Cat Williams's Blog: Things Cat Says..., page 2

That Feeling When...

When someone has actually read something that I have written, whether it be a paper or a story or my book, and they say something good about it or mention a character they liked or a scene that stood out for them, I get self-conscious and almost embarrassed. I'm sure that I act like an idiot in response, but to be honest, it's because I'm proud of my work and happy that someone noticed and have not been taught to take compliments well.

That is a problem that I see in this world, that people are not taught to take compliments well. We are taught that we should be humble, and we should, but humble doesn't mean embarrassed to be noticed or self-effacing or self-deprecating. It means to be grateful for the attention, for the compliment, for the recognition, without bragging or being boastful. But that's not what we're taught. We are, instead, as a society, taught that the more negative reactions are appropriate.

I remember once turning in a paper to my Thesis Adviser and I knew it was a good paper, but my automatic response on handing it in was "Here's my paper. It likely sucks." and he rounded on me and said "Don't you ever do that again! Don't tell me that your paper sucks. That's for me to decide when I read it. Don't color how I feel about it before I get the chance to read it. Don't do that to me or to yourself."

I was stunned. First, because that's the closest to angry I had ever seen him and Second, because it hit me hard that he was right - I was self-sabotaging myself by coloring others opinions of my work before they ever got the chance to form an opinion of their own.
And why was I doing it? Because I knew the paper was good and I was attempting to head off my own learned embarrassed reaction to any good critique on it I might get.

It took this kind of wake up call to get me to realize that I am allowed...ALLOWED...to be proud of my work, to consider myself talented and intelligent, and that I don't have to be embarrassed to be considered so. Of course, I still have to fight myself to get past the years of learned behavior that tells me to downplay my accomplishments.

So, that was my epiphany about learning to accept compliments without being negative about myself. I hope that you have one that is as much of a wake up call without being damaging. (Mine was far from damaging - it was liberating!)

I still get embarrassed when people compliment my work, but it's a different kind of embarrassed now. It's the kind that says "yes, I know my work is good and I'm grateful that you appreciate it...but I'm still not used to receiving compliments and so, I'm awkward and don't know how to react." - because that's the truth.

Alright...done here for now!

Remember, Life is an Adventure! Live It!

Fight Scenes

I'm just going to admit it: I have trouble writing fight scenes. I mean, I can do it...but it takes so long because I am never sure if what I am writing is accurate to how a fight should be. Can person A do that? Is it really possible for person B to make that move? Could that really happen?

Same with combat scenes, honestly. I've never been in combat and everything I have to go on is either from movies, documentaries, or written accounts of actual combat. I have some stories from friends of mine who have been in combat and they say that the way I write them is good, which makes me feel better about it.

You see, I gave up writing a lot of descriptive fight scenes. Instead, I allow the characters to take you through what's going on from their point of view. I got that advice from Steven Brust when I mentioned on one of his FB posts that I was having problems with a combat scene. He said "I don't know if you're asking for advice or not, but I'm going to give some: pick a character and write about what's going on from their perspective and let the rest filter in as needed. Leave some of it to the reader's imagination."

That was some of the best advice I've been given about how to write difficult scenes. Don't write EVERYTHING about it...write it from one point of view and then let additional information come in from other characters.

And...it worked...

I was able to get over the block and move forward with the story.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say today. I need to go work on the story now.

Remember: Life is an Adventure! Live It!

Making Myself Laugh

Sometimes, when I'm writing, I will write something that will make me laugh. It's because I can "hear" my characters saying the comment and since I know what their "voice" sounds like in my head, I get every nuance of the sarcasm, the amusement, the wry sense of humor that comes with it.

Funny thing is, when I read someone else's work, I "hear" it, as well. If I am trapped in the book (ie: can't put it down) I tend to lose the world around me and immerse myself into the story I'm reading. THAT becomes my world for the duration. I hear the characters talking to each other and I feel their emotions, their happiness and sorrow, their triumphs and failures.

That is the kind of experience I want for my readers.

I think this is why I write in dialogue. Because the vast majority of life happens in interaction with other things, whether that be people, animals, environment...and each one of these interactions is a dialogue between the yourself and the other character.

And so, I have that come through in my writing, as well. My characters interact with one another and action mostly happens in dialogue because that's where most of the action in real life happens, as well. Even if that dialogue is just within a single character and his/her thoughts and reactions to their current situation.

As you can tell, I"m not a huge fan of exposition. I mean, there are moments when it is needed and where it can give the details that are important to the story, but as a main focus of writing - too much exposition kills the pace of the story, deadens the characters, and is flat out tedious. This, of course, is my opinion...your mileage may vary.

Okay, those are my thoughts today. I actually wrote a really good scene last night and started another one on TIAF: Unit Zodiac - Book 2. Maybe later I'll give a snippet of what I'm writing so that you can see. *smile*

Have fun, Stay Safe, Live Your Adventure!

Cicero, Romans, and Religion

Have spent today reading and writing on my Thesis. Good stuff going on here.

I was having a difficult time getting anything on paper, as it were, until I got some much needed advice from a fellow TA: "Pick a passage in your notes and just start writing. Write about that passage and how it pertains to your Thesis and then, keep writing."

He was right. That's what I needed to do and I did. I picked a passage and I began writing. And now, I've got more pages written and they are awful (first drafts always are) but they are written...and that's what's important. I am putting words onto the page and I am writing this thing. And, the concepts and ideas keep coming...which is even better...so, I will continue doing what I'm doing.

So, this is me saying "I am writing...it's not Novel writing, but I am writing...for school, for my future, for my love of Roman History!"

And...with all of that...I am still a Cicero, Livy, and Plutarch Fangirl. Without a doubt...

Saturday!

I have a meeting with my Thesis Adviser next week. This is a good thing. Hopefully, I will get something more done on my Thesis so that I can finish it up and graduate with my Master's, and then move on to my Doctorate!

I have a couple of people asking me if I am really working on Book 2 of TIAF: Unit Zodiac. I am. I'm currently on page 157 of the first draft and the full story isn't even on the page / screen yet. Once it is, then I will put it up for a few weeks and then start revision. After that, off to my awesome Beta Readers, and more revision.

I think I revised Book 1 every time I opened the file. Hell...I was revising it while I formatted it into publication form! It is my contention that no author ever thinks their work is done because we can read it and see where we should or could change something, add something, remove something - every...single...time.

I'm enjoying this journey. I really am. I am, in my own mind, a success. I was a success the moment that I clicked the buttons and put my story out for other people to read. That is a huge step in self-confidence and self-affirmation. Then, when someone actually bought it? That's even more of a success...because someone (not my family) bought my book and enjoyed my story.

I am immortal now - because my book is out there for people to read and future generations may or may not read it, but it is out there - and in this way, I will live forever. I like that concept.

I hope y'all are all having an amazing Saturday. I have a book to finish reading for class on Monday and I need to get on that!

Today In The Life...

As I said previously, I am working on my Master's Thesis in History. I study the Roman Republic era and specifically study the effects of religious practice on the population of the city of Rome. Yep...I'm all about sacrifice, punishment, torture, and execution in Rome. I often wonder what this says about me as a person. *laughs*

I had a colleague here at the University laughingly snarl at me today that she's not getting any real work done at the moment because she's engrossed in my book. *laughs*

I think that that is one of the greatest compliments that I have gotten on my writing. I had one other friend tell me that when she was my Beta Reader and that made me feel better than anything else. They like my story. They feel the need to find out what's next in the story. They want more of the story.

I think that this is what I, as a writer, aspire to. Not massive sales (though sales would be nice) and not fame and fortune. I aspire to write stories that people become engrossed in, that they can't put the book down, that they NEED to find out what happens next and so they have to turn the page to keep reading - rather than go to sleep like they should.

I can only hope that I continue like this with the next book in the line-up. Until then, though, I will just keep writing on both books and thesis...and hope at least ONE of them turns out readable!

Have fun! And Remember, Life is an Adventure! Live It!

So...Let's Do This Thing!

My very first blog post here! I wonder what I should say. *thinks...thinks...thinks...* Not a clue, so I'm going to ramble a bit, I guess.

The new semester has started and as much as I would like to write for myself and you, I have to write for school. I'm still working to finish my Thesis - hence why you see so many books on Roman History and Religious Practices in my "Have Read" list. Research never ends!

However, I do want to assure those very few people who have actually read my book that there IS a second book being written. I'm about halfway through the first draft and it is awful! (Hence, first draft!) But, as one of my favorite Creative Writing Professors said in Undergrad: "Real Writing happens in revision."

The first part of writing, you see, is getting the idea on paper (or on screen) so that it is no longer rattling around in your head as an ephemeral concept and it becomes solid. Once you have that solidity, you are able to go back to the beginning and start fleshing out the story - your characters gain more input and they'll tell you their personality quirks, you'll see the scenario that you're describing so much better and you'll be able to shape things the way you know they're supposed to be, and you'll be able to add those things that need to be added and take away those things that don't really work with the flow of the story.

I tend to write in dialogue. I'm not a big fan of extreme exposition. Dialogue can help to move action, develop characters, and build emotion both in the story and in the reader.

With a good dialogue, the reader is able to put a voice - even their own voice - into the character and become the character, which gives them an emotional connection to the story they're reading. With a good dialogue and judicious use of description and scene, you allow your readers to enter the story so that they are involved in it as much as you were when you were writing it.

But, that's how I think. Every writer is different and every reader is different. It's like they say in education classes: Every student learns differently, some are visual. some are audial, others are kinetic - and then there are those who are a combination of two or more of the three. You have to have something within the lesson plan to help each student learn. Conversely, as a writer, you have to have something within the story to engage each kind of reader.

I think I'll leave this here today. It's a bit longer than I expected it to be and went on a different tangent than I thought it would. Either way, I will write more later and keep you apprised of what I'm doing!

And Remember: Life is an Adventure! Live it!