Standards? What Are They?

by Janis Susan May/Janis Patterson

I admit I spend waaaay too much time on email loops, especially those for writers. Some are aimed at and restricted to working professional writers and I love them! Some are open to anyone and sometimes I love them, sometimes I don't, because the view of the wider writing community is occasionally terrifying.

On one open list a writer proudly announced that she had finished her first book and then asked if she reeaaally needed an editor before publishing it on Amazon. If that weren't bad enough, over half the answers said no - that she just needed a friend or two to look it over, or she herself should go over it a couple of times.

What?

I suppose sometime somewhere there is a writer who doesn't need an editor, but I sincerely doubt that a first time novelist is one of them. Especially one whose post had two grammatical errors.

Grammar is important. Grammar gives structure, meaning and coherence to our writing. It shouldn't be ignored, because bad grammar says two things - either that the writer is excruciatingly ignorant, or that he/she has complete disdain for his/her readers, believing that they are too stupid to notice. Of course, this applies only to the narrative part of a book. Whatever is said/thought by a character should be congruent with that character. A dock laborer is going to speak differently than an Oxford don. A wealthy teen-ager is going to speak differently than an aged, unschooled farm widow. So I have always held that anything in quote marks or this-is-a-direct-thought-italics is exempt from the rules of grammar, but the narrative prose of a book is not.

Don't they teach grammar any longer? Apparently not, because a couple of days later, on a different - but another open - list, a different poster asked a very elementary question about how to start a book. Now there is nothing wrong with asking a very elementary question; we all have been there at some time and every writer has to learn. Two things made my blood run cold.

The first was the post was written with such execrable grammar that a third grader should have been ashamed to own it. I replied, mentioning that she might want to brush up on her grammar, then gave a reasonably detailed answer to her question. The second thing was that without exception others on the list attacked me, saying that anyone could make a grammar mistake (which I agree - ONE mistake in a questioning post, not multiples, nor such huge ones), that someone later in the editing process could catch the 'mechanical' errors, that this new writer could probably reach more people's emotions than I ever could with my perfect grammar... You get the idea. I even received a few threats to boycott my books because I am such a heartless grammar Nazi who puts rules above True Feelings.

So when did holding to a standard become not only passé, but almost dangerous for those who do? Language is the means by which we communicate. If the rules of language are disregarded and allowed to crumble, communication is imperiled. And that threatens all of us - readers, writers, and everyone else.

On another note, I would like to say that my YouTube channel is up and running - and I would be most appreciative if you would drop by. It's called Janis' Tips and Tales, and a new episode is released on the fourth Thursday of every month. Thank you!

What Do You Call A Group of Writers?

Some entities have special names when they are in a group, i.e., a gaggle of geese, a herd of buffalo, a flock of sheep, a murder of crows, a ... well, you get the picture. Writers, being obsessed with words, should have a catchy, witty collective designation of their own. Is there such a name? If so, I don't know what it is, but I can tell you a few things I've observed about writers as a group:

1. Writers are social - in a group, that is. Individually, they tend to be loners. At least most of them are; there are notable exceptions. Ernest Hemingway comes to mind and I'm sure there are many others. However, I think it safe to say that even the more gregarious ones need their alone time to ponder the angels and demons circling in their heads, to figure out how to make vague notions into stories, how to craft voices into characters, daydreams into plots. So much for writers as individuals, let's get back to groups of writers. Put a writer into a gathering of his or her peers and you have an entirely different kind of a cat. If you've ever been to a writers' conference or attended a program featuring a panel of writers, you know they can't shut up. They'll go on and on (and on) speculating about things that never happened, but that might - and what a great story it would be if it did.

2. Writers are curious. They need to know what if and how and why - the common elements of all books. Writers of mystery and suspense deal with these questions in a more overt manner than most, but all writers, regardless of genre, strive to answer these questions, even those who write non-fiction. We write our books to make sense of a puzzling world or sometimes to show an alternative to the world as it is and to create an example of what it might be. Non-fiction writers, in particular, choose situations and characters that show how taking a slightly different path created a different world, either for good or ill. Poets distill experience and emotion into a few well-chosen words. But even they are attempting to provide an insight into what if and how and why.

3. Writers care. When people meet a writer, nine times out of ten they ask: What are you writing now? Maybe they ask out of politeness, as a way to start a conversation; maybe they actually want to know. Writers really do want to know. Always! They want to know what's next and, of course, they want to tell what they're up to.

4. Writers are generous. Contrary to many professions, writers want other writers to succeed. As I said before, when a writer asks What are you writing?, they genuinely want to know and if the answer is Well, I'm kind of stuck right now or Actually, I'm thinking of giving up, they are quick to say NO!, to assure you that are a talented, valuable voice, and that the world would be a lesser place if you didn't write.They'll probably ask you why you feel this way and offer advice on how to get out of the pit. If a writer gets stuck on a plot point or doesn't know where to go for the research needed to fill in a hole, there's no better remedy than the sympathetic ear of a fellow scribe. I don't know a single writer who doesn't depend on other writers as a source of inspiration.

5. Writers love books - sometimes to the point of obsession. Some might accuse us of being hoarders. Maybe we are. I, for one, don't consider it a failing. Most writers consider fictional characters their friends, someone with whom they can discuss their most intimate thoughts. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it: "In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends imprisoned by an enchanter in paper and leathern boxes." I think that's how all writers (as well as many non-writers) feel about books.

I've strayed far afield from my original question: What do you call a group of writers? Maybe there is a name and I don't know it. If so, I hope someone will tell me what it is. If not, maybe someone will come up with one.

These musings were inspired by the very entity I'm trying to name: a group of writers. Last weekend our local library hosted an Author Expo. I'm happy to say I live in an area that is kind to writers. There were 56 of us! It was an inspiring afternoon for me. I met some new writers and re-connected with some old friends I hadn't seen for a while. Here's a picture of a couple of local poets with some very sociable peers in the background.. On second thought, maybe there's no one name to describe a group of writers. Such a diverse group defies classification.

Sustaining Your Creative Writing Practice

by Victoria M. Johnson

 I know many writer friends who feel overwhelmed with their families, their jobs, and the world, and they've stopped writing.  It's not that any one of them intended to stop writing.  But once stopped it's proven difficult to find the time--or the way--to relight the flame.

 I teach a class about sustaining the creative writing habit and we talk about what makes a habit and how to grow your actions into a habit in the first place.  For writers this means writing as well as creating a routine for writing.  Among other things, you stick to this routine as much as possible to develop it into a practice. 

 Naturally there are times when you can't physically or emotionally write.  Life happens.  Life often delivers unexpected hardships and emotionally draining challenges.  When you've been dealt a jarring setback allow yourself a guilt-free break in those circumstances.  Nourish your spirit.  Gather your strength.  Take care of yourself first.  Then get back to your writing practice.

 A good way to start is by feeding your creative soul.  For me that's a visit with nature.  The sound of waves crashing while strolling along the beach, hiking on a trail, or simply walking to a neighborhood park helps restore my sense of being.  The fresh air and movement does wonders for the spirit.  After a few minutes in the outdoors I can't help but unwind, and my writer's brain can't help but make mental notes for a poem or other piece.

Photo by Alessio Lin

 My next favorite way to start feeling like myself again is exercise.  I love Zumba.  It's vigorous, challenging, and enjoyable.  Others might prefer a jog, a swim, or a punching bag.  Do whatever it takes for you to get some of that energy out and allow yourself to feel in control again. Experts say aromatherapy or massage have healing powers.  I agree on both counts.

 In time you'll be ready for the feeding of your imagination with things that stimulate you--be that music, artworks, or reading favorite works of others.  Feed it nourishing things.  And eventually you will pick up the pen.  Just write.  Forget high standards.  Forget the rules of writing.  Forget what you should be writing.  Just write what you want to write about.  Just say what you have to say.  Just write for a few minutes.  No pressure.  And you keep doing this until you get your mojo back.

 You're in this life for the long haul and it's natural to have periods when you need to step away from your writing.  It's okay.  A key to sustainability is taking that break... and coming back. 

Some authors can write through difficulties, others need to recover from them before putting words on paper.  Both are correct.  The important thing is resuming your practice and writing like crazy... when you're ready.  Do you have any tips for sustaining your writing practice?  Let us know in the comments below.

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma.  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.

 

NaNoWriMo Tips and Encouragement

by Victoria M. Johnson

Dear NaNoWriMo writers, as you prepare to dive in to write your novel I want you to start with the right frame of mind and the right tools. This post contains a boost of direction, a few tips, and that dose of inspiration to help you succeed.  

But hold on for just a moment.

Dear Non NaNoWriMo readers, you may be wondering what all the online banter is about.  National Novel Writing Month, more affectionately known as NaNoWriMo, kicked off on November 1st and runs through November 30th.  During that time the 400,000 or so people from around the world who signed-up (for free) commit to write a draft of a 50,000 word novel.  Now in it's 20th year, the event has gained in popularity every year.

The fun part is the online sharing through facebook, twitter, and instagram of the participating writers and others, like me, who are supporting and rooting for them.  For example, on twitter: advice and encouragement tweets are mixed in with tweets of word counts, excuses, and lots of lamenting.  I felt bad for those who are already stuck--and it's only four days in--so I gathered some help and wrote this post.

I found great NaNoWriMo tips that are helpful for all writers whether you're participating or not. 

41 Insider Tips for Winning NaNoWriMo

Reedsy gathered up editors and agents to get these great pointers.  For those of you who might need a dose of confidence:

"All you need is two 15-minute bursts of writing each day," says editor Lindsay Schlegel. "Sit down, do it, and move on. Don't worry if you don't write enough words the first few days. The creative juices will start flowing, and you'll make up for it by the end." 

NaNoWriMo Advice: 30 Tips for Writing a Book in 30 Days

Jessica Strawser provides this gem, "Always end a writing session only when you know what’s next." 

Preparing for NaNoWriMo: Your Guide to Outlining Success

K.M. Weiland has ten parts to her very useful NaNoWriMo guide.  The part containing key ingredients for participants: Click Here

"Start your outline by writing down everything you already know about the story.  Put it all on paper in a short list, so you can evaluate what you already have."

Photo by Christin Hume

Want To Win NaNoWriMo This Year?  7 Tips On Writing And Productivity

Joanna Penn says, "When people ask for tips on getting their book written, my number one tip is to schedule time for writing as you would schedule any other appointment."

How a Month of NaNoWriMo Can Lead to a Lifetime of Better Writing

Grant Faulkner offers this wise observation, "To write 50,000 words in 30 days, you have to write 1,667 words a day.  That means banishing your inner editor and showing up to write on good days and bad days, on hard days at work, on lazy and uninspired days, maybe even on sick days."

24 Books that Won NaNoWriMo

Marie (no last name given) gives participants hope by citing books created during NaNoWriMo that went on to publication.

Are you participating, if so, let me know in the comments below.  Good luck, I'm cheering for you.

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma.  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Doing the Same Thing

I keep a notebook of ideas for writing, promotions, marketing, website development: all the efforts writers are now expected to be able to do to further their careers.

Last week, I told my "business manager" I wanted to make more money. The response: "Market better."

Of course, I made a note of that...in my good ideas for marketing notebook.

If it is true that the definition of madness is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result," I'm there. I have books and workshop notes, leaflets, pamphlets, bookmarked websites and follow marketing-writers' blogs.

There is a wealth of information, everywhere you look. And for a writer who used to be a "marketing professional," one might assume I knew what I was doing.

Not so. Self-promotion is no cakewalk in the park with a fashion icon. Self-promotion is more like staring at a mirror-image of a sleepless night after all three children have destroyed the living room furniture with permanent felt pens and explaining to their teacher why the youngest has multi-hued spots all over his face when all you want to do is curl up with a good idea, a few well-defined characters and the perfect setting.

Once upon a time, writers wrote books, sent them to publishers and rested on their laurels...or did they? The facts tell a different story. When I worked for a women's publishing cooperative, Honno.co.uk, the board members took on some of the responsibility for marketing the books we published but the onus was on the author to generate sales. This is not different from the traditional (legacy) publishers.

Although there may be an advance, promotion falls to the author unless the author is already so well-known the advent of a new book is enough to generate sales. Most of us do not earn out our advances, if we received them, and if that happens more often than not, the author will have difficulty finding another publisher.

But, help abounds! Take for instance, exactly what we do here at Classic and Cozy Books and several other author group blogs such as Avalon Authors (which came to an end when Avalon Books was bought by Amazon Montlake), Four Foxes One Hound, and any number of other opportunities that suggest writing articles, interviewing other authors, presenting workshops and networking.

I have recently joined the Indie Publishing Group hosted by the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco. In a month, I will be giving a brief presentation about the ubiquitous 'Social Media' that many of us are spending so much of our writing time to pursue and conquer. In the previous century (I can say that now), authors were represented by agents, supported by editors and entertained by publishers. Now, we are in the position of doing much of this for ourselves.

And we are having a great time discovering all the fun we've been missing, as well as how amazingly capable we are, and how much work is involved beyond the wordcraft. Estimates are that most writers now spend at least 70% of their 'writing' time promoting their work, even those who enjoy the benefits of legacy publishing, which includes blogging, tweeting,  instagraming, pininteresting, tumblring, redditing, wattpading, as well as formatting, designing, proofreading or hiring someone to do all this while we strive to make a living and pay the rent.

I love my work!

Primal Fears

By Karen McCullough

A couple of months ago, my daughter and her three small boys visited from Indiana, staying with us for a couple of weeks. After the novelty of a new set of toys wore off, we looked around for things to do. Fortunately we live in a small city that has a lot of entertainment options for children. We took them to the local children’s museum, to the public library for story hour and to the park down the street.

Two daughters and three sons watching the giant turtles.
Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the tiger.

One of the most successful trips was to the local science center/zoo. The weather co-operated with a warm, sunny day, and the kids had a blast watching monkeys swing from ropes attached to various parts of their habitat, seeing the meerkats as they scampered up and down logs and sandpiles, and viewing some spectacular and impressive birds.

Only one odd incident seemed out of place in the trip. We were walking along the zoo path, approaching the tiger enclosure. One enormous cat prowled gracefully along the edge of the inner fence. He’s a magnificent beast and unquestionably an alpha predator. Even with the double fence I felt a frisson of unease walking past him.

My three-year-old grandson, holding my hand as we ambled by, felt more than that. He let out a sudden shriek, grabbed both my legs, and yelled, “Don’t let the tiger eat me.”

I picked him up and assured him that we – myself, his mother, and his aunt – would not allow the tiger to get near him. He calmed down after that and never said another thing about it, even when we walked back past the tiger compound to return to the main building.

Later I thought more about his reaction. My daughter’s family doesn’t have a television in their house, though the children do watch a few carefully selected programs and movies online.  They read, or have read to them, a lot of books, probably a dozen or more a day. But those are childrens’ books.  How did he recognize the tiger as a fearsome predator that—had he come across it in the wild—might in fact have eaten him?

Admittedly he’s only three and the tiger is much bigger than he is. Its teeth are impressively huge. But the way he reacted seemed to be from something deeper and probably much more primitive than conscious comparison of his size with the tiger’s or even the tiger’s teeth. I suspect it’s the same instinct that makes most of us afraid of snakes and spiders, something baked in our brains from thousands of years of human experience

As a grandmother, I want to protect my grandkids from all the dangers they face. As a writer, though, I want to be able to tap into some of those primal feelings. If I can make the reader that afraid, or just as deeply sad, intensely relieved, or joyously happy, I’ve done my job. There aren’t many books that have brought me to that level, so I know it’s a hard thing to accomplish. But for a writer, it’s a goal worth striving for.

Protect the Joy!

I recently listened to the keynote addresses from this past summer’s RWA convention and one phrase that was used struck me so profoundly I had to write it down on a sticky note that sits on my desk.

Author Nalini Singh (who writes absolutely wonderful paranormal romances) urged everyone to “Protect the joy in your writing.” Plenty of negative forces wait for you whether you’re published or not. Rejections, bad reviews, naysayers, poor sales, etc.  All of it can get you down and take away the pleasure from your writing.

She didn’t offer too many concrete ways to accomplish this, and I understand. The means and method will be different for each person.

On the personal level, I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to decide what that means for me. It certainly hit home, because I haven’t been as productive the last few years. Part of the reason is the demands of family and job on my time. But another part, and maybe even the bigger part, is that I’ve misplaced some of that joy. It got buried beneath keeping up with the day job and family, meeting deadlines, the need to promote relentlessly, and mounting worries about some of my publishers.

I’m trying to find the joy again.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do set goals to strive for.  So this year my aim is simple: write more, spend less time on everything else (except family). In practice that means, I’m cutting back on my day job work. I run a web business and I’m starting to shut it down. I’ll continue to work with my existing clients, but I’m taking on very few new ones. That way I won’t have the worry of backed-up work hanging over my mind while I’m trying to write.

I plan to worry less about promoting. I’ll continue to blog here and on my own blog, plus occasional guest blogs. I refuse to get hung up in trying to be a huge presence on social media. It’s not my thing and I don’t know how to do it. Instead, I’ll spend that time writing and trying to put out the best stories I can.

I don’t have any current deadlines and I’m going to try to avoid getting into that trap again. I won’t stop submitting to publishers but I want to try to keep it to a book at a time or series that I already have planned out.

I’ll spend less time on the whole business end of the job. I’m designating a time (an hour a week) for handling that.

I’ve already gotten to the point where I can cope with rejections and bad reviews without too much stress and recognize that it’s part of the rough business I’m in. I’m not opposed to self-publishing books that won’t work for my publishers, but I’ll hire out most of the formatting work.

Mostly I just plan to write. Not with any particular publisher or market in mind. I will write what I need to write and hope that I’ll find the joy in it again along the way.

What do you do to protect the joy in your writing?  Or if you've lost it, how have you found it again?

3 Incredible Lessons Whales Can Teach Writers

by Victoria M. Johnson

Humpback whales are magnificent creatures. They grow to about 52 feet long and weigh almost 50 tons, the males sing hauntingly beautiful songs, and humpbacks are acrobatic as they can leap high from the water's surface, roll in the air, and then dive to 1,000 feet.

But the incredible thing I learned about humpbacks is this; their entire lives are filled with only three activities: feeding, breeding, and migrating.  That's it.  Three activities for an entire lifetime.

So what can writers learn from this amazing fact?  Here's one way we can adapt the three activities to the writing craft:

  

Feeding

Feed your soul.  Take care of yourself.  It's important for writers to feed your creative spirit.  Exploring helps.  You can explore the world or your own hometown.  Try new things, go to new places, eat new foods, and read new books.  Expose yourself to other art forms and cultural experiences.  All this discovering is feeding your creative being.  But you need down time, too.  Take time to meditate.

Breeding

I view this as your production of work.  Whatever it is you specialize in--be it poetry, short stories, novels, or nonfiction--breed new writing.  Writing begets writing.  I think writers are happiest when they are creating.  I know I am.  For success and longevity as a writer, you need to produce new finished material.  Finished, not sitting in a drawer, but out in the marketplace or getting read by your editor or agent.

Migrating

Move about.  Don't stand still.  For writers this can represent getting out of a rut, if you feel like you're in one; or trying something different, for example adding your short story to an anthology with other good writers.  These activities aren't meant to take you away from your main novel or poetry writing projects, but are meant to explore other ways of reaching your readers or reaching new readers, or perhaps taking advantage of an opportunity that presents itself.  We are on a writer's journey, are we not?  That suggests we're meant to keep moving.

Three Activities

All three activities are essential to the humpback whale's existence.  I think they're essential to the well being of us writers, too.

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.