Playing Pretend

Earlier today, I wrote an article on teaching children to write short stories and posted it on Helium, and as I was writing it, it occurred to me that some of the methods I described to teach children to write stories can be used to help pull ourselves out of writing blocks or into a more interesting story.

Developing our abilities to tell or write good stories is all about imagination. Children are encouraged to fuel their imagination, but sometimes that encouragement can fade when we become adults. We are expected to be serious grownups, and we lose a lot of that spontaneity we had as kids. Where children once had to completely visualize stories out of books, this is now often done for them in movies, TV, and video games.

Nearly every parent of young children has bought their child a "cool" toy, only to find that the child has more fun with the box than the toy itself. Instinctively, we want to imagine. We want to create. We want to play pretend.

Somehow, we let the world put the idea into our heads that this is childish. But we must not confuse childishness with childlike. Childish is throwing a tantrum in the grocery store because you can't have the cookies. It is being egocentric, selfish.

Being childlike is a trait we should never lose, and one we as writers should revisit frequently. It's the ability to look at things at new ways, to ask questions even when we think we know the answers, and to never accept anything as impossible.

Perception and Presentation - by A.F. Stewart

In order to try and stay more consistent with the Write of the Day Blog, I'm hosting occasional guest blogs by other writers. Todays blog is by Canadian Author, A.F. Stewart. Please check out the links to her regular blogs at the bottom of this post. Thanks!


These two concepts of perception and presentation sometimes get overlooked by new writers, but in today’s online world they are more important than ever.  I see many hopeful, newbie writers posting sloppily written stories to online sites and it makes me cringe.

Now when I say “sloppily written”, I don’t mean a few typos or sentences that could use a bit of editing or a clichéd bit of prose.  That comes with the writer territory, especially when you are starting out.  No, I’m talking about frequent, dreadful grammar mistakes, noticeable spelling errors, run-on sentences and just plain careless editing; things easily fixable by running a story through your computer’s spell-check.  These writers don’t seem to realize that this screams “amateur” and “bad writer” and it turns many readers away.  Plus online, you never know who might stop by to read what you post; you may be damaging your reputation in ways you are not aware.

Also, you need to watch how you present yourself when you comment on other posts or email fellow writers.  Not capitalizing the “I” pronoun, rambling sentences, terrible grammar and numerous typos do not inspire confidence in your abilities as a writer.

Another common perception and presentation mistake, at least in my opinion, happens in marketing.  Many writers are anxious to sell or just inexperienced in marketing and they use spam techniques to promote their books, bombarding every site with blatant ad-like comments.  This is not the way to market yourself or your books.  You may gain interest in your books, but you will also alienate people who find such things rude, especially if you are posting irrelevant comments in groups.  For instance, don’t promote your murder mystery in a group devoted to fantasy and sci-fi. 

Good marketing should interact and target.  Post those obvious self-promotional ads on sites and in groups set up for that type of marketing; that is what they are there for.  Otherwise interact with groups and sites; a “Hey guys, wonderful news.  I’ve got a new book coming out...” does more for your online status than a spam ad people ignore.

The one thing a writer has to remember is there are real people, potential readers, on the other side of cyber-space.  You need to make the best impression possible.

photo of me, if you want to include it in the post, and here are my blog links:

http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com/

http://afstewartpromotion.blogspot.com/

Mixing Up Approaches in Writing

The past few days I've done more research than writing it seems. I've got several works in progress that should be wound up and either submitted or posted by the end of the week. In my fiction and poetry I rarely outline. Sometimes lines of a poem come to me and I realize they belong in the middle somewhere, and I write the rest of the poem around it. Sometimes, the first and last lines come and I muddle through the middle. Or a scence flashes, ans I write it, make note of approximently where it might go, and it may or may not belong there when the time comes.

But the stuff I've been working on lately is of the "5 things for bla, bla bla" variety,  Which leaves me with scattered noted and website links to mold into a coherant and useful article. If all goes well I will have a little surge of articles in the next couple days.

I did have a couple of nice surprises -- the first was hearing that the Great Gatsby was being made into a movie again with a great cast, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan. It's pre-production, barely even cast so it will most likely be forever before it's out, but I'm still excited.

I also happened to be following Stribooks (StarTribune Books) on Twitter, and caught them tweeting some news from the 2010 National Book Awards. It's like the Oscars, for books. So now there are new books on my read list. Nominees are here and I will need to investigate which ones I want to read. A neat thing is Coffee House Press got a nomination, and they're just a little literary publisher. Love to see the little guy get attention.

Tomorrow, I will get a break from blogging, as I bring in my first guest blogger, A.F. Stewart!

Good Night, Happy reading and Writing

Freezing

Sometimes, it can feel a little weird when I find myself actually enjoying the research involved in writing informational articles. It's been about a week now since I've written a new poem or other piece of creative writing. I've been posting bits of my novel, but that is all written already.

I was asked about the prequel to my novel,  No Sensible People, which I started quite some time ago. I haven't worked on it in ages, and I don't exactly know what I'll think when I do go back to it. I feel like I've evolved so much since I started No Sensible People. There's a strength that wants to come through, if I just keep working at it.

There are times I feel like it's all I can do to tread water, and other times when I think anything is possible. And I freeze because of my nerves, because this may be my last shot. What if I can't make it work? What if I don't succeed?What if I do?

It's that last question that maked it hard. Because win or lose freezing is probably inevitable. I just need to keep moving

On the Brink.....

Ready. Set. Set. Set.......go? Now? No, now. No NOW. Wow! wow. oh. eh.

All I have to do is get my thoughts together and make this thing work. There are a number of brass rings in the air, or at least plastic rings and it is time for me to grab them. I actually know of a few job openings that I'd actually want. I've been invited to submit proposals on elance that in no way involve academic dishonesty or the exploitation of innocents. (Both practices I frown on.) Associated Content upgraded and are more integrated with Yahoo now, which means more available assignments, and I am actually able to find my article on Indie Movie Theatres in Minneapolis.

 I was finally able to cash out on Gather, after 3 months, and Helium is moving right along too. My eHow allowance remains consistent, eventhough I'm not writing anything new for them. There's even a tiny trickling on Suite 101. My Twitter follower numbers are respectable -- if only I could get followers for my blog.

Yes, I know, I need to be more consistent with it -- but maybe if I had guest bloggers a couple days a week...... hmmmm *she looks up at cartoon lightbulb suspended over her head.*

The other big thing I've started is revisiting the marketing of my novel, No Sensible People. I'm actually posting the whole thing, about 1000 words at a time on Associated Content. Serialization was a big thing way back when. Maybe it will make a comeback? Who knows? The only thing is they haven't updated page views for a few days, so I can't see how it's doing. That's the downside of upgrades, there's always an adjustment period. Supposedly they're going back in tonight. Maybe there will be answers then.

But I will not lose my mind looking for answers. There's always a simpler question to move on to. I can go back later, and maybe it will make sense.

Divide and Conquer

I had heard it before, long before this online writing thing came to be. One way to increase your writing output is to respin an idea in a slightly different way. That way you can recycle your topic. One of the things I am starting to get about SEO, Search Engine Optimization, is that the search engines like to get as specific as they can.

A few days ago, there was an empty title on Helium on the benefits of having a study buddy, but when I looked today it was no longer empty. It's possible I may still write on it, but instead I suggested my own titles. What began as Tips for working in public -- which turned out to be too broad became 2 articles. How to Be Productive When Working in Public Places, on Helium and Things to Keep in Mind When Working in Public on Associated Content. They are two distinct articles, one focusing on productivity, the other basically on manners.

 I also recycled a recipe I had put on eHow a while back that hadn't made money there, revised it a bit and reposted it to Gather. Every site has it's protocol, and sometimes an article that's a stinker on one site can turn out to be a winner on another.

Back when I wrote my old blog, which was weekly, I would copy paste it onto different sites, thinking that would maximize views, but I've learned that isn't necessarily so. So now just about everything I write gets it's 15 minutes on a single site, and if that isn't enough I'll let a second site have a crack.

I've yet to make a fortune on any of my pursuits, but I do think I am getting better.

A Jewelry Day

Yesterday I dabbed a little in different writing projects, but never really got going on anything. I'll be falling short of my version NanoWriMo this week, but I won't waste too much time stressing over it. I worked hard this week, and I took most of yesterday as a jewelry day. Mostly, I worked on a brochure that has pictures of the stuff I have on sale at Etsy, and a few things I haven't listed yet, but will soon. I'm going to try and have a party on December 2nd, see if I can't get a few local sales.

Today, I am going to a bridal shower for my nephew's fiance. I made her a necklace. I'll also bring my brochure -- which is why I wanted to finish it-- at least most of the way. Tonight or tomorrow I'll get the new stuff listed. Work on a few kids jewelry items. I may stop at Michael's and get some ribbon and feathers. I worked on a new bracelet design. It has some dream catcher elements to it, but I really think it needs ribbon and feathers. Even jewelry making has it's rough drafts. This morning I made a Chritmas present. Turned out much better than the "not a dreamcatcher" bracelet.

By tomorrow, I will be back in full swing with my Nano plan, although no one should be surprised to see me write about jewelry in the next couple days.

Ohfer Odd.....

“Ohfer Odd, Ohfer Weird. Why is Ohfer shunned by men and often feared?” – from the musical “How to Talk Minnesotan” based on the book by Howard Mohr.

Today was a weird writing day. I started writing an op-ed piece on Prolife and Prochoice. I used to be Prolife, now I'm Prochoice. How and why will have to wait until I manage to finish the op-ed. There are things that bother me about some of the typical arguments on both sides, but like I said, how and what will have to wait.

So I got emotional. Put a poem up that was on one site and put a copy of it on another. Then I started to get random lines in my head and thought I might write a villanelle. I looked at the form, and it scared me a bit-- at least for what was going through my head. So I looked at some other forms, and saw the ballade, which features three 8 line stanzas with a regulated rhythm/rhyme scheme with a refrain line at the end of each stanza.

Ah ha! I can do that! So I wrote the little pattern on the side of the page. Some of the lines came easy, some were a bit harder, but I managed to wind up with a poem that I actually liked. Off I was to copy and paste from my word processing processing into Associated Content. I went through the motions, got the poem posted. Found it under my account section and opened it to post to Facebook and Tweet, then, like I always do I went to my profile page so I could “feature” it.

Where was my poem? Why couldn't I feature it? I'd struggled a good part of the day to get something I was proud of, and now I couldn't feature it? I hit the forum. Looked for someone with a similar problem, and finally just asked, “Is there a reason why my poem isn't on my profile page?” A few minutes later several articles showed up on my profile page that I didn't even write! Again, “Ohfer weird!” but a few minutes later my poem was where it belonged and the other people's work was gone.

It was a sensitive day, opening old wounds, and I thought that perhaps someone might be messing with me because the poem could be construed as controversial – it's called “Love the Bigot”

I left the house, and have been away from Internet access, so I don't know if I have any feedback on it so far. I suspect it might be all over the place- or not at all. But it's good to take a stand, even when doing so is not popular. Scares me a bit, but part of me thinks, “Ohfer brave,” and I smile. Part of the spirit of NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is to write so much that you silence your inner censor. I did that today.

PS. -- Associated Content sent out a notice that new stuff will update to the profile page once an hour. Don't like it, but I'll live.

Creating dynamic reading groups in primary education - by Gretchen Lee Bourquin - Helium

Creating dynamic reading groups in primary education - by Gretchen Lee Bourquin - Helium

Blog-- Unplugged

Alright, I suppose technically, I am plugged into electricity. Earlier today I was working on an article, doing online research in the library away from the outlet and wore the battery down.

Now, I'm back at the coffee shop that had me all twisted earlier because I couldn't tap into the Internet. I'm never coming back here again, I said to myself-- and yet just a few hours later here I am. Trying to get as much juice into my computer before it is time to go to the National Book Critics Circle event at 7 pm. It is likely it will either leave me exhausted or recharged--I'm hoping for the latter.

While I was working on the article, I kept peeking at Facebook, looked at Twitter, etc. etc, so I only got one article done today. I will need to do at least one more piece tonight, even after the event, but I can't pass up a literary event. I'm hopeless where that is concerned.
I did get a little housecleaning done as well, which is nice, and I have a new desk chair-- just have to clear a spot on my desk to set my computer again. Ha.

No new jewelry made today, but I did think of a couple possible marketing ideas. Fingers crossed. When I get my next few pieces written, I will let myself make something pretty. But I have to look at Etsy marketing as well. People can't buy my stuff if they don't see it. How do you get people to love you-- or at least love your work? Making-- or writing good stuff isn't enough. There's magic in there somewhere buried in hard work, just haven't found it yet.
Still hoping, though.

p.s. -- including blogging, I managed 3 posts, not too dismal after all. Goodnight!

Promises to Me

It is 9:30 p.m. and I am spent. I'm doing my own, non-novel version of NanoWriMo in order to prove to myself how prolific and productive I can be when I really set my mind to it. As corny as it sounds, it is helpful to know that there is a nationwide movement of writers buckling down and risinig to their own challenge.

My personal challenge is 25 posts a week including blog entries here, informational articles, fluffy stuff-- which I will try and keep to a minimum, and hopefully decent short stories and poems. I tried an aggressive goal last month, and didn't make it work. Hopefully, I will do better.

Yesterday was a wash -- first day back after being away at Marshall Festival. I finished some jewelry that was in progress, did a little socializing on sites, but didn't really write anything. Today, I posted twice on Gather, once on Associated Content, and once on Helium -- and I'm posting here. I have a short story assignment due in AC by midnight, which I have started and still hope to finish. I also made another necklace. A purple heart drop necklace -- very "regal."

Provided I finish that story tonight, I will declare the day a creative success.

I also voted, of course. It was the first election both my kids voted in -- it was exciting to see them get to have that right. My son missed the 2008 election by less than 2 months. He voted in the Primary, but my daughter hadn't turned 18 yet, so she couldn't vote  until today.

I still don't know how it all turned out, but I am hoping we can make the best of it regardless. When all is said and done we have more power over our lives than our politicians. Thank goodness.