Some thoughts on success

 

I see success as something that takes effort and persistence, although to be fair some folks seem to be better at it than others. The attempt to try to succeed, without a safety net can be a harrowing ordeal, for instance.

But here are a few things I agree on the topic of success:

-Success doesn’t happen on its own. Success takes some effort on your part, but also opportunities must be also be in place to take advantage of them. How to find those opportunities? Put yourself out there- meet people, go places (writer classes, workshops, or conventions). And be prepared for when those opportunities present themselves.

-Success requires failure. This sounds like it goes against the concept of what success is about, but every great idea, great book, or whatever, took its turn at failing. Just look up the number of times the famous authors endured rejections. They could have just as easily quit then, but they didn’t. They showed persistence to find their goal.

-Success can also be unexpected. In other words, you can find in success in goals you don’t even know you have in the first place. I never really thought of success in regards to my writer’s group, but its been going strong now for years, with members who enjoy and find the meetings offer them something of value- so that is a success of mine I never really set for myself.

-Success comes easier if surrounded by encouraging people. It helps they are also successful, to help guide you along or set you back on course if you stray too far. You can find encouraging people in writer’s group, meetup groups, churches, community groups, etc.

-Success often holds a different meaning to different people. For some, success ties into money and income or fame. Other people, writers specifically, might find success in completing a novel, publishing a short story or article, or gaining subscribers to their blog. Its up to you to define what success means to you.

What do you think? What does success mean to you? Do you follow the dictionary definition- a favorable outcome of something attempted- or does it have another meaning for you? What goals and success do you  hope to achieve as a writer?

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Sunday Musings- Writing advice

One of my fellow writers in the meetup group posted this on our facebook page. The article is entitled “Ten bits of advice writers should stop giving to aspiring writers”.  I had to laugh with #2- “Show, don’t tell”.

The author makes a valid point “Like pretty much any three-word utterance it is oversimplified to the point of inaccuracy.” I agree. When you think about it, the advice of showing not telling does exactly that; TELLS you and doesn’t SHOW you. You must explain further to an aspiring writer what this means, especially when their writing clearly illustrates they have no concept of this idea.

I also like the “Revise, revise, revise” comment “Lots of people don’t revise and do just fine.”. This is another truth. I find many writers may need the redundant revision process, but I’ve also read stories that stood on the first draft as just fine. There’s such a thing as overthinking your writing too..

Most important when reading any advice by writers is to consider that all writers undergo their own process of authoring their work. Some require strict rules to live by while others find such confines hurts their creative process.

A great book to read is The Renegade Writer which covers a number of ‘breaking-the-rules’ authors who made it despite all the advice that tells you otherwise.

What do you think? Do you follow advice or do you often break the rules? Which rules/advice do you feel doesn’t apply to you?

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Only boring people get bored…

When my son tells me he’s bored, I used to offer a number of ideas I thought were fun and adventurous, only to get this ‘meh’ type noise he makes when he’s not impressed. Eventually I gave up. Now my usual reply is “Only boring people are boring”, which irks him to no end. I refuse to help him overcome boredom that only he can overcome.

Boredom isn’t having nothing to do but not enjoying the things you normally enjoy. This becomes a problem when you have tons of things to do, but can’t muster the interest to do them.

So here are a few tips:

Just let yourself be bored. Eventually your brain can’t take it any more and will willingly offer you something to work with.

Sometimes you have to just start something, even if you’re not ‘feeling’ it. By the mere act of doing, you can often spark interest.

Color outside the lines. Going off the beaten bath, drawing outside the lines, and doing something unusual can lend to something interesting.

Determine if its boredom or depression. Sometimes the two feel very similar. If depressed, there’s treatment. Even the act of smiling (even if you’re unhappy) can boost natural levels of Serotonin (the happy chemical in the brain).

I find some episodes of boredom lends to interesting ideas. Because my brain craves entertainment, it will push through boredom and bubble up ideas that are turned upside down, and inside out. It is then I get some nifty ideas for plots, character, and storylines.

Keep an idea folder. Some moms might compile a ‘boredom jar’ for their kids, and you can create something similar by keeping a notebook of ideas to refer back to when bored.

What are your thoughts on the topic- do you get bored and what do you do when you get bored?

Technorati Tags: boredom,creativity,prompts,idea folder,writing,fiction

 

Letter from my muse;

Dear Frootbat31, aka Sharon;

You may have noticed here of late I haven’t been around. I’m annoyed with you- seriously annoyed. You haven’t been writing the fiction you promised me. As much as I enjoy your stories, where did they go? Instead, you write emails, blogs, articles, and fill up an idea folder without anything in the shape or form of an actual story.

I’m disappointed in you. And a disappointed muse is not something a writer wants, trust me.

We thrive on creativity. Ideas are fine, but they are crumbs compared to the actual creation of plot and character. Sentences and paragraphs fill me with joy- not the broken fragments of possible stories you might write later.

I also realize that jerk, The Inner Editor, has no business sitting on your shoulder where my place should be, but you’ve been very generous with him. He’s grown fat off all those doubts and worries. You give him power over you each time you let him ‘fix’ your writing.

Its not even his turn yet! I get to work with you first, then he gets a turn to help shape the story into something publishable, but that won’t happen if you can’t get the story finished in the first place.

So for the love of God, please kick his butt to the curb, put aside those other ideas, and let’s work on your current project. You will be happier for it, and I know I will appreciate the attention.

Your faithful muse

____

Dear Muse:

You’re right. I apologize for neglecting you. We’re working tonight on the story so I expect you there. Inner Editor (aka Mr. Doubt) will be shoved into a closet for later.

Thanks for the pep talk.

Sharon.

PS- What do you suppose other writers out there, what their muse would say to them?

____

Dear Sharon;

I don’t know, but my guess would be to just write!

Your muse

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Writing stories doesn’t always include writing

For the past week, I haven’t done much in the way of writing…in the physical sense. I do, however, find myself rolling plots and creating characters in my head all the time.

A walk along the river might spark a scene in a story that includes a river. Sipping coffee in a café, I watch people and see them as characters in a book, making up lives for them.  Sometimes, I think of the experiences of my life, and how I might do them differently, and consider a new ‘ending’ for a short story idea.

Even video games might inspire me, sometimes even prompting me to get my butt to the computer to write out a scene. I’m finding the game, Skyrim, has such lovely scenic areas you get to explore, I want to try my hand at writing out descriptions.

When do you find inspiration to write? What odd moments spark creative ideas for you?

Technorati Tags: write,authors,ideas,prompts,creativity,plot,characters,motivaiton

Voraciously curious

My friends often tease me about a little fact I shared at a gathering we had once; the cockroach, I informed them, can live nine days without its head.

Well I thought it was interesting. I often say “I’m filled with useless information” but if you find that you need to know how long a cockroach can live without its head…well, now you know.

I find lots of things interesting, and its that voracious curiosity that often leads me to story ideas.

Stephan King suggests the question “What if…?” when coming up with ideas for stories.

I also ask other questions or find things curious and must read up on the topic. A story I was writing dealt with some character who worked as agents. I was curious about guns, and happened up on this topic where it shows a few gun mistakes some writers make.

I also found information on autopsy procedures, some information on various poisons, and even forensic tips  and things on mental illness….all for my story. Half of which I ended up on even using.

But I love the learning process. It’s all so fascinating. It often sparks tons of ideas for sci-fi, fantasy, and even horror stories. If only I had time to get them all to paper.

What odd little facts do you know? What sort of research have you done for stories? Leave in comments below.

Prompt: use the picture below for a story or poem.

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Care and feeding of readers

With any type of writing, your audience require some care and consideration from their writer. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as a blogger and/or author;

-Connect with your readers. Join social groups, allow for comments, and for Pete’s sake- RESPOND to your readers from time to time. This builds a relationship with the readership. It allows your fans to ask questions, comment, and even congratulate you. If you worry about nasty comments or bad feedback, then you’re doing yourself and your readers a disservice. Endure the bad with the good- its well worth the effort.

-Be like your readers. Take a moment to think like the people that read your blog, stories, or articles. What do you think they want to read. What type of people are they? If they like your stories, would they also like another genre you write about? Knowing your reader can help you write for them, for their likes and dislikes.

-Offer them some free samples. By providing a free page or chapter of your work, you entice the reader to want more.

-Ask for help from your readers. If you have subscribers or regular commenters, consider asking them to ‘like’ or share your blog with others. This helps your site/blog and writing to be marketing by the people who appreciate your work. (And if you hit the ‘like’ button, why not hit the ‘share’ button as well?)

-Offer regular posts and writing for your readers. I realized in my fanfiction days how hungry some readers were for more when they personally emailed me and asked me to add another chapter. As a reader, myself, I know I periodically check on authors I enjoy to see if they are publishing anything new.

Considering your reader should be as much part of the writing process as crafting the manuscript.

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Real or fake writers

My writer’s group brought up a number of times the topic of what makes a ‘real’ writer. Personally, I feel if you’re writing, either for enjoyment or for money, you’re still a writer, because it’s the act of writing and putting those thoughts, ideas, and stories to paper.

As one writer put it- “You get the validation of a publishing company if you’re officially published”. Well, yes. You can say that you’ve passed the rejection phase and endured the trial by fire all authors must face when getting their work to print, but consider this-

Many authors- great authors- were rejected a number of times by publishing companies. Doesn’t that show that they are not the end-all-be-all of what the manuscript is worth? I often wonder how many other great stories are out there, or thrown out, because the author was rejected for whatever reason.

I love the idea through ebook publishing and self publishing the cream rises to the top. Readers, then, decide what makes a story great, and determines its worth. Publishing companies might see themselves as shoved out of the way in favor of the general public making the decision of what makes a story great.

And I like that idea.

To think we might never have books like War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, or even Edgar Allen Poe’s works- all faced rejections. Even Beatrix Potter received enough rejection she self-published. All those publishing companies would deny the world these books for whatever reason they deemed the stories and writing ‘unworthy’.

I’d like to judge myself, thank you.

What do you think? What are your thoughts on self-publishing vs publishing, or rejections?

Technorati Tags: writer,journey,authors,publishing,self publish,ebooks,epublishing,fiction,non-fiction,ereaders,rejection,submission

 

Self publishing and the future

I’ve subscribed to The Creative Penn a while back and find so many articles that pertain to writing as helpful and informative. The article on self publishing, with Steve Lewis from Taleist, I found very intriguing because it discusses possible changes we’ll see in 2012 in the self publishing market.

I feel self publishing will explode on the market, threatening the traditional publishing companies if they don’t keep up with the times. We’re already seeing authors turning to Amazon Kindle publishing, such as Deepok Chopra, which means publishing companies need to amp up the stakes.

As a writer, I find a strong appeal on making more profit, keeping my copyright, and offering my writing to the world wide web, as opposed to going through the process of submission and rejection of traditional publishing.

But traditional publishing validates you as a writer, as one of my fellow writers argued. Someone of substance approves your writing is good enough to print means you’re a real writer. I don’t really agree with this.

Most authors face a number of rejections, even the best sellers. Diary of Anne Frank was rejected 16 times. Harry Potter was rejected 8 times. A Time to Kill by John Grisham was rejected a dozen times.  This means someone along the submission line rejected this best selling book as not being worthy.

I prefer the idea that readers get to decide if my writing is good enough- not a book business. And  yes, you’ll find crap in the self-publish genre, but with many sites adopting a reviewing feature lets the cream rise to the top.

What are your thoughts on self publishing? A good thing? A bad thing? Does it have a future? Will you submit to publishing companies, or do you plan on self publishing?

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Writing exercise- Deciding on your project

When you get more than one story or article idea bubbling up from the recesses of the creative space of your brain, it can be tough to decide on which one to write about, so try this;

Use a freewriting technique as a means to converse with yourself (your inner muse) as to which story or project you want to focus on.

Freewriting is the marvelous tool of breaking away from the rigid inner editor.

-Set a timer for 10 minutes.

-Get your notebook or computer and prepare to write.

-Start the timer.

-Do not stop writing or even pause. Ignore spelling mistakes and punctuation. The idea here is to focus on the pure flow of creativity.

-Stop when the timer goes off.

I used this method to argue between writing a non-fiction piece and a fiction piece I had rattling around in my head. By the end of the ten minutes, I was clearly arguing for the fiction piece. Decision made!

This works for many issues you might find yourself in conflict.

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