The-Writing-Bug

Exercise Your Fiction Writing Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

By NCW member Michelle Mach

The other day I had an unexpected 15 minutes of free time. I wanted to write, but as often happens when I get a gift of time, my mind went blank. What to write about? Luckily, I'd bookmarked some writing exercise websites. I picked one and started writing until my time was up.

I'm a fan of writing exercises as a way to keep in shape for longer writing sessions. Writing exercises can be a way to experiment with techniques or simply a low-risk way to begin. Sometimes I'll feel anxious about writing A Story, but if it's "just an exercise," I can relax and do it.

There are many websites and books dedicated to writing exercises. While most are geared towards fiction, you'll find that some also work for poetry, memoirs, or essays. Here are three of my favorites:

Writing Fiction Step by Step by Josip Novakovich
More than 200 exercises focused on specific story elements such as voice, setting, and plot.

Every Photo Tells a Story
everyphototellsastory.blogspot.com
Photos are especially helpful in developing descriptive skills.

One Word
www.oneword.com
Click the “Go” button, view the prompt, and type for one minute. You have the option to sign your name to your work and see what other people wrote.

A writing exercise can be just that--a practice piece--or you can develop it into a complete short story or part of a novel. It’s also fun to ask several friends use the same prompt. You’ll be amazed at how something as simple as “two men argue about a woman” can lead in many different directions. In any case, claiming that you have no ideas is no longer an excuse not to write!

Do you have websites or books to recommend for writing prompts?

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Michelle Mach's mystery short story "The Bronze Flamingo" won an honorable mention in the children's/young adult category of Writer's Digest's annual competition. She got the idea for the story from a photo of a synchronized swimming team. Visit her website at www.michellemach.com.

Writing Websites

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:33:00 +0000

Here are two websites I came across that I thought might be of interest to you:

Lit Drift

"This is a brand-spanking new blog, resource, and community dedicated to the art & craft of fiction in the 21st century. Besides editorial content, we've got daily creative prompts, daily short stories, and a weekly FREE book giveaway called Free Book Friday.

Our name is a nod to how traditional forms of storytelling are, well, drifting into forms wholly new and unexpected. We’re interested in sifting through the palimpsests known as the Internet, the arts, and the in-between to uncover those new forms and techniques in constructing fiction.

We believe that literature should be fun in an age when it’s only too easy to turn on the TV and watch shitcoms instead. We also believe that changing technologies and cultural trends can liberate fiction rather than oppress it. We believe that everyone—yes, everyone—should take pleasure in creating their own fiction, and we want to help our readers tell the best stories they possibly can."

Fan Story

"On this writing community all posts receive feedback from writers and readers. Feedback includes a detailed comment on the posted work and a rating. The site features free writing contests with cash prizes. Site members also have the ability to create their own contests to challenge other writers to write about a specific topic or a specific form of writing (such as writing using specific poetry format).

The welcome page includes featured writing. It also includes writing that has been well received in the past 24 hours. Each day over 200 stories and poems are posted. Over 4,000 comments are written on the writing posted. Writers keep full copyright to their posted work."

Writer's Envy

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:13:00 +0000

By NCW Member Laura Lee Carter,
known online as the Midlife Crisis Queen!

“You miss 100 percent of all the shots you never take!”

-Wayne Gretzky

It's damn hard for me to admit when I feel envious of another, but I’m mighty jealous of the amazing success of writer Elizabeth Gilbert.

First of all, I am green with envy over the resounding success of "Eat, Pray, Love." This book took off in a viral way most writers can only dream of! And then to be on Oprah, twice no less!

But what I envy the most is how useful this book has been to millions of women worldwide. It is basically a simple tale of midlife crisis and self-discovery. We all have stories like this if we've made it this far. Having the experience is one thing, learning the lessons offered by them is another, being able to share those lessons with others in a way that speaks to them personally, that's the whole enchilada for a writer!

I LOVE THE IDEA OF REACHING OTHERS IN THIS WAY!

Because of my envy I decided to go to Elizabeth Gilbert’s homepage and I’m glad I did!

First of all, she has a lovely homepage. Then I read her bio and, come to find out, she's also had a boatload of rejection letters as a writer! She started out in her teens, sending in short stories to The New Yorker.

The gold mine for me and probably any other person interested in pursuing any form of creative expression, can be found on her: "Thoughts on Writing" page. It's a call to pursue your passion through thick and thin simply because you have to.

Her original goal was: "to publish something (anything, anywhere) before I die."

She has some lovely advice for those who pursue the creative life: "Quit complaining! It's not the world's fault that you want to be an artist, so get back to work."

But her best advice is to stop judging yourself so harshly, before the critics even get a chance. If you want to write for others, than get it out there for others to see. Don't hide it under the bed for decades because it isn't quite perfect yet.

She also encourages those "of a certain age" not to give up because the bloom is off the rose, so to speak. But interestingly, her example is Julia Glass, author of "Three Junes." Julia began writing in her late 30's, and when she won the National Book Award she said, "This is for all the late bloomers in the world."

She doesn't even know what "late bloomer" means! My model in this regard is Laura Ingals Wilder, my favorite childhood author. She didn't even start writing her famous series of books until she was 65!

The final line of Elizabeth's "Thoughts on Writing" spoke to me the most:

“Do you have the courage to bring forth this work?

The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.”

I agree! Find a way to nurture that small creative kernel within! Tell it you will be fine if you aren't the best artist, or writer, or film maker in the world. Perhaps something inside of you wants to get out and express itself in some profound and important way. Encourage it, don't smother it inside!

See, I've successfully turned my envy into hero worship...

Book Review: Bang The Keys

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice
222 page, soft cover book
Published By Alpha Books 2009
$16.95

My Rating: 5 pencils

Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice by Jill Dearman blends inspiration, humor, writing exercises and practical advice into one great book that can be enjoyed on different levels. As a straight read, I enjoyed it and I am now looking forward to going back through the book again to improve my writing by doing all the exercises either alone or with a small group.

Dearman’s personal experiences as a journalist and prose writer provide the foundation for this resource. During her workshops at New York University, she taught and perfected her Bang the Keys process.

She shares her vision for the book in the introduction:
“My mission for this book is to provide you with a nonformulaic formula for developing a millennial-world writing practice that you can integrate into your life, and use again and again, even as technology further evolves and more high-tech interruptions continue to intrude.”

The book opens by having readers look closely at themselves and identifying the type of writer they are, their time commitment to their writing and their support system. She believes when writers understand the kind of writers they are, they can better figure out what does and doesn’t work for them.

With the foundation in place, Dearman uses the rest of the book to go in depth about the actual writing. Using her BANG method, she takes readers on a incredible writing journey.

BANG stands for:
Begin with your strongest idea
Arrange your work into concrete shape
Nurture your project with love so that others may love it, too
Go. Finish and let it go so it may live independently in the world

“All writers know that our creations begin with an explosion of inspiration, but in order to harness that inspiration and develop it into a finished work of any kind, whether a short story, a memoir, or a play, we need to bang the keys frequently and feverently to bring the universe we imagine in our minds to life on the page."

By combining her own experiences with those of other writers, Dearman explores genre, character, plot, breaking boring writing habits, meeting deadlines, setting goals and more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it for all writers. It will give you insight into your own writing psyche, provide you with valuable tools to improve your craft and it will inspire you to keep writing.

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Disclosure: I was sent a review copy of this book by Wilks Communications

Dreams Do Come True

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Submitted by Kevin Vaughan
Award-winning Journalist for the Denver Post

Every writer has thought, at some time or another, about writing a book. I was no different, and those years of thoughts and dreams manifested themselves this week for me and Jim Davidson.

We will be working together on a book about his harrowing 1992 accident on Mount Rainier that claimed the life of his good friend, Mike Price – and about Jim’s incredible climb to save his life and ultimately to inspire others by sharing all he learned about the human spirit in the worst experience imaginable. Here’s the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace, the organization that tracks deals in the book industry:

October 28, 2009
Non-fiction: Narrative

THE CORRIDOR, Jim Davidson's harrowing and inspirational narrative of falling through a snow bridge after summiting Mt. Rainier, surviving a 80-foot fall into the glacial crevasse that claimed his climbing partner's life -- and then having to find the will to make an almost impossible climb back out to safety, written with Kevin Vaughan, author of a five-part serialization of these events that was published by the Rocky Mountain News in October 2008, to Luke Dempsey at Ballantine, in a pre-empt, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (NA).

Now let me tell you the rest of the story...

First, some history: I first encountered Jim Davidson in April 2007 at the Northern Colorad o Writers Conference in Fort Collins. I was a staff writer at the Rocky Mountain News, and he was our lunchtime speaker. I heard him talk about falling into a glacial crevasse, about losing his good friend, about making a nearly impossible climb to safety, and about learning to live and ultimately thrive in the wake of the ordeal.

I knew immediately that I wanted to tell his story, and I approached Jim about writing about the accident on Mount Rainier. The result was “The Crevasse,” a five-part, 30,000-word narrative. It was well received, and in the wake of it, Jim and I began discussing the possibility of collaborating on a book.

In December 2008, we had the great fortune to be introduced on sort of a literary blind date to Dan Conaway, a former executive editor at two major publishing houses who had crossed the street to be an agent. Dan had a vision for our book, and we had a long conference call (favorite moment: when Dan explained the process to us and concluded with: “Then we knock wood. I’m a big knocker of wood.”) and we all agreed to get hitched, in a publishing kind of way. Jim and I prepared a detailed proposal with much prodding, cheerleading, and editing from Dan, and he submitted it to a slew of publishing houses.

On Oct. 21, I got on a plane and flew to New York, joining Jim, who had gone out a day earlier for some business meetings. Dan had arranged for us to meet with publishers on two separate days and pitch our idea. So there we were, late on the morning of Oct. 23, in Midtown Manhattan, standing in the grand entry to the Random House office, parent of Ballantine Books.

The lobby was about the size of a racquetball court, and huge glassed-in bookshelves lined the walls on either side of us. On one side were thousands of books published by the company between 1900 and 1950. On the other were books published since 1950. I saw In Cold Blood and the Andromeda Strain and I had to remind myself to breathe.

Pretty soon, we were in a conference room with Luke Dempsey, editorial director for non-fiction and editor of the just-released Miracle on the Hudson, and a team of people that included Brian McLendon, who handled publicity for Into the Wild and Into Thin Air.

The meeting was really a get-to-know-you session – for all of us. Dan, Jim and I were trying to find the right publisher. And they were trying to find writers, and a project, they could be excited about. And about 10 minutes in I felt like this was the place we wanted to be. Luke reminded me of the editor and publisher at the Rocky, John Temple – an editor with vision and heart and energy. I told Dan after the meeting that Luke was the kind of editor I wanted to work for.

That night, after the day’s work was done, Jim, Dan and I went out for a couple of beers at a nifty little bar, but at the time none of us knew where it was all headed. We felt our meetings had gone very well, but until someone makes an offer, you don’t know. What we did know at that point was that we had a great agent who believed in us and believed in our book (knock wood!).

As Jim and I flew home the next day, we talked about one particular idea of Luke’s about the book – and it gave me a charge. It made me think, again, that this was where we wanted to be.

After a long, anxiety-filled weekend, Dan had conversations with the people we had met with, and the next thing we knew we had a deal with Ballantine Books. Jim and I are thrilled. We loved Luke Dempsey and his team when we met with them, and we keep pinching ourselves that we ended up with them.

A lot of details remain to be discussed, but we expect to turn in a manuscript sometime in mid-2010 and to see our book, The Corridor, on the shelves in early 2011. The whole thing seems surreal to me. A day after our agreement, Dan sent us the Publishers Marketplace announcement. It seems unbelievable.

We know we have a lot of work ahead of us. And yet, Jim and I feel so lucky to have come this far – lucky that we crossed paths, lucky that we work well together, lucky that we connected with a fantastic agent, and lucky that we found just the right house to publish our book. I can’t decide whether to pinch myself again or knock more wood.

-Kevin Vaughan

New Look-More Voices

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:13:00 +0000

The Writing Bug blog is expanding to include more writing voices. I will now be featuring not only my posts, but posts from other Northern Colorado Writers members. The content and focus of the blog will not change--it will continue to all about writing.

My personal mission has always been to support and encourage writers of all levels and genres. By opening this blog up to the NCW members, I will be allowing their voices to heard and hopefully encouraging them as they move forward on their writing journey.

Happy Writing!
~Kerrie

FOCUS

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:47:00 +0000

As I have mentioned before, I have a Writing Buddy. Laura Bridgwater and I meet every Thursday at a fabulous cafe to discuss writing, set goals and critique each others work. During a recent meeting I had my annual breakdown because I was trying to do too much and I couldn't think straight. I wanted to give it all up and walk away. As she does every year, Laura talked me down from the ledge.

She shared with me a strategy she had been trying. She called it FOCUS.

Follow
One
Course
Until
Successful

We looked at all the things I had going on: Northern Colorado Writers, blog, my writing, speaking at other conferences, organizing the NCW conference, book reviews... (she shook her head and rolled her eyes at me while I rambled off my list. It was clear now why I was losing my mind).

She asked what my goal was and I told her I wanted to make a living as the NCW director. So she said, I had to let some things go and FOCUS on this.

So we decided I had to let go anything that did not directly relate to helping NCW thrive. Speaking at conferences could stay because it was a marketing tool for NCW. We decided I had to let go of writing book reviews, make my blog a part of NCW and get some members to help write posts, temporarily let go of actively seeking article ideas & markets for my own writing and even let go of the self-imposed pressure of trying to write every single day.

It felt as if a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. All I had to do now was FOCUS on NCW. I could wrap my brain around that.

Since making this decision, life has been easier and I find that I am getting more done. I am still making some transitions (finding people to help with this blog, updating the look of it and finishing up a book review I already started). But, my head is no longer spinning.

I was a little worried about letting go of the magazine writing, but I realized I still do a lot of writing through the NCW newsletter, website content and this blog. I will get back to magazines in due time.

What do you want to FOCUS on? Are there things you need to let go in order for that to happen?

Writing Contests

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Here are some writing contests with approaching deadlines:

Ruminate Magazine
Short Story Contest
Deadline October 26

We have extended the entry deadline to Monday, October 26th, so be sure to submit now! We are thrilled to announce that the finalist judge for our annual Short Story Prize is David James Duncan--best-selling author of The Brothers K and The River Why. We invite you to enter our annual Short Story Prize now! You can also read last year's winning story, selected by award-winning author Bret Lott.

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Writers Digest
Short Shorts
Deadline December 1

We're looking for fiction that's bold, brilliant...but brief. Send us your best in 1,500 words or fewer.
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HYBRID ESSAY CONTEST
Essay
Deadline October 31

Submit an unpublished essay of up to 10,000 words by October 31, 2009. The prize is $1,000 + publication. We'll shoot for publishing several of our finalists with the winner in DIAGRAM. We still don't know exactly what we mean by hybrid, and we would certainly prefer to leave definitions up to you. We don't like them. We think the term hybrid suggests a resistance to definition. We guess the only way to describe it is we're looking for essays that are in some way outside the traditional boundaries of the genre.

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The Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Nonfiction
Short Fiction/Nonfiction
Deadline December 1

Works up to 750 words in length should be typed, double-spaced, accompanied by a money order or check for $5 to cover administrative costs, payable to "Mona Schreiber Prize." No limit to entries but each must have a separate fee. Put contact information directly above the title and text on your first page. No SASEs, please. Include e-mail address for notification of winners. All entries must be postmarked by December 1 for a December 24 announcement of three winners: 1st: $500. 2nd: $250. 3rd: $100. Entries are not returned and must be unpublished.

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The Duckabush Prize for Poetry
Poetry
Deadline October 31

Poetry submissions are limited to three poems per entry, regardless of length. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but writers must inform RSR staff if any submitted work has been accepted elsewhere and withdraw it from the contest. First place prize will be $500, plus a featured spot on a future RSR Live Production and publication in an upcoming issue of our journal.

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Living and Working in our National Parks
Essays
Deadline January 5, 2010

Bona Fide Books seeks literary essays for a collection about life and work in our national parks. Diverse park experiences desired. Although we enjoy tree-hugging epiphanies, we also want to read about day-to-day life, and the societal, environmental, and existential implications of living in the park. What happened there, and how did it influence your life? Writers will receive $100 for their essay and one copy of the collection.
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Happy Writing!
~Kerrie

Guest Blogger: Laura Resau

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Hello, everyone! I'm thrilled that Kerrie invited me to do a guest post in honor of my new novel, The Indigo Notebook. (It's marketed toward a young adult audience, but like all my books, "old" adults have been enjoying it, too.)

About the book: In this first book in an exciting new series, world traveler Zeeta encounters mystery, adventure, and love in the Ecuadorian Andes as she helps an American boy search for his birth parents. And a blurb from Kirkus Reviews: "The characters fairly brim with life in this thoughtful, poignant novel filled with cultural details."

And now, here's the heart of what I want to write about today… what we writers can learn from shamans:

In each of my novels—What the Moon Saw, Red Glass, and now The Indigo Notebook—there is a shaman in the cast of characters. Shamanism has fascinated me for many years, beginning with my first anthropology classes in college.

A few years later, I was honored to participate in rituals with several Latin American healers, and I became good friends with one in particular—Dona Epifania, a Mazatec shamaness. We first met just over a decade ago, while I was living in Oaxaca, Mexico and writing many stories (but had yet to get any published). The more I spent time with Dona Epifania, the more parallels I saw between shamanism and story-telling… and the more I realized what a useful framework this was for my own creative process.

Mazatec shamans (and most shamans) heal, in part, by using words to create a narrative for their patients' problems (which usually have spiritual, physical, and emotional components). By drawing on wisdom obtained in another realm to tell the story of what caused the patient to fall ill, the shaman empowers the patient to heal herself. The famous Mazatec shamaness Maria Sabina often repeated in her trances, "I am a woman wise in words…", and indeed, her poetic chants were vital elements in her healing rituals.

Like shamans, we writers wield power with words. I know that as a reader, certain novels have helped me get through a rough time in my life. In turn, readers have written to tell me that my books have helped them through their own difficulties. Although I may be "wise in words" to the extent that I can use them to craft a story, any healing wisdom found in my books doesn't come from me. I'm definitely no well of wisdom— most of us writers aren't. We're measly, flawed humans just like everyone else.

Shamans believe that their power does not originate within themselves, but comes from a deeper, bigger source (in the case of Mazatec shamans, from God). Writers have a wide range of ideas about where exactly their creativity originates, and I respect that. It makes sense to find whatever works for you and go with it.

Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame explores this subject beautifully and humorously in a videotaped talk. Gilbert argues that it can be useful to your writing process to conceptualize your creativity as coming from an external source.

This perspective takes the pressure off you as a measly, flawed human. It keeps you humble and grateful. It makes negative feelings like jealousy or insecurity irrelevant, because you are part of a community of storytellers, all drawing from the same source.

In Oaxaca, one day I stumbled across an article in the journal Parabola about ancient Celtic storytellers called filidh, who were essentially both shamans and story-tellers. They would enter the Otherworld through trance to receive their stories and divinations (sometimes by being wrapped in the pelt of a bull and placed behind a waterfall, and sometimes by lying in bed in the dark).

They often began stories with a nonsensical line like "Once there was, and once there was not...", which shows that the story does not come from a place of rationality, but one of mystery. Have you noticed that the times you get completely in the flow of writing stories are the times when you've succeeded in shutting off your rational mind and entering an almost trance-like state?

A decade ago in Oaxaca, this shamanistic framework for story-telling gave me the courage and motivation to make my writing a priority despite the demands of everyday life, and despite my heaps of insecurities about whether my work was any good. And now, three published novels later, it's still the framework I return to when I encounter new struggles.

My current challenge is how to balance the deep, creative aspects of a professional writing life with what I consider the more superficial, but necessary, aspects, like book promotion and contractual obligations.

I try to always remember the lessons I've learned from shamans-- that stories have the power to heal, that they come from a deep, mysterious source, that I need to let go of my rational mind to access them, and finally, that I must always stay humble and grateful.

One of my favorite quotes from Maria Sabina's chants is "I am a woman who looks into the insides of things…" Ultimately, that's what writers do, too. We look into the insides of things. And we transform our visions into words.

Here are some writing prompts to help you do that (borrowed from ancient Celtic filidh.)

Step 1: Wrap yourself in the hide of a bull and find a giant waterfall. Just kidding! Seriously, though, try to shut off your rational mind and slip down into a deeper place for a little while.

Step 2: Without thinking too hard or censoring yourself, write a stream-of-consciousness story beginning with one of these prompts. (Pick whichever one speaks to you).

"Once it was where it was not beyond seven times seven countries and the Sea of Operencia behind an old stove in a crack in the wall in the skirt of an old hag and there in the seven times seventh fold...a white flea; and in the middle of it the beautiful city of a king" ; and in that city…

"Once there was, and once there was not..."

"Once long ago, and a long time it was. If I were there then, I should not be there now. If I were there now and at that time, I should have a new story or an old story, or I should have no story at all..."

Step 3: After you've got a rough draft, *give thanks* (shamans always do.) Then you can go back and revise, letting your rational mind come into the picture…

Thanks for reading! Have courage on your writing journey! I'd love to see you at one of my upcoming events in the area:

October 24, 2009 1:00-4:00 p.m. Through the Writing Glass, Bas Blue Theatre, 401 Pine St. Fort Collins, CO. Join authors Todd Mitchell, Victoria Hanley, Teresa Funke, and me, to celebrate our new books in a carnivalesque atmosphere!

November 8, 2009, Sunday, 7:00 Red Glass selling, signing, chatting for a half hour before the big T.C. Boyle event at the Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, CO, as part of Fort Collins Reads.

November 13, 2009, Friday Signing and Chatting about The Indigo Notebook, 7:00 to 8:00, Anthology Bookstore, Loveland, CO.

November 14, Saturday, 7:00 The Indigo Notebook Reading and Signing with Victoria Hanley for her new novel, Violet Wings, Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax. Everyone welcome!

Please see the events section of my website for details and more events. http://www.lauraresau.com

Warm wishes,
Laura Resau

Sources:

Maria Sabina: Her Life and Chants, by Alvaro Estrada, Ross-Erikson Inc., Santa Barbara, 1981.

"Words of Skill" by Mara Freeman 1995. http://www.chalicecentre.net/wordofskill.htm (also published in Parabola http://www.parabola.org/ )

Elizabeth Gilbert's talk http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Your Writing Voice

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Originally posted on 11/1/08

We all have unique qualities, inflections, tones in our speaking voice that help people to identify who we are, even if they can’t see us. Believe it or not, the same thing happens in your writing as well. When writers find their voice it becomes obvious to anyone reading their work, who wrote it. Think about it-could you tell the difference between Stephen King, Dave Barry and Jane Austin’s work?

The problem is, many writers spend a lot of time trying to write like some else. They want to be just like their favorite author. They end up copying their style and tone and in the end, sound like an impersonator. They do not have their own identity.

The biggest factor in finding your writing voice is trust. You must trust your self and your writing enough to get your thoughts and ideas on paper the way you want to write them. I know it can be difficult when you read an author who writes beautiful, flowing descriptions or one whose humor makes you laugh out loud. It can make you wish you could write just like them. There is nothing wrong with learning from other writers and incorporate some of what they do into your writing, but don’t go to such an extreme that it stifles your voice.

Finding your voice is not always an easy task, but it is a fun journey. You must write a lot and try out different styles and techniques. This is a time to try on those beautiful, flowing descriptions and that humor to see how it fits. Walk around in it awhile, see how it feels. Use the parts that work for you. The parts that enhance your voice.

Eventually you will find your voice amongst it all. It will start shining through and be the one you want to spend the most time with. The one that you are at ease around. Your true voice is the one that flows naturally and from the core of who you are. It is the voice that made you fall in love with writing. The one that wants to be nurtured and tended to. It is this voice that wants to be heard.

Happy Writing!
~Kerrie

They Were the Best of Words, The Worst of Words...

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Originally posted on 9/24/08

For writers, words are our life. We rely on them to convey emotions, share information, inspire and connect with our readers. There are words in our language that seem to roll off the tongue or make our mouth happy. Then there are words, that for some reason make us cringe, not because of the meaning, but because they just don't feel right in our mouth.

I thought it would be fun to start making a list of the words people like and don't like.

Here are some of my favorites:
spatula
hullabaloo
effervescent
serendipity

Here are my least favorites:
moist
cockeyed
cavort

Add to my list by leaving your favorite and least favorite in the comment box.

Happy writing!
~Kerrie

Memoirs--Studying What is Already Out There

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Originally posted on 6/3/08

As with any kind of writing, you should know your market. Memoir writing is no different. You need to be reading and studying this genre. Here is a list of books and things to think about when you are reading them.

How does the story start?
What is the order of events?
What is happening with the dialog-how often is it used? Does it help move the story along? Is 'said' used mostly?
Does is read like a fiction story?
Does it keep your interest? Why?

Here is a list of memoirs to get you started on your memoir study

Someday My Prince Will Come-True Adventures Of a Wannabee Princess-True Adventures Of a Wannabee Princess

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

Are You Somebody? By Nuala O’Faolain (often seen as the feminine counterpart to Frank McCourt)

Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Aphrodite in Jeans: Adventure Tales about Men, Midlife, and Motherhood by Katherine Doughtie

Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky

The Tender Bar by J.H. Moehringer

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Home by Julie Andrews

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Happy Reading!
~Kerrie

In The Beginning....

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Originally posted 5/23/08

Where to begin or not to begin--that is the question. Many writers (including myself) tend to fall short when it comes to the beginning of our writing, whether it is a novel, short story or magazine article. We want to give all the background, set up the scene and gently introduce the reader to our character or topic. It seems to make sense when we are writing because we forget that we have all the other information in our head. We know how the murder happens and gets solved, we know how the hero and heroine get together at the end...we know it all. The reader enters our world-fiction or not fiction-completely in the dark.

In media res is a Latin phrase that means 'in the middle of' and is an effective way to start our writing. You drop your readers into the middle of a scene, already in progress. The idea is to hook them and compel them to keep reading.

Here is an example from Melina Bellows' novel, Wish:

"Is he dead? I jump off my Vespa and race past a fire engine, an ambulance, and the F.D.N.Y. scrimmage blocking my street. There, in front of my apartment, is my brother's body, sprawled on the sidewalk."

We are immediately put into the middle of a scene. Bellows didn't take 3 pages to introduce us to her main character, she got us hooked right away. She has the rest of the book to tell us about the character and the story. But now, as the reader, you want to know what happened and is the brother really dead.

You can do same thing in non-fiction. Here is an example from an article I found on NPR, from the Associated Press.

"First, there was a run on energy-efficient light bulbs. When those ran out, people began asking for lamp oil. But when they started demanding clothespins in this land of mist and rain, it was clear Alaska's capital city was caught in a serious energy crunch."

This scene is not as action packed as the first example, but it does the same thing. It shows us what is going on right now--it paints a scene. Then it goes back to explain how Juneau got to this point.

Give this technique a try with your own work and see what happens. You will find your writing will pack a punch right out of the gate. Then it is your job to keep your readers hanging on.

Happy Writing!
~Kerrie

Off on Another Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Tomorrow I am heading to the Douglas County Library Writers Conference to present 2 workshops. One is called Tips to Getting Accepted in the Magazine World and the other is Finding the Right Literary Agent for You. I haven't been to this conference before and am looking forward to it.

Then at 6:30 am on Sunday, I am heading to Arkansas with my daughter, two teachers and 15 other high school students (a 15 hour drive from Colorado). We will be spending 3 nights at the Heifer International Global Village for what I assume will be an enlightening experience.

"Global Passport participants, in a safe simulation, will experience what it is like when someone in your community loses everything and they must rely on the generosity of their neighbors. Will the community come together and provide the needed relief? In the full Global Passport program, all “families” are challenged to improve their circumstances by adopting a variety of methods Heifer uses in the field, including adding livestock, improved animal management and finding a unique market to sell goods. Throughout the two-night and three-night programs, participants must provide for their “family” by tending gardens and livestock, working in the village community, buying supplies from the international market and cooking authentic meals using appropriate technology. Each night the family will come together and sleep in representative housing, such as a Tibetan yurt.

I plan to journal each day and record this experience which I anticipate will be eye-opening and possibly life changing.

During my week-long adventure I will repost some of my favorite past blogs. I hope you enjoy them and I look forward to sharing highlights from trip next week.

Harvest Time

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. Read my guest post, Connecting to the Past on the Beet Street website. I include one of my favorite recipes.

After you read it, come back here and share what you love most about this time of year.

Enjoy!
~Kerrie

Reaching Your Full Potential

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Raise your hand if you are a writer...
Now, keep your hand up if you feel you are reaching your full potential as a writer.
Many hands went down (including mine).

Many of us identify ourselves as writers, yet we are not doing all we can to be the best we can be. Distractions get in our way and writing is no longer a priority. A constant cloud of guilt hangs over us because we know we should be devoting more time to this literary craft we love, yet we refuse to make room on our overflowing plate.

We can't possibly do and be everything all at once; choices have to be made. But as certain things are cut our of our life, it opens up our plate and enables us to have more time to reach our full potential.

In order to do this you must examine your life closely and figure out what your priorities are. In LeAnn Thieman's book Balancing Life in Your War Zones: A Guide to Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health, she dedicates a whole chapter to this.

She says, " Make a list of what is most important to you...I might challenge you a bit when I suggest that priorities are not what we state them to be but how we're actually spending our time. We can't give lip service to one thing and say its a priority if we are spending our time doing something else. Obviously, what we're spending our time doing is what we have established as our priorities."

My list of priorities would be family, home, friends, myself, writing, Northern Colorado Writers, volunteering and reading. Notice, obsessively checking email, watching Oprah, checking Donny & Marie's tweets every hour and alphabatizing my spice rack is not on my priority list, but these are things I waste my time on. Clearly I can cut these activities out and open up more time to writing. Pretty easy choice.

Some choices. though, are not so easy. My writing buddy Laura Bridgwater made some huge cuts this year. She has been a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer/radio commentator for years, but decided she was not reaching her full potential as a writer, so she did something about it.

She declared to her family and friends that writing was now her job. The hours while her kids were at school would be her official work time. That was the easy part. The tough part came when she had to decide what to cut out of her day to make this happen. It meant, no more weekly volunteering at school, no more breakfasts out with friends and no more shopping trips during the day.

One of her biggest challenges was getting her friends and family to accept this. When a friend would call to see if Laura could do lunch, she would have to decline because she was working. Or if one of her daughter called because she forgot her lunch, Laura would have to tell her to charge a lunch because she was working.

This wasn't easy for her, but she stuck to her guns and is feeling good about her decision. Plus she is getting a bunch of writing done.

Are you ready to reach your full potential as a writer? Is so, what are you willing to cut out of your life in order to do that?

Word Count for Books

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000

I get asked a lot about the accepted word count of different genres and I don't always have the answer on hand. In a recent post, Writers Digest editor Chuck Sambuchino answers this question with great detail, making it worthy of printing out and saving for future reference.

Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post
By Chuck Sambuchino

Donny & Marie: Final Act

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:57:00 +0000

(If you are just stopping by my blog you can catch up on the Donny & Marie saga by reading my last two posts).

Thanks for all the positive thoughts you sent me last week. Marie's publicist did get back to me but said that Marie was too busy at this time to do an interview. So, now it was on to plan B--a true test of my patience. I would have to wait until the day of the show on Wednesday to see if I could add the Meet & Greet on to my ticket.

The day of the show arrived and we head to the box office where I tell the tatooed ticket guy what I want to buy.
"Sorry, the show is all sold out," he said "and there are no more VIP tickets available."
"What? You're kidding," I shook my head. "I can't believe this."
Sorry was all he could say.
"All I want to do is meet them after. This stinks," I said.
"Oh," he said, "if all you want to do is meet them, let me see if I can add that. You're seat will still be the same though."

So after punching in some keys on the computer, he says it is a go and he hands me the extra VIP ticket. Woo Hoo!

The night of the show arrived and I got a special VIP badge and an 8x10 photo of each of them before going to our seats. I was so excited.

The show itself was amazing and had all the bells and whistles you would expect in a Vegas show. There was singing, dancing, jokes, and more singing. The highlight for me was when Marie sang an opera number. It was fantastic.

After the show I got ushered to a holding area and where I stood in line with all the other fans waiting to meet the famous duo. I felt like Ralphie from Christmas Story when he was waiting is waiting in line to see Santa. As the line moved slowly along, I thought of all the questions I wanted to ask--all the profound things I wanted to say.

Then it was my turn. I was ushered over to Donny first. I have to say, he is just as handsome (if not more so) in person. I introduced myself, gave him a hug and then all coherent thoughts vanished from my brain. It was just like Ralphie when he finally gets to sit on Santa's lap and all he could do was stare at him. That was me. All I could do was stare and smile. Donny asked where I was from and I did answer that, but it was all a blur.

Then I was instructed to turn around for the photo (think the Christmas elves with Ralphie-moving him around, only these "elves" were nice). Marie comes up and we take the photo. Then I am facing Marie (who is also gorgeous up close) and my moment with Donny was over.

My brain finally started to reboot at this time and at least I got in a few comments and questions. I told her I was a writer, I said my husband brought me here for my birthday and I that I am looking forward to reading her book. I was just starting to relax a little, when the Donny and Marie "elves," tapped me on my shoulder signaling my turn was over. When that didn't work, they gently took my arm and guided me away. I wanted to run back and give Donny and Marie both a hug or yell something memorable as I walked away, like, "I love you both!" but I didn't.

I left smiling on the inside and the outside. I had to sit down for a minute to let it all soak in. I was grateful for the chance to see the incredible show and to meet them after. They were both gracious and friendly even though they must have been exhausted. Donny & Marie clearly love what they do.

What's next, now that I can check Donny & Marie off my bucket list? I am not sure, but I think my Donny and Marie adventure is not over yet.

So I will leave you with this.
"May tomorrow be a perfect day. May you find love and laughter along the way. May God keep you in in his tender care till he brings us together again."

Writers Digest Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:00:00 +0000

This past weekend, Writers Digest hosted a conference in New York on The Business of Getting Published. The Writers Digest team posted live reports from the conference floor, offering full coverage of the event! I think this is such a great idea.

There were over 100 posts that happened during the weekend. If you want to learn more from the conference visit: Writers Digest Conference. All the topics are in the Blog Archive column on the right side.

Enjoy!

What's Your Pen Name?

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:19:00 +0000

Earlier this week at a Northern Colorado Writers coffee we did a fun activity where we came up with our pen name. You start with the name of your first car and then the last name of a favorite singer. I had a Mustang and one of my favorite singers is Steve Perry.

So my pen name is: Mustang Perry

What is your pen name?

Donny & Marie Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:40:00 +0000

I wanted to take a minute to update you on my Donny & Marie Las Vegas adventure (You can read my previous post to get caught up to speed). First off, thank you for all your great suggestions. I have high hopes that I will get to meet my favorite duo.

The one suggestion that seemed the easiest to do was Pam's of rounding up money and upgrading my regular tickets to the Donny & Marie show to the VIP which includes a meet & greet after. My parents stepped up and offered to pay for the upgrade and I thought I was home free.

Not so. My husband did not buy the tickets to the show through the Flamingo where they are performing and because he went through an outside vendor, the Flamingo won't upgrade the seats and the other vendor doesn't sell the VIP seats. I talked, begged and pleaded with four different people, but no luck. The only thing they said I can do is check in with the box office the day of the show and if there are still VIP tickets available, I can upgrade then.

Disappointed, I resigned myself to the fact that I am going to have to be patient and wait until Wednesday to see what I can do. Then I thought about the other suggestions people made. I am not good at lying or at stretching the truth so the ideas of faking an award or press credentials were clever, but I know I wouldn't be able to do. I'd be a mess.

But I do have writing credentials, so I thought about combining that fact and openly disclosing that I am a big fan. Now I needed to find the right person to talk to.

I was able to track down Donny's manager and Marie's publicist and send them both an email explaining that I am fan and coming to see the show this week. I also said that as a freelance writer and director of Northern Colorado Writers, I am always looking for article ideas (which is so very true). I went on to explain the ideas I have, (which I am really excited about) and included my credentials. I asked for a 15 minute interview.

One email bounced back, but Marie's publicist responded asking when I am seeing the show. I answered the email, but haven't heard back from her again.

So now, I need your help again. I believe there is power in numbers so please send out happy thoughts to Marie's publicist and to the Flamingo box office. I will meet Donny & Marie, I will meet Donny & Marie, I will.....

I'll continue to keep you posted.

Kerrie

More About Passive & Active Verbs

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:07:00 +0000

In Tuesday's post I mentioned one way to tighten up any writing is to eliminate passive verbs. Yesterday, Ray Rhamey, a blogger with Writer Unboxed addressed this very issue. His post explains why passive voice doesn't work and has great examples. He even shows a couple of examples of when passive voice is better, which I found very interesting.

I highly recommend stopping by Writer Unboxed and reading this amazing post: Activate passive narrative—most of the time

Dear Kerrie: Revisions

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:00:00 +0000

If you have a writing conundrum, leave your question for me in the comment section.

Dear Kerrie,
My real goal is to write a novel, but I already failed with three previous attempts. The problem I have is I have to do so many revisions to get the story to flow, and to eliminate grammar errors. This is not so bad when you are working on a five to nine page story. But when you have a three-hundred page novel, the scope of the revisions is daunting. Is there anyway that I can overcome my fear of revising the same writing for many months? Revisions are excruciating, and I don't know how do avoid them, except by writing a better first draft. This ideal goes against many other writer's ideals. Once again. Thank you so much for your help,
Bill

Dear Bill,
I personally have not tried writing a novel yet. My experiences come from shorter pieces--magazines, newspapers, personal essays.... But, I have critiqued manuscripts and some needed heavy revisions. If I were in your shoes, I would first look at the big picture first and not worry about the grammar errors yet:

* Find the slow points in the story and either rework or eliminate

* Figure out if you are starting your novel in the right place. Many times authors can cut the first chapter or two and it strengthens the beginning. Your catalyst should happen in the first 10% of the book. This is the point in the story when your character's life goes from ordinary to extraordinary. The point where the character can't go back until the problem is solved. So for a 300 page novel, this event should happen before page 30.

* Check the dialogue and make sure it moves the story along.

Once you have looked over the big picture items, then I would go back and look at the grammar.

* Cut out passive verbs (You can read my past post about active-vs-passive verbs)

* Get rid of "that."

* Check punctuation

Basically focus on one component of the novel at a time. Don't try to rework everything all at once.

~Kerrie

**Those of you novel writers out there, what advice do you have for Bill with regards to revisions?

A Dream Come True?

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:00:00 +0000

This blog post may seem like it is not related to writing in any way (except for the part that I personally had to write it), but I think--no I know there will be a story that comes from it.

My husband surprised me with an early birthday gift. He is taking me to Vegas in a couple of weeks! I like going to sin city and I really like the idea of getting away for a few days. But it gets better. He also got us tickets to see Donny and Marie Osmond perform at the Flamingo.

This last part made me scream and jump up and down. I have a been a Donny and Marie fan since I was eight years old and their variety show was on t.v. I remember having a Donny and Marie coloring book, I remember anxiously waiting to watch the Love Boat episode that had Donny on it and I remember wondering if I was a little big country or a little bit rock and roll.

Over the years I have followed their careers and lives. I am not a fanatic about it. I don't know the names of all their children, I don't own all their albums and I don't know their birthdays (I take that back, I just learned that Marie is going to turn 50 on October 13).

But I am fascinated by them. I read Donny's memoir, Life is Just What You Make It: My Story So Far and I will be reading Marie's, Might As Well Laugh About It Now, that recently came out. I love to watch and listen to Donny in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I even voted for Marie each week she was on Dancing With the Stars last season and I will do the same for Donny this season.

I scared the bejeebers out of my daughter last year when I screamed after hearing that the whole Osmond clan was going to be on Oprah. I DVR'd the episode and watched it over and over.

Bottom line (this is absolutely true) is they are on my Bucket List of people to meet before I die.

Now I am going to see them in person (insert another scream). My dilemma is that I need to figure out how to meet them (since they are on my list). My husband didn't see the need to pay the extra $125 per ticket for the VIP tickets that included a photo op, even though he knows how much I love Donny and Marie.

So, what are your ideas? What can I do to meet my favorite duo? (this is where the writing part comes in) Please share your ideas with me--I will seriously consider trying them all, not matter how crazy they may seem.

Help me Writing Bug readers--you are my only hope!

~Kerrie

Imagination Library: Getting Kids Connected With Book

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Dolly Parton has a passion for helping kids get excited about reading and this excitement is spreading across the country.

"In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income. So she decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under 5 in Sevier County. With the arrival of each book, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mail box. These moments continue each month until the child turns 5—and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come."

In 2000, she expanded her program to other communities. You can check to see if your city has a sponsor. If so, you can sign up your child or grandchild who under 5, and he/she will receive a book a month until the age of 5. It doesn't matter how old they are when they sign up (newborn or 4 1/2).

If this isn't available in your community, maybe you can see about finding a local sponsor who is willing to take this on.

This is a great program that encourages reading in young children who will eventually go on to read our articles, books and blogs.

visit her website at http://www.dollysimaginationlibrary.com