Writing More, Blogging Less

Posted on March 10, 2012 by fairysockmother

Most writers have full-time jobs as well as writing, emailing, maintaining websites,  blogging, tweeting, pinning, Facebooking, linking, and whatever else social networking throws at us! It’s tough trying to make time for friends and family. It’s harder yet to find any downtime. Sometimes, my mind feels like a overtaxed computer with insufficient memory and an outdated version of Windows. I can’t do everything. It’s not humanly possible. And when I try to do everything, I don’t do anything well. So, my weekly blog has turned into a monthly blog, if I’m lucky. Facebook is a low priority and my tweeting has dwindled to occasional chirps.  I have to meet my writing deadlines and I want to spend time with my family. If cutting back on cyber-interaction is the tradeoff, then I can live with that!

 

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Writing in the Check Out Line

Posted on February 6, 2012 by fairysockmother

Details enrich writing. Fortunately, they aren’t hard to find. Material is constantly available, ready to be mixed into whatever literary concoction you are working on. Gather characters and images while you stand in line at the grocery store: That sobbing baby who pats his mother’s shoulder with every plantive wail, the shuffling old man who holds the door for his wife even though she is much more mobile than he is,  gritty rock salt in pools of melting snow, or the lone red M&M tumbling down the conveyor belt to the check out register. Enjoy the wait and jot down the details  in the car before you forget them. All those little gems will make your readers feel as though they are standing right there with you!

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Winter Evenings

Posted on January 12, 2012 by fairysockmother

Dark  winter evenings draw us inexorably inward, just as people used to gather to hear stories around a crackling fire. We may think times have changed but we still crave the warmth and comfort of the metaphorical hearth when the wind moans and snow piles up around the doorstep.  We still yearn for stories even though the vehicles that deliver them have changed dramatically.

Maybe you stumble across your daily dose of storytelling in the newspaper or the internet. Or do you settle down to watch your favorite TV show or rent a movie to pass these long winter nights? There is nothing like a good story, whether we want the indefinable lift that a happy ending brings, the thrill of an unexpected play by our favorite team, or the momentary terror of an urban legend! Whether you chose TV, or movies, a book, a Kindle, or a Nook you are continuing to satisfy an ancient need to define yourself and your life through storytelling.  Fortunately, some things never change!

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Through the Eyes of a Child

Posted on December 12, 2011 by fairysockmother

Sometimes, we think that children are exposed to so much flashy media stimulus that it is hard to capture their imagination with just books. After a recent preschool visit where I read The Christmas Cats, I passed out bookmarks to the kids that featured one of the kitties from my book. A four year old came back to me and held up his bookmark. “Can I have another bookmark?” he asked unhappily. “My cat is upside down.”

I tried not to laugh at his inability to correct the problem. Then an idea hit me! “It’s a magic bookmark,” I said, taking the bookmark out of his hand and turning it around. “If you turn it the other way, the cat is right side up!”

He stared at it for a moment and then grabbed it. Hugging the bookmark to his chest, he said, “Wow!” and then ran to catch up with his class as they left the room!

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Ordinary Time

Posted on November 12, 2011 by fairysockmother

When I was a child, I hated reading in the bulletin that a Sunday was designated as “ordinary time.” It meant there was no special holiday, nothing to celebrate or to look forward to. It is only in the past year that I have learned to appreciate ordinary time. There is a comfortable pleasure in days with no surprises, when everything proceeds as it should, no fuss, no rush, no bother. Those days are rare now and I cherish them. What luxury to have a whole peaceful day to write, a cup of coffee on my desk, and a cat on my lap! Uninterrupted time to read is even better! I guess things have turned around. What was once ordinary is now unique and treasured, a small oasis of quiet, in a constant flurry of activity.

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Triage for the Harried and Hurried

Posted on October 28, 2011 by fairysockmother

Weeks with no downtime. Assignments pile up, deadlines loom. Each day leaves more undone. What to do? Write lists, jot notes, on any available surface. Expound on ideas as time allows. Prioritize. Work in short bursts – even 15 minutes makes a dent. Breathe.

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Fame

Posted on October 16, 2011 by fairysockmother

Why do writers write or artists paint? Most of us want to create something memorable to leave behind. We would like to feel our lives have made a difference in this vast, wonderful world. Few of us leave giant footprints in the sands of time but even the tiniest ripples can and do affect others. The crazy thing is, that the way we live our lives probably touches more people than our prose, poetry, or painting. How many people will remember you for your compassion or generosity? What better epitaph could there be than to be remembered simply as “a good person?” While paying for my food at McDonald’s drive-through, the teenager who took my money said, “Hey, you’re that lady that wrote a book!” It made me smile but it was nothing in comparison to the warm glow I got after receiving an enthusiastic hug the next night from a two-year old at Story Time.  It put things into perspective for me. What do I really want to be remembered for?

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The Allure of Poetry

Posted on October 6, 2011 by fairysockmother

I just read a beautiful poem called “The Long Marriage” by Tom Mallouk  in Goodreads October newsletter. It brought tears to my eyes. What is it about poetry that strikes a chord in most of us? Is it the concise juxtaposition of the right words in just the proper sequence? Is it meter and rhythm or the echoing cadence of music that seems woven into the lines? I believe that well crafted poetry touches our souls. It can be warming and cozy like a cracking fire on a cool fall evening or stark and chilling as a winter landscape. Either way the words linger with us, whispering their message long after the page is closed.

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Critiques

Posted on September 19, 2011 by fairysockmother

We all like to feel we’ve written the perfect manuscript, but it’s always better to get a second opinion. When you are immersed in the creative process, it’s hard to spot inconsistencies in your own work. Readers will find the holes in your plots, the unanswered questions, and all those loose ends, you somehow never tied up. When it comes to constructive criticism, some is good but more is better. A critique group will not only support you emotionally, it will make you a better writer. You don’t have to take everyone’s suggestions but weigh each one carefully. The members of your critique group are a microcosm. If they have doubts about your work so may an editor. Don’t fall in love with your own words. There is nothing that can’t be improved; be humble enough to admit it.

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Cliffhangers

Posted on September 10, 2011 by fairysockmother

Cliffhangers keep your reader interested. A micro-cliffhanger at the end of each chapter makes your book hard to put down. It yanks the reader into the story and holds him there. When a chapter ends with urgency or uncertainty, it provides a springboard not closure. The reader desperately wants to know what will happen next. Cliffhangers turn a novel into a page-turner! It’s every writer’s dream to have someone rapidly tearing through his or her book to discover the dénouement!

A cliffhanger at the end of book, especially a book in a series, takes on an entirely different twist. Sometimes, it’s just plain mean! While you want your readers to be frantically preordering the next installment, you don’t want to make them angry. It’s hard to wait a year or longer to find out what happens in Book 2, especially if there’s a chance your favorite character is dead! Show your readers a little mercy. Make each book complete unto itself but leave some tantalizing bits unexplained. Leave the door open; give a foreshadowing of who is waiting on the threshold; but don’t leave the hero bleeding on the floor!

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