New Year Writing Resolutions

by

Jessica Nelson

The New Year. The time to make resolutions that we a.) are unable to keep, or b.) have no intentions of keeping. We make such resolutions as “I’m going to lose twenty pounds this year” or—the one I am most guilty of making and never keeping—“I’m going to finish that (novel, screenplay, short story, poem).”

Last week, Rhonda Browning White mentioned the increasing reminders we receive to “Write Every Day!” as the New Year approaches. Most years, I tell myself I’m going to do that—write every day. Technically speaking, it never happens. I mentally write constantly, but I never seem to find the time to get it all down on paper. Life gets in the way.

This year, I’m making a different Writing Resolution. Instead of trying to write every day, I am resolving to learn about writing every day. (Well, maybe every other day.) Learning about writing could be as in-depth as reading a section of a writing-craft book or as simple as reading a book for pleasure and asking myself—in the words of a former classmate—Why does it work? Of course, Wednesdays are covered—all I have to do is read the latest Inspiration for Writers, Inc., blog!

That seems like a reasonable resolution to me. Since I’m always reading, it should be no problem to take a moment at the end of a chapter or a particularly moving scene to ask: What made it so good? Why was I moved? Why do I love or hate a character? What is it about the author’s style that makes her book easier to read or more interesting than another author’s? How can I learn from what this person is doing?

My New Year’s Writing Resolution is not to write every day, but to learn about writing every day. Not too hard, and definitely something I could do on a daily basis. Who wants to join me?

Write Every Day--Are You Kidding Me?

by

Rhonda Browning White

We’re now fully immersed in the hectic, er, joyous and peaceful, holiday season: Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, Watch Night, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day . . . and the list goes on. We have shopping to complete, presents to wrap, trees to decorate, cookies to bake, parties to attend, dinners to host, football games to watch, and stories to write. What! Do you mean we’re supposed to find time to write over the holidays? Have you lost your mind?

That’s what I think each time I see a Facebook post, a blog entry, or a web article admonishing me to “Write Every Day!” Perhaps these reminders are popping up with increasing frequency in advance of the New Year’s Resolution craze. Or perhaps they’re showing up more often to drive me insane. Either way, I’m not falling for it. 

You see, over my twelve-year career as a ghostwriter, professional editor, and author, I’ve kept a giant secret, but I’m now going to share it with you: I don’t write every day. Sometimes I go two or three days without writing. Sometimes I go a full week without penning more than a simple grocery list (which I usually leave at home, only to discover it’s missing when I reach the dairy aisle—is it heavy cream or half-and-half I need for that recipe?), and, believe it or not, my writing never suffers from the break.

In fact, it often improves. 

How is this possible? For starters, you should know that I don’t believe in writer’s block. (I call it “writer’s laziness.”) Writing is a form of mental exercise, and, just like physical exercise, overdoing it can cause problems. The mind, like the body, needs time to rest and recharge. The best ways to recharge the writer’s brain are to read or to do something creative other than writing. Reading a great story—you can squeeze in a short story before bedtime, while sitting in the doc’s office, or waiting at the airport even on the most hectic days—or a writing craft book never fails to refill my writer’s well of ideas. Another prolific author shared with me that baking helps her put together scenes or chapters she’s struggling to work out in her mind. A poet friend paints gorgeous artwork between writing poems. Yet another author—a bestselling, award-winning author—told me he does some of his best writing while staring out the window or sitting on his porch for hours at a time, without touching a writing implement for days. 

Downtime is necessary for some writers to regenerate the creative part of the mind, and never is downtime more necessary for me than during the holidays. I’ll admit to you, though, that when I’m not in front of my keyboard or notepad, I’m often still writing. The idea for this blog entry came to me today when rushing through the grocery store. And while watching a little girl in red tights, a green sweatshirt and a motorcycle helmet stand with her hands on her hips while her father pushed a stalled Harley through a store parking lot, I came up with a great idea for a story scene. Were my hands on the keyboard? Nope. Did I have a pen in hand? Nada. Was I writing? Yes, I was. 

Tonight, when the house is quiet and the Christmas tree’s winking lights are reflecting on the wall outside my bedroom door, I’ll pick up the fabulous book of short stories I’m reading this week, and I’ll refill the writer’s well within my mind with strings of words that sparkle brighter than any light on my tree. And when the holidays are over, and my world has reached some measure of calm, I’ll again sit at my desk, and I’ll write.

Holiday Contest!

by

Jessica Nelson

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

Here at Inspiration for Writers, Inc., we’re gearing up for the holidays. Trees are up and lit, Christmas carols are playing on the radio, the shopping is done…well, mostly...or not at all. Anyway! We’re in the holiday spirit, and we want to spread the cheer!
Therefore—drumroll, please—we’re holding a contest!

Your challenge is simple: write a holiday themed story—Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, whatever it is you celebrate (or don’t celebrate)—of 1,000 words or less. Your story can be fiction or non-fiction, essay or narrative, or anything in between.

The contest will run from today (12/17) to Monday, January 5th, at midnight. You can submit your stories to Jessica Nelson at jgirl126@gmail.com.

Stories should be:

-1,000 words or less in length
-Sent in word document form as an attachment
-Written in Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman font, size 11 or 12
-Double spaced

And remember:

-Be Creative!
-The stories don’t have to be perfectly grammatically correct, but it definitely impresses the judges if they are! (Especially when those judges are editors.)
-Feel free to go back through the blogs to pick up some tips for good writing.
-Did I mention, be creative?

We will award a first and second place. The first place winner will have his/her choice of a $50 gift certificate for any of Inspiration for Writers, Inc.’s services or an Inspiration for Writers, Inc. briefcase. Second place will receive the remaining prize. Both the winners and the winning stories will be posted as the blog on Wednesday, January 7.

Good luck, writers! May the Muse and the Holiday Spirit be with you!

Lessons Learned

by

Bonnie Rose Ward

I’ll never forget the day I received my first shipment of books. I eagerly leafed through the pages with a feeling of elation. Finally! The years of pouring my heart and soul into writing, revising, editing, proofing, and the many invaluable lessons learned along the way—not to mention the million pots of coffee—had culminated into my first published book. A dream come true!

If I could do it all over again—perhaps a sequel in the near future—boy, would I ever change a lot of things! It is for that reason that I want to share my journey—which at times was rougher than a washboard road—from writer to published author with you. For all you writers out there who are working on a manuscript or just finished one and are now ready to publish, this is for you!

When I neared the completion of my manuscript, I became giddy with anticipation that I would soon be an author. I truly believed that once I typed “The End” on the last page of my manuscript, all my hard work would be over, and I would send it out to a few publishers, and one of them would gladly snatch it up in a heartbeat. After all, I believed I had a great story and, besides, I wrote it to the best of my ability, and I checked and double-checked my spelling and grammar. What else was there? Well, let me tell you. Rejections! That’s what. One after the other. What a letdown. Where was a “Rejected Anonymous Group” when I needed one? However, I picked myself up, squared my shoulders and moved forward. I was too invested in this project to give up now. It was time to search for a professional editor.

Editing

After learning that most editors will give a free sample of their work, I sent a copy of the first few chapters to editors as far away as California and New York and everywhere in-between. As the samples poured in, my eyes hungrily devoured the pages. Ironically, the best editing job—hands down—came from right here in my own state of West Virginia; Inspiration for Writers, Inc. But, as ill-fate would have it, the promise of a “good” comprehensive edit for a much cheaper price by a different company won me over. I convinced myself that it would be a “good enough” edit and I could save myself a lot of money. Right? I couldn’t be any more wrong! When the edit came back it wasn’t anything more than a proof. Many of the pages didn’t even have a red mark on them. I knew that my book could be so much more, and in the end, we really do get what we pay for. If I wanted my book to be the very best it could be—and I did—I knew what I had to do. I turned back to Inspiration for Writers, Inc. It was the best decision I could have made for my book. 

Over the course of a year, Sandy Tritt, Rhonda Browning White, and I diligently worked on my book. Not only do those ladies go above and beyond—trust me, they do–but through it all, they made it fun and easy, they taught me so much, and they did it all without changing my story or my unique writing style. Besides hiring a good editor—and I advise that you do so because it’s hard to see all of your own mistakes or to look at your work objectively—I also can’t stress enough the importance that you, the author, must take full responsibility to see that your manuscript is in top-notch shape and the best it can be before you consider publishing. That means working with your editor, revising, proofing, proofing, and proofing some more. Some of you may be thinking, “But I want to publish my book now.” So did I, but I’m glad I didn’t rush into it. Be patient and do what you’ve got to do to get it right. In the end, you will have something you can be proud of. Winds of Skilak has won two book awards and today sits on Amazon’s Best Seller List in two categories, and has received rave reviews. I attribute my success to Inspiration for Writers, Inc. I have learned my lesson well and when my next book is written, I will save myself a whole lot of money, time, heartache and grief—I will make a beeline straight to Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

Publishing

I had often heard that once your book is written and ready for publication, you’ve only fought half the battle. I didn’t want to believe that. Actually, I didn’t believe it. However, once again, I realized I was wrong. No surprise there! I now had the daunting task before me of trying to publish and market my book. So many questions ricocheted in my mind. How do I publish? Who do I publish with? Do I try to find a traditional publishing company or do I self-publish? That was an easy answer for me. Having already run the gauntlet of submitting queries and proposals only to get rejections, I decided to self-publish. Now, that’s my personal choice. I’m not advocating that everyone should self-publish. For me, it was right. And again, you have to be proactive—it’s your baby and nobody cares about it more than you. There are many publishers out there, so you have to do your homework. In all honesty, I started searching my publishing options long before typing “The End” on my book. Once I made my choice and paid for my publishing package, I still had a lot of work to do. Don’t think for one moment that if you go with a self-publishing company, your struggles are over. I returned my manuscript many times to the publisher because of their formatting errors. I had to work to make sure they got it right. But, the day I held my baby in my hands, all the labor pains and hard work of giving birth to my story was replaced with indescribable joy!

Marketing

The first step in marketing is to find your target audience. Believing your book will appeal to everyone is a big mistake. You need to define who will likely purchase your book, and then figure out how to reach those specific people. Where do they hang out? What magazines do they read? For instance, if your book is about hunting or camping or outdoor activities, you might see if you can put your books in a sporting goods store, or perhaps write an article or put an advertisement in a hunting or outdoor sports magazine. I recommend using social media, like Facebook (my favorite), Twitter, and Pinterest, just to name a few. Start a website and/or blog and engage your members, keep them motivated. Look for online magazines and blogs that appeal to your target audience and see if they will hold a book giveaway or give you an interview. Advertise in newspapers. And don’t hesitate to ask for reviews. Reviews are an author’s best friend and they do make a difference. Just remember, you can’t sit back and expect your books to fly off the shelves all by themselves. It takes work on your part. And, last but not least, if you have a well-written book with a great story, word of mouth will be your best advertisement of all.

It has been a pleasure sharing my experience as a first-time author with you, and it is my hope that some of the information I have provided here can be of some help—and for you new authors or soon-to-be authors out there, I wish you the very best on your journey to making your writing dreams come true.

Bonnie Rose Ward

Award-Winning Author of Winds of Skilak: A Tale of True Grit, True Love and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness. After fifteen years as a "wilderness wife" in Alaska, award-winning author Bonnie Rose Ward now resides with her husband on their farm in central West Virginia. They still maintain a self-sufficient lifestyle, raising goats, chickens, and other barnyard animals, with four dogs and a peacock named George rounding out the menagerie. Bonnie enjoys canning vegetables from the huge gardens sowed by her husband with heirloom open-pollinated seeds, and in her "spare" time, she continues to write her memoirs of the Alaskan wilderness.

 

Website    Blog   Amazon Book Page

Spaghetti Trap

by

Charlotte Firbank-King

You’ve probably heard the term Spaghetti Western. It’s a sub-genre of western movies that reared its head in in the 1960s whose main aim was to imitate what was already a successful genre. They were low-budget movies using unknown actors produced and directed by Italians. The movies were mightily slated by critics in the US, England, and Europe. In fact, an Italian critic first coined the phrase Spaghetti Western. Then A Fistful of Dollars became a box office hit and it was a free for all; everyone in the industry was in on the action.

The same can be said for romance novels. Scholars have made a study of the romance genre, and authors like Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Samuel Richardson, among others, are seen as the forerunners of romance. In the 1930s, British publisher Mills and Boon started churning out escapist, feel-good books with happy endings aimed at women. They had to be tasteful and chaste with wilting virgins and hunky men.

Barbara Cartland started her writing career in 1901 with a risqué novel, Jigsaw, which became a bestseller. She is still considered the most prolific romance writer of all time. She produced over 700 novels, writing 23 books in one year, for which she holds the Guinness World Record. Georgette Heyer accused her of plagiarism—an accusation the high-flying society gal, Barbara, managed to field with her team of lawyers. Her work naturally deteriorated and became what can only be called Spaghetti Romance.

My point is that millions of authors have followed in her footsteps with varying degrees of success, but mostly failure. With the advent of Kindle, badly written books have escalated the spaghetti trend. The Twilight saga set off a spate of vampire books and movies, and Fifty Shades of Grey has put erotica on a new high with no holds barred.

My question is, are there no original authors out there? I write romance, but I’m almost embarrassed to admit it. Years ago, when I decided that I enjoyed writing romance, a publisher told me to read as much as possible in the genre I’d chosen. I spent an unhappy year reading thousands of romance novels. At the end of this year of penance, all I knew was that I didn’t want to write like that.

I urge every aspiring writer to read as many books as they can in the genre of their choice—then think laterally and be original. Don’t fall into the spaghetti trap.

An Interview with Literary Agent Joyce Hart

by

Sandi Rog and Joyce Hart



Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of publishing? Most big houses these days require an agent. This means, in order to get your manuscript onto a publisher’s desk, an agent has to see if first, and it’s the agent who (if they like your work or think it’s marketable) will send it on through those mighty publishing doors. 

So, what exactly does an agent do? 

Today, please welcome Joyce Hart from Hartline Literary Agency.

Joyce has been a literary agent since 1992. She was formerly the vice president of marketing of an inspirational publishing company, and, as the president of Hartline Marketing, has nearly thirty-five years of successful experience marketing and promoting books. Joyce has been a pioneer in selling high quality fiction to the inspirational market and has built an excellent rapport with leading inspirational publishers. A member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), Joyce is a graduate of Open Bible College, Des Moines, IA now merged with New Hope College in Eugene, Oregon. Joyce is based at Hartline Literary's Pittsburgh headquarters.

Joyce, we are honored to have you as our guest for an interview. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to share your knowledge with us.

Sandi: How do you define your job as an agent?

Joyce: We want to help our clients develop their careers. We hope when we sign with someone it’s for a long term relationship. One of my clients has been with me for 22 years and several have been with us for 10 or more years. I also see myself as an encourager. When the author gets discouraged about rejections, etc., I remind them of what a good writer they are. This is a tough business, especially in the last few years.

Sandi: How has the business gotten “tough” over the last few years? 

Joyce: There have been so many changes in the publishers. B & H closed their fiction line, now Harlequin has closed the Heartsong line, Harper Collins owns both Zondervan & Thomas Nelson, so their fiction is now Harper Collins Christian Fiction, thus there are less slots for fiction titles. Those are a few examples in the fiction market. In both fiction & non-fiction, platform is essential, good sales numbers for past titles are essential. With one publisher, they used to be happy with 5,000 in sales, now they want 20,000 in sales for each title. 

Sandi: Wow. You’re right. Getting published has gotten more difficult. You mentioned something about “platform.” Can you share with us what that is? 

Joyce: Platform used to mean you had to be out speaking and were well-known. Now platform also means you are on social media in addition to speaking, etc. Are you blogging, do you have a web site, are you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others as they become popular? You will be expected to do a blog tour once you get published. One publisher turned down one of our clients because she hadn’t been on her blog for 3 months. Interviews on other blogs are important too. Wherever you can get your name out there is important.

Sandi: Wow. When is the writer supposed to find time to write when they have to be involved with so much social media? You don’t have to answer that. There are a lot of expectations on writers these days. 

Can you share with us how you spend your day?

Joyce: Reading and answering-mails, sending out proposals, learning new things about this ever changing business, doing my best to keep up with trends. I usually do my reading evenings and weekends.

Sandi: How do you find new clients?

Joyce: We receive many queries via e-mail, most of which we reject. The best ways are either to meet an author at a conference or by referrals.

Sandi: What do you like to see in a cover letter?

Joyce: A short summary of the book, the author’s bio and publishing history, and how the author plans to market the book.

Sandi: What turns you off in cover letters? Any pet peeves? 

Joyce: The ones that say “this will be your next bestselling book” and the ones that tell us that God told them we would be their agent. I don’t mind people saying that, but for some reason they keep coming back to our agency. Maybe God has led them to us, and not always necessarily to be their agent, but to give them some solid advice.

Sandi: How savvy do you expect authors to be about publishing?

Joyce: It really helps if they know publishing. I prefer prospects to have been to writer’s conferences and to have taken online courses. If they write [Christian] fiction, it’s good for them to join ACFW [American Christian Fiction Writers] because of their many online resources. They need to know how to prepare a proposal.

Sandi: How flawless does a manuscript have to be before you will try to place it?

Joyce: It doesn’t have to be ready to go to the publisher. We’re willing to work with an author. We probably will suggest that they hire an editor. Most publishers want to see manuscripts that have been edited these days. Of course, there are always exceptions.

Sandi: What impresses you most about a piece of writing?

Joyce: Stellar writing, something that blows me away, whether non-fiction or fiction.

Sandi: What do you want from the writing itself?

Joyce: As in the previous question, something that blows me away. In fiction, something that touches me emotionally and keeps my interest. In non-fiction, I want writing that keeps me reading. Non-fiction needs to be accurate both with any kind of facts and theologically.

Sandi: Are first novels a hard sell?

Joyce: Extremely hard to sell these days. The publishers want an over-the-top platform.

Sandi: Are second novels a hard sell?

Joyce: It depends on how the sales of the first one were. It’s all about sales these days.

Sandi: Do you submit to an editor, or to a house? What’s the difference?

Joyce: For the most part we submit to an editor. This business works on relationships.

Sandi: How would the sale of a publishing house affect you as an agent? 

Joyce: It would depend. Sometimes they close out an entire line, such as the sale of Harlequin to Harper Collins and Heartsong was closed, and the editor lost her job. That’s tough, our agency had at least three authors who wrote for Heartsong.

Sandi: Finally, what do you enjoy most about being an agent?

Joyce: I enjoy the interaction with the authors and editors. Authors and editors both become good friends. I love books and I love reading our clients’ books. I love finding talented new authors and helping them develop their careers. I simply love what I do. When I started working for a Christian Publisher (Whitaker House) years ago, I found my niche in life. God is good, and I thank Him for leading me to work in Christian publishing.

Joyce again, thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your knowledge and expertize with us. This is has been very helpful and enlightening. 

If you’d like to get to know Joyce better, and have a look at her submission guidelines, you can find her both on her BLOG and her WEBSITE. 

Bleeding on the Page

by

Sandy Tritt

 



Is writing an art or a craft? I've wavered on this, thinking one and then the other, but I believe the "truth" is that good writing must be both. A craft is something that can be learned, something that, with time and practice, can be improved upon. It is something that has basic rules and methods, such as using active voice, maintaining point of view, creating realistic characters, and writing sharp dialogue. It's what we give tip sheets to help explain; it's what we teach at writing workshops; it's what we comment on within the pages of your masterpiece. A good writer simply must have a good handle on the craft of writing.

But there is more to writing than craft. A perfectly crafted novel is not necessarily a good read. There is something more, something that oftentimes cannot be named but instead is felt, that separates a well-crafted book from an I-can't-put-it-down novel. In the 1946 book Confessions of a Story Writer, Paul Gallico (author of The Poseidon Adventure) writes: "It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader. If you do not believe in the characters or the story you are doing at that moment with all your mind, strength, and will, if you don't feel joy and excitement while writing it, then you're wasting good white paper, even if it sells, because there are other ways in which a writer can bring in the rent money besides writing bad or phony stories."

That is what we do. We bleed on the page. We put our hearts and souls into creating not just a carefully crafted work, but a work of art. We don't create characters; we discover them. We get to know them. We don't decide what happens to them; we discover that, too. Whereas the craft of writing is a product of the brain, the art of writing is a product of the heart and the soul. The craft of writing gives structure to the end product while the art of writing is an exploration of The Truth and provokes emotion. Perhaps that is the greatest difference between craft and art—emotion. Just as viewing a great work of visual art can overwhelm us with emotion, reading a great work of literary art must also touch us deeply.

As editors, we love to nurture the artist in every writer. We love to highlight those passages that are exceptional and tell you how amazing they are—even if they need a little editing. We love to discover the great storyteller inside you and help give you confidence to continue to write and continue to hone your craft—so that you may, indeed, create a work of art.

Those Troublesome Words, Part 1: Lie, Lay, Raise, Rise, Sit, Set

by

Wilma Acree

There are two ways to distinguish between these words: (a) master their meanings and (b) learn which ones require direct objects (a noun or pronoun following the verb that receives the action of the verb). I use a combination of these methods.

            Lie (lie, lying, lay, (have) lain) means to recline or to remain in a fixed position. It needs no object. Examples:

                        Mrs. Jones lies down for a nap every morning. (She
                        reclines.)

                        She lay down late yesterday because she had a visitor.

                         Her book is lying on the nightstand. (It remains there).

            Lay (lay, laying, laid, (have) laid) means to put or place something down. It has an object. Examples:

                        Lay the dictionary on the desk. (Lay means put. Lay
                        what? Lay has an object, the dictionary.)

                        I laid the book there yesterday. (Laid means put. It has
                        an object, book.)

                        The workmen are laying carpet. (The men are putting
                        down carpet. Laying has an object, carpet.)

            What makes lay/lie even more confusing is that the past tense of lie is lay.

            Rise (rise, rising, rose, (have risen) means to arise; to get up; to go up. It does not require an object. Examples:

                        The sun has always risen in the east. (There is no object;
                        the sun does not have someone pushing it up)

                        Like the sun, stars rise in the east.

            Raise (raise, raising, raised, (have) raised) means to lift up, force up, put up, or to grow a crop. It must have an object. Examples:

                        Raise your hand if you have a question. (Raise means
                        put up. Raise what? Your hand. There is an object, so
                        raise is correct.) 

                        I raised the window yesterday to air out the house.
                        (Raise means put up. It has an object, window.)

            Sit (sit, sitting, sat, (have) sat) means to take a seat or to rest. It does not have an object. Examples:

                        I always sit in that chair. (I always rest my body there.
                       Sit what? There is no object.)

                        I sat by the window for hours. (I kept my body there. Sat
                        has no object.)

            Set (set, set, setting, (have) sat) means to place, to put, or to decide upon something. It requires an object. Examples:

                        Joan set the vase on the table. (She put the vase on the
                        table. Set what? The vase. Set has an object.)

                        Tom set the toolbox on the shelf. (Set means put; there
                        is an object—the toolbox).

             Lay, raise, and set require objects to receive their action. If a noun immediately follows the verb and receives its action, these are the correct choice. In addition, they each involve someone or something putting something. If you remember this, these troublesome words will be problems no longer.

NaNoWriMo

by

Stacy Tritt

It’s that time of year again. The scent of pumpkin spice and cinnamon apples permeate the air, the first frost of the season killed my chrysanthemums for good last night, daylight savings time changing gave me one more precious hour of sleep, and, most importantly, it’s noshavenovember National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! So grab your keyboards, it’s time to hunch over our laptops with some hot apple cider and quit finding excuses to not write!

Okay, so maybe you aren’t so gung-ho about dedicating yourself to writing 50,000 words before the end of the month. Well, that doesn’t mean you’re a complete party pooper. There are still ways to get inspired, get motivated, and get encouragement from fellow writers without having to participate in NaNoWriMo, at least on the surface. Because this blog is all about using the resources from NaNoWriMo to your advantage, whether you are actively trying to write a new 50,000 word novel in one month, or not.

There are so many wonderful resources the NaNoWriMo organization offers to the writing community. Here’s my take on the best they have to offer:

When you sign up for NaNoWriMo, you select which region you’re from, so no matter if you are in Paw Paw, West Virginia or in New York, New York, you can find some writers nearby with whom you can network, and with whom you can exchange encouragement. The best part about these local groups? Write-ins! I can’t explain how wonderful it is to sit around a table at the local library or coffee shop with a bunch of strangers while you all type away—different worlds being created behind each screen. The creative energy that flows forth at such a gathering is something I have never experienced in any other setting. Write-ins can have many different nuances depending on who plans it, and who attends. Fun caveats are often added, like everyone puts a dollar on the table, and the first person to write 500 words gets the money, or everyone is banned from getting up from the table until everyone has written 300 words. These types of activities not only encourage you to get more words on paper, but they encourage you to utilize the writers around you, and allow them to utilize you. By encouraging and supporting each other, we all become better, more effective, and efficient writers.

NaNoWriMo offers various other inspirational resources. The NaNoWriMo organization gets professional writers from all over the country to send out encouraging messages to the participants of NaNoWriMo each week, as well as sending out new ideas on how to refresh your drive to write. If that isn’t enough, there are virtual write-ins for those in areas where there are fewer writers, or for those who are afraid of meeting strangers in coffee shops to participate in write-ins.

Word sprints are also great tools NaNoWriMo participants use to get words on paper, because, let’s face it, without getting the words out on paper, it is impossible to ever edit it up to be a best-seller. Word sprints can be done individually, or in groups in person or online. The idea of a word sprint is to write a set number of words in a designated period of time. Only have a half hour to write today? Make that half hour count by challenging yourself to write 500 words in that time. Seem crazy, impossible maybe? Try it. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can prove yourself wrong.

Some of you are probably wondering why these resources can’t be used by writers who don’t write long prose, or during months when everyone isn’t jumping on a writing marathon bandwagon. Here’s the best part: they can be! These resources can be personalized to any writer. If you’re a songwriter, great! Go sit around a table at a coffee shop with a bunch of other writers, and get the words to a new song down on paper before you leave. When January rolls around and you get snowed in, utilize writing sprints to get entire scenes written between hot cocoa breaks. The important thing is to forge friendships with fellow local writers now so that you can plan write-ins throughout the year. It is important to learn new techniques, to take advantage of new (and free!) writing opportunities, and, most importantly, to get yourself started on a regimen where you make time to write. NaNoWriMo isn’t just a trend, it is a resource for all writers, one which you should take advantage of while it’s available.

So, once you’re done reading this blog, head on over to NaNoWriMo.org, start meeting new writers, start learning new techniques, open up that fresh, new word document, and start writing! Your novel is waiting.

GUEST BLOG: Frightening People, Terrifying Places, and Scary Things...

 

by Robert W. Walker

Author of Flesh Wars, Bloodscreams, Abaddon & more

How do we, as authors, get to the level of proficiency that readers send us comments like, “While I read your books, I have to put them out at night—on the porch”, or “I literally threw your book across the room, but crawled over later and finished it”?

That kind of compliment is music to the ears of suspense and horror authors, who are like big kids anxious to frighten our readers; we jump from the pages to shock you. But how do we manage it?

If we can frighten readers through use of our characters, our settings, and our props, then by all means we are turning our people, places, and things to good advantage and full-on use. We get there by means of the useful notion that the devil is in the details. Imagine, if you will, a child’s story—maybe Three Billy Goats Gruff or Charlotte’s Web, for that matter. In the one, we are convinced there is a troll beneath every bridge anxious to eat anything daring to cross it. Then the goat brothers sacrifice one another to the monster . . . creepy!

In the other tale, we have a spider coming to the rescue of a pig, and Charlotte and Wilbur have a full-blown relationship. The characters are fully realized—so much so that they come alive for the mesmerized reader. How can this be?

Details can sell us on any preposterous notion, as in my answer to spontaneous human combustion: creating a creature who smokes people the way we smoke cigarettes in my Flesh Wars books, or my witches in Abaddon who possess a young boy and direct him to become a serial killer. 

The reader is convinced to suspend disbelief through the careful planting of detail atop detail that uses all five senses and sometimes the sixth sense. It requires long and torturous rewrites to fully develop a scary person (antagonist or creature), a scary setting (loco-location), and frightful props (from ax, to cleaver, to Stryker saw).

Naming of names—be it people, places, or props—is also a way to get that fright factor working. Names are scarily specific—like Stryker saw—notice it gets capitalized as names should. The Lincoln Towers underground parking lot becomes even scarier as a modern-day haunted place due to the name, the specific location at Lincoln and Belmont in Chicago. (Notice more caps?) 

It is incumbent upon the modern author to find modern places to haunt, like a museum of modern art after hours, or a trailer park, or a single trailer in that park or … fill in the blank. Locations—and detailed locations at that—win the day when we wish to terrify.

In fact, it is true of any good writing that we want to be specific—all good writing is detailed to the nth degree; it is thesaurus-ing a mood, a point, a feeling, a wound, or a bleed out. We cannot get away with simply saying “it was hot” or “it was cold”—not by a long stretch—as we need to use every word possible that comes with heat (hot, searingly so), which must include sweltering, sweat, perspiration, and boiling, as well. For cold, we need to muster all the words at our command that show frigid, icy, ice-pick-shaped crystals beneath the nails painted with acrylic chartreuse, as in a fun house for my PSI Blue and Deja Blue.

So if there is a secret to scary writing, can it be that simple? Yes, it can, and yes, it is. As Stephen King puts it, “If you can’t legitimately scare the reader, go then for the gross out.” But even the gross out requires great attention to DETAIL.



About Robert Walker:

Award-winning author and graduate of Northwestern University, ROBERT W. WALKER created his highly acclaimed INSTINCT and EDGE SERIES between 1982 and 2005. Rob since then has penned his award-winning historical series featuring Inspector Alastair Ransom with CITY FOR RANSOM (2006), SHADOWS IN THE WHITE CITY (2007), and CITY OF THE ABSENT (2008), and most recently placed Ransom on board the Titanic in a hybrid historical/science fiction epic entitled Titanic 2012 – Curse of RMS Titanic. Rob’s next book, DEAD ON, is a PI revenge tale and a noir set in modern day Atlanta. More recently he has written Bismarck 2013, a historical horror title, The Edge of Instinct, the 12th Instinct Series, and a short story collection entitled Thriller Party of 8 – the one that got away. Rob’s historical suspense CHILDREN of SALEM, while a historical romance and suspense novel, exposes the violent nature of mankind via the politics of witchcraft in grim 1692 New England, a title that some say only Robert Walker could craft—romance amid the infamous witch trials. Robert currently resides in Charleston, West Virginia with his wife, children, pets, all somehow normal. For more on Rob’s published works, see www.RobertWalkerbooks.com, www.HarperCollins.com, or www.amazon.com/kindle books. He maintains a presence on Facebook and Twitter as well.

If you want to check out the titles mentioned in this blog, here are the links:

Flesh Wars 1
Abaddon
PSI Blue
Deja Blue