe. Her iconic skulls and flowers…what could be so hard about that? Although I am not as artistic as my creative partners-in-crime, I have a couple of beginner painting classes under my belt and fully expected that I was up to the task.

I traced a skull and started painting. It didn’t look that great, so I painted some more. And some more. The more I tried to fix it, the worse it got. Do you remember last year when a well-meaning Spanish woman ‘touched up’ a 19^th century church fresco, and Jesus ended up looking like a cross between Geraldo Rivera and an Ewok? Yeah, that’s pretty much the direction I was headed. But without the hair.

As panicked desperation set in, I took a deep breath and a step back. (When in need of perspective, a breath and a step always help.) I looked at my Tim Burton-esque skull-blob and realized that the jig was up. I could not paint like Georgia O’Keeffe. But I could use elements of her work to guide me in my own direction…my version of her vision, if you will. I revised my plan to include less paint and more Podge (you crafters know what I mean). When all was said and done, I was not totally displeased with the result (part of which you see above).

This project reminded me that writing is the same way: I can’t write like Ann Patchett or Ray Bradbury or Barbara Kingsolver or even Dr. Seuss. But I can take what I love about their writing, squirt it onto my writer’s palette, add my own colors, mix it around a little, and use the resulting hues to craft something I can call my own.

How does art inspire you in your writing?

Book Review: The Longest Way Home by Andrew McCarthy

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:52:00 +0000

Post by Kerrie

Author event with Andrew McCarthy, April 27 at the Fort Collins Hilton.

I am excited about the upcoming Northern Colorado Writers Conference (April 26-27) for many reasons. First and foremost, it is an event that brings me incredible joy because it resonates so deeply with my personal mission statement; to use my God-given talents to support and encourage writers of all levels and genres to achieve their dreams. Secondly, I get to meet and reconnect with so many wonderful people.

This year I am looking forward to meeting our keynote speaker, Andrew McCarthy. This is partly because I was teenager in the 80’s and loved watching him in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire and Mannequin. But the other big reason is because I admire him as a writer. I enjoy reading his many travel articles and I have read his memoir twice.

McCarthy writes with incredible insight, depth and openness that draws you in and keeps you reading. In his memoir, The Longest Way Home: One Man’s Quest for the Courage to Settle Down, we journey with him on his travels as he explores his life and his recent decision to get married for a second time.

The book opens in New York where McCarthy talks about his early acting career, his family growing up and his current life. Following the discussion with his partner of seven years (also the mother of his daughter) about getting married, he began to have doubts and questioned his decision. He responded by reaching out to editors and assembling a string of writing assignments to some of the most exotic places in the world before the wedding.

“I’m going on these journeys, not to escape the commitment I recently made—but quite the opposite, I’m going to use them the way I have always used travel: to find answers. I’m setting out in order to gain the insight necessary to bring me home.”

He takes us to Patagonia, The Amazon, The Osa pennisula in Costa Rica and Mt. Kilimanjaro. He travels deep into jungles, deep into cultures and deep into himself, revealing questions that many of us have had. Do I belong? Am I doing the right thing? Am I a good parent?

In Costa Rica he meets people from the United States who have relocated and started a new life.

“Karen, like Tom and Pat, is yet another person I meet who walked away from it all with a dream of something better…I have long harbored notions of escape, of walking away and looking back…So maybe that’s what I’m doing down here in Osa—getting a good look at those who did escape and to challenge my own propensity toward utopian fantasies that can corrode any chance at real happiness.”

His journey ends in Dublin where his wedding is supposed to take place. Whether or not he found the answers he was seeking and gets married is something you will have to discover by reading the book. But I can assure you, it won’t be wasted time. McCarthy is an amazing writer, creating a strong sense of place in each location, showing us his vulnerability by writing with raw honesty and most of all, telling a great story.

If you are attending the conference, you will get a copy of this wonderful memoir. If you aren’t, I highly recommend you get a copy to read.

Have you read this book yet or any of McCarthy’s articles?

.

PARTY ON THE PAGE

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:11:00 +0000

Post by Lynn

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”

- Robin Williams

I know, never mind what the calendar says. It’s not really spring yet, not in Colorado and especially not here in Wyoming. But don’t you feel it coming? In the longer days, in the insta-melt snow flurries?

And who can be all that serious in the springtime?

But we still need to write. So let’s party on the page. Starting with:

PARTY PROFILE. Know thy characters, right? Throw your protagonist (secondary characters too) into a party and see what happens. Does your character love a good soiree? Of what ilk – a kegger in a wheat field or a masked ball in old New Orleans? Does he prefer chardonnay, Old Milwaukee or pastis? Maybe she shocks you (and her date) by downing a shot of Jack Daniels with a pickle juice chaser. Is your character the one who cranks the tunes and pushes the furniture against the wall or does she look at her watch and whisper, “I told the babysitter we’d be home by eleven”?

GESTURE. Try out this writing prompt, adapted from The Writer’s Portable Mentor by Priscilla Long:

Go to a café, bar, someplace with lots of people. Zero in on two people sitting together. For 15 minutes, watch and write down all their gestures. Observe posture. How do they move their hands, eyes? Does she jiggle her foot? Does he cock his head? Write it all down.

You’ll need to sip on your drink/coffee and gaze occasionally at the bartender/barista so as not to freak the couple out. When time’s up, speculate in writing about what all this says about the relationship. Who’s in the power position? Who looks defensive (and what gesture tells you that)? First date or tenth anniversary?

WRITE A PARTY SCENE. Draw from your ragged-synapses memory bank. Ah, come on. You partied. Or at least went to some parties and watched the shenanigans. Even if it’s just a scene where you are a kid, supposed to be in bed, peeking through the banister at your best friend’s mother staggering to the bathroom, her Pall Mall dropping ashes on the carpet. Write that scene. Do it now.
……….

That was fun, wasn’t it?

Keep what you’ve written. Change the names to protect the guilty – or not.

Don’t let the fun stop there. Party on! And remember…

Anything worth having is worth having fun getting.
- Jerry Gillies

Failing With Style

noreply@blogger.com (RichardK) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:35:00 +0000

By Rich

In improvisational acting, particularly short-form comedy seen in shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway, there are a few guidelines actors are asked to follow in order to keep a scene smooth, funny, and interesting to an audience hopped up on stale beer and Skittles. For instance, they try not to ask questions in a scene - it slows the action down as the other character needs to come up with a viable answer. Same thing goes for telling someone you're acting with that you won't do something they suggest, but instead will be a nuclear physicists who is also a celebrity chef. The third guideline provided to students in Improv 101, and the most important one, is - cue the dramatic pause - if you fail, do so magnificently.

Improv is a disposable form of theater. Should a character not get the reaction they want, or a joke falls flat, or everyone on stage stares blankly at each other for three minutes, it's all moot when someone ends the scene. As soon as it occurs, the actors need to throw the failed scene in the virtual trash, wipe their hands of it, and focus on the next one. That, or do something at the end of the previous scene which, even though it may totally bomb, gives you a feeling something was done to save it. No dwelling, blaming others, or angrily slapping your head at a line you should have said. It's done...move on.

The same practice needs to be utilized for authors, because we fear failure more than death, taxes, and zombies combined. At the merest hint of someone not liking what we wrote, many of us crawl under our beds and sob while devising evil plans to dispose of our critics. Instead of fearing failure, we need to embrace it while moving it to the time out corner. After notifying the failure of what it did wrong, we can move on to the next thing in our writing cadre.

In other words, don't think of the rejection letter from the big publishing house as a sign your writing career is over. Think of it as a magnificent failure, since they actually sent you a letter. Hang it above your desk and, in the very near future, show it to everyone as you describe how your global success resulted due to this glorious example of your failure.

Have you ever taken a failure and turned it into a success?

Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie D'Amato Goins) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:45:00 +0000

By Maggie

After wanting a dog for a very long time, I got “Manny” last month. Being a rescue guy, he comes with his own doggie-type baggage, including a trunk load of fear. I can only guess at what the poor little dude went through as a pup, but he’s making progress in all areas of family dog-dom now. Although I feel I’m living with a furry toddler much of the time, Manny’s wonderful as my personal trainer, insistent that I get out to walk and play, come snow or come shine. And, being busy with him and because of him has helped me to be a more productive and organized writer again.

This is what I mean:
• I wake up earlier and get moving in the morning, because I’m motivated and have more required activity to fit into my day than I have for a long time.
• Because I’m getting much more exercise, I feel stronger and more energetic.
• Since a good routine is important to my furry friend, I have to have one in place. This has significantly cut down on the amount of recliner-potato time I can justify for myself.
• Being more physically active stimulates my creativity, too, so I must write. I. Must. Write.
• Instead of procrastinating my writing time into oblivion now, I strive to fit as much reading and writing time as I can into my day.

I guess Manny and I needed to get together to start fixing what was broken in each other. Maybe my current protagonist, a fifteen-year-old girl with Asperger’s Syndrome, could use a dog friend to help her, too. Perhaps this dog could be a rescue who knows how it feels to be bullied and picked on, one who needs unconditional love and inclusion … Guess I know what I’ll be working on next.

What’s your motivation to get it all going?

The Writing Bug

I'm Not (Just) Scatterbrained, I'm a Writer

Strange Terrain

Hugging the Curves

A Year of Plummeting

Spirit of Writing

Do You Follow?

Conference Photo Essay

YOU AND YOUR WORK

The Creativity Vine

Conference Musings

The Over-50 Writer

Monday Rerun: Greening Up

Pay Attention

The Writing Conference Trifecta

Dog Wisdom for Writers

Getting Inside Your Character's Head

Branching Out

IN ABUNDANCE

First Person, Second Person, Fourth Person Future - Once Removed

Five Year Plans

What Trying to Paint Like Georgia O'Keeffe Reminded Me About Writing

Book Review: The Longest Way Home by Andrew McCarthy

PARTY ON THE PAGE

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” - Robin Williams

Failing With Style

Motivation

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”

- Robin Williams