Kate Larking's Blog: Anxiety Ink, page 19

Ink Links Roundup

It’s that time of week again! Here are our Ink Links for this week.

Elisa agrees with the author of this article on technology that has forever changed our creative thinking, sometimes getting your hands into the creative process is the best–even with writing.

Even top writers have geeky pasts, as this fan letter from George R. R. Martin shows, written when he was just 15.

The evolution from stage-show to podcast to novel is covered in this article on The Moth posted over at Salon.

The post Ink Links Roundup appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Say No: Theatre Wisdom for Writers

All right, so today’s post isn’t a newsflash or even intrinsically tied to writing and theatre. It’s about the power of saying no. And also how sometimes you have to turn down amazing opportunities.

Really. It’s ok.

For a few weeks, I’ve been dancing around the news that I’m pregnant. Little one expected to terrorize the world in October!

The changes in my body have affected my life, so I’ve had to cut back on things and set boundaries I’d previously never considered. Example: I auditioned for a role yesterday that would be super fun, but with a bitch of a commute. And my energy levels have not returned to pre-pregnancy despite second trimester. This all means that I have to think long and hard about whether or not I can do this.

But they have to offer me the role before I stress out over that too much.

And sometimes great opportunities are mutually exclusive. Last week saw the offers of roles in two staged readings. Both happening the same day. Both great roles, but I had to choose.

Also? Being in a position to turn down a role makes for an amazing humble-brag. But it’s stressful as hell.

Saying no is never easy, especially to an amazing opportunity in something you love. Sometimes, however, there is no other way around it. Conflicting deadlines with other obligations or restrictions so you can only choose one? Think long and hard about it. Remember your first impressions and listen to your instincts.

Most people tend to be amazingly understanding.

I turned down Alais in The Lion in Winter for MacDuff in Macbeth. (I adore The Scottish Play and Shakespeare, and how often does a woman four months pregnant get to play the character that kills Macbeth in the end?) Turns out, the director I turned down teaches high school English. And Shakespeare. She was great about it.

As long as your no doesn’t come from fear – and it’s human nature to run away from the best things – you’ll be fine.

Though that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt like hell.

The post Say No: Theatre Wisdom for Writers appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

How to Get Effective Feedback from Beta Readers

By now, everyone knows that I am a big supporter of using beta readers. I think they provide something to a piece that an editor can’t: The response of an actual reader. Yes, editors are readers –and obviously exceptional ones. But you’re writing your book for your average reader, and you need to know how a sample of them is going to respond to your story.

I’ve had good and not-so-good beta reading responses to my work. Why some responses are better than others doesn’t always depend on the quality of the reader. Sometimes, it’s your work itself. That’s the idea I’ve come away with after finishing my most recent chapter of The Making of a Story.

I’m nearly finished the final short story in “Chapter 13: Learning to Fail Better,” which is devoted largely to revision. Under “The Developmental Stages of a Creative Work” on page 550, she lists four stages of drafting a story that she has identified (which I have clarified after the dash):

Initial Generating Stage – idea sketching
Creative Revisioning Stage (Drafts 1 through 20+) –idea spewing
Constructive Revisioning Stage (Drafts 2 through 20+) –the spewing has been shaped and is examinable
Copyediting –polishing

After identifying these stages, LaPlante proceeds to bring back some comments she had made about the workshop method as a form of revision. In this instance, I’m equating beta readers with the workshop method when LaPlante states:

“It’s a fact that one of the worst things you can do to a piece is to assume it’s more complete than it is. And one of the most critical problems with the workshop method is that a workshop is generally best for critiquing manuscripts that have entered the constructive revisioning stage—which, in other words, are pretty far along. … Yet a good many stories are shown to workshops prior to this stage. They are critiqued as though they are more finished than they actually are. And nothing can be more damaging to a piece than to have it ‘frozen’ in place before it is ready. What’s critical is that a piece stays ‘fluid’ for as long as necessary to ensure that all the relevant material has been fully explored.” (550)

Looking at my personal experience with both workshops and beta readers, I have to agree fully with LaPlante –and I’ve never had this explained to me before, which is a shame. “This” being that you should only submit works that are near completion. Perhaps it’s assumed, but some of us are newbies and don’t know any better.

When I submitted my more developed pieces to a group, they were workshopped much more effectively than any of the rough pieces I handed in. I took away much more constructive feedback that I was able to use to figure out what wasn’t working in my story because I knew exactly what I wanted out of my story. Whereas the stories I essentially wrote the night before that received feedback on provided me with nothing constructive because both the readers and I didn’t know what to take away.

Before you can get outside feedback from betas or a workshop that is going to help you get to that final final draft, you have to have a strong understanding of your piece.

All that said, there is one rule of thumb I urge you to remember: You cannot please everyone. Repeat: You. Cannot. Please. Everyone. Under no circumstances should you try to implement every piece of feedback you receive. It’s up to you, knowing your story and what you want readers to take away, to pick and choose. If you have a strong understanding, you will know intuitively what to dismiss.

I was really happy to learn something from my reading and I hope I left you with something to think about!

P.S. This is my 200th post on Anxiety Ink! I’m humbled that I have been given the opportunity to write so many words here to an actual audience and that I am still able to learn and share what I learn.

The post How to Get Effective Feedback from Beta Readers appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Digital Writing Vision Boards as Motivation

I have a little problem with focus. Part of it is because I have too many projects on the go. I have a full-time–overtime!–job with events and stacks of ARCs to read. I have a new baby. I have a wife I dearly love and support. I have a house with six pets, property to help maintain. I have a comic to write and run with events to work. I have a blog with a weekly dedicated post and occasionally more maintenance required. I have my own stories I want to write. And then I occasionally want to throw something else on top of that, like my February Freewriting Challenge or a short-sighted bid into CampNaNoWriMo.

WHAT?!

When people tell me they are surprised I get done what I get done, I can’t help but forget all of the above and feel like it was simply the tiniest thing that I got done.

I sit down to write and I feel my head pulled in 30 directions at once. Laundry should be flipped, cats are unrolling the toilet paper again, needing to queue up a blog post for Anxiety Ink and set all the social media, the baby fussing, it snowed and I need to shovel, I have still yet to put the comic up on that one retailer, needing to reply to the offset printer, the order for that work event is due tomorrow…

It’s ridiculous.

So I was looking for a way to focus on my creative writing. I have a story that is the most wellformed as one that I want to work on. It was originally inspired by the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Although it no longer resembles the hint of what I had sparked from that story, the anime still gets me into the plot of my own story.

Source

I have a Pinterest board for this story, which I can scroll through when I need a boost. But the issue I have with Pinterest is that it is online. Which means it is a gateway task to the eternal distraction land called The Net.

So changed it up.

When I write on my laptop, I only use half the screen. It’s a old habit which hails back to the times I thought I could write and watch anime at the same time (HAHAHAHAHAHA, SUBTITLED ANIME! Past me was a moron). But the half-screen preference stuck.

So I set up my desktop wallpaper to cycle through a bunch of gorgeous art inspired by Madoka, rich in colour and connoting the emotional burdens on the characters.

Seeing even just half of this wallpaper as I work on my creative writing sinks me into the writing mood at light speed. I know the feel I want. I know the weight of the emotion on my sci-fi adventure and how it parallels to themes of Madoka.

It took me time to find and filter through the right images. But after clearing all the dead files off my desktop, I was able to sink into the story without the weight of all the other shit I have going on weighing me down. And I felt more in touch with the original vision of the work I had.

A simple change, but a solid impact. Have you set your wallpaper to spur on your writing? Or do you keep a vision board another way?

The post Digital Writing Vision Boards as Motivation appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Ink Links Roundup

So I love read-aloud. Have since I was a kid. I love reading aloud and being read to. So finding this list of Global Read Aloud Choices for 2017 made my week!

Kate loves this writing lessons roundup from Chuck Wendig. Especially point 11: Give The Proper Amount Of Fucks

This is a point I make again and again, and it’s one that was really important for me as a writer — I learned to care less. I figured out that I needed fewer fucks in my fuck basket. This serves a lot of purposes. First, it gives you confidence — because if you’re not so concerned with what everybody else thinks, you start to command your own work more comfortably and assertively. Second, it makes sure you’re not trying to chase a market or not trying to mimic someone else’s idea of what your book should look like. It’s yours alone and if your attitude is a little bit punk-rock, a little bit middle-finger, you find yourself more willing to write the book you need to write rather than the book you think other people want. At the end of the day, even if the book doesn’t work — you know you did what you wanted with it. And you can do it again with the next one and the one after that. Note: you still have to care. Your fuckgarden cannot be fallow. But when you learn to moderate how many fucks you’re willing to give to this, you find a measure of freedom somewhere between PROFESSIONAL CLAUSTROPHOBIA and CHAOS REIGNS.

Elisa is a big believer in beta readers. This author explains why they’re so relevant and the best way to select and use them. http://www.authorspublish.com/the-importance-of-beta-readers/

The post Ink Links Roundup appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Reading Break

Reading frequently comes up as a goal for us around here. Devouring 100 books in a year was, once upon a time, not much of a challenge. In recent years, even 50 books has become a lot to squeeze into available time.

Over the weekend, I did something I hadn’t done for a while and went book shopping. Usually a terrible idea for my wallet and shelf space (what shelf-space?) but new books always feel so good.

The worst part about new books is how long they don’t last. Sunday, I blew through Anne Bishop’s Marked in Flesh. (Anne Bishop, by the way, could possibly be my favorite author. I don’t usually have those, but she is certainly a contender.) Right now, I am over halfway through Naomi Novik’s Uprooted – which I know, I’m terrible, I’ve just now picked up.

That will only leave one: Kristen Britain’s Firebrand. It’s the latest in her Green Rider series, which I discovered in fifth or sixth grade. It’s the only series I buy in hardcover. This hasn’t been hugely taxing on shelf-space as the books have something like a six-year average between their release dates.

Of course, that means I have to start all over from the beginning before I tackle this one.

Oh, the hardship.

The post Reading Break appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

The Last Minute Habit

As I’m sure you all know by now, I’m currently enrolled in the continuing education department at the University of Calgary earning my professional writing certificate. That means I’m juggling more. A lot more.

The intro course was an eye opener. It was extremely fast-paced and had a lot of assignments due. And it was only three weeks long. My first real course started April 4, and while things seem a bit more manageable at this point, I know that if I start to let things snowball, I’m going to be a mess.

As I type this, the snowball is small, but it’s starting to roll. However, I’m chasing it as fast as I can. The past couple of weeks have been insane for me. I’ve had appointments and running around to do. I’ve had high stress at work that I’ve had trouble leaving at work. I’ve been simply exhausted, which makes coping with everything else that much more difficult.

Ultimately, I’ve fallen into some old habits I thought I’d left behind. The main one among them: The Last Minute Habit.

I hate The Last Minute Habit. I’ve spent years trying to break myself of it, but it always catches me. I’m a chronic procrastinator, but I hate the stress of leaving things to the point that I’m working on them within 24 hours of their deadline. I’ve learned to plan ahead, organize, strategize, and get things done ahead of time if I know my timetable is going to be nuts.

I’ve practiced and succeeded with Anxiety Ink and E.V. Writes. I’ve done an excellent job with my coursework on top of those two because I do not want to turn into the creature I was in university. The majority of my life priorities have also been more or less well-maintained. What I haven’t done a decent job with: my writing.

Yes, I’m hitting my goal of writing down fiction words three days a week, but more often than not they lack substance. I’m getting by with one or two sentences added in each session. Each time I log what I’ve written in my tracker, my little write-up begins, “I’m really disappointed with myself, but at least I got my words in.”

I’m tired of being disappointed with myself. I said as much to Kate last week when we met and she brought up her 10 minute free writing challenge. I’m an awful free writer, but I want to give my story the 10 minutes (minimum) a day that it deserves.

I have a lot going on; however, I know I can set aside a solid 10 minutes for my story three times a week. That’ll be 10 times what I give it when I do open it up right now. And I’m going to do it first. The deadlines for everything else ensure I get them done –that doesn’t mean my fiction deserves to be left to rot.

I’m going to break you Last Minute Habit. I’m determined.

The post The Last Minute Habit appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Relearning Writer Discipline

I feel like I am never writing enough. Every few months, when I’ve tumbled down the blackhole of overtime, I need to reestablish my writing habit and that starts with relearning writer discipline.

The Familiar Fight

Relearning the discipline for a task or hobby is old hat to me by now. The particular example I think of is running.

When I restart running after a dry spell, I enter the run knowing a few things.

Go slow. Getting overzealous and trying to get back into it at the faster speeds is just going to hurt and discourage me.
At the eight minute mark, my legs will hurt. But I know from all my runs before, I just need to move through it. My legs will warm up and relax by minute twelve-thirteen.
At minute nineteen to twenty-three, I become aware of my fatigue. It’s time for power songs to get me through to the end I wanted to reach.

My body knows what it needs to do. I just have to fight the mental blocks and remember that I can.

But Running is Mechanical

Writing is different. Writing is a mental game in and of itself. It’s hard to keep a piece of your mind in check to remind yourself and encourage your progress when it is already working overtime to craft scenes rich in colour and scent, characters in emotion and authenticity, plot is stealthy and believable ways. (You know, all of which seems cliché and hokey when you are actually writing it.)

The physical aspect of writing comes to rear its head multiple times. My fingers get cold, especially in emotional scenes. I get hungry when I’m not sure where to take my scene. My legs cramp when I forget to change up my position.

So what really happens when I get to writing?

5 minutes in

Randomly open internet browser and click to a news site. Close it feeling a little disgusted with myself for my computer reflexes. Return to draft.

7 minutes in

Search for something I need to put into my draft.

39 minutes in

Realize I have been surfing the net instead of writing. Return to draft.

43 minutes in

Find myself staring at ceiling, wondering about the efficacy of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on painted textured plaster. Wonder how long I have been staring. Return to draft.

59 minutes in

Finally getting into writing, realize my time is up and I have somewhere to be, something to do. Vow to do better next time.

Please tell me this is familiar to someone other than myself.

So I’m going to leave off with a Dorothy Parker quote

The post Relearning Writer Discipline appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Ink Links Roundup

Okay, so Women’s History month was March, but Tempest has some wonderful observations to share from reading history as written by women. It includes great points to consider when researching you stories. http://tempest.fluidartist.com/history-according-to-women-the-tempest-challenge/

And today, Kate gives us a fascinating look at the nitty gritty behind a writing Patreon with Tobias Buckell. http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/six-things-learned-from-patreon/

Missing parents is one of the main tropes in YA literature. Elisa doesn’t have a problem with that, but it’s nice to see books that shake that trope up – like the ones on this list. http://rivetedlit.com/2017/03/28/5-books-with-missing-parents/?cp_type=enpm&rmid=Riveted_Weekly&rrid=6512055

The post Ink Links Roundup appeared first on Anxiety Ink.

Evolution of an Idea

Ideas come from anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes the origins are more than a little strange. I find the evolution of ideas fascinating – maybe because it often happens so quickly, so spontaneously that tracing it out becomes impossible.

I was never that kid who went up to writers to ask where they got their ideas. By the time I met an author, I’d already read advice against that question. Besides which, I hadn’t even reached a point of articulating that question to myself.

But last week, I had an idea whose evolution I can trace easily. So I wanted to share that with you.

It started with this article from tor.com about the character (almost always female) in horror who is the voice of reason or warning. You know, the one who hears a strange noise, or thinks maybe they shouldn’t go into the creepy abandoned house with a history of mysterious deaths. The one no one believes.

It’s a good article.

So I decided I wanted to take that particular character trope and turn it on its head. But how?

The answer I came up with will be fun. A lot of fun, if I can pull it off. But that’s another question not for this post.

Then the next question: how do I tell it? Whose perspective should I use? This became a source of frustration. I could think of a few possibilities that each felt right for different parts of the story, but none of them felt right for the whole of it.

This idea bridged the line between ghost story and fairytale, and in fairytales, things often happen in threes. Which led me to the possibility of telling the story in triptych.

I was unfamiliar with triptychs before one of my really close writer-friends introduced me to it via this amazing story that Nightmare Magazine published. And she’d become familiar with it through one of her instructors at the Clarion workshop last summer.

A triptych in art is generally a story told in three panels or paintings. A triptych in writing is something I still don’t feel like I fully understand, but the basic gist of it is telling a story in three parts.

That means I can tell the story in three voices, like Kathleen does in the story linked above. And I can tell the story in three separate times.

So I have the concept, the characters, and how to pull it all together. Now I just have to write it!

The post Evolution of an Idea appeared first on Anxiety Ink.