Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 45

February 6, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 58,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on February 06, 2021 21:01

January 31, 2021

Fitting Platform Building into a Busy Life

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Although writing is the most important thing, there's always promo and platform building lurking in the background. And, for most of us, it's hard to find the time to fit it in when we're already juggling life and writing.

Obviously, if you have to choose between writing and promo, choose writing. At least, that's always been my choice. It definitely does help to have more than one book for sale.

But if you're able to do a bit more, here are some tips for fitting platform building into a hectic life:

Carefully pick social media platforms: Being on all the social media platforms is a rookie mistake, but one many of us have made. It's never good to spread yourself too thin. It's just too difficult to make an impact on all the platforms. Better to pick a couple that you really feel you could become at home on and focus your limited time on those.

Brainstorm social media content: Instead of leaving ideas up to the minute you're posting and then trying to force them, try brainstorming a bunch of post ideas at one time and keeping a list of them in a document. You can use posts like this one from Sandra Beckwith to help you plan.

Schedule social media: Schedule ahead so that you can stay on top of your social media during busier times. Use a free program like HootSuite to use a single dashboard for all your social media sites.

Batch tasks: I've learned that batching tasks is really helpful in terms of focus and productivity. When you have time to work on promo, try doing one particular task. Write five blog posts or create a couple of weeks worth of social media updates. Doing this helps to get into the zone and makes it go faster.

Assign certain tasks on certain days: Sometimes it's easier to keep up with platform building and social media updating if you put it on the calendar and try to make it particular days of the week. Maybe Wednesdays can be the day for creating social media content or Fridays can be the day you update your blog.

Put your website in your email signature: This is such a basic, small thing that it can be easily overlooked. But including your website in your email signature is a great, passive, way to let people know you're a writer and to offer an opportunity to learn more.

Keep Back Matter Updated: This is another passive way to get traffic to your book page. Make sure your back matter in your books includes a list of your books and your website and contact information.

This is how I keep on top of the chore of platforms and promo, but I'd love to hear how you fit it into your schedule. Any tips?

Tips for Fitting Platform Building Into a Busy Schedule:
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Published on January 31, 2021 21:01

January 30, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 30, 2021 21:01

January 24, 2021

Quick Fix: To-Do Lists

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

2020 was a tough year for most of us and sometimes the writing didn't come as easily to me as it usually does. It didn't mean that I stopped writing and gave in to it, though. I tried different approaches (one of them, working in longhand, I talked about in this December post. ) Some of my favorite workarounds for getting stuck didn't work so well in 2020…getting out of the house and working in a coffee shop or the library, for instance.

One thing that did help me out was a very simple tool: the basic to-do list.

I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, since I'm something of a list fanatic. I use them daily for everything from taking care of the pets, running errands, and tracking word count and social media tasks. I've also used them for fitting writing into short periods of free time. Lists also help me with layering different book elements in or tackling revision. I've written about tips for better list-making, too.

Lists help me stay organized but they also help with overwhelm. And writing a book while handling everything life throws at us can definitely be overwhelming.

So I decided to apply my list-making to my story since I was feeling overwhelmed by it.

This wasn't like my outlining process. I already had a working outline that I was going off of. And it wasn't quite like my mini-outlines, either, that I use for picking up with my story quickly the next day. This was more like getting me through the next few pages and quickly covering what I needed to do to get myself there.

It looked a little like this:

Georgia finishes talking about Sterling and Fletcher.

Posy says things have been so quiet at home with Cork gone.

Bonnie comes in like a whirlwind and acts like her previous conversation with Beatrice didn't happen.

Transition occurs: Days pass. Wyatt is asked by Petunia's family to officiate at the funeral.

It was sort of like bullet notes on a to-do list. The problem it fixed is that where my outline may have vague spots, the above list gives more of a concrete direction for me to head in for the next writing session.

Have you worked through any writing issues lately? Any tips for the rest of us?

Using a To-Do List to Keep From Getting Stuck:
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Published on January 24, 2021 21:05

January 23, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 57,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you're there, check out the Writer's Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 23, 2021 21:01

January 17, 2021

Returning to Writing After a Break

by Elizabeth Spann Craig, @elizabethscraig

2020 was a difficult year for all of us. I wrapped up my own difficult year with my father's death last month. I immediately stopped everything else I was doing and went to South Carolina to be with my mother who was devastated after losing her husband after 51 years of marriage. Aside from missing Daddy, a retired high school English teacher and college adjunct who was a major positive influence on me and my work, there was a lot of business surrounding his passing to attend to.

I didn't write. I was too exhausted to do it and way too knocked off my regimen in another state and with a completely different routine there.

Two weeks passed there and I felt . . . awful.

Besides missing Daddy and trying to come to terms with his death, the thing that bothered me most was the fact I hadn't written. I missed it. I missed my characters and the world I'd made up with them in it. My days just felt wrong.

My kids asked me when I'd last gone two weeks without writing and I had to think about it. 2007? 2002? Before my 19-year-old daughter was born? At any rate, a very long time ago.

Two weeks might not seem like much time. I totally understand that…others have great writing schedules where they do all their work on their project a few days out of the month. It's whatever works best for us…that's the right way to tackle writing. But for someone who writes every day as part of their process, two weeks felt like an eternity.

As soon as I returned home, and despite it being a couple of days before Christmas, I hesitantly opened my Word document. Here are my tips for doing so, if you have a longer-than-usual break from writing (whether it's a year, a month, or a few days) and are trying to return to your story.

Tips for Returning to Your Story After a Break

Take a clearly defined break. Maybe you realize you're not ready to take your story on yet. It can help to mark on your calendar the day you do want to delve into writing again.

Take it easy. Be forgiving of yourself and your efforts. Make sure self-care is a priority as you're trying to pick your project back up. Hydrate, sleep, take walks.

Set the bar low. You're probably not going to immediately return to your previous daily word-count. Better to set a very low temporary goal. Think about starting at just 5 minutes.

Consider re-reading what you've written. This is usually something I never do (because I end up feeling discouraged about my story or I jump into edit mode). But I needed to read at least the last few pages over to be sure I knew where I was picking up with my outline.

Use writing sprints. Sprints, either joining one on YouTube or doing one on your own with a timer, can be a great way to fit writing in. It helps knowing there's a relatively short window you're trying to stay focused in.

Adhere to your routine. Routines are everything to me. It's what makes writing muscle memory most of the time. For me, this is getting up at the same time every morning, letting the dog out, getting some water, and sitting down to write. Falling back into your usual schedule can help.

Or, conversely, don’t. And find a new one. You may find, however, that, for whatever reason, your old routine isn't working any longer. Experiment with a new one until you find a writing ritual that does.

I'm hoping we all have a better 2021! Have you had any unexpected breaks from writing? How have you gotten back into it again?

Tips for Returning to Writing Following a Break:
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Published on January 17, 2021 21:01

January 16, 2021

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 16, 2021 21:01

January 10, 2021

8 Growing Pains I had while Learning to Edit Equitably

by Megan Taylor Morrison

In the summer of 2018, I sat in my favorite café in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, writing the intro for my anthology Dance Adventures: True Stories About Dancing Abroad. While this was my first book, I had no anxiety about its writing — I was, after all, a professional. With a degree from a world-renowned journalism school and a track record of careful work that garnered praise, I thought myself more than up to the task.

Still, I knew Dance Adventures would require extreme diligence. I would not not just be releasing my own work, after all, but the work of renowned performers, dance educators and dance scholars whom I’d coached through the writing process. I wanted to make sure their short-stories represented each dance tradition and country respectfully, as well as did justice to the book’s premise: that dance is a potent force for meaningful, cross-cultural experiences abroad. I saw the potential for each story, as well as the collection as a whole, to demonstrate that dance can impact all of us, no matter our background.

For the next two years, I worked closely with the writers. And by the time May 2020 rolled around, I was both proud of what we’d created and exhausted. More than a little relieved to be done with the project, I began preparing for its public launch. Then, just before the book’s release, the Minneapolis police killed George Floyd.

In the following weeks, as conversations about white privilege, the value of Black lives, and the drastic inequality in America grew, I took a closer look at my project. What I saw made me massively disappointed in myself, but also opened my eyes: only a quarter of Dance Adventures’ authors were people of color. If I released the book as it was, it wouldn’t be a symbol of the uniting power of dance or support better representation in the performing arts and journalism. Instead, it would be another white-washed publication — that is, part of the problem.

I’ll admit that, for the first few days, I resisted the idea that I needed to make changes to the book. I was tired of writing and editing, and I was ready for this massive project to be finished. But then it hit me: This was white fragility on steroids. I wasn’t going to stand up for equality in America simply because I didn’t feel like it? Or it might require a few more months of putting my nose to the grindstone? Ridiculous.

As I overhauled Dance Adventures in the ensuing weeks, I learned many lessons and took many steps to improve the book. I will share more about this below, in hopes that this article can serve as a reminder (being able to forget about our privilege is quintessential privilege) of the work we still have to do, as well as catalyze more conversations about equitable editing. We have the opportunity to help one another in rising to a new level of responsibility and representation.

So, let’s rewind back to those final days of May 2020. Here’s what a took away from the next, necessary stage of the project:

Fact checking is different than checking white privilege: While I could verify information about the history of salsa dancing in Cuba or the name of a dance venue in Angola, there was no resource for identifying my blind spots as a white American woman who grew up in an upper-middle-class family on the West Coast. To do that, I would have to bring in reinforcements. Which brings me to my next point:

It’s important to have mentors: I requested that all authors have a mentor (and preferably a mentor from the country they were writing about) read their work: This way, there would be an opportunity to catch and adjust anything that the mentor felt was misrepresenting their dance or country.

You can hire a perspective consultant to find blind spots: It dawned on me that all of my proofreaders and my assistant editor were white, so I set out to find someone with a very different background than my own who had expertise in writing about foreign cultures in a respectful, informed manner. Through an article in my alumni magazine about a group of students’ recent study abroad experience in Ghana, I found the contact information for Dr. LaToya Bracket — a visiting assistant professor at the University of Puget Sound who held a PhD in African American and African Studies. I immediately reached out to Dr. Brackett who went through each story in the book with a fine-tooth comb. To my great relief, all of our authors were grateful to Dr. Brackett for her review of their stories and happy to adjust their work based on her feedback. Some of the most common feedback she gave is included in the next two points.

Positionality statements are key: Dr. Brackett pointed out that all of our contributors of color had a positionality statement. In the case of Dance Adventures’ stories, having a positionality statement meant that authors shared about any key experiences that shaped their worldview, decisions or actions. Positionality statements are often used in academia, as a researcher’s background will influence what they choose to study, the angle they take to their research, and the methods they select. In contrast to our BIPOC contributors, none of our white contributors (including myself) had included one.

As I pondered why, I realized a couple of things. The first was that most of our BIPOC contributors happened to have formally studied anthropology or performance in an academic setting where positionality statements are taught. I myself had never learned about the concept while studying journalism or in my career as a writer and editor.

The second reason was more poignant to this piece: White people are not often asked to justify where they’re from or why they’re doing what they’re doing. We have a freedom to window shop, travel or walk into most establishments without being scrutinized. We don’t think about positionality because we don’t often have to justify ourselves. Furthermore, as part of the majority, we often unconsciously assume that people will know we are white. Realizing this bias and blindness, I insisted on positionality statements in all of the stories.

Make sure to acknowledge the elders: This can be another critical piece of positionality. Who taught you what you know? Where did these artforms originate? Equitable writing means you don’t just say you’re a b-boy, you share who mentored you in breaking and more about the history of the dance. History, especially when it's complex, needs to be acknowledged.

In addition, those who are practicing a dance that comes from a different culture (such as a white breakdancer or a Black Irish dancer) must think critically about who they study with. Are they learning from the creators of the dance and supporting the communities where these art forms originated? Are they educating themselves about a dance’s history and the evolution of the artform? This is part of showing respect for other cultures.

Recognize microaggressions, including “othering”: “Othering” describes expressions of prejudice on the basis of group identities, and it includes conscious or unconscious racism and ethnocentrism. In the book, there were several instances of microaggressions. These included saying that someone dancing was “mesmerizing” or “fascinating,” as well as describing a cultural practice or group of people as “mysterious.” In the later case, it is unnecessarily exotifying something that is simply unfamiliar to the writer.

Take a Look at Your Network (and Seek more BIPOC contributors): I wanted to provide a platform for many different types of people to share their stories. Realizing that the majority of people I know are white, I needed to consciously go outside of my typical network to ensure at least half of the contributors to Dance Adventures were from BIPOC communities.

Thus began my extensive outreach effort on Instagram to dancers of color. As an unknown entity, I’m not surprised that 99 percent of the messages I sent went unanswered. Finally, however, I found incredible artists who were happy to take part in the project. They contributed some of my favorite stories to the book and brought additional, invaluable perspective.

Looking back, I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to dive into equitable editing. This humbling experience highlighted my blind spots and invited me to take a close look at my own white privilege. It changed who I am as an author and journalist, made Dance Adventures a book I am proud to release, and inspired me to share the lessons I learned with others.

Writer Megan Taylor Morris on editing with an eye toward equity:
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Megan Taylor Morrison is an avid dance adventurer and certified life and business coach. She has studied local dance forms in 16 countries on six continents, as well as designed and co-led retreats to Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and India. In partnership with Melaina Spitzer, Meg debuted the talk “Dance Travel: The Next Era of Dance Education,” at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Conference in 2018.

Through lectures, roundtables, and articles, Meg continues to share best practices for cultural immersion through the arts. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's in international affairs and French from the University of Puget Sound.

Photo on Visualhunt.com

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Published on January 10, 2021 21:01

December 19, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A bit of a shorter list this week as I prepare for my holiday break…I'll see you back on the blog with another Twitterific on Sunday, January 10. Happy holidays to everyone!

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on December 19, 2020 21:01

December 13, 2020

What to Do When You Discover Another Writer Is Working on the Same Idea As You

by H.R. D’Costa, @scribesworld

This story begins with last Christmas.

That’s when I got hooked on Hallmark Christmas movies (and movies in that vein).

Now, if these movies aren’t your cup of tea, there’s a takeaway at the end that’ll apply no matter what genre you watch, read, or write. So stay with me!

Back to the story…

Because I enjoyed these movies so much—their coziness was just what I needed at the time—I wanted to try my hand at writing one of my own.

Having attended a panel at the Austin Film Festival featuring Karen Schaler, screenwriter of Hallmark’s Christmas Camp and Netflix’s A Christmas Prince, I knew it was achievable, too.

But what I really wanted was a roadmap that would show me what to do, step by step.

When I went looking for one, I mostly found articles whose headlines promised to explain how to write a Hallmark Christmas movie…

…but whose content just made fun of the genre.

Talk about bait and switch!

Since the roadmap I wanted didn’t exist, I decided I’d have to create it myself.

Flashforward months later…

I had put together a starter kit with a 12-step roadmap for how to write a Christmas movie along with resources to make it easier to take action on each step. Think:

worksheets
checklists
progress trackers
an (unofficial) mini–Hallmark yearbook

But I still had to produce videos that would explain screenplay format to a complete beginner, who didn’t have any screenwriting experience.

That’s when I made the discovery.

Two screenwriters had just published a book on Amazon on the very same topic.

Hallmark Christmas movies play by a specific set of rules, and since we’d both be talking about the same rules, I knew we’d be covering a lot of the same ground. (I haven’t read the book, but a quick skim of the “Look Inside” preview confirmed that assumption.)

At that moment, it felt pointless to continue with my own project.

My momentum came to a screeching halt.

All my energy and enthusiasm to complete the starter kit vanished.

This was especially troublesome because producing video requires the most effort. In other words, I had to embark on the hardest part of the starter kit when I was feeling the least motivated.

Thankfully, I eventually got out of my funk.

What got me out of it?

Another discovery.

Due to a guest post on Kay DiBianca’s website, I learned this had happened to another author, Gordon Castelnero.

And it had happened to him not once—but twice!—while working on topics in niches even more specific than mine:

a book chronicling the local TV scene in Detroit
a biography on banjo icon Earl Scruggs

With respect to the TV project, when Gordon learned another writer was developing a book on the same subject matter as him, he (like me) was tempted to give up.

But he didn’t.

In the end, his book (entitled TV Land Detroit) turned out great—and even outsold his competitor!

That certainly was heartening news to hear. But more than that outcome, it was this quote that I held on to:

Just stay focused on your material as if you are the only one in the world doing it, and it will be great.

That helped me to get back on track again.

My resolve to finish was further strengthened by a comment made by an author when I posted about this situation in a writer’s forum. To paraphrase two of this author’s key points:

Being second to publish something doesn’t put you at an automatic disadvantage.
Because what you create is filtered through your unique experience, no one can create the same exact product as you.

That second point really struck a chord with me. In fact—irony alert!—I had given advice along the same lines within the starter kit itself.

Trouble was, I didn’t have enough objectivity to realize that this principle applied to educational material too, not just to screenplays and novels.

But when this author articulated this advice back to me, it hit home.

I’m happy to report that after a minor delay, I finished the screenplay-formatting videos, and the Christmas Movie Writer Starter Kit is up.

If you’ve ever entertained the notion of writing a Christmas movie of your own, check it out. Actually, if you scroll down, you’ll find a special deal just for fans of Elizabeth’s blog!

Anyway, if this happens to you…

Please don’t make the same mistake I did.

Don’t get so disheartened that you contemplate giving up on your project.

Remember my story. Remember Gordon’s story.

Remember that no one can write whatever you’re writing quite like you.

What you write has to be different than what someone else working on the same exact topic writes because your experience is different from his or hers.

While we’re on the subject, no AI-generated story can replicate what you write because no machine has led a life like yours.

Lean into these differences in experience—as minute as they might seem—and keep going!

In closing, I’d like end with well-wishes, a query, and an invitation…

My well-wishes: I hope you enjoy a festive holiday season…and if you celebrate Christmas, a very Merry Christmas!

My query: Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? What did you do? How did you cope?

My invitation: If you’ve ever wanted to write a Christmas movie like the ones you see on Hallmark, enroll in the Christmas Movie Writer Starter Kit. It’ll show you what to do, step by step, even if you have zero screenwriting experience.

Plus, it’s the perfect Christmas activity (in between watching Christmas movies, of course *smile*). Use this link (or click on the image below) to get the kit with a special $15 discount just for fans of our host, Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Note: This discount expires on December 21.

About H. R. D’Costa

A graduate of Brown University, H. R. D’Costa (a.k.a. HRD) is an author and writing coach who specializes in story structure and story stakes.

Known for her “deep dive” instruction style, she is the author of 10 writing guides including Sizzling Story Outlines, Story Stakes, and the 4-volume Story Structure Essentials series.

For practical writing tips on how to keep readers glued to your pages, visit her website scribemeetsworld.com, which is also home to the Ultimate Story Structure Worksheet (downloaded over 37,000 times by writers from around the world).

What to Do When Another Writer is Working on a Similar Project (by @ScribesWorld ):
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Candle flame by D A V I D S O N L U N A; Christmas tree by Chad Madden

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Published on December 13, 2020 21:01

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