Troy Aaron Ratliff's Blog, page 2
August 17, 2012
The Overlooked Novella
Like the hatchback with automobiles or the cornish game hen in the poultry family, the novella is an interesting, if not stunted, variety. The novella is the lost and forgotten kid in class, the one that would more than likely wander off into the woods on the class field trip. But don’t let it fool you. You never know what that kid could bring back with him from the dark tangles of the forest. In a sense, you could also say the novella is the Hurricane Charley of the literary world – stealthy, unpredictable, and compact, but still able to pack a memorable wallop. Usually described as too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel, the novella hovers in an odd Twilight Zone of literary appeal. One that, I feel, should be visited more often.
Detractors of the novella will say there isn’t enough time to really sink their teeth into the story, the writer’s style, or the characters. Not that there are riots and picketers in the streets chanting, “Bury the novella!” In fact, from what I’ve gathered, many readers enjoy the novella’s size and packaging, particularly in that every word in the story counts. The problem lies in that it has become more difficult over the years to find a proper avenue for the novella to find a home and speak comfortably. For writers, it’s treated more like an avoidance, as if the author is passing by someone they know and don’t want to talk to. So, to elude this social outcast of a title, they put their hand up in front of their face and speed-walk by until they hit the safe neighborhood of 50,000 words.
On the other side of the coin, you have the defenders of the novella that will say small packages can really pack a punch, or that the story is breathable and livable, but not suffocating the reader at such a length. Some pull the ace out of their sleeve and say some of the greatest literature ever written was in novella form, and they drop Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea or Steinbeck’s The Pearl onto the table, winning the hand.
No matter how you see it, I feel every writer, no matter how novice or expert you are in your career, should give it a try at least once (kind of like the way I feel about Comic-Con – I went once, and unless I’m on my own panel, you probably won’t find me there again anytime soon).
Confession Time. Many of my online acquaintances don’t know this about me, but in my circle of personal friends there is a running joke about my writing. After lending the rough draft of one of my novels out for a test run, the term “Pynchon-sized” started to be thrown around quite often around me, in honor of the reclusive novelist of mammoth, six-inch thick books, Thomas Pynchon. I didn’t mind the title. In fact, I reveled in it. It was a first draft, after all, so it was bound to be hefty. But then, I wrote another and it ended up to be the same thickness. After that, Pynchon-sized stuck like a college frat boy nickname.
Interesting how, in the division of online friends and friends of reality, I’m known for two completely different sides of the size spectrum in the writing world. I’ve yet to put out a full-length novel outside of my circle of friends…not that something like that isn’t in the works - *slyly looks around* - but for now, the novella is a good testing ground for indie publishing. Heaving a bolder of a book at my readers right from the start isn’t really my style. When I started this indie odyssey, I never intended to do that, choosing a smoother, less invasive route.
The way I see it is this: when you have a good meal, you start with drinks, appetizers, salad, and buttered rolls before you bring out the main course. The main course is what everyone talks about later on, but they don’t ever completely forget about what emerged from the back kitchen just before it. One person might even say the rolls or the appetizers were the best part, depending on what they ordered! Again, this is what I thought would be the correct way to step into this roll of author, but don’t think that this is the correct way. Because, really, what is the correct way? You won’t know until you try it for yourself and know what is right for you.
Anyway, with the novella, there are various ways to describe the actual length of such a work of prose. There isn’t an official word count that’s set in sacred literary stone that the Library Gods have passed down to us writers. Some say the word length is anywhere between 15,000 and 40,000 words. Others feel it lies between 10,000 and 50,000, while some even go as high as 70,000 words! I agree with the latter myself (not the 70k part, but the 10-50k range), just for the fact that 10,000 words is something of a milestone for a writer. If you’ve reached the 10k word mark in a short story, it gives you two different reactions: either this is starting to be a really long short story and I need to wrap this up or I have too much more to say, let’s see where this takes me over the next couple thousand words or so. With that, the choice becomes yours, writers. What else is cooking on the brain? What other themes or subjects would you like to breach in this story you’ve created? Because then you have other concerns and questions that arise. Is this other theme too big for this story? Should I save it for another, or run with it and with these characters to see where it goes? Could I pack everything I want into this limited amount of words? Will I be happy with it? Will my readers be happy with it?
That is the beauty and fun of writing. A reader may not be in the mood for some gargantuan (Pynchon-sized) novel, and for a writer, there’s comfort in that. They may only want something short and fast, something to pack a punch. Something light to bring with them to the beach or the park or the train. Not every story has to be this grandiose work of genius. You’re not the literary Stanley Kubrick where everything you produce is this staggering, game-changing, illustrious work of brilliance. Then again, maybe you are. And if so, why on earth are you on my blog? Get to work!
To think that every story you write has to be more than just a story puts way too much pressure on you. Sometimes a story is just that: a story, a means of escapism. Just because the story doesn’t have a moral or a central idea that the author believes in and wants to get across doesn’t mean the story is hollow or bad. Did it entertain the reader? Did they get an emotional reaction out of it? If they did, you’ve done your job as a writer, and while short stories and novels can do those things, novellas can too, giving a little more than a short story, but not shoving it down your throat like novel could.
Let me bring it back around to you. Have you written a novella? If so, what has been your experience? And if you haven’t, why not?
Just remember that all writing, great or small, should be enjoyable writing and, ultimately, pleasurable reading. It should never be work. If it feels like work or it’s difficult for you, then it might not be up your alley of expertise. I don’t care for camping or hiking, which is why I’m lacking in the outdoorsman department, but I know that about me. I’m not going to force myself to go climb a mountain and convince myself I like it. Just like I’m not going to force a story to be longer than it should be. Because if it’s not enjoyable, it’s not you.
Now, if you’ll have to excuse me. I’m going to jump in my hatchback and pick up some Cornish hens to gear me up for another novella.
Detractors of the novella will say there isn’t enough time to really sink their teeth into the story, the writer’s style, or the characters. Not that there are riots and picketers in the streets chanting, “Bury the novella!” In fact, from what I’ve gathered, many readers enjoy the novella’s size and packaging, particularly in that every word in the story counts. The problem lies in that it has become more difficult over the years to find a proper avenue for the novella to find a home and speak comfortably. For writers, it’s treated more like an avoidance, as if the author is passing by someone they know and don’t want to talk to. So, to elude this social outcast of a title, they put their hand up in front of their face and speed-walk by until they hit the safe neighborhood of 50,000 words.
On the other side of the coin, you have the defenders of the novella that will say small packages can really pack a punch, or that the story is breathable and livable, but not suffocating the reader at such a length. Some pull the ace out of their sleeve and say some of the greatest literature ever written was in novella form, and they drop Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea or Steinbeck’s The Pearl onto the table, winning the hand.
No matter how you see it, I feel every writer, no matter how novice or expert you are in your career, should give it a try at least once (kind of like the way I feel about Comic-Con – I went once, and unless I’m on my own panel, you probably won’t find me there again anytime soon).
Confession Time. Many of my online acquaintances don’t know this about me, but in my circle of personal friends there is a running joke about my writing. After lending the rough draft of one of my novels out for a test run, the term “Pynchon-sized” started to be thrown around quite often around me, in honor of the reclusive novelist of mammoth, six-inch thick books, Thomas Pynchon. I didn’t mind the title. In fact, I reveled in it. It was a first draft, after all, so it was bound to be hefty. But then, I wrote another and it ended up to be the same thickness. After that, Pynchon-sized stuck like a college frat boy nickname.
Interesting how, in the division of online friends and friends of reality, I’m known for two completely different sides of the size spectrum in the writing world. I’ve yet to put out a full-length novel outside of my circle of friends…not that something like that isn’t in the works - *slyly looks around* - but for now, the novella is a good testing ground for indie publishing. Heaving a bolder of a book at my readers right from the start isn’t really my style. When I started this indie odyssey, I never intended to do that, choosing a smoother, less invasive route.
The way I see it is this: when you have a good meal, you start with drinks, appetizers, salad, and buttered rolls before you bring out the main course. The main course is what everyone talks about later on, but they don’t ever completely forget about what emerged from the back kitchen just before it. One person might even say the rolls or the appetizers were the best part, depending on what they ordered! Again, this is what I thought would be the correct way to step into this roll of author, but don’t think that this is the correct way. Because, really, what is the correct way? You won’t know until you try it for yourself and know what is right for you.
Anyway, with the novella, there are various ways to describe the actual length of such a work of prose. There isn’t an official word count that’s set in sacred literary stone that the Library Gods have passed down to us writers. Some say the word length is anywhere between 15,000 and 40,000 words. Others feel it lies between 10,000 and 50,000, while some even go as high as 70,000 words! I agree with the latter myself (not the 70k part, but the 10-50k range), just for the fact that 10,000 words is something of a milestone for a writer. If you’ve reached the 10k word mark in a short story, it gives you two different reactions: either this is starting to be a really long short story and I need to wrap this up or I have too much more to say, let’s see where this takes me over the next couple thousand words or so. With that, the choice becomes yours, writers. What else is cooking on the brain? What other themes or subjects would you like to breach in this story you’ve created? Because then you have other concerns and questions that arise. Is this other theme too big for this story? Should I save it for another, or run with it and with these characters to see where it goes? Could I pack everything I want into this limited amount of words? Will I be happy with it? Will my readers be happy with it?
That is the beauty and fun of writing. A reader may not be in the mood for some gargantuan (Pynchon-sized) novel, and for a writer, there’s comfort in that. They may only want something short and fast, something to pack a punch. Something light to bring with them to the beach or the park or the train. Not every story has to be this grandiose work of genius. You’re not the literary Stanley Kubrick where everything you produce is this staggering, game-changing, illustrious work of brilliance. Then again, maybe you are. And if so, why on earth are you on my blog? Get to work!
To think that every story you write has to be more than just a story puts way too much pressure on you. Sometimes a story is just that: a story, a means of escapism. Just because the story doesn’t have a moral or a central idea that the author believes in and wants to get across doesn’t mean the story is hollow or bad. Did it entertain the reader? Did they get an emotional reaction out of it? If they did, you’ve done your job as a writer, and while short stories and novels can do those things, novellas can too, giving a little more than a short story, but not shoving it down your throat like novel could.
Let me bring it back around to you. Have you written a novella? If so, what has been your experience? And if you haven’t, why not?
Just remember that all writing, great or small, should be enjoyable writing and, ultimately, pleasurable reading. It should never be work. If it feels like work or it’s difficult for you, then it might not be up your alley of expertise. I don’t care for camping or hiking, which is why I’m lacking in the outdoorsman department, but I know that about me. I’m not going to force myself to go climb a mountain and convince myself I like it. Just like I’m not going to force a story to be longer than it should be. Because if it’s not enjoyable, it’s not you.
Now, if you’ll have to excuse me. I’m going to jump in my hatchback and pick up some Cornish hens to gear me up for another novella.
July 11, 2012
Writing and Art. Art and Writing. One year later.
On July 27, 2011, in my social media and indie writer infancy, I posted in my Facebook Notes an entry entitled “Art and Writing. Writing and Art.” which I’ve added for your humorous enjoyment in the previous posting on this blog. Looking back on it a year later, I’m still proud of what I said. This was my first blog entry after all, and I wasn’t really sure what to write about. I figured I would scribble down what I know (like they always tell you to do) and then let the tide take me out to wherever I was headed. So, I wrote about writing and art, naturally.
Yes, my blog has morphed and changed over the course of the past year. For a while, I thought my blog entries would strictly be on that old lumbering behemoth we know and love that is Facebook. Then, when I set up my website, I added a page for a blog of trivial observances, which never took off, and has since transformed into a showcase for my photography. Finally, I settled on my favorite outlet for blogging: Goodreads, obviously. I like the set up, the layout, the color scheme, and the overall cleanness of it, but that’s for another posting.
Since that first A/W entry almost a year ago, many things have happened. I’ve published two flash fiction stories, a short story, and a novella, all of them getting fantastic reviews and stars all around. I’ve also been featured in a few websites, as well as published in a magazine with over 3,000 subscribers worldwide and won NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row. I’ve set up my website, shared my own art and photography, and reached out to over 1,000 twitter followers. I’ve jumped on the Amazon KDP Select bandwagon, set up five different social media outlets, made TONS of incredible new friends like you, and learned the ways and means of this exciting new world of indie authorship we are venturing through. Which, when you think about it, wouldn’t you say that is an Art in of itself? This list of personal accomplishments isn’t me gloating, because if you are wading through this digital swamp, you are probably working just as hard as me, if not harder, so you also deserve a pat on the back and an extra kick in your coffee. I believe it is an art for you to balance this world and your own life outside of it. And now, because of your support and incredible reaction to my work, I’m moving forward in my dreams of being a published writer and then some. For that, I’m forever grateful to every single one of you, especially knowing of the challenges a lot of you have to deal with that I’ve been incredibly fortunate to dodge. Thank you from the bottom of my strangely-shaped, French-fry grease clogged heart for one of the coolest writing years ever, friends.
But, in this past year, my scales have become imbalanced again. Sure, I’ve shown the world my art and my photography, but, I feel like those aspects have become neglected in this strange odyssey I’m on. Fun fact about me: I hate the word “journey” and have for a long time. I think it’s overused and applied in the silliest of ways in today’s society for people who want to sound deep and meaningful. You don’t sound deep or meaningful. You sound just like everyone else who is beating that poor word into the ground, therefore, giving it less and less meaning or power. Besides, to me, journey denotes a constrictive, suffocating path or road from one boring point to another – A to B. Yawn. Here’s T-roy’s advice for the day: too many people go on journeys and not enough people go on odysseys. You can quote me on that. For me, “Odyssey” signifies a series of adventures; a breathable, open playing field full of boundless possibilities and an opportunity to expand horizons by going places never believed to be within reach, instead of marching soullessly down a focused, singular corridor to a final, predetermined destination. I don’t have a problem with being focused, not at all. I just don’t think journeys are my particular cup of tea.
If you happen to catch the big July 6th announcement on my website, you’ll know that those sides of me will soon be available to one and all as the scales are shifting to become even once more. But this isn’t a sales pitch here. I never want this time, my blogging time with you, to ever to be an opportunity for me to sling my snake oil your way with a thinly disguised sale. This is you and me time, babe. My eyes are all on you and only you.
Regardless, my scales are becoming balanced again and that is what this post is about.
Since that first blog admission over a year ago, I’ve changed and evolved, as I’m sure most of you have too. I’ve gained an important relaxed ease to this indie life. Truthfully, I was pretty scared when I first got into it, like going alone into a dark jungle, but to quote a song title from my favorite band, If Not Now, When? When was I going to finally leave the comforts of the lonely beach to set my sails for the horizon? I wanted to know what was over the black, straight-line dividing sky and sea, even if the storm clouds were threatening and the waves weren’t the most welcoming. I still needed to know. I have to say, though, that this little odyssey of mine has been a wonderful experience, while further comfort lies in knowing this is just the beginning.
In that first, very truthful, reflection a year ago, the one thing I still stand behind the strongest is that we are always looking into the past and comparing ourselves to our heroes, but what we don’t do enough of is look into the future and make ourselves our own hero. That still remains as the truest statement, even after a year of trailblazing and coming into my own as to how this whole thing works. In fact, maybe that statement has become even truer, being that we are all new to this e-book landscape. All of us are trailblazers. Remember that.
I’ve also had to ask myself that final, closing question a few times during this year in indie life: what’s in my scales? Now, I’m asking another question and I’ll ask you to do the same: what else is in my scales?
What else is in yours?
Yes, my blog has morphed and changed over the course of the past year. For a while, I thought my blog entries would strictly be on that old lumbering behemoth we know and love that is Facebook. Then, when I set up my website, I added a page for a blog of trivial observances, which never took off, and has since transformed into a showcase for my photography. Finally, I settled on my favorite outlet for blogging: Goodreads, obviously. I like the set up, the layout, the color scheme, and the overall cleanness of it, but that’s for another posting.
Since that first A/W entry almost a year ago, many things have happened. I’ve published two flash fiction stories, a short story, and a novella, all of them getting fantastic reviews and stars all around. I’ve also been featured in a few websites, as well as published in a magazine with over 3,000 subscribers worldwide and won NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row. I’ve set up my website, shared my own art and photography, and reached out to over 1,000 twitter followers. I’ve jumped on the Amazon KDP Select bandwagon, set up five different social media outlets, made TONS of incredible new friends like you, and learned the ways and means of this exciting new world of indie authorship we are venturing through. Which, when you think about it, wouldn’t you say that is an Art in of itself? This list of personal accomplishments isn’t me gloating, because if you are wading through this digital swamp, you are probably working just as hard as me, if not harder, so you also deserve a pat on the back and an extra kick in your coffee. I believe it is an art for you to balance this world and your own life outside of it. And now, because of your support and incredible reaction to my work, I’m moving forward in my dreams of being a published writer and then some. For that, I’m forever grateful to every single one of you, especially knowing of the challenges a lot of you have to deal with that I’ve been incredibly fortunate to dodge. Thank you from the bottom of my strangely-shaped, French-fry grease clogged heart for one of the coolest writing years ever, friends.
But, in this past year, my scales have become imbalanced again. Sure, I’ve shown the world my art and my photography, but, I feel like those aspects have become neglected in this strange odyssey I’m on. Fun fact about me: I hate the word “journey” and have for a long time. I think it’s overused and applied in the silliest of ways in today’s society for people who want to sound deep and meaningful. You don’t sound deep or meaningful. You sound just like everyone else who is beating that poor word into the ground, therefore, giving it less and less meaning or power. Besides, to me, journey denotes a constrictive, suffocating path or road from one boring point to another – A to B. Yawn. Here’s T-roy’s advice for the day: too many people go on journeys and not enough people go on odysseys. You can quote me on that. For me, “Odyssey” signifies a series of adventures; a breathable, open playing field full of boundless possibilities and an opportunity to expand horizons by going places never believed to be within reach, instead of marching soullessly down a focused, singular corridor to a final, predetermined destination. I don’t have a problem with being focused, not at all. I just don’t think journeys are my particular cup of tea.
If you happen to catch the big July 6th announcement on my website, you’ll know that those sides of me will soon be available to one and all as the scales are shifting to become even once more. But this isn’t a sales pitch here. I never want this time, my blogging time with you, to ever to be an opportunity for me to sling my snake oil your way with a thinly disguised sale. This is you and me time, babe. My eyes are all on you and only you.
Regardless, my scales are becoming balanced again and that is what this post is about.
Since that first blog admission over a year ago, I’ve changed and evolved, as I’m sure most of you have too. I’ve gained an important relaxed ease to this indie life. Truthfully, I was pretty scared when I first got into it, like going alone into a dark jungle, but to quote a song title from my favorite band, If Not Now, When? When was I going to finally leave the comforts of the lonely beach to set my sails for the horizon? I wanted to know what was over the black, straight-line dividing sky and sea, even if the storm clouds were threatening and the waves weren’t the most welcoming. I still needed to know. I have to say, though, that this little odyssey of mine has been a wonderful experience, while further comfort lies in knowing this is just the beginning.
In that first, very truthful, reflection a year ago, the one thing I still stand behind the strongest is that we are always looking into the past and comparing ourselves to our heroes, but what we don’t do enough of is look into the future and make ourselves our own hero. That still remains as the truest statement, even after a year of trailblazing and coming into my own as to how this whole thing works. In fact, maybe that statement has become even truer, being that we are all new to this e-book landscape. All of us are trailblazers. Remember that.
I’ve also had to ask myself that final, closing question a few times during this year in indie life: what’s in my scales? Now, I’m asking another question and I’ll ask you to do the same: what else is in my scales?
What else is in yours?
July 10, 2012
Writing and Art. Art and Writing. (July 2011)
Note from the Author: The article you are about to read was originally posted on July 27th, 2011 to my Facebook Notes page. It was the first blog entry I ever made. The reason behind me scrounging it up a year later is for reference in the next post...
My scale is broken. Just thought you’d like to know. You probably don’t care, but I’m very surprised this happened to me, nonetheless. No, a “Biggest Loser” contestant didn’t burst through my apartment wall like the Kool-Aid Man (OH YEAH!!) and jump on it a couple of times to smash it, because that isn’t the kind of scale I’m talking about (of course, I wouldn’t blame them if one happened to do just that after what they have to go through). Neither did my inner Lady Justice fall down the courthouse steps when she went home for the day. Although, if she cut out little eyeholes in that silly blindfold maybe she wouldn’t trip as much. In any case, her balancing scales are what I had in mind for this little analogy.
So, do you want to know how I could tell my scale is broken? It’s because it’s too perfect. The weight on one side is perfectly, impeccably equal to the other. They’re not moving, tilting or imbalanced in any way. The weight on one side is just as important as the other, just as the one side is not better than the other. Instead, they complement each other.
Writing and Art. Art and Writing.
They really do go hand in hand, don’t they? Because if you think about it kids, they both, simultaneously, tell stories and paint pictures in their own right. Yes, with writing, the picture is in your mind—like Lady Justice tumbling down some steps or the Kool-Aid Man bursting through my living room wall. Yet, we all see the same picture differently. Just as a drawing or a painting can invoke in us a story—even if it’s the story of the artist themselves and how they came up with the idea—there is still a story. And honestly, is that not what drives our culture—to see differently even if we are looking at the same thing? It’s what makes us all so awesome together. It’s what makes us all so human.
And that’s what surprises me so much. I never thought I would feel the same way I do about art as I do about writing. The thing you must understand is that for a lot people in the nation today, Literature and Art both conjure up images of stuffy scholarly types, swirling aged brandy with smoking jackets and monocles, sitting in leather back chairs by a roaring fire and being offended for no reason at all.
Except, that would be wrong, wouldn’t it?
That isn’t what it’s about anymore. Ask the senior in high school waiting for the bus which mobile device he uses to read his favorite author, or which graphic piece in her ‘zombie series’ the art student is going to be posting to Deviantart.com in the coming week. This is our changing culture, maturing, adapting, and evolving in the 21st century.
I recently read an article about the top rejection letters from a slew of now infamous authors. In it, the article related how this person was rejected X-amount of times and this other person was told by a publisher they didn’t know how to use the English language. All I could help but wonder was what they will be saying 50 years from now? “This person only got two ‘likes’ on their Facebook page in three months” “This person only got a few hits on their website after five straight years of dogged self-promotion.” We are always looking into the past and comparing ourselves to our heroes, but what we don’t do enough of is look into the future and make ourselves our own hero.
Writing and Art. Art and Writing.
So far, the only modicum of Art that I’ve unleashed is that multi-tentacled guy in the upper left hand corner of your screen. Well, I’ve spewed two stories on to smashwords.com now (and shamelessly promoted them here), so I guess to keep those scales balanced and in precise alignment the way I feel they are within me, I suppose it’s time to share with you what else I’ve been working on. This one is called “L.A. Awakening”. Hope you like it.
And remember kids, there’s balance in all things, so you have to ask yourself, “what’s in my scales?”
Writing and Art? Or, Art and Writing?
My scale is broken. Just thought you’d like to know. You probably don’t care, but I’m very surprised this happened to me, nonetheless. No, a “Biggest Loser” contestant didn’t burst through my apartment wall like the Kool-Aid Man (OH YEAH!!) and jump on it a couple of times to smash it, because that isn’t the kind of scale I’m talking about (of course, I wouldn’t blame them if one happened to do just that after what they have to go through). Neither did my inner Lady Justice fall down the courthouse steps when she went home for the day. Although, if she cut out little eyeholes in that silly blindfold maybe she wouldn’t trip as much. In any case, her balancing scales are what I had in mind for this little analogy.
So, do you want to know how I could tell my scale is broken? It’s because it’s too perfect. The weight on one side is perfectly, impeccably equal to the other. They’re not moving, tilting or imbalanced in any way. The weight on one side is just as important as the other, just as the one side is not better than the other. Instead, they complement each other.
Writing and Art. Art and Writing.
They really do go hand in hand, don’t they? Because if you think about it kids, they both, simultaneously, tell stories and paint pictures in their own right. Yes, with writing, the picture is in your mind—like Lady Justice tumbling down some steps or the Kool-Aid Man bursting through my living room wall. Yet, we all see the same picture differently. Just as a drawing or a painting can invoke in us a story—even if it’s the story of the artist themselves and how they came up with the idea—there is still a story. And honestly, is that not what drives our culture—to see differently even if we are looking at the same thing? It’s what makes us all so awesome together. It’s what makes us all so human.
And that’s what surprises me so much. I never thought I would feel the same way I do about art as I do about writing. The thing you must understand is that for a lot people in the nation today, Literature and Art both conjure up images of stuffy scholarly types, swirling aged brandy with smoking jackets and monocles, sitting in leather back chairs by a roaring fire and being offended for no reason at all.
Except, that would be wrong, wouldn’t it?
That isn’t what it’s about anymore. Ask the senior in high school waiting for the bus which mobile device he uses to read his favorite author, or which graphic piece in her ‘zombie series’ the art student is going to be posting to Deviantart.com in the coming week. This is our changing culture, maturing, adapting, and evolving in the 21st century.
I recently read an article about the top rejection letters from a slew of now infamous authors. In it, the article related how this person was rejected X-amount of times and this other person was told by a publisher they didn’t know how to use the English language. All I could help but wonder was what they will be saying 50 years from now? “This person only got two ‘likes’ on their Facebook page in three months” “This person only got a few hits on their website after five straight years of dogged self-promotion.” We are always looking into the past and comparing ourselves to our heroes, but what we don’t do enough of is look into the future and make ourselves our own hero.
Writing and Art. Art and Writing.
So far, the only modicum of Art that I’ve unleashed is that multi-tentacled guy in the upper left hand corner of your screen. Well, I’ve spewed two stories on to smashwords.com now (and shamelessly promoted them here), so I guess to keep those scales balanced and in precise alignment the way I feel they are within me, I suppose it’s time to share with you what else I’ve been working on. This one is called “L.A. Awakening”. Hope you like it.
And remember kids, there’s balance in all things, so you have to ask yourself, “what’s in my scales?”
Writing and Art? Or, Art and Writing?
May 18, 2012
Charting Adventures on the Planet of E-book
For me, the way I’ve narrowed down this new world is exactly that: a new world.
Recently, I tried to think of the best example to use as a comparison for the flourishing industry that is Indie Publishing, E-books, and the newfound driven initiative in the writing world to not only be world creators, but entrepreneurs, as well. A slew of ideas arose from my mind’s murky depths for the setting I wanted to paint. My original thought was a battleground or a warzone, the solider running through muddied enemy ground clutching not a rifle or a weapon, but a Kindle, an Ipad, or a Nook. Call me a romantic, but I think after years of gloomy war stories shoved down our throats in the news, I think we need a break from all that. Besides, that’s too brutal for this competition, because there are no enemies on this planet, no one is battling anyone but themselves and time. So, bad example.
My next image was of a jungle or a forest. I saw a forest with the creepy-crawlies, dense outcroppings of vegetation hiding what’s around the next bend, and the buoyant notion that there may be the treasure of a lost civilization hidden somewhere in the form of major success the likes of Amanda Hocking, John Locke or J.A. Konrath. While that example is good, it’s too small of an illustration, even for the idea of the Amazon (the jungle, not the publisher) or the Congo being the true representation of this new arena of writing and E-books.
Because I’m a sci-fi and horror writer (“speculative fiction writer”, if you want), I tend to catch myself daydreaming about unknown planets and what they might contain. And honestly, that is the right frame of mind for this new way of publishing. Imagine the astronauts a hundred years from now landing on a distant planet, only for it to have the same variety of environments that earth has with jungles, deserts, plains and oceans, vast and plentiful. Those brave space explorers never would’ve dreamed of the opportunity and richness that was awaiting them. Naturally, cultivation would have been the next obvious step.
With cultivation comes the creation of tools that are necessary to produce the fruits of your labors. In this new world of storytelling, having good narration, a solid plot, and realistic characters are all still very important – the most important, in fact. But now, there is a business sense that is utilized, a charm for connecting with your readers though gorilla marketing tactics and a street hustle that is worthy of a downtown pusher. No one said staking claim in a new world would be easy. The Pilgrims knew it, those astronauts will know it, and if you venture into this new world, you will know it too.
My first brush with self-publishing came around the same time "Y2K" was the big buzzword of the moment to strike fear in our forever-credulous society. Twelve years later, we have Fred Camping and The Mayans. Yet, the world continues to spin like a broken record, skipping on the same tired, play-out song, but I digress. Anyway, I was working in construction and had been dabbling on the side in writing with big dreams of instant success. While I was working in an office building one week, I happened to spy a book being displayed on one of the office dweller’s desks. If memory serves correctly, I believe the cover showed two scuba divers fighting a giant squid in an underwater cave.
My heart soared. I couldn’t believe I had the unbelievable luck to run into a real published author. The questions raced through my mind, trying to figure out how I could strike up a conversation, or even a passing comment to get a better understanding of how he did it. When the moment finally came, what was his answer? “Oh that?” he said, turning to the displayed book. “I self-published it, so, you know, I just went through a vanity press.” A dismissive hand wave quickly followed.
Today, it’s a completely different ballgame.
Something else I remember hearing around that same timeframe, and for quite a while beyond it, was that you should never expect to get rich in writing. “If you think you can be rich in writing, you’re in the wrong business,” was a popular catch phrase in publishing circles. While that is still true to a degree, we are going in the opposite direction of that belief system now. The possibility is there and within reach for all of us. Yes, a lot of hard work and dedication are needed, and that still won’t guarantee success or readers right away, but the tables are turning. This will probably come off as a broken record statement in itself, but when the supporters of self-publishing encourage you to get your name out there, work hard, network and, like mentioned earlier, write addictive, page-turning books, they are correct. Those are truly the essentials of this adventure.
This is a rapidly growing industry for new writers to celebrate and push their work. This is your time to shine, so if you are bringing something to this party, don’t bring a Ziploc bag with half-eaten Cheez-its. Be the star: bring a keg of beer, bring fine wine, bring the hip tunes that will kick the party into the next level, one that will go down in the record books. Bring your A-game, is what I’m trying to say. Don’t go into this half-assed without some modicum of professionalism. This is your face to the world. Remember that. Do you want to go in looking like Helen of Troy, having a face that could launch a thousand ships (or in this case, fans clambering for your book), or do you want to come into the game looking like you just went five rounds with Mike Tyson (figuratively speaking, of course)? This is your work, your baby, your love, and the amount of business-like professionalism you put into it for the reader will only spell more success for you and will ultimately reflect how truly serious you are about this. It’ll show how bad you want it because you’re not fooling around. You want it. Now prove it.
If you were going to explore a place you’ve never been before, wouldn’t you bring the tools and, possibly, a guide to help you navigate through it? We’re not talking about Paris or Hong Kong here, either. If you were able to go trekking into the jungle, or a desert, wouldn’t you want to go in prepared? Wouldn’t your expedition be that much more enjoyable if you brought professional people along the way to spot the pitfalls and opportunities? Seek out those editors, those graphic designers for your cover, those fellow explorers, and create a marketing map to know where you are going and where you want to be.
The other thing: have fun with it, please. If you went to another country and you had the incredible luck to meet others that were just like you, wouldn’t you want to know what they were doing, how they were doing it, and what tools they were doing it with? And wouldn’t you have a ball doing it, learning new techniques and teaching them what you’ve picked up along the way? Of course you would! Online networking with Twitter and other outlets allows you to learn of the ways others found success and what they might have done wrong. Me personally, the route I’m going is by giving specialized, individual shout outs to those that follow me. Personal props aimed at the individual with a hashtag (the # symbol) WritersHelpingWriters. Go ahead and look it up, I’m dominating that sucker! I do this now, because I can. I have a small group of people following me and at the same time, I can still manage the number. I hope one day I have so many followers and fans that I can’t keep up, but isn’t that everyone’s dream?
Remember this: you are an explorer. You are venturing into an unknown world – unknown to you, anyway – and with any adventure into uncharted territory, you’d be smart to be prepared and ready. So understand what you are getting yourself into, where the pitfalls lie, and where to look for aid, understanding, and wisdom.
That is what will make this more than an adventure. It will make it an odyssey.
Recently, I tried to think of the best example to use as a comparison for the flourishing industry that is Indie Publishing, E-books, and the newfound driven initiative in the writing world to not only be world creators, but entrepreneurs, as well. A slew of ideas arose from my mind’s murky depths for the setting I wanted to paint. My original thought was a battleground or a warzone, the solider running through muddied enemy ground clutching not a rifle or a weapon, but a Kindle, an Ipad, or a Nook. Call me a romantic, but I think after years of gloomy war stories shoved down our throats in the news, I think we need a break from all that. Besides, that’s too brutal for this competition, because there are no enemies on this planet, no one is battling anyone but themselves and time. So, bad example.
My next image was of a jungle or a forest. I saw a forest with the creepy-crawlies, dense outcroppings of vegetation hiding what’s around the next bend, and the buoyant notion that there may be the treasure of a lost civilization hidden somewhere in the form of major success the likes of Amanda Hocking, John Locke or J.A. Konrath. While that example is good, it’s too small of an illustration, even for the idea of the Amazon (the jungle, not the publisher) or the Congo being the true representation of this new arena of writing and E-books.
Because I’m a sci-fi and horror writer (“speculative fiction writer”, if you want), I tend to catch myself daydreaming about unknown planets and what they might contain. And honestly, that is the right frame of mind for this new way of publishing. Imagine the astronauts a hundred years from now landing on a distant planet, only for it to have the same variety of environments that earth has with jungles, deserts, plains and oceans, vast and plentiful. Those brave space explorers never would’ve dreamed of the opportunity and richness that was awaiting them. Naturally, cultivation would have been the next obvious step.
With cultivation comes the creation of tools that are necessary to produce the fruits of your labors. In this new world of storytelling, having good narration, a solid plot, and realistic characters are all still very important – the most important, in fact. But now, there is a business sense that is utilized, a charm for connecting with your readers though gorilla marketing tactics and a street hustle that is worthy of a downtown pusher. No one said staking claim in a new world would be easy. The Pilgrims knew it, those astronauts will know it, and if you venture into this new world, you will know it too.
My first brush with self-publishing came around the same time "Y2K" was the big buzzword of the moment to strike fear in our forever-credulous society. Twelve years later, we have Fred Camping and The Mayans. Yet, the world continues to spin like a broken record, skipping on the same tired, play-out song, but I digress. Anyway, I was working in construction and had been dabbling on the side in writing with big dreams of instant success. While I was working in an office building one week, I happened to spy a book being displayed on one of the office dweller’s desks. If memory serves correctly, I believe the cover showed two scuba divers fighting a giant squid in an underwater cave.
My heart soared. I couldn’t believe I had the unbelievable luck to run into a real published author. The questions raced through my mind, trying to figure out how I could strike up a conversation, or even a passing comment to get a better understanding of how he did it. When the moment finally came, what was his answer? “Oh that?” he said, turning to the displayed book. “I self-published it, so, you know, I just went through a vanity press.” A dismissive hand wave quickly followed.
Today, it’s a completely different ballgame.
Something else I remember hearing around that same timeframe, and for quite a while beyond it, was that you should never expect to get rich in writing. “If you think you can be rich in writing, you’re in the wrong business,” was a popular catch phrase in publishing circles. While that is still true to a degree, we are going in the opposite direction of that belief system now. The possibility is there and within reach for all of us. Yes, a lot of hard work and dedication are needed, and that still won’t guarantee success or readers right away, but the tables are turning. This will probably come off as a broken record statement in itself, but when the supporters of self-publishing encourage you to get your name out there, work hard, network and, like mentioned earlier, write addictive, page-turning books, they are correct. Those are truly the essentials of this adventure.
This is a rapidly growing industry for new writers to celebrate and push their work. This is your time to shine, so if you are bringing something to this party, don’t bring a Ziploc bag with half-eaten Cheez-its. Be the star: bring a keg of beer, bring fine wine, bring the hip tunes that will kick the party into the next level, one that will go down in the record books. Bring your A-game, is what I’m trying to say. Don’t go into this half-assed without some modicum of professionalism. This is your face to the world. Remember that. Do you want to go in looking like Helen of Troy, having a face that could launch a thousand ships (or in this case, fans clambering for your book), or do you want to come into the game looking like you just went five rounds with Mike Tyson (figuratively speaking, of course)? This is your work, your baby, your love, and the amount of business-like professionalism you put into it for the reader will only spell more success for you and will ultimately reflect how truly serious you are about this. It’ll show how bad you want it because you’re not fooling around. You want it. Now prove it.
If you were going to explore a place you’ve never been before, wouldn’t you bring the tools and, possibly, a guide to help you navigate through it? We’re not talking about Paris or Hong Kong here, either. If you were able to go trekking into the jungle, or a desert, wouldn’t you want to go in prepared? Wouldn’t your expedition be that much more enjoyable if you brought professional people along the way to spot the pitfalls and opportunities? Seek out those editors, those graphic designers for your cover, those fellow explorers, and create a marketing map to know where you are going and where you want to be.
The other thing: have fun with it, please. If you went to another country and you had the incredible luck to meet others that were just like you, wouldn’t you want to know what they were doing, how they were doing it, and what tools they were doing it with? And wouldn’t you have a ball doing it, learning new techniques and teaching them what you’ve picked up along the way? Of course you would! Online networking with Twitter and other outlets allows you to learn of the ways others found success and what they might have done wrong. Me personally, the route I’m going is by giving specialized, individual shout outs to those that follow me. Personal props aimed at the individual with a hashtag (the # symbol) WritersHelpingWriters. Go ahead and look it up, I’m dominating that sucker! I do this now, because I can. I have a small group of people following me and at the same time, I can still manage the number. I hope one day I have so many followers and fans that I can’t keep up, but isn’t that everyone’s dream?
Remember this: you are an explorer. You are venturing into an unknown world – unknown to you, anyway – and with any adventure into uncharted territory, you’d be smart to be prepared and ready. So understand what you are getting yourself into, where the pitfalls lie, and where to look for aid, understanding, and wisdom.
That is what will make this more than an adventure. It will make it an odyssey.
April 6, 2012
Inside the Writers Studio
The other day, I was floating down the 405 Interstate in Los Angeles on my magic carpet. While I drifted past the different exits leading to Hollywood, swirling my chalice of grape juice instead of my standard preference of rum (I was on the freeway, after all) I began to wonder, “Do writers have a self-serving, celebratory television show for them in the same way that actors do? Is there one out there that I don’t know about?” Sure, you have Charlie Rose, with his darkened void of a backdrop like something out of House of Leaves, and, admittedly, his show often features authors, discussing their work and methods of writing. Back in the day, Larry King used to have writers on as guests every so often. Fresh Air with Terri Gross has interviewed authors before on NPR, but again, not in the same visual and cradle-to-coffin way I’m talking about. And while you have the mega stars of publishing like King and Rowling popping in on Leno every once in a blue moon, there really isn’t a TV show out there that has the art of writing, and more importantly, the writers, as the main focus. Now, I’m no ratings analyst, but this can’t possibly be because there isn’t a market for it. Let’s face it, we live in a world with television shows based entirely around cupcakes and people who eat sofa cushioning and toilet paper. Yet, the belief is that writers wouldn’t want to watch a program interviewing other writers. Does that make any sense? Don’t you think readers would want to watch this too? Case in point: I recently read somewhere that there are over 30 million people in the world that identify as writers. You’re telling me there isn’t a market for a show focusing on the writing life?
With that being said, I have a crazy idea I’d like to share. This is my pitch, so tell me what you think.
Class. Elegance. Institution. Wouldn’t you say those words sum up the show Inside the Actors Studio? For those of you unfamiliar with the program, Pace University and The New School of Acting in New York City have invited famous actors for over 15 years to speak to a crowd of current acting students. While there, they discuss the craft, their careers, and what drew them to acting. The interview is bookended with questions of their personal life starting out – where they were born, their childhood – and ends with seven questions made famous by French television personality Bernard Pivot and questions from the audience. The interviews are televised – and have been since its inception in 1994 – with host and dean emeritus James Lipton on the cable network, Bravo! The stories are moving, inspirational, funny and most of all, surprising. Regardless of your feelings toward acting and Hollywood, there are some very stirring experiences and antidotes that will serve as a motivation in pursuit of your own dreams, no matter what they may be, urging you to never give up (see Hillary Swank’s and Jim Carrey’s episodes for examples of such).
This program has been a source of encouragement for many actors over the years and has become a cultural benchmark of the acting world in our society’s subconscious. In fact, the show has been spoofed several times on Saturday Night Live with Will Ferrell doing a hilarious impersonation of James Lipton (who, by the way, is 85 years old and doesn’t look a day over 60!). Even the opening suite by composer Angelo Badalamenti envelopes you in an emotional, swelling and uplifting shroud, putting you into a mind space of determination and pride concerning your own personal projects; the music whispers in your ears, you can do this, don’t give up. As you can probably tell, I’m a fan. If you haven’t watched any episodes, you should really give it a shot, if for nothing else, but the hope that it springs in you for your own dreams of success.
Now, imagine that same format presented for writers. Would you watch it? Not everyone wants to be a writer, and not everyone wants to be an actor, and neither does every writer want to be interviewed in front of hundreds of people. But, just for a moment, imagine watching that same one-on-one interview with a writer you adore, admire and look to for inspiration, having that connection, hearing funny inside stories about your favorite novel or short story, gleaning from the wisdom of their life in the business, or how you can handle your own set of challenges through their example. An hour-long feature of how they overcame their fears, what drove them, where the characters of their famous works were birthed, how they came to be, what inspired the story, and what they thought of the audience’s reaction to it would be an absolute thrill for fans. Wouldn’t you agree?
The idea of a reality show about a writer seems pretty boring, yes, but an intimate, conversational and funny chat about their careers and life would be, I believe, an honorable and encouraging outlet for those 30 million people looking for it. Imagine the hilarious quotes someone like Tom Robbins could offer to a national stage (not that he would partake in such a large spotlight, being so private). Or some of the bizarre stories Carl Hiaasen might share from the Miami Herald. And we’ve all heard Rowling’s story of rags to riches, but usually during interviews, like the ones on Inside the Actors Studio, quite a few surprises are revealed about the story and life of the interviewee that were never known before, giving the conversation an extra magical touch. Even some of the up-and-coming indie authors could have a shot at being in the hot seat, maybe establishing this interview as a kind of lofty target for their career.
Again, this was just a daydream on a freeway outside of Hollywood on my magic carpet, but what do you think?
With that being said, I have a crazy idea I’d like to share. This is my pitch, so tell me what you think.
Class. Elegance. Institution. Wouldn’t you say those words sum up the show Inside the Actors Studio? For those of you unfamiliar with the program, Pace University and The New School of Acting in New York City have invited famous actors for over 15 years to speak to a crowd of current acting students. While there, they discuss the craft, their careers, and what drew them to acting. The interview is bookended with questions of their personal life starting out – where they were born, their childhood – and ends with seven questions made famous by French television personality Bernard Pivot and questions from the audience. The interviews are televised – and have been since its inception in 1994 – with host and dean emeritus James Lipton on the cable network, Bravo! The stories are moving, inspirational, funny and most of all, surprising. Regardless of your feelings toward acting and Hollywood, there are some very stirring experiences and antidotes that will serve as a motivation in pursuit of your own dreams, no matter what they may be, urging you to never give up (see Hillary Swank’s and Jim Carrey’s episodes for examples of such).
This program has been a source of encouragement for many actors over the years and has become a cultural benchmark of the acting world in our society’s subconscious. In fact, the show has been spoofed several times on Saturday Night Live with Will Ferrell doing a hilarious impersonation of James Lipton (who, by the way, is 85 years old and doesn’t look a day over 60!). Even the opening suite by composer Angelo Badalamenti envelopes you in an emotional, swelling and uplifting shroud, putting you into a mind space of determination and pride concerning your own personal projects; the music whispers in your ears, you can do this, don’t give up. As you can probably tell, I’m a fan. If you haven’t watched any episodes, you should really give it a shot, if for nothing else, but the hope that it springs in you for your own dreams of success.
Now, imagine that same format presented for writers. Would you watch it? Not everyone wants to be a writer, and not everyone wants to be an actor, and neither does every writer want to be interviewed in front of hundreds of people. But, just for a moment, imagine watching that same one-on-one interview with a writer you adore, admire and look to for inspiration, having that connection, hearing funny inside stories about your favorite novel or short story, gleaning from the wisdom of their life in the business, or how you can handle your own set of challenges through their example. An hour-long feature of how they overcame their fears, what drove them, where the characters of their famous works were birthed, how they came to be, what inspired the story, and what they thought of the audience’s reaction to it would be an absolute thrill for fans. Wouldn’t you agree?
The idea of a reality show about a writer seems pretty boring, yes, but an intimate, conversational and funny chat about their careers and life would be, I believe, an honorable and encouraging outlet for those 30 million people looking for it. Imagine the hilarious quotes someone like Tom Robbins could offer to a national stage (not that he would partake in such a large spotlight, being so private). Or some of the bizarre stories Carl Hiaasen might share from the Miami Herald. And we’ve all heard Rowling’s story of rags to riches, but usually during interviews, like the ones on Inside the Actors Studio, quite a few surprises are revealed about the story and life of the interviewee that were never known before, giving the conversation an extra magical touch. Even some of the up-and-coming indie authors could have a shot at being in the hot seat, maybe establishing this interview as a kind of lofty target for their career.
Again, this was just a daydream on a freeway outside of Hollywood on my magic carpet, but what do you think?
March 16, 2012
To Stir in your Juices or be a Flash in the Pan
Before I start this tirade, I should let you know right off that I understand every writer is different. The way you choose to dig up ideas, execute them to the page, edit your work and publish them to the world is all your business. It’s your baby, after all. And rest assured, this article is just as much for you as it is for me, because while I see some writers twittering about what they are writing, how many words they’ve written that day and practically giving the story away through social media, I admittedly have a tendency to do the exact opposite. Reason being is because I have a focus problem. I admit it.
I tend to work on several stories at once, never able to finish one completely and wholly without the distraction of other stories getting in the way. And when I do finally finish one, I tend to put it aside, and move on to the next idea I have burning in the back of my head, usually without editing and applying the polishing final touches that are needed while in the heat and passion of writing the story. In doing this, I’ll usually lose the story's drive, feeling it sputter like an airplane, before the sputter becomes a powerless glide through the air, which leads to the eventual freefall back to earth with less than desirable consequences. No, my stories don’t explode in my face, and I think I’ve tamed my pen from writing myself into a corner, but, unfortunately, some of those ideas tend to remain grounded for a while before I'm able to rekindle the same spark that made them fly in the first place.
Now, in spite of this, I do believe a rolling stone gathers no moss, but that should never mean you can’t stop and enjoy the scenery at all. Just know the difference in stopping to smell the roses and setting up camp to live. To me, giving yourself and your work a breather shouldn’t be frowned upon. It should be encouraged. This sort of ties in with my Nanowrimo blog post a few months back when I alluded to waiting on the story and letting it, not so much fester, but simmer in its juices. You are the writer after all, so you are the chef, the one serving up the story steaming and delicious to the reader’s mental palate.
Factoid about me: I’m no vegetarian. Not by a long shot. I love ribs and roasts and what I think any meat lover will agree with me on is the best kind of meat is the kind that falls off the bone. The kind that tastes like it could melt in your mouth, tender and succulent. How does that happen? Well, in Casa de Ratliff, we have a slow cooker. After applying the right amount of spices, water, bouillon cubes and broth, we wait…very…very patiently. Soon, the smells begin to fill the house, creeping into the air like a discreet morning fog. You’ve employed everything you could think of when you were prepping the meat, adding all the right fixings and setting the temperature just right.
Now, as you wait for the food, do you sit right by the slow cooker, peering in every couple of minutes? No, you go do other things: prepare the sides, bake the rolls, get the plates out, do a load of laundry, network online, feed the hippos, flirt with your supermodel wife, engage in some yoga, work on a story, bend time and space… Oh, wait. That’s me.
Anyway, you get the point. But what is it that you have to do with that roast? You have to check on it. You have to turn it over so one side isn’t dry and the other is a juicy perfection that would bring Vikings to their knees, tears streaming down their faces, claiming it’s a celebration in their mouths and all of Valhalla is invited. Sure, that one side is great, but you don’t want that. You want all of it to be perfect, don’t you? You want every bit of that roast to be delicious and tender, not just one side. If you haven’t stopped reading by now and ventured into the kitchen, you’ve probably figured out that this is how I write.
In that same line of thinking - not to justify a stagnant work ethic - let’s not think that it’s ok to let the roast sit for too long either. If you do, the meat will be tough and hard to work with no matter how much sauce you add, no matter how many other garnishes you make, no matter how sweet the tea is. Such a disgrace would bring a Nordic massacre of bloodshed and plunder upon your house. What I'm saying here is Mind Your Meat. That’s all I’m asking.
When readers come hungry to the dinner table, or the couch or the porch or the lanai, they’re looking for a good meal, something to sink their teeth into and enjoy. Do you want them to struggle with it, crewing vacantly in an attempt to think of something else other than the catcher’s mitt they’re eating? No. You want them to take that first glorious bite, roll their eyes into the back of their head, lean back in tongue slathering ecstasy and allow the food to declare war on their taste buds. That’s what I do when I finally eat something I’ve been craving. I slowly close my eyes, blocking out all other senses to allow my mouth to relish in every single flavor. And I expect that down to the very last bite.
If you’ve never experienced that with reading or even your own writing – which given the platform I’ve presented this piece on I think it’s safe to say many of you have – you need to find something that will. Writers, are you giving your story away, raw, undercooked, and still way too pink for human consumption? Or is it tough and chewy and old? Or is it that picture perfect color, tinder, juicy, the words falling off the page? Because, if you think about it, why else would the pages of some novels be "Bone-colored"?
Dig in, everybody.
I tend to work on several stories at once, never able to finish one completely and wholly without the distraction of other stories getting in the way. And when I do finally finish one, I tend to put it aside, and move on to the next idea I have burning in the back of my head, usually without editing and applying the polishing final touches that are needed while in the heat and passion of writing the story. In doing this, I’ll usually lose the story's drive, feeling it sputter like an airplane, before the sputter becomes a powerless glide through the air, which leads to the eventual freefall back to earth with less than desirable consequences. No, my stories don’t explode in my face, and I think I’ve tamed my pen from writing myself into a corner, but, unfortunately, some of those ideas tend to remain grounded for a while before I'm able to rekindle the same spark that made them fly in the first place.
Now, in spite of this, I do believe a rolling stone gathers no moss, but that should never mean you can’t stop and enjoy the scenery at all. Just know the difference in stopping to smell the roses and setting up camp to live. To me, giving yourself and your work a breather shouldn’t be frowned upon. It should be encouraged. This sort of ties in with my Nanowrimo blog post a few months back when I alluded to waiting on the story and letting it, not so much fester, but simmer in its juices. You are the writer after all, so you are the chef, the one serving up the story steaming and delicious to the reader’s mental palate.
Factoid about me: I’m no vegetarian. Not by a long shot. I love ribs and roasts and what I think any meat lover will agree with me on is the best kind of meat is the kind that falls off the bone. The kind that tastes like it could melt in your mouth, tender and succulent. How does that happen? Well, in Casa de Ratliff, we have a slow cooker. After applying the right amount of spices, water, bouillon cubes and broth, we wait…very…very patiently. Soon, the smells begin to fill the house, creeping into the air like a discreet morning fog. You’ve employed everything you could think of when you were prepping the meat, adding all the right fixings and setting the temperature just right.
Now, as you wait for the food, do you sit right by the slow cooker, peering in every couple of minutes? No, you go do other things: prepare the sides, bake the rolls, get the plates out, do a load of laundry, network online, feed the hippos, flirt with your supermodel wife, engage in some yoga, work on a story, bend time and space… Oh, wait. That’s me.
Anyway, you get the point. But what is it that you have to do with that roast? You have to check on it. You have to turn it over so one side isn’t dry and the other is a juicy perfection that would bring Vikings to their knees, tears streaming down their faces, claiming it’s a celebration in their mouths and all of Valhalla is invited. Sure, that one side is great, but you don’t want that. You want all of it to be perfect, don’t you? You want every bit of that roast to be delicious and tender, not just one side. If you haven’t stopped reading by now and ventured into the kitchen, you’ve probably figured out that this is how I write.
In that same line of thinking - not to justify a stagnant work ethic - let’s not think that it’s ok to let the roast sit for too long either. If you do, the meat will be tough and hard to work with no matter how much sauce you add, no matter how many other garnishes you make, no matter how sweet the tea is. Such a disgrace would bring a Nordic massacre of bloodshed and plunder upon your house. What I'm saying here is Mind Your Meat. That’s all I’m asking.
When readers come hungry to the dinner table, or the couch or the porch or the lanai, they’re looking for a good meal, something to sink their teeth into and enjoy. Do you want them to struggle with it, crewing vacantly in an attempt to think of something else other than the catcher’s mitt they’re eating? No. You want them to take that first glorious bite, roll their eyes into the back of their head, lean back in tongue slathering ecstasy and allow the food to declare war on their taste buds. That’s what I do when I finally eat something I’ve been craving. I slowly close my eyes, blocking out all other senses to allow my mouth to relish in every single flavor. And I expect that down to the very last bite.
If you’ve never experienced that with reading or even your own writing – which given the platform I’ve presented this piece on I think it’s safe to say many of you have – you need to find something that will. Writers, are you giving your story away, raw, undercooked, and still way too pink for human consumption? Or is it tough and chewy and old? Or is it that picture perfect color, tinder, juicy, the words falling off the page? Because, if you think about it, why else would the pages of some novels be "Bone-colored"?
Dig in, everybody.
February 17, 2012
Cheap Thrills Abound
Are there any writers out there that can name one single comparison to the unadulterated, guilt-free, Cloud-nine ecstasy that is an amazing review of your work?
Sure, you could name several things close to it. Maybe it’s your favorite snack food, or the relief of conquering a bad cold. Perhaps it’s an incredible night’s sleep, or catching a smokin’ hottie checking you out at Quiznos. The only problem is that a lot people are familiar with those things, writers or not. I know I am, and every one of those things have absolutely nothing to do with my writing.
I’ve tried to think of one. I have. But I can’t seem to find anything to parallel that unique kind of bliss, can you? When you get that high rating and those glorious words of recommendation – “oh yes, this writer is somebody, they’re going places, yes-sir-ree, they’ll be on the cover of Time magazine in six months, I’d put money on it…” – there’s nothing comparable, is there?
Now, you can argue that getting any kind of compliment from anyone is a wonderful thing, and indeed, it is. But there is a monumental difference in getting props from friends and family and getting them from complete, total strangers. When the compliments are concerning your work, your stories and your opinions, well, I’m going to be blunt here and speak for all writers everywhere – it’s utterly divine. That kind of nirvana should be illegal it’s so filthy and delicious.
And writers, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, either. You smile just thinking about that one glowing review…you know the one I mean…the one that made you feel like you were Jeremy Lin for a day. Or how about the review that brightened your whole month, the one that made you feel like your soul ate a whole bathtub of bonbons. Don’t those delectable words of praise make you feel dirty in a really, really good way? In a sense, don’t you feel like you stumbled upon a magical wellspring spewing Care Bear levels of mirth and merriment that no one else knows about? Isn’t it a thrill?
A cheap thrill? Because it is cheap, right?
Obviously, you couldn’t get the thrill yourself, completely on your own. That glowing review was a thrill that had to be passed on from one person to another, from reader to writer. Even if you ran to the store and picked up a pint of double chocolate mint, no one gave it to you, and you did all the work on your own (what little work there was in going to the store and getting your mitts on it).
Except, the thing of it is, you still had to work for that review, didn’t you? Who am I kidding? Especially with your flattering review, you had to work for it! You put a lot of time and effort in your novel, your short story, your published article, your blog. Whether it was a piece of flash fiction clocked in at under 1500 words or a 900 page Pynchon-sized tome, the effort you put forth didn’t come cheap, because it took time.
Pro Tip: other than oxygen and sleep, time is the most valuable thing we have. I firmly believe that. It’s not money or friends, or even love. Money comes and goes. Friends come and go. Love comes and goes. But every one of those can be cultivated with time. When you’re on your deathbed, knowing the end is nigh, what is it that we all want a little bit more of? Time. Time to right the wrongs, to do it differently, to do it over again, to be better than what we were, to be happier and to be more fulfilled.
The point I’m trying to make here, before I saunter off into a discussion of deathbed confessionals, is that even the smallest amount of time taken out to write that review gives the author a colossal thrill. Writers, wouldn’t you agree?
And in that same line of thinking, it’s cheap. If our time equated out to a monetary value, the couple of minutes it takes to rate and give a few kind words to the author, to be displayed for all to see, is really fractions of pennies. You already invested the time and focus and brain juice on the story, why not go the extra mile and throw some stars their way (as long as they’re not ninja stars). I promise you, they will really appreciate it and will probably praise you right back for being such an incredible human being. And honestly, since we’re talking about it, don’t YOU feel good, too, after giving a kind, meaningful compliment? It means so much to authors, even if it’s just a couple of sentences: “Good job on the character development!” “That was a great idea to make the secondary characters fall in love!” “I pee’d myself with unabashed glee when the group of rabid mutant narwhals ate the bad guy!” There’s a certain we’re-all-in-it-together aura about such a deed, isn’t there?
And when you’re on your deathbed, reflecting on what you’ve done and the cheap thrills you experienced in life (not that you would necessarily be thinking about ice cream in those final moments, but who knows, maybe you would), you may not feel like you made a difference, but you did. You made a difference in that author’s life and career. You can take that to the bank. What did Willy Wonka say just after little Charlie Bucket returned the tiny nugget of Everlasting Gobstopper? “So shines a good deed in a weary world.”
Indeed.
Sure, you could name several things close to it. Maybe it’s your favorite snack food, or the relief of conquering a bad cold. Perhaps it’s an incredible night’s sleep, or catching a smokin’ hottie checking you out at Quiznos. The only problem is that a lot people are familiar with those things, writers or not. I know I am, and every one of those things have absolutely nothing to do with my writing.
I’ve tried to think of one. I have. But I can’t seem to find anything to parallel that unique kind of bliss, can you? When you get that high rating and those glorious words of recommendation – “oh yes, this writer is somebody, they’re going places, yes-sir-ree, they’ll be on the cover of Time magazine in six months, I’d put money on it…” – there’s nothing comparable, is there?
Now, you can argue that getting any kind of compliment from anyone is a wonderful thing, and indeed, it is. But there is a monumental difference in getting props from friends and family and getting them from complete, total strangers. When the compliments are concerning your work, your stories and your opinions, well, I’m going to be blunt here and speak for all writers everywhere – it’s utterly divine. That kind of nirvana should be illegal it’s so filthy and delicious.
And writers, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, either. You smile just thinking about that one glowing review…you know the one I mean…the one that made you feel like you were Jeremy Lin for a day. Or how about the review that brightened your whole month, the one that made you feel like your soul ate a whole bathtub of bonbons. Don’t those delectable words of praise make you feel dirty in a really, really good way? In a sense, don’t you feel like you stumbled upon a magical wellspring spewing Care Bear levels of mirth and merriment that no one else knows about? Isn’t it a thrill?
A cheap thrill? Because it is cheap, right?
Obviously, you couldn’t get the thrill yourself, completely on your own. That glowing review was a thrill that had to be passed on from one person to another, from reader to writer. Even if you ran to the store and picked up a pint of double chocolate mint, no one gave it to you, and you did all the work on your own (what little work there was in going to the store and getting your mitts on it).
Except, the thing of it is, you still had to work for that review, didn’t you? Who am I kidding? Especially with your flattering review, you had to work for it! You put a lot of time and effort in your novel, your short story, your published article, your blog. Whether it was a piece of flash fiction clocked in at under 1500 words or a 900 page Pynchon-sized tome, the effort you put forth didn’t come cheap, because it took time.
Pro Tip: other than oxygen and sleep, time is the most valuable thing we have. I firmly believe that. It’s not money or friends, or even love. Money comes and goes. Friends come and go. Love comes and goes. But every one of those can be cultivated with time. When you’re on your deathbed, knowing the end is nigh, what is it that we all want a little bit more of? Time. Time to right the wrongs, to do it differently, to do it over again, to be better than what we were, to be happier and to be more fulfilled.
The point I’m trying to make here, before I saunter off into a discussion of deathbed confessionals, is that even the smallest amount of time taken out to write that review gives the author a colossal thrill. Writers, wouldn’t you agree?
And in that same line of thinking, it’s cheap. If our time equated out to a monetary value, the couple of minutes it takes to rate and give a few kind words to the author, to be displayed for all to see, is really fractions of pennies. You already invested the time and focus and brain juice on the story, why not go the extra mile and throw some stars their way (as long as they’re not ninja stars). I promise you, they will really appreciate it and will probably praise you right back for being such an incredible human being. And honestly, since we’re talking about it, don’t YOU feel good, too, after giving a kind, meaningful compliment? It means so much to authors, even if it’s just a couple of sentences: “Good job on the character development!” “That was a great idea to make the secondary characters fall in love!” “I pee’d myself with unabashed glee when the group of rabid mutant narwhals ate the bad guy!” There’s a certain we’re-all-in-it-together aura about such a deed, isn’t there?
And when you’re on your deathbed, reflecting on what you’ve done and the cheap thrills you experienced in life (not that you would necessarily be thinking about ice cream in those final moments, but who knows, maybe you would), you may not feel like you made a difference, but you did. You made a difference in that author’s life and career. You can take that to the bank. What did Willy Wonka say just after little Charlie Bucket returned the tiny nugget of Everlasting Gobstopper? “So shines a good deed in a weary world.”
Indeed.
January 20, 2012
Our Escapism: Beauty and Hope in the Written Word
Escapism is such a malleable and beautiful word. We all have our own versions of escapism, and in all honesty, I think we can all agree that the best kind of escape is a two-week vacation to our Happy Place. Given, we’re human, and we still need those little moments to getaway, to break out of the shell of working the 9-5, the mundane, the stacking bills, the problems inside and outside our ability to control and, let’s face it, our families and friends, too. Everyone has those escape pods they employ to blast out of – reality TV, sports, and video games are just a few varied examples.
For writers, though, I believe we have a different kind of escape. This isn’t saying that writers have it better, but there is a special sense of satisfaction, completion and exuberance that comes in how we escape from the bubble of our everyday. Most people would dread or shutter at the idea of writing as any kind of escape since most, understandably, look at it as work. Hard work. Well, it is. Anyone who feels that way has every right too, understandably, but this article is for all of my writing friends - and all the writers I haven’t befriended yet - who toil over the screen, the keyboard, the social networks, and most importantly, their dreams and the caverns of their imaginations.
Obviously, artists, sculptors, dancers, singers, musicians, actors and any other creative person has their own outlet they use in a similar kind of example. Even athletes use training and the love of their game as a way to break free, to be them wholly and without discretion. But with writing, there is a difference in the mental energy you expend, with the worlds you create, with the people you birth, the plots, troubles and situations you put these people in, from the opening lines all the way to the last word, the themes, the message and the ideas you want to share all burn inside your head. Think of Tolkien and the gobs of knowledge and language and creatures he packed into his books. Think of Lovecraft and the way he built his own mythology around vast and terrible beings throughout space and behind its darkened cloak. Think of the way you were moved in reading Richard Wright or the way you laughed in reading George Carlin or the way you were seduced in reading Anne Rice. The stories we write are windows into an alternate universe that we have perfect views of in our heads. Our heads, and no one else’s. With the story we write, we’re inviting the audience to come see what we’ve been seeing and meet who we’ve been talking too. There is such beauty in that for writers, because that is where the escapism lies, not just for you, but for every single one of your readers. For us, we’ve already visited these places and met these people. We know everything about them. Now, it’s our audience’s turn by getting a nice fat postcard from us in the form of a written story to move them, make them cry, or transform their way of thinking. It is the picture we paint, the movie we direct.
As writers, writing is the time when we are wholly us. When we can be us in the purest sense of the word, because we are not only pouring ourselves into a document, but we are showing others what is rattling round in our heads, how we feel, what we see, what scares us and what touches us. Richard Pryor used to be completely and unabashedly open to his audience and in so many words, we are doing the same with the expressions we write and the stories we tell, letting everyone in and showing the world and future generations what we have in our hearts.
Writing is hard work. It’s patient work and lonely work and can turn a lot of us very cynical very quickly. But there is so much hope in the written word, in the different novels and various ways we see ourselves and the society we’ve built for our children in the short time we are here. We are the lost photographs and home movies the future will uncover in the attic of history, to be looked upon with wonder as to what it was like to live during such a turning point of tragedies and joys, of ups and downs. So many people reenact living in the 1920’s, medieval times, the old west, the days of pirates, all of which are other means of escapism. Except, no one stops to think that someday people will be reenacting us. And yes, we will have the films, the music, the art and everything else to show how it was. But with writing, they will know how we felt, what we we’re thinking, too. They’ll know the depths of our pain, the heights of our worries and the intensity of our love.
As writers, we are the record keepers. When readers read us, our work is the vessel, the escape pod for future escapees. For the people who will need a break from their time and who will want to come back to ours to witness what was going on in our heads concerning the issues we faced and how we succeeded and failed at them. It’s incredible to think about, a circle of constant communication through the ages, from the dead to the living, from the past to the present.
So with this in mind, what will you write? What will you bring to the table, not only for your readers today who want escape, but for future generations, as well? Will you stand out as different? Will you add to the growing feast? Will you take them on a vacation they’ll never forget?
Will you let them escape?
For writers, though, I believe we have a different kind of escape. This isn’t saying that writers have it better, but there is a special sense of satisfaction, completion and exuberance that comes in how we escape from the bubble of our everyday. Most people would dread or shutter at the idea of writing as any kind of escape since most, understandably, look at it as work. Hard work. Well, it is. Anyone who feels that way has every right too, understandably, but this article is for all of my writing friends - and all the writers I haven’t befriended yet - who toil over the screen, the keyboard, the social networks, and most importantly, their dreams and the caverns of their imaginations.
Obviously, artists, sculptors, dancers, singers, musicians, actors and any other creative person has their own outlet they use in a similar kind of example. Even athletes use training and the love of their game as a way to break free, to be them wholly and without discretion. But with writing, there is a difference in the mental energy you expend, with the worlds you create, with the people you birth, the plots, troubles and situations you put these people in, from the opening lines all the way to the last word, the themes, the message and the ideas you want to share all burn inside your head. Think of Tolkien and the gobs of knowledge and language and creatures he packed into his books. Think of Lovecraft and the way he built his own mythology around vast and terrible beings throughout space and behind its darkened cloak. Think of the way you were moved in reading Richard Wright or the way you laughed in reading George Carlin or the way you were seduced in reading Anne Rice. The stories we write are windows into an alternate universe that we have perfect views of in our heads. Our heads, and no one else’s. With the story we write, we’re inviting the audience to come see what we’ve been seeing and meet who we’ve been talking too. There is such beauty in that for writers, because that is where the escapism lies, not just for you, but for every single one of your readers. For us, we’ve already visited these places and met these people. We know everything about them. Now, it’s our audience’s turn by getting a nice fat postcard from us in the form of a written story to move them, make them cry, or transform their way of thinking. It is the picture we paint, the movie we direct.
As writers, writing is the time when we are wholly us. When we can be us in the purest sense of the word, because we are not only pouring ourselves into a document, but we are showing others what is rattling round in our heads, how we feel, what we see, what scares us and what touches us. Richard Pryor used to be completely and unabashedly open to his audience and in so many words, we are doing the same with the expressions we write and the stories we tell, letting everyone in and showing the world and future generations what we have in our hearts.
Writing is hard work. It’s patient work and lonely work and can turn a lot of us very cynical very quickly. But there is so much hope in the written word, in the different novels and various ways we see ourselves and the society we’ve built for our children in the short time we are here. We are the lost photographs and home movies the future will uncover in the attic of history, to be looked upon with wonder as to what it was like to live during such a turning point of tragedies and joys, of ups and downs. So many people reenact living in the 1920’s, medieval times, the old west, the days of pirates, all of which are other means of escapism. Except, no one stops to think that someday people will be reenacting us. And yes, we will have the films, the music, the art and everything else to show how it was. But with writing, they will know how we felt, what we we’re thinking, too. They’ll know the depths of our pain, the heights of our worries and the intensity of our love.
As writers, we are the record keepers. When readers read us, our work is the vessel, the escape pod for future escapees. For the people who will need a break from their time and who will want to come back to ours to witness what was going on in our heads concerning the issues we faced and how we succeeded and failed at them. It’s incredible to think about, a circle of constant communication through the ages, from the dead to the living, from the past to the present.
So with this in mind, what will you write? What will you bring to the table, not only for your readers today who want escape, but for future generations, as well? Will you stand out as different? Will you add to the growing feast? Will you take them on a vacation they’ll never forget?
Will you let them escape?
January 13, 2012
MLK Jr Weekend Campaign
Happy Friday Everyone and welcome to the long weekend!
I have a big announcement to make. For this long MLK Jr. weekend, I’m doing two things. One: both my short story Little Bernie's Map and my Novella The Uninvited Guest are both going on sale this weekend for free! Why am I doing this? Because starting today, for every new fan and friend I gain here on Goodreads, for every new follower I get on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook, I will donate .10¢ to NaNoWriMo.
For those of you that don’t know, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a month long competition that pits your writing skills against the clock and urges people to write a novel in the month of November with a total word count of 50,000 words or more. I’ve competed and won for the past two years. In doing this, I found it’s a fantastic way to get people to challenge their minds and even their hearts, egging them on to try something they might have never thought possible before. You can read more about my thoughts on Nanowrimo in my previous blog post from last month.
In any case, they need support and donations to keep the wheels turning each year. Check out their website at nanowrimo.org and don't forget to hit that Fan/Friend button up there too! It'll count for $0.10!
Thanks Everyone!
I have a big announcement to make. For this long MLK Jr. weekend, I’m doing two things. One: both my short story Little Bernie's Map and my Novella The Uninvited Guest are both going on sale this weekend for free! Why am I doing this? Because starting today, for every new fan and friend I gain here on Goodreads, for every new follower I get on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook, I will donate .10¢ to NaNoWriMo.
For those of you that don’t know, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a month long competition that pits your writing skills against the clock and urges people to write a novel in the month of November with a total word count of 50,000 words or more. I’ve competed and won for the past two years. In doing this, I found it’s a fantastic way to get people to challenge their minds and even their hearts, egging them on to try something they might have never thought possible before. You can read more about my thoughts on Nanowrimo in my previous blog post from last month.
In any case, they need support and donations to keep the wheels turning each year. Check out their website at nanowrimo.org and don't forget to hit that Fan/Friend button up there too! It'll count for $0.10!
Thanks Everyone!
December 27, 2011
National Novel Writing Month, 2011: An Exercise in Balancing Literary Initiative with Proud Scholarly Recklessness
Welp, it’s over, and has been for a while now. December and the year 2011 are both about to end and NaNoWriMo has become a distant memory for another 10 months or so. I’m sure you’ve recouped by now, right? I hope you have a sequel or something already mulling around in your head. You’ve had a month off to think about it and once the new year starts, well, we all know how time flies. November will be here before you know it! Better start crackin’! Do you have any characters in mind? How’s your plot coming, huh? HUH?
Seriously, though, I hope that whether you reached the ultimate goal of 50,000 words or not, you still feel accomplished, because you should. Even if you merely started and couldn’t get past 500 words, you should still feel fulfilled, because what you did with those 500 words is start. Many writers gave themselves the benefit of the doubt by setting a personal goal of reaching 20,000 words in a month, or 10,000 words, which is still 20,000 and 10,000 more than the person who didn’t sign up at all. You did it, you took the chance, and even now, you have a base to work with. You have a beginning or a middle or an end to water and flourish in the garden of your imagination. Those 500 words you mustered up could be the very seed you needed to push yourself to a completed novel. Because in the end, that’s the most important thing of all: trying and starting.
At the beginning of the month, I came across a year-old article that irked me to no end and I feel what was said in it took the recently departed Christopher Hitchens’ quote a little too far when he said, “Everyone has a book in them, it’s just for most people that’s exactly where it should stay.” Now that I’m a month older and wiser, I know now the article was only written to generate traffic for the writer’s site, purely done for self-promotion by going against the grain and stirring the pot. The article essentially bashed on Nano for encouraging people who had never tried their hand at, or didn’t know how, to write a novel. The writer pressed them not to even attempt it because of ignoring the simple warning of EDITING. Many times, calling the work birthed from Nano as nothing but “crap” and claiming the whole exercise was a waste of time.
This is a crime. No one should ever tell anyone else whether they can do something or not. If they try and didn’t enjoy it, or openly know they don’t have what it takes to make it, that is a different story. But if the month of November is the trigger, the single catalyst that sets in motion something that someone has wanted to do for years, maybe even decades, why on earth should they be stopped? Because another agent doesn’t want to wade through their growing mound of slush? Last time I checked, that’s their job, so that’s an invalid argument to me. That’s equal to a writer not writing because the words won’t come, or the story they have in their hearts is too big. To a lesser degree, as far as creative comparisons go, that’s a 19th century gold digger coming to the mountain with his pick axe and deciding not to dig because the mountain looks too intimidating. The real issue lies in writers doing their jobs and agents doing theirs.
Yes, I’ll be the first to say that it’s very, very premature to write a novel and then just slap a stamp on it and ship it to New York, just as it’s completely irrational to upload it online to self-publish without the proper editing and revision. As much as you want your words to be read and considered, take the proper steps first, writers, but don’t get dejected. Don’t get downtrodden. Don’t give up. Don’t think you can’t try.
And please, please have fun with it.
The most fun you can have in Nanowrimo is when you discover the most surprising things that come out of your head when under pressure and in competition mode. I did, and it’s the most exhilarating part of the experience. This past year, I engaged and pushed myself to write a story I’ve had drifting through my imagination for over a decade, but not knowing how to execute it. I knew it would be grandiose and bizarre and strange and a complete roller coaster ride to write, but I didn’t expect it to come as easily as it did or be as fun in the process. This isn’t me flaunting my writing abilities, by any means. Believe me, there were many times in November I didn’t think I was going to make it, struggling with time, direction and ideas. In fact, for a whole week, I barely wrote anything at all because I was coming up with zilch.
So, when you’re able to push yourself and bring your imagination to it’s limits and write even when nothing is coming, you should be very proud of that. Writing isn’t easy. Good writing is even harder. No one is expecting you to write your most renown work in a month, but at the end of November, after the long weekend off and the Black Friday sales are gone and the turkey leftovers have a only a few days left in the fridge, you should have a skeleton of an idea. After that, it’s just adding the guts, muscles and skin.
What’s so great about Nanowrimo is that it’s a free pass to throw grammatical caution to the wind. Keeping in mind that no one is expecting perfection in that 30 day period allows you to feel completely free and unhinged on the page. Some of the characters and scenarios I came up with this time around are so far out in left field that I never dreamed I would have come up with them. Given, I haven’t looked at the document since November 30th, so while it may have sounded good at the time, it will more than likely need copious amounts of red ink and corrections.
Still, I have a new base to jump off of that I built myself, as do so many others around the world. Letting go and being completely crazy on the page is looked down upon in multitudes of conferences, classes, books and by teachers galore for the rest of year, so why not, for that one single month, let yourself be free to do what you want with a story? In the end, isn’t that what we are - creators who want to flex our imaginative muscle?
Besides, why else wouldDecember March be called NanoEDmo if it wasn’t the national month of editing?
Seriously, though, I hope that whether you reached the ultimate goal of 50,000 words or not, you still feel accomplished, because you should. Even if you merely started and couldn’t get past 500 words, you should still feel fulfilled, because what you did with those 500 words is start. Many writers gave themselves the benefit of the doubt by setting a personal goal of reaching 20,000 words in a month, or 10,000 words, which is still 20,000 and 10,000 more than the person who didn’t sign up at all. You did it, you took the chance, and even now, you have a base to work with. You have a beginning or a middle or an end to water and flourish in the garden of your imagination. Those 500 words you mustered up could be the very seed you needed to push yourself to a completed novel. Because in the end, that’s the most important thing of all: trying and starting.
At the beginning of the month, I came across a year-old article that irked me to no end and I feel what was said in it took the recently departed Christopher Hitchens’ quote a little too far when he said, “Everyone has a book in them, it’s just for most people that’s exactly where it should stay.” Now that I’m a month older and wiser, I know now the article was only written to generate traffic for the writer’s site, purely done for self-promotion by going against the grain and stirring the pot. The article essentially bashed on Nano for encouraging people who had never tried their hand at, or didn’t know how, to write a novel. The writer pressed them not to even attempt it because of ignoring the simple warning of EDITING. Many times, calling the work birthed from Nano as nothing but “crap” and claiming the whole exercise was a waste of time.
This is a crime. No one should ever tell anyone else whether they can do something or not. If they try and didn’t enjoy it, or openly know they don’t have what it takes to make it, that is a different story. But if the month of November is the trigger, the single catalyst that sets in motion something that someone has wanted to do for years, maybe even decades, why on earth should they be stopped? Because another agent doesn’t want to wade through their growing mound of slush? Last time I checked, that’s their job, so that’s an invalid argument to me. That’s equal to a writer not writing because the words won’t come, or the story they have in their hearts is too big. To a lesser degree, as far as creative comparisons go, that’s a 19th century gold digger coming to the mountain with his pick axe and deciding not to dig because the mountain looks too intimidating. The real issue lies in writers doing their jobs and agents doing theirs.
Yes, I’ll be the first to say that it’s very, very premature to write a novel and then just slap a stamp on it and ship it to New York, just as it’s completely irrational to upload it online to self-publish without the proper editing and revision. As much as you want your words to be read and considered, take the proper steps first, writers, but don’t get dejected. Don’t get downtrodden. Don’t give up. Don’t think you can’t try.
And please, please have fun with it.
The most fun you can have in Nanowrimo is when you discover the most surprising things that come out of your head when under pressure and in competition mode. I did, and it’s the most exhilarating part of the experience. This past year, I engaged and pushed myself to write a story I’ve had drifting through my imagination for over a decade, but not knowing how to execute it. I knew it would be grandiose and bizarre and strange and a complete roller coaster ride to write, but I didn’t expect it to come as easily as it did or be as fun in the process. This isn’t me flaunting my writing abilities, by any means. Believe me, there were many times in November I didn’t think I was going to make it, struggling with time, direction and ideas. In fact, for a whole week, I barely wrote anything at all because I was coming up with zilch.
So, when you’re able to push yourself and bring your imagination to it’s limits and write even when nothing is coming, you should be very proud of that. Writing isn’t easy. Good writing is even harder. No one is expecting you to write your most renown work in a month, but at the end of November, after the long weekend off and the Black Friday sales are gone and the turkey leftovers have a only a few days left in the fridge, you should have a skeleton of an idea. After that, it’s just adding the guts, muscles and skin.
What’s so great about Nanowrimo is that it’s a free pass to throw grammatical caution to the wind. Keeping in mind that no one is expecting perfection in that 30 day period allows you to feel completely free and unhinged on the page. Some of the characters and scenarios I came up with this time around are so far out in left field that I never dreamed I would have come up with them. Given, I haven’t looked at the document since November 30th, so while it may have sounded good at the time, it will more than likely need copious amounts of red ink and corrections.
Still, I have a new base to jump off of that I built myself, as do so many others around the world. Letting go and being completely crazy on the page is looked down upon in multitudes of conferences, classes, books and by teachers galore for the rest of year, so why not, for that one single month, let yourself be free to do what you want with a story? In the end, isn’t that what we are - creators who want to flex our imaginative muscle?
Besides, why else would
