Tricia L. McDonald's Blog, page 2
October 29, 2010
Mike Stratton interview
Today's author interviewee is Mike Stratton. Mike is a psychotherapist in private practice in East Lansing, Michigan. He hosts a weekly jazz radio show, The Vinyl Side of Midnight, for WLNZ. Everybody Dreams is his first novel.
Welcome to A Writing Passage, Mike.
Thanks Tricia.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you have been writing?
I started writing stories as a little boy: Ray Royal, my version of James Bond, was my first protagonist. I think I was about ten. Many years later, when my father was dying, I started writing poetry. They just started popping out. And then three novellas, one after another, which all sit safely hidden in a drawer. By then I had the bug.
Do you have a regular writing schedule or place where you write?
For my first novel, I wrote about twenty minutes a day, every morning. Now I've taken the plunge and take Fridays off for writing. I also take at least two week long retreats a year for writing. The place isn't as important for me as the time.
Why did you decide to write your books?
People started to ask to buy them. Seriously, I was giving a talk on dreams in front of a large audience of 1,200 people in Santa Fe. Quite a number of people afterwards asked, 'Where can I buy your book?' and it hit me: I have to write it.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while writing?
Balance. How to work full time, manage a life and make time for writing. And writing is very humbling work because there are some people who are so amazing that you read their stuff and it's a little daunting. I just try to tell an interesting story that will engage people.
What was most enjoyable about your writing process?
When I'm in the flow, the story seems to be telling itself to me. And I'm writing like mad trying to keep up with it. That doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it's an amazing feeling. Time disappears. And I hope that translates to the reader. I've heard back from some readers that they couldn't put the book down at points, and I think those points match when I was in that flow.
Also, when I'm writing I'm more attentive towards the world I'm in. I'm more awake and aware of color, landscapes, how people talk and gesture and move. The act of writing makes me pay closer attention. I bought my wife a nice camera for her birthday, and I've noticed how she has started framing everyday sights for her pictures. It's changed how she sees the world, in a very enriching way. Writing does that for me.
Have you ever received advice from another writer that influenced you or that you still remember?
The best advice is something that has been hard to follow. Write every day. Like anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. In writing a novel, you have to create engaging characters. And then you need to make big trouble for them. At the end of each chapter, they should be in worse shape than they were at the beginning. I love ratcheting up suspense. And show, don't tell.
What one piece of advice (or maybe two) would you give to other writers?
Open yourself to the world, and the world will open itself to you.
Thank you, Mike. Please share with my readers how everyone can buy your book.
Everybody Dreams by Michael Stratton is available on Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
Welcome to A Writing Passage, Mike.
Thanks Tricia.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you have been writing?
I started writing stories as a little boy: Ray Royal, my version of James Bond, was my first protagonist. I think I was about ten. Many years later, when my father was dying, I started writing poetry. They just started popping out. And then three novellas, one after another, which all sit safely hidden in a drawer. By then I had the bug.
Do you have a regular writing schedule or place where you write?
For my first novel, I wrote about twenty minutes a day, every morning. Now I've taken the plunge and take Fridays off for writing. I also take at least two week long retreats a year for writing. The place isn't as important for me as the time.
Why did you decide to write your books?
People started to ask to buy them. Seriously, I was giving a talk on dreams in front of a large audience of 1,200 people in Santa Fe. Quite a number of people afterwards asked, 'Where can I buy your book?' and it hit me: I have to write it.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while writing?
Balance. How to work full time, manage a life and make time for writing. And writing is very humbling work because there are some people who are so amazing that you read their stuff and it's a little daunting. I just try to tell an interesting story that will engage people.
What was most enjoyable about your writing process?
When I'm in the flow, the story seems to be telling itself to me. And I'm writing like mad trying to keep up with it. That doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it's an amazing feeling. Time disappears. And I hope that translates to the reader. I've heard back from some readers that they couldn't put the book down at points, and I think those points match when I was in that flow.
Also, when I'm writing I'm more attentive towards the world I'm in. I'm more awake and aware of color, landscapes, how people talk and gesture and move. The act of writing makes me pay closer attention. I bought my wife a nice camera for her birthday, and I've noticed how she has started framing everyday sights for her pictures. It's changed how she sees the world, in a very enriching way. Writing does that for me.
Have you ever received advice from another writer that influenced you or that you still remember?
The best advice is something that has been hard to follow. Write every day. Like anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. In writing a novel, you have to create engaging characters. And then you need to make big trouble for them. At the end of each chapter, they should be in worse shape than they were at the beginning. I love ratcheting up suspense. And show, don't tell.
What one piece of advice (or maybe two) would you give to other writers?
Open yourself to the world, and the world will open itself to you.
Thank you, Mike. Please share with my readers how everyone can buy your book.
Everybody Dreams by Michael Stratton is available on Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
October 27, 2010
Prompt, First Line & Question
So how did the prompt go? Did it help you get started writing? As writers, we can come up with some pretty great reasons to NOT write and one of those is we don't know WHAT to write about. Using a prompt is a good way of putting that excuse to bed. Now let's get writing:
Prompt:
Write about a childhood incident that is still alive to you today. It might be something humorous, terrifying or life changing. Put yourself there and tell us all about it.
First line:
It was the biggest pumpkin in the patch, and it seemed to be moving.
And now for the question of the week:
Do you have a favorite time or place to write? Where? When? Why?
My most productive time to write is first thing in the morning, before "life" creeps in. That means before I get dressed, before I eat anything, and definitely before I answer the phone. And I have to make sure I do NOT check my e-mails. Once I do that, I've lost the momentum for writing.
The place is my bed. I grab my laptop, prop my pillows behind me and start writing. It is where my writing takes off and it is a safe, comfortable place. Often, Sally (my miniature bull terrier) is laying under the blankets beside me; Eli (our rescue dog) is laying on the pillow beside me and Mary (our other rescue) is laying on a pillow on the floor beside the bed. They are all sleeping and I'm writing. What could be better?
So tell me what is your when? where? and why? for writing.
~Tricia
Prompt:
Write about a childhood incident that is still alive to you today. It might be something humorous, terrifying or life changing. Put yourself there and tell us all about it.
First line:
It was the biggest pumpkin in the patch, and it seemed to be moving.
And now for the question of the week:
Do you have a favorite time or place to write? Where? When? Why?
My most productive time to write is first thing in the morning, before "life" creeps in. That means before I get dressed, before I eat anything, and definitely before I answer the phone. And I have to make sure I do NOT check my e-mails. Once I do that, I've lost the momentum for writing.
The place is my bed. I grab my laptop, prop my pillows behind me and start writing. It is where my writing takes off and it is a safe, comfortable place. Often, Sally (my miniature bull terrier) is laying under the blankets beside me; Eli (our rescue dog) is laying on the pillow beside me and Mary (our other rescue) is laying on a pillow on the floor beside the bed. They are all sleeping and I'm writing. What could be better?So tell me what is your when? where? and why? for writing.
~Tricia
October 22, 2010
Mystery Interview
As per my new blog schedule, today is the first interview with an author. And I am pretty excited.
Today's author interviewee is a well known writer, with a number of published suspense novels. Her latest novel was just published in April 2010.
She is also very secretive and writes under a pen name. She burrows into her office, where she churns out her magic. She never gives interviews and in order to get this one I had to agree not to publish her real name or her pen name, so I am using Jelly bean.
Tricia: Welcome to A Writing Passage, Jelly bean. I am overwhelmed to be sitting here with you.
Jelly bean: *silence*
Tricia: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Jelly bean: **raised left eyebrow*
Tricia: Okay then. Do you have a specific writing schedule?
Jelly bean: **raised right eyebrow**
Tricia: Can you tell us what your office looks like? Do you use a computer or do you handwrite your manuscripts?
Jelly bean: **both eyebrows raise**
Tricia: Whoa! Is the eye thing some kind of secret code? I'm not getting it.
Jelly bean: **closes her eyes**
Tricia: Guess we'll move on. Do you outline your novels before you start writing?
Jelly bean: **big yawn**
Tricia: Where do you get your ideas for your novels?
Jelly bean: **picks at her fingernails**
Tricia: Are any of your novels based on real life events?
Jelly bean: **crosses her eyes**
Tricia: Does that mean something? I don't understand crossed eyes. Okay, we'll keep moving forward.
Jelly bean: **nods her head**
Tricia: What advice would you give to new writers?
Jelly bean: **gets up and walks out of the room**
Tricia: All righty then. Nice talking to you, too.
So there you have it. The first author interview on A Writing Passage. I can only hope that the future interviews are as enlightening.
Have a great weekend and I'll be back Monday.
~Tricia
Today's author interviewee is a well known writer, with a number of published suspense novels. Her latest novel was just published in April 2010.
She is also very secretive and writes under a pen name. She burrows into her office, where she churns out her magic. She never gives interviews and in order to get this one I had to agree not to publish her real name or her pen name, so I am using Jelly bean.
Tricia: Welcome to A Writing Passage, Jelly bean. I am overwhelmed to be sitting here with you.
Jelly bean: *silence*
Tricia: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Jelly bean: **raised left eyebrow*
Tricia: Okay then. Do you have a specific writing schedule?
Jelly bean: **raised right eyebrow**
Tricia: Can you tell us what your office looks like? Do you use a computer or do you handwrite your manuscripts?
Jelly bean: **both eyebrows raise**
Tricia: Whoa! Is the eye thing some kind of secret code? I'm not getting it.
Jelly bean: **closes her eyes**
Tricia: Guess we'll move on. Do you outline your novels before you start writing?
Jelly bean: **big yawn**
Tricia: Where do you get your ideas for your novels?
Jelly bean: **picks at her fingernails**
Tricia: Are any of your novels based on real life events?
Jelly bean: **crosses her eyes**
Tricia: Does that mean something? I don't understand crossed eyes. Okay, we'll keep moving forward.
Jelly bean: **nods her head**
Tricia: What advice would you give to new writers?
Jelly bean: **gets up and walks out of the room**
Tricia: All righty then. Nice talking to you, too.
So there you have it. The first author interview on A Writing Passage. I can only hope that the future interviews are as enlightening.
Have a great weekend and I'll be back Monday.
~Tricia
October 20, 2010
Prompt, First Line & Question
Good morning all -
I love prompts and first lines, both in using and giving them. In both my Seniors' class and Gilda's class I give a prompt as homework. And I find it so interesting to see the different stories the participants come up with of the same prompt.
Today's prompt is: Write about someone's hands.
A couple years ago I was at a writing retreat. A friend and I decided to give each other a first line to write off. The first line I had to work with was something like the cabbage on the counter smile at her. What do you do with that? Before I started writing, I played with the "What If" game, and the story that came from that first line was quite a surprise.
Today's first line is: He blinked.
My favorite writer is Stephen King. I have read just about everything he has written. And I am always looking for new books from him, and usually have it pre-ordered. I find it interesting that I like his writing, as I don't really like to read horror. When I was younger, I loved going to all the horror movies and reading scary books. But now ... not so much. Yet I like his stuff.
His fiction has never influenced my writing, however, his book On Writing was a great read. It was so encouraging and if you haven't read it yet, I would strongly suggest you do.
His stand on adverbs has also been a big influence on my writing. I detest adverbs and will cover that at some point in a Monday writing. Stephen (we are on first name terms when I'm doing the writing), does not like the use of adverbs, also. In fact, I refer to his quote quite often: "The road to hell is paved with adverbs."
What about you? Who is your favorite author? Did he/she influence your writing?
Thanks for stopping by,
~Tricia
I love prompts and first lines, both in using and giving them. In both my Seniors' class and Gilda's class I give a prompt as homework. And I find it so interesting to see the different stories the participants come up with of the same prompt.
Today's prompt is: Write about someone's hands.
A couple years ago I was at a writing retreat. A friend and I decided to give each other a first line to write off. The first line I had to work with was something like the cabbage on the counter smile at her. What do you do with that? Before I started writing, I played with the "What If" game, and the story that came from that first line was quite a surprise.
Today's first line is: He blinked.
My favorite writer is Stephen King. I have read just about everything he has written. And I am always looking for new books from him, and usually have it pre-ordered. I find it interesting that I like his writing, as I don't really like to read horror. When I was younger, I loved going to all the horror movies and reading scary books. But now ... not so much. Yet I like his stuff.
His fiction has never influenced my writing, however, his book On Writing was a great read. It was so encouraging and if you haven't read it yet, I would strongly suggest you do.
His stand on adverbs has also been a big influence on my writing. I detest adverbs and will cover that at some point in a Monday writing. Stephen (we are on first name terms when I'm doing the writing), does not like the use of adverbs, also. In fact, I refer to his quote quite often: "The road to hell is paved with adverbs."
What about you? Who is your favorite author? Did he/she influence your writing?
Thanks for stopping by,
~Tricia
October 18, 2010
Blogging schedule
I have to admit that this blogging class has been, and continues to be, very informative and helpful. My assignment today is to create a blog schedule. I don't know why, but I never even considered I should have a blog schedule. Yet, it makes so much sense. And it is already helping me come up with ideas for blogging. That's the idea, right? Right!
My blog schedule will be that on Mondays I will tackle a specific subject. It may be a gremlin attack, or comments about my favorite subject ... the dreaded adverbs. Remember what Stephen King says: "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." Whenever I mention adverbs in my classes, the participants groan. Really, they groan out loud. So that will be Mondays.
On Wednesdays, I will post prompts and first lines. This will provide an opportunity for you (yes, you) to take off on a writing spree. I will also post a question, along with my thoughts about the question. My hope is that you will respond to the question as well. Should be fun!
And on Fridays, I want to post an interview with a writer. And when I don't have any interviews, I'll cover a how-to subject. Fridays feel a little iffy for me if I don't have an interview, so I will work hard to make sure I have one.
Okay, what do you think of my schedule? I'm liking it :)
~Tricia
My blog schedule will be that on Mondays I will tackle a specific subject. It may be a gremlin attack, or comments about my favorite subject ... the dreaded adverbs. Remember what Stephen King says: "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." Whenever I mention adverbs in my classes, the participants groan. Really, they groan out loud. So that will be Mondays.
On Wednesdays, I will post prompts and first lines. This will provide an opportunity for you (yes, you) to take off on a writing spree. I will also post a question, along with my thoughts about the question. My hope is that you will respond to the question as well. Should be fun!
And on Fridays, I want to post an interview with a writer. And when I don't have any interviews, I'll cover a how-to subject. Fridays feel a little iffy for me if I don't have an interview, so I will work hard to make sure I have one.
Okay, what do you think of my schedule? I'm liking it :)
~Tricia
October 15, 2010
Different direction
I'm back, again. My plan for getting help from a book coach didn't work out so well. It wasn't her fault, I just wasn't ready to commit. So back at the drawing board I decided to take an online blogging class. When it comes to blogging (in case you hadn't notice), I don't know very much and am hoping this will help me learn. I started the class a week late and feel like the new kid in school, hanging around the edges of recess, kicking at the dirt and wishing I was a part of the group. So today, I put aside some time and read all the posts, lectures, assignments, etc., and stepped forward. Time to get busy.
My assignment is to blog about my new focus. Here goes: In my experience with writers I have found a similarity most of us have -- the dreaded gremlin. It often comes in disguise as "writers block," but in reality is just mean negativity. With my blog, I want to provide suggestions on how to overcome these little and big varmints, and then provide support for when they weasel their way back in.
Also, in an article on blogging, this line stood out to me: "it is best to blog about what you are passionate about." What am I passionate about? Writing. I get such a high when a writer I'm working with gets in the writing groove. It is amazing how gratifying that is to me. So that is going to be the focus for this blog. I will be providing tips and tricks on how to overcome your gremlins, and offering information on writing, publishing and what comes in between. Maybe I'll even post some interviews occasionally.
There is more I need to learn through this blogging class, but stay with me. I believe the best is yet to come.
~Tricia
My assignment is to blog about my new focus. Here goes: In my experience with writers I have found a similarity most of us have -- the dreaded gremlin. It often comes in disguise as "writers block," but in reality is just mean negativity. With my blog, I want to provide suggestions on how to overcome these little and big varmints, and then provide support for when they weasel their way back in.
Also, in an article on blogging, this line stood out to me: "it is best to blog about what you are passionate about." What am I passionate about? Writing. I get such a high when a writer I'm working with gets in the writing groove. It is amazing how gratifying that is to me. So that is going to be the focus for this blog. I will be providing tips and tricks on how to overcome your gremlins, and offering information on writing, publishing and what comes in between. Maybe I'll even post some interviews occasionally.
There is more I need to learn through this blogging class, but stay with me. I believe the best is yet to come.
~Tricia
August 20, 2010
Asking for Help
I see myself as a pretty independent person and I looove to help others. Unfortunately, I find it difficult to ask others for help. After a lot of therapy I have an idea why this is, but you don't really want to hear about that mess. I have learned that not asking for help is really not fair to my friends, family, or me, so I'm working on that one. Don't you just love that statement ... "I'm working on it". It is so non-committal.
Now professionally I work the same way when it comes to as...
Now professionally I work the same way when it comes to as...
August 10, 2010
Fighting the Gremlins
My gremlins have been hard at work keeping me from blogging. A few of their phrases have been ..."You won't know what to say." "You're going to sound like an idiot." "You look stupid." "You most definitely cannot do this." And I hate to say it, but I have let those nasty little gremlins win for over a year. But not anymore. I am going to take my own advice, and put them in my garbage can.
Look at this ... I'm blogging and I'm only slightly hyperventilating. The garbage can didn't work, so they are now in my desk drawer ... banging on the inside and trying to get out.
Now I can't guarantee that I won't post some "crappy first drafts" on here, but I'll do my best to take you along on my writing and marketing adventures. And adventures they have been.
And once in awhile, I'll throw in a few Sally updates. So stick with me, the best is yet to come.
Keep writing!
~Tricia
Look at this ... I'm blogging and I'm only slightly hyperventilating. The garbage can didn't work, so they are now in my desk drawer ... banging on the inside and trying to get out.
Now I can't guarantee that I won't post some "crappy first drafts" on here, but I'll do my best to take you along on my writing and marketing adventures. And adventures they have been.
And once in awhile, I'll throw in a few Sally updates. So stick with me, the best is yet to come.
Keep writing!
~Tricia
Fighting the Gremlins
My gremlins have been hard at work keeping me from blogging. A few of their phrases have been ..."You won't know what to say." "You're going to sound like an idiot." "You look stupid." "You most definitely cannot do this." And I hate to say it, but I have let those nasty little gremlins win for over a year. But not anymore. I am going to take my own advice, and put them in my garbage can.
Look at this ... I'm blogging and I'm only slightly hyperventilating. The garbage can didn't work,...
Look at this ... I'm blogging and I'm only slightly hyperventilating. The garbage can didn't work,...
Test
Still trying to figure out how this is going to work.
