Five (more) Reasons to Write

I did it. The NaNoWriMo, that is. Instead of traveling the pathways of retail with throngs of shoppers, I was inside my house the day after Thanksgiving, writing.

Truthfully, I didn't think I could do it towards the last twenty thousand words or so ... actually, it was more like I didn't think I wanted to do the last twenty thousand. After all, it meant I would have to edit the ugly monster if it went anywhere. And, I think the story may have lacked compelling characters and perfect plot. (Also known as "major issues" with the story.)

But here's the cool part: I have a "book" completed. Hurrah! Not that I'll ever let it grace the eyes of an innocent and unassuming reader. Maybe not even myself, either. Do you know how much groaning and eye-rolling that would require?

Whatever I choose to do (probably leave it on my PC for a long time), here are five things I learned while writing (even 50k words in less than a month) and why it can be good for you too.

1. You are superwoman (man): Really, writing is tough. We have to come up with something worthy to write about and actually make it sound good. The awesome thing about NaNoWriMo is that my work can read horribly, be so grammatically incorrect and as interesting as a piece of toast, and we are called winners! It's great to feel like superwoman (even if it only lasts a few seconds.)
2. You learn how to be creative: Making your story come alive is a great way to fuel creativity, especially if you can't afford anything. How? Well, things that you can't do, because lack of funds make it unallowable, is allowable in writing. We live vicariously through our characters, go to places we never visit in real life, and overcome obstacles (that the characters overcome) that we would never have to. That's creative! And hey, maybe applicable to your life one day.
3. You learn how to be disciplined: This is huge, and a reason why something like only 10% of the NaNoWriMo writers actually complete their novel. It takes an odd sort of dedication to finish something that fast. But this discipline is like using a muscle; once you repeat it enough, it becomes something habitual and useable! I'm learning how to meet deadlines (even if semi-fictitious) learning how to do something I don't want to do (just like exercise) and stretching myself to be a better writer by using these brain "muscles."
4. You learn that writing is freeing: This is true, you know. Again, like reason number 2, we get to be creative with our art. Writing is almost like being able to live out things we want to say, or do or be, but we don't have to really do it. My back hurt the day after I finished writing my book. Hadn't hurt all month. Do I think this had to do with not being able to free my thoughts? I think so. Free your thoughts, free youself.
5. You learn to drink lots of coffee without noticing: Okay, so this isn't necessarily a good thing. But I love coffee, so it isn't bad either. Can't tell you how many hundreds of cups of the black stuff I drank and how many times I wondered where it disappeared to. Many writers attest to the disappearance of the drink to some time/space continuum; one they find themselves lost in while immersed in their writing. I fully agree with that theory.

Writing is a wonderful thing, even if it's within the context of a crazy competition, and I'm (hopefully) becoming a better writer. Now, what about you? If you've done NaNo, or just want to share with us your latest endeavor, please do. We are all learning.

Happy writing!

Will (Not) Work For Free (Forever)

There is a time and place to write for free. I think we all understand that. And there's a time to acquire your skill, be a lowly intern -- basking in the bottom-dwelling ranks of the work place -- and we're generally okay with it because we know that's how it works; that's how we get to be paid one day -- and of course, how we hope to move up to a slightly higher rung of the ladder.

However, there comes a time, when we get past that; where we are at the higher rung, and now looking down at those below us with a smile. When and if we work pro-bono, it's because we're helping someone else, or we feel the cause is so worthy, we just have to donate our time or risk feeling like a loser.

I have a writer-friend, who also happens to be a snazzy French-to-English translator, who has her own business AEG Translations-- in other words, she's a PROFESSIONAL. Also meaning, she gets paid to do the job; the one she studied and worked hard for. Yet, to her dismay and the absolute hilarity of it all, she seems to get a lot of people asking her to work for them ... for free.

Her rebuttal to the latest request was on her blog, and I laughed and agreed so much, that I had to repost it. No, she didn't actually send this reply (I don't think) but it sure made me smile.

Here it is:

Dear John,
Thank you for the message! I am happy to provide test translations to potential clients. I understand that this is a test translation, that I will not be paid for this work, and that it does not guarantee that I will ever receive paying work from you. I know how important it is to verify that the people you work with can perform as promised.

To that end, while I'm working on the test translation, there is something that I need you to do. In order to ensure that clients can meet payment deadlines and that there will be no problems with the chosen payment method, I require a test payment from all new clients. To make sure that your account has not been flagged by the chosen payment service the test payment will need to represent a reasonable sum of money. Please send US$600 to my account before the end of the business day tomorrow. (This test payment is non-refundable.) My payment information is included at the end of this email.

I'm sure you will understand why such measures are necessary.
I look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Anne

If you too have had one of these "experiences," share it! We'd love to hear about it. Anne, thanks for writing out what we really want to say sometimes.

-HJS

Good Things Come From Threes - Guest Post by Kimberly Rempel

Today's a great day for a guest post. Why? Because I get to host a post written by author Kimberly Rempel, whose book Beauty in Darkness is now out and ready to read. (Oh, and I'm still working on my NaNoWriMo so this post is perfect timing).

I've decided to start a column called "Good Things Come from Threes," because it's true. You've heard the phrase "Third time's the charm," right? Well, I find that answers I'm looking for in work and home -- even answers I'm not looking for-- usually get verified in a process of three affirmations. (Though sometimes, they're not good.)

It's no different for a writer. There is easily a zillion combinations of three things that can propel you to write, edit and have your book published.

It's just a matter of making sure to recognize what they are! Take a look.

Good Things Come from Threes -The Path to Publication

First, thank you Heather for your invitation to guest post. I’m so excited to share the top 3 things that helped me become a published writer. The release of my first book,  has caused me to look back a lot. The project spanned a couple of decades (wow … now I feel old) so I needed to look back - to reconnect with what I’d written, and to remember the things that helped me along the way.

Publishing Beauty in Darkness has taught me a lot already. Marketing however, is a whole other story. I just want to quickly share with you the synopsis: “Glimpse a soul exposed, explore truth and observe heart secrets. And somewhere between cigarettes, germs and baby toes, as we examine this soul open before us, we see in ourselves the need for Beauty In Darkness.

If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of this highly praised collection, email me at dawn123@mts.net. We can send it straight to you ($15 including shipping), or you can get in on the blog tour coming up, and generate traffic to your blog while getting your copy for FREE.

Okay, enough of that. Here are the 3 biggest things that helped me to become a published writer.

Writing Mentor: Many moons ago when I was still a closet writer, I happened to discover that one of my customers was a writer. She took an interest, and we arranged monthly meetings where she would critique my work. I had shown my work to family before, and received the "Atta girl" I hoped for, but it hadn’t helped me to improve my writing.

But this woman pushed me. She questioned each word, painstakingly evaluated the sound, rhythm and implication of each stanza. She taught me basic writing rules: "show, don’t tell" and "involve all 5 senses," as well as "Use short, concise sentences." She was ruthless. My writing improved dramatically.

Writers’ Club: Soon I got up the nerve to join an out-of-town writers’ club and later even co-founded a local one. The critiques received in those meetings are priceless! I am continually pushed to excel, to improve, to persevere. It’s amazing to hear each writer give their unique critique of a work. I learn so much from what others contribute – and my writing toolbox continues to grow.

It’s daunting to lay your words on the altar of another’s critical eyes. (i.e. – writers’ club critique time) One of the big lessons I learned right at the beginning was that it is the words that are critiqued, not the person. Phewf!

Deadlines: Perhaps it’s the procrastinator in me, but I work best under deadlines and pressure. My face may contort and speech become little more than distracted grunts, but I sure get writing done! Without deadlines, I tend to float around convincing myself that "I’ll get to it yet." Yeah, right. One author advocates that writing happens not by waiting on epiphany or timing, but by "applying butt to chair." Yes, yes it does. And deadlines are the glue that helps me apply butt to chair. Nice image, I know. Classy.

So those are my ‘top 3’. I’d love to hear what works for others! Maybe locking oneself in a room for 30 days until 50,000 words form a story is one of those priceless motivators…

-Kimberly Rempel

NaNoWriMo--What is that?

Yeah, I thought the same thing too: What kind of weird name is NaNoWriMo?

It’s weird because it stands for National Novel Writing Month. And it’s something I kept seeing a lot of my writing friends sign up for in the month of October. Did that make them as weird as the name for doing this too? Yes and no.

While I’d heard about this “contest” over the years, I wasn’t too sure about it. After all, it’s about writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Not only is that grueling, but it’s also demoralizing.

Seriously, can you image how bad the material is after 30 days of (no-holds-bar, no-looking-back without editing) writing? Pretty horrendous. But then, that’s what the month of December is for: to correct the hideous beast one might want to call a manuscript.

Why am I blogging about this? Because I think I might just dive into the month-long craziness and do it for myself too. Well, it's more than maybe, because I’ve already signed up!

Yes, I’m way too busy. Yes, it’s madness. Yes, it’s something that I might fail miserably at and not even finish. But hey, since when has that mattered before?

I know how to fail (easily the winner in my family), I’m busy anyway (yeah, kids, dog, husband, house and work just isn’t enough), and I’m a writer (I’ve already been diagnosed as mad. And it's irreversible. I mean, really, who in their right mind would write for a living?)

But, you know what? I can fail forward. I plan on learning tons this month about the writing process.

I do, however, have a couple of things to ask you to honor:

1. Don’t ask me what I’m writing about. I have no clue.

2. Don’t ask for snippets of it to dissect. Even I won’t do that to myself until Dec.

3. Forgive my absence, as blog posts become less frequent. Hopefully I’ll have lots of tasty morsels to write about when I’m done with this project.

4. Sign up like me! It’s not too late. We’ll get great practice, have great fun, and become great insane, individuals wondering what the heck we were thinking when we’re done.

I’m already a day late in starting the book that I don’t know how to write, so I better get crackin'. Happy writing to you too. This might be the best way to get that “idea” for a book out on paper. There’s nothing like now to do what you’ve always wanted!