Sunday, March 1

Snowy Sundays and the Sometimes Power of Inspiration

Posted by Shelly Holder

So it's snowing tonight in Virginia, and because our ancient campus is outraged that snow could actually ever occur on THEIR CAMPUS (college founding fathers speaking) the electricity has revolted and succeeded from the Union. So the power is out, and I need to type fast, 1) to post in time, but more importantly 2) to get my paper done before my battery dies!!!!!!! 0_0


Today's topic is a (small, hopefully) rant about a comment I happened to read on another writer's website. This comment said (something to the effects of) "I'm glad your website offers more than just how-to-write like most author's pages." 

I felt vaguely offended. 

I understand the importance of having a writers community with subjects wider than just how-to-write, that has other resources, whether it involves commiserating, general goofiness, the ins-and-outs of publishing, or whatever, but really in the end it all boils down to How-To- Approach-the-Writing-Career, and honestly, that's all based on how-to-write. There is no writing career if you can't write well. 

And all those authors that just got snubbed are taking valuable time out of busy BUSY schedules to offer a little bit of advice, that no mattter who you are, you can benefit from. It's like dismissing Beethoven because he talks about how to compose "just like every other wannabe hack in the music biz". Um, no! 

And sure, there are a ton of people out there who are inflated with their own importance, who offer advice but can't follow through themselves, who are annoying nuisances to writers and readers alike. They exist. They should be avoided- because likely, they aren't published either, and why waste your time? A published author knows exactly what's going on in the writing biz, and the writing advice they offer is the stuff that gets them a paycheck and a shelf in the bookstore. 

Writing is a solitary pursuit, I get that. And sometimes you need a connection to the bigger picture. I get that too. I want more than just grammar rules as well. But if you can't take the isolation and if you don't love the grammar, why then are you a writer??? 

Anyways, I would write more, but I really do need to get that paper down. So maybe look back to this post later. I might expand on the theme...... when I have the time, that is?

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Nothing. 
What I want most: Paper done, Thursday over, and a nice comfy bed that I don't have to get out of for at least a week. 

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Saturday, February 28

Rainy Day Musing

Posted by Shelly Holder

There is a torrential downpour happening outside my window, and I sit inside, huddled away from the wet and the cold, trying desperately to stay focused on homework when all I really wanna do is curl up in a shawl with some hot tea and a book by the window and watch the rain.


But I can't, I have midterms and papers, and so ever on, ever on! So I'll pacify the literary side by writing a post.

As you've probably infered, this week doesn't allow much wiggle room for extras and luxuries. So I kept telling my Muse, but she doesn't seem to want to listen, and temptingly dangles ideas in front of me. To stave off the Muse while also accomplishing All That Needs To Be Done, I've created a challenge for myself. Ideas are allowed, but must be written down on a Post-it note. A challenge is to see how many Post-its I can place on my wall this week. The real challenge is to immediately forget the Creative Vision, and be able to move on, go back to studying. This basis behind the whole challenge is the immediate purging of all distractions, wrapped up in some pretty self-propaganda. Pretty much, it works. And the yellow post-its actually look pretty cheerful above my bed and running up the wall. I'd leave them up after each night of furious blathering, but I'm afraid my roommate will look close at some of the stickys, and become afraid at the ones that say like "Let it burn" and "A. kills B. for grant money." lol

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Nothing
What I want most: Ugh, don't even get me started.

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Friday, February 27

Floppity-Flop

Posted by Shelly Holder

Friday, ladies and gentlemen, it's Friday. Hallelujah. 


Just expanding off of what was said yesterday, that when you are busy, your mind is busy, but free time gives you a lax mind. I am literally forcing myself to write tonight, and I am lacking an inspiring topics, though I have plenty that I could write on. 

So a few more housekeeping things. Remember to check back at my post on what writing everyday really means (to me), I'll keep revising it through this weekend. Also, I stumbled across another blog post on writing groups, this time by Lilith Saintcrow. I'll go back and edit in the link on the original post, but I put it here just for filler. =) 

Found a few new author blogs and websites (I really should be checking these on a regular basis, but never get around to it....) but I'm not putting any links up for a while, see how things go. 

Alright, no more stalling.

Today's topic is growing up aesthetically. I ran across what was the beginning, painful attempts at a blog on my website, and amused, I read them. Which, of course, made me even more amused to see the difference in perspective that even a year will do to my writing style and sense. On said "pre-blog", I wondered, rather wistfully tinged around the edges with envy, how writers came up with meaningful plots. At the time, I was still writing gratuitously, meaning solely for my own entertainment and without regard to the larger audience, although I know (theoretically) that one existed and should be taken into account when writing. My plot structures were simplistic, literally reduced to girl meets boy, falls in love, conflict drives them apart, they resolve conflict, happily ever after. End story. Polish and repeat. Every fantastic whim was indulged, and nothing was edited, cut out, or regarded as "too much". But my stories were lacking, and I could recognize that. Now I look back and see the pits in my logic. And I also see that where I was lacking, I've grown. Yes, I still write primarily for my own pleasure, and yes I write what I would like to read. But I also don't restrict myself by form, or genre, or prose style like I used to. I'm drawing on a much wider base to infuse my writing with meaning, and meaning for more than the 16-18 crowd. I'm taking authors beyond my normal reading group as influences. I'm reading far beyond my normal reading group to see what I like, and what I don't. I'm reading non-fiction and literary criticism. I'm interested in other people's stories. Basically, I'm EXPERIMENTING. Not because I don't know what my prose style is, or to find my "voice". But because I'm comfortable enough in myself as a writer to be able to branch out a little. And because I allow myself to take chances and risks, I grow. The ideas don't come magically from some "Genius Tree". To some degree, it does come from life, and from experience, and exposure, and time. But mostly it's the willingness to look beyond yourself. Self-centeredness is a stage that all children must outgrow to become adults, and that's true for writing as well as Polite Behavior. 

Right Now: 
What I'm listening to: oh, do I really have to write this? lol. "Circus" by Britney Spears. 
What I want most: Food. I'm hungry. =) 

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Thursday, February 26

Mental Personalities

Posted by Shelly Holder

Isn't it amazing that sometimes when your mind has 15 billion things going on, it actually can be more focused and more alert than if you have an entire day set aside for one project? Say you're a college student, with a test tomorrow, 2 midterms and 3 papers next week. You should be completely overwhelmed, stressed and frazzled beyond belief. But you're not because your mind somehow figured out a way to either compartmentalized the extraneous stuff or simply works just that much faster. Today I really have been on a roll about a few writing things- ideas, this blog, mood music, snippets, whatever. It's just been working and working away,and without me feeling guilty that I'm not focusing on my studying. It's like two parallel trains of thought, simultaneously running, and only every once in a while will the Muse knock on the door into Reason's study, politely mention a thought, then close the door again. 


Anyways, today is a little bit of housekeeping. I am frustrated with yesterday's post, not satisfied with how I expressed my ideas, so I will be periodically updating and revising it. (I figure out how to do that. And I'm a tiny bit tempted to go back and edit some of the older posts, not just for grammar, etc but ideas as well, but that's the Critic in me, teasing and tempting her way out of the hole I currently have her shoved into.) 

Also, I discovered a great new website for me to procrastinate with, and I thought I would share it with everyone. Check out the blog Fangs, Fur and Fey for all urban fantasy news. I haven't looked too long at it, but it seems great. I love finding new authors. Also, if anybody has similar website/communities for other genre, such as mystery, sci-fi, biography, leave a comment so we all can check them out!

And sorry about my website. Currently I am unable to edit it, and I'm unsure what needs to be done to rectify that. But Spring Break is coming up fast, so I'll have more time to do.... well, everything! =) 


Right Now:
What I'm listening to now: "Erase and Rewind" by The Cardigans
What I want most: Midterms to be over. With all A's. 
 

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Wednesday, February 25

Ramble-y Epiphany of a Over-Worked Mind

Posted by Shelly Holder

Midterms are next week, which is why I have become more and more infrequent with my postings lately, and there's really no hope for the future. Until mid-terms are over and spring break has officially arrived, I'm likely to be non-existent, provided that I get several days rest at the beginning of said spring break. However, despite all my time spent on studying and preparing for my school work, I'm really trying to also focus on writing, grabbing that odd moment or two to scribble something down, as you'll see in the body of today's post, so here I am. And for once, I'm not consciously using this as a procrastination tool, though I admit to loathing homework at the moment. 

So I have really been trying to learn a lot about the practical craft of writing lately.¹  I've read many many of the "how-to" books  (and own many more beyond that) that are all about the crafting side, of how to create characters and realistic scenes, etc etc etc. But my discovery this year of several key blogs of published authors have really guided me to consider the other side, where all theoretical nuances and lofty intentions are thrown straight out the window, and writing is tackled with a hard hitting, nitty-gritty approach. And I've really admired this approach, respected the author for their viewpoints, advice, and works.  It's valuable practical advice that some how never really penetrated to reach my Muse. Number one being, of course, to write everyday today finally sunk in. It was definitely an "oohhhhhhhhhh" moment. Writing everyday doesn't just mean sitting your butt in a chair for 15 minutes routinely, although that is an important part. It means that you constantly have to be thinking creatively. Which I have been, but which I was unable to recognize because sometimes my string-of-consciousness and the voice of my Muse are interchangeable. 
I'm not explaining it well, but the basic gist is this-As a person, you are always thinking. There is a constant stream of thought running through your mind. You think constantly, but you create sporadically. As an author, you are operating on two worlds. The Creative Vision is like a a TV channel that is constantly on in the background, turned down low for "white noise". So as an author, I must be conscious of that parallel creative thought, find the switch and flip it on- ALL DAY, EVERYDAY. The writing everyday does not mean running around with the Creative Vision switch turned off, and then sitting down for 15 minutes and it will magically switch on. It doesn't work that way. The Muse will revolt, throw a hissy fit because she's been ignored the other 23 hours and 45 minutes. Writing everyday means thinking creatively every single minute. It means thinking about every situation, "How can I use that? How would I change it?" Every single random phrase that runs through your mind, even the half-conscious ones, must be written down, or they will be lost. They almost must be pulled out of your mind, or else they will disappear among the hordes of "normal" thoughts. I've had an unfortunate reminder this week, when I composed a poem sitting at my desk in the midst of homework. I didn't take the time to write it down, because I was doing said homework, and being arrogantly certain that I would remember it later. My Muse revolted. I now can't recall even the subject matter, much less a  single snippet of phrasing, although I know that there was a clawing hand motif in there somehow.
 Writing everyday is more than just forcing yourself to write. It's having an open mind, ready for any possibility that streaks across, and being willing to write it down, right then, whether it be in front of friends, in the midst of class, or while doing homework. It's about always writing the lest little phrase, because one day it might be integral. It's not editing in your mind, as you create, because of some half-articulated fear that what's in the mind is less tangible and writing it down on paper somehow magically makes it more real or more acceptable- and therefore vulnerable to outside attack. It's just being ready and willing for all that comes your way. 


Right now:
What I'm listening to: Nothing. I'm in a study room, and noise is BAD...... =)
What I want most: Oh, midterms to be over. Definitely. And to get all A's. That would be wonderful. 


¹Ironically, today my literature professor quoted a "old saying" that I've never heard but really struck me as apt for this time in my writing career- "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Just an interesting side note. 

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Saturday, February 21

Saturday Evening Post

Posted by Shelly Holder

In the vain attempt to escape from a campus tradition involving tennis balls, golf clubs and excessive amounts of alcohol, I rushed down into Colonial Williamsburg directly upon the heels of waking. I unhappily forgot that Colonial Williamsburg does not belong to the college campus, and as such is subject to the vast crowds of tourists. I scuttled from sandwich shop to sandwich shop to coffee shoppe in search of a Line that Is Not a Ridiculous Wait, and thankfully finding sustenance within a reasonable time, I decided to wander into the campus bookstore. (A purely spur of the moment, whimsical idea, that was completely and utterly spontaneous and had nothing resembling "PLANNING" or "DESIGN" about it, because that would mean that I had spurned my homework in favor of shopping, and worse still, browsing a bookstore for a book to read when I had all those class readings to do....)  


I was charmed when I saw that an author was sitting at a table near the front door, but I only wandered over to her table after guiltily surveying the Lack of An Interested Audience, and also catching her eye a few times as I browsed the aisles. I spent a few minutes chatting, during which time another customer came up to the table. We both decided to buy her books, being sufficiently intrigued to invest the money. The author cheerfully asked "Would you like me to sign that for you?" and then proceeded to simply write her name and hand the book back. 


Now I realize that as a published author, sitting there, the idea is that customer is  interested in You, and Your Work. They are buying Your Book. They come to you. Cue the supplicants to approach the mighty Wielder of Creative Power. 


No. WRONG. 


THE CUSTOMER IS (unfortunately) TO BE PANDERED TO. 


You are an author. And unless you are singularly blessed/ lucky/ whatever to be John Grisham or Stephen King or Anne Rice or some other Big Name, this scenario will never play out. At a signing, YOU ARE TRYING TO DRAW A CUSTOMER IN. You say "Oh, look at me. Look at my books. Don't they look interesting? Here I'll tell you why. You're intrigued? That's fabulous. Here, let me sweeten the deal. I'll sign this book for you. What's your name? To Jane Doe, Happy Readings, Sincerely, Still Poor but Finally Published Author." And unless you are the aforementioned John Grisham, Stephen King or Anne Rice, you have the time to write that much, because there's not likely to be a line of 100 more people waiting to meet you. YOU INVEST THE TIME WITH YOUR READERS IN YOUR BOOK BY MAKING IT INTERESTING AND REALISTIC. WHY WOULDN'T YOU DO THE SAME IN PERSON? 


As an author, your readership is based on loyalty. You  continue to deliver the goods, they continue to buy. Word of mouth is equally important. If my first exposure to an author is in person, but they don't seem to care about me, the reader, other than a statistic, why should I care about them, the author? I don't like giving money unnecessarily to ungrateful people, which is what a disinterested author shows. He is saying "I'm too important to be here signing for you commoners. I'm a Voice of Genius. I'm Special." And I'm saying in response, "Then obviously my money is too common for you as well, right?"


So please, invest a little in your readers. Because they invest a lot in you through reading, buying, and talking about your works. 


Right Now: 

What I'm listening to: Nothing. 

What I want most: ummmm. The excuse to buy more books. And the time to read them in. 


And I thought the pun inherent in the title just deserved a little acknowledgement....


1905-05-20_Saturday_Evening_Post.jpg

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Wednesday, February 18

Wit and Writing

Posted by Shelly Holder

So tonight I am taking full advantage of the computer still being set to Pacific time. I had planned on writing this post before midnight, but my library time ran over what I expected. So since all my creativity has been juiced out for the academic world, forgive me for lacking the necessary wit to keep you entertained. 


I have been thinking about lately what the next step in my writing would be. I've got the basics, certainly the desire and the ideas, and a rough plan for my writing routine- 15 minutes a day, a daily blog, and a notebook with me at all times for jotting down ideas, as well as various other journals of every sort. So what's next? What is going to stretch and challenge me? 

Well, I've already taken the books route. The good ones are really helpful, but you have to read through so many to get to the good ones!

Then there are online workshops. Again, something I've found to be very helpful (I've taken several great classes with Writer's Online Workshops, a partner of Writer's Digest), but with 15 other institutionalized credits, I haven't the time for another class. So something else. 

Taking a class here at school isn't possible until next semester, the add/drop period is over. I'm already part of several  campus publications, but the focus for those groups are more the publishing side than the writing. 

So I decided that my challenge would be an online writer's group.  I see them everywhere, in acknowledgements and dedication pages. So I thought, if the idea is so prevalent, why shouldn't I try one as well?

Well, of course, I forgot to think things through a little bit before jumping in feet first. Primarily is the issue of getting the right search term for any helpful links to show up in Google. The second is finding the right group. Some websites are really professional looking, some are obviously individually managed. How to choose? Who to trust?

I did a little research, and found two articles on these and similar issues. First, children's author and creative writing teacher Holly Lisle offers her advice on writer's groups. And second. Victor Crayne, a writing resources  online author, gives her advice on writer's groups. Lilith Saintcrow takes the opposite view, instead believing that writer's groups are more of a detriment. 

For me, and for now, I've joined with Holly Lisle's sponsored online writing group Forward Motion. I admit I might have been more drawn by the design and the sponsorship than any research I did or opinions that I read, but that's okay. We'll just take things slow, see how it all turns out. It's not really about finding the right thing, right away, but about the right thing, for always. 

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Since I discovered yesterday how to work the link button, I'm just going to link you to the song on Youtube. It's Take On Me by a-ha.
What I what most: Um, hmmm.  I think this one might be sleep. 




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