How Many of These 12 Essential #Writing Tips Do You Use?

All writers - authors, bloggers, journalists, screenwriters - have writing tips that help them.  I feel these twelve are essential for all writers.

1. Write

It may seem obvious that writing is the best way to improve your craft,  but without deadlines, it’s easy to slip into the habit of not writing. I’ve recently picked up an old habit of handwriting something, however short,  in a notebook each day. Most days it’s not the only writing I do, but some days it is, and that very act keeps me in touch with who I am - a writer!

2. Read

Read anything and everything you can find the time to put your hands on. Listen to books or articles if it’s not possible to read. Reading is the second best thing you can do to learn how to write well. Check out my post on #Authors, an Infinite Resource. which shows how we have an endless resource from the world of books and authors in print.

3. Explore the World Around You

Inspiration can come in many forms, but most characters whether in fiction or non-fiction are based on real people, however larger than life we end up making them. So sit in a cafe and eavesdrop. Public transportation is a perfect way to overhear what people say, and if you’re lucky you might glean a few different accents too.

4. Embrace the First Shitty Draft

I love the phrase “First Shitty Draft” and first heard it from Catherine Smith , my tutor during my initial semester at my Creative Writing Certificate course at the University of Sussex, UK. It's such an appropriate phrase and an essential part of the process. Just write the thing down before you do more than a cursory edit, otherwise you’ll slow the process and potentially lose your train of thought & interrupt the creative flow.

5. DON’T Share Your Work in Progress with….

...friends and family. Generally speaking , and there are always exceptions, I think it’s a bad idea. They are not going to give you impartial advice and if you’re unlucky may even become a negative influence on your self confidence.

6. DO Share Your Work in Progress with ….

... other writers. There’s a point where we need to write alone, and not be interrupted by other peoples views of what we’ve written. But after a certain point, it is good to get feedback from other writers you trust, and who’s opinion you value. These impromptu editors will be more and less skilled in the ability to critique. Jeri Walker -Bickett wrote a great post about The Necessity of Critique Groups which I recommend you check out. You will find at the very least a camaraderie about the process you are going through, and most likely the fresh eye your work needs.

7. Be Passionate about Your Work

If you’re not passionate about your subject matter it will show in your work. And for a novelist, it will be an unbearable long slog to get the book finished. So choose your subjects carefully if it’s anything but a short article.

8. Exercise

Writing is a usually a sedentary practice, and makes it even more more important for writers to get physical exercise. Murakami wrote a great book called What I Talk about When I Talk about Running, which is mainly an insight into his writing habits. But exercise does a body good in many ways, not only your heart and lungs etc, but your brain, as well. Who knows what you might see on your morning walk? The other morning I saw a snake!

9. Don’t Give Up

It’s hard to finish projects sometimes - any projects actually. Garages across the world are a testament to unfinished projects. But it’s even easier with writing to say it’s not good enough or I’m bored, or it’s too hard, or whatever. Sound familiar? The world is full of people who have lots of great ideas, and lots of half finished manuscripts, short stories and articles stuck in a drawer or file gathering dust on their computer. Do you want to be one of them, or do you want to put your work out in the world? If so, don’t give up.

10. Write New Creative Work During the Revision Process

If you’re a writer, you’re going to spend a lot of time revising or editing. After all  "All writing is re-writing". But if you’re a novelist you may spend years in the revision process. I think it’s important to write new creative work even during your big edit. It's realistic if you stick with a short work - flash fiction, or a short story. It’s a very different skill set to edit than to write new work, so don’t get too out of practice with the latter.

11. Don’t Become an Isolated Writer

I feel it’s essential to seek out other writers, not only to help with critiques, but also to not feel isolated. Find other writers where you live if possible and talk about your work, or problems that might arise because of it. Social Media is also a great place to meet other writers and I’ve made good writer friends through a variety of online groups. It’s another way of being out in the world, and hearing new voices, opening yourself up to new information and experiences.

12. Learn to Accept Criticism

This is absolutely essential for any writer who wants to have their work published. Not only as I mentioned, will you get constructive criticism from your critique buddies, but you will also -hopefully - get feedback from your readers, and not all of it will be positive. So develop a thick skin early on in the process. I was surprised how unnerving I found blogging when I first started, as it puts your opinions out into the world. I’ve been lucky that I've had a lot of support from other bloggers. But I’ve made mistakes, and had a bunch of rejection letters from prospective agents for my novels too. You just do the best you can, change the work as necessary, and realise people will have different opinions to yours, which only makes life more interesting.

Believe in yourself. Isn’t that the most important thing of all that will help you continue your life as a writer?    ~   A.K. Andrew

What writing tips do you use?  What good one’s do you have that I’ve not listed? What have you found the best or most difficult aspect of being a writer? 

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Rebecca Whitney: The Liar's Chair & Traditional Publishing

Author interview: Rebecca Whitney

Readers are being treated this winter to a new wave of thrillers coming mostly from the UK. One of these exciting new writers is Rebecca Whitney, whose debut novel The Liar's Chair, was published by Mantle, an imprint of Macmillan, on January 15th. The novel was featured in the prestigious Sunday Times and The Observer just prior to it's launch, and Whitney herself has recently had articles published in The Independent, Telegraph, Hunger and Buzzfeed. So I'm totally thrilled she has agreed to do an interview for Writer's Notebook.

1. Congratulations on the publication of The Liar's Chair Rebecca! Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

The story follows Rachel Teller, an affluent and successful women who is going off the rails, but she has no idea why. After spending the night at her lover’s house, and still drunk from the night before, she drives to the luxury home she shares with her controlling husband David. The weather is terrible and she drives too fast, and she knocks over and kills a homeless man on a country lane. In her panic she decides to hide the body. Later her husband coerces her into telling him the truth, and he convinces her to return to life as normal. But guilt begins to unravel her, and she seeks out old addictive habits, and self-destructive behaviour, which tips her marriage into the danger zone as she tries to atone for the crime she has committed. In the process she begins to have insights into her forgotten past, revealing some of the reasons she has made so many mistakes.

2.Rachel, the main protagonist is a rather dark character, some might say unlikeable. I ultimately found her to be sympathetic. Did you intend to make her as dark as she is, or did the plot force your hand on the way you portrayed her character ?

It’s up to the reader to make up their own mind about who and what is excusable, but I didn’t intend Rachel to be so ‘un-liked’. I did however intend her to be deeply flawed and difficult to empathise with at the beginning of the book. The point being that, towards the end, as you understand more of how she came to be the person she is, the reader gains some sympathy and connection with her as we see her strength in making it as far as she has. It’s about reassessing the judgements we all make about people when we first meet them; everyone has junk in their past, and much of that baggage goes towards the decisions and actions they make in the present.The plot did very much force my hand as I wanted to show a person unravelling, who chose the most damaging path possible with her warped and personal idea of justice. Some of the decisions she makes are extremely questionable, and they create a character who has ruffled a few of my reader’s feathers. But I am happy that she inspired big reactions rather than none at all. Ultimately she is interesting, and it is compelling to watch her descend to the depths she does, and hopefully that hooks the reader into the story, so it shouldn’t matter if a character is liked to make the book readable.

3. I liked that you included the issue of domestic abuse into the thriller genre, which is very unusual and gives the novel much more depth. Why did you choose to include this issue and what in general triggered the novel?

The issue of domestic abuse is very important to me as I think it’s still a vastly understood area. Many people question why a woman (or indeed a man) would stay in a relationship where he or she is being subjected to such coercion and often violence. I was keen to demonstrate the mental manipulation and self-esteem bashing that goes towards stopping the victim from leaving. Many women who are subjected to this kind of abuse fear for their safety and they cannot get away without serious protection, but it is very hard to translate this torment to the outside world without people thinking the victims are somehow colluding in the abuse simply by remaining in the relationship. Often these women are very strong as they are battling constant assaults on their psyche.What inspired the novel was the idea of how a single tragic event can change the course of someone’s life completely. I was interested in how an external force can compel us to take a good look at ourselves, to address issues we’ve been avoiding, and how sometimes that event can feel quiet random, but strangely timely. My thinking is that often we play a part in the process, even if we don’t know it. In Rachel’s case, she didn’t have any idea that the man would be walking the road that day or that the weather would be so bad, but she chased the disaster by her reckless and extreme behaviour. She is the kind of person who has to reach rock bottom before she can make the changes she needs, and on a subconscious level, that is what she is seeking.

4.How does it feel to have your work published and in the hands of your readers?

It’s great and also terrifying. When people talk to me about the characters in the book, it can feel very strange as I’ve lived with these beings in my head for such a long time now, and suddenly they are out in the world and open to critique. But it’s also very satisfying when readers connect with the characters or the mood or the plot or the prose. It makes all those tortured hours at my computer worth it!

5. Many writers consciously choose the route of self-publishing, but you decided to go with traditional publishing. What made you decide to go that route, and was it hard to find an agent?

I hadn’t considered the self-publishing route, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t have gone down that road if I felt that the traditional route wasn’t open to me. I was very keen to have professional input on my work, as for me it was validation that I was doing it right. Also, since I received representation, the book has gone through a couple of big edits with my agent - Sue Armstrong at Conville and Walsh - and then my editor - Sophie Orme at Mantle - and it has definitely improved. I’m obviously extremely lucky to be working with professionals who’s judgement I trust, but I do think having an outside opinion can build on what you already have and make it much more marketable.I found an agent on my first round of submissions which was really wonderful, and part of that I believe was making the manuscript as polished as it could possibly be at that point. There really was very little else I could have done without professional input. Also my agent said that the title caught her attention, and that’s why she picked it off the pile.

6.It's early days, but can you tell us what support you have had in going the more traditional route that you would not have had if you were self published? Perhaps you can tell us from the point at which you found an agent.

Being guided through rewrites by supportive and clever people - my agent and editor - was brilliant. My agent knew which publishing houses to approach, and which editors were keen to look at the kind of work I had produced. Both agent and publisher are always available for any questions, and have been very helpful in placing my book in the genre it’s in, guiding me through that process. Having a marketing and press department behind me has also been invaluable, without which my novel wouldn’t have received a fraction of the coverage it has. My publicist - Sam Eades - has set up lots of events as well as sending the book out to reviewers and contacting press to commission the features I have written. I wouldn’t have known where to begin doing it on my own.

7.What are a couple of favorite authors you enjoy reading?

I love Helen Dunmore, Cormac McCarthy, Barbara Kingsolver, Donna Tartt, Alice Monroe, Richard Yates to name just a few.

8.Who do you feel was your biggest influence in writing The Liar's Chair?

That’s such a difficult question, as it’s been such an eclectic process. I love films, theatre and music as well as literature, and because the time it took to write the book was quite long, many of these things came in to play at various points as an influence over the whole.

9.What are you working on at the moment? When can we expect to see your next novel?

I’m working on another contemporary psychological thriller but it’s not a sequel to The Liar’s Chair. It’s about a new mother who is struggling with PND, and she thinks she witnesses a serious crime. She has to make the decision between not bringing any more questions upon her sanity and ability to care for her child, or whether to discover what she has seen is real, and attempt to bring the crime out into the open. Realistically it will be out late 2016 or ’17.

10.Where can readers connect with you or where can they find The Liar's Chair?

You can  contact me through my own website http://www.rebeccawhitney.co.uk/and I have an Amazon Author page, and I’m on Goodreads . For social media sites you'll find me on: Facebook, Twitter @RebeccaJWhitney, Pinterest, Spotify and Pan Macmillan Author Page.  I'm hoping soon to have a US publisher, but in the meantime, you can buy the book from Amazon. (see link below). UK customers only can also buy the The Liar's Chair on Kindle.What's your opinion of traditional publishing v. self-publishing? Which would you choose? What do you think of using a psychological thriller to raise the issue of domestic violence?Come join the discussion, and please share this post on your favorite social media. 

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To Kill a Mockingbird - Do you want to read the sequel?

Have you ever finished a novel and wished you knew what happened to the characters after the final page has been turned? It looks as if you may be able to have that experience with one of America's greatest classics. Last week it was announced that Harper Lee is going to release another novel after 55 yrs, somewhat of a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The new novel, Go Set A Watchman, is set to be released by HarperCollins on July 14th, 2015, with an initial print run of two million copies. It's set twenty years after To Kill a Mockingbird, in the fictional town of Macomb, Alabama when Jean Louise Finch , or "Scout" goes back to visit her father. The novel, with similarities To Kill a Mockingbird, deals with the racial tensions of the 1950s, as well as the complex relationship between father and daughter.It seems that the manuscript, which was recently found in Ms. Harper's boxes in storage, was written before To Kill a Mockingbird, and was the first manuscript she tried to get published. Ms Lee was a young writer - as yet unpublished- and took the advice given by her editor who liked Scout's flashbacks and thought the real story should be about Scout as a young girl. And so Harper Lee went back and revised her manuscript and To Kill a Mockingbird became her first novel, and the classic that has been translated into more than 40 languages and has sold over 30 million copies.

“I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told,” Ms. Lee said in a statement released by her publisher.

 My initial excitement of a new novel by Harper Lee was at first tempered by the thought that perhaps the manuscript would not be as good as the classic. But then I thought even if it wouldn't be, why should it matter? In fact as a writer, I was interested in reading the story that was the genesis for the final novel published back in 1960. Often the story a novelist starts out to write turns out to be something completely different, and the one that was meant to be told comes out. I had this experience myself with my first novel. It was initially set in Berkeley, CA in 1969, but ended up being set in Italy in the 1940s.I read a couple more articles about the upcoming publication of Go Set A Watchman, and the questions that were raised surrounded the issue of whether Ms. Lee is actually involved in the process. Harper Lee is now 88 and lives in an Assisted Living facility in Monroeville, Alabama. She is both deaf and blind, and until recently her affairs had been largely looked after by her sister Alice who died last year at 104. Obviously the family must have used a lawyer too. But now that Alice is no longer there to monitor Harper Lee's affairs, the question has been asked as to who exactly has control over the situation, or been negotiating the deal with HarperCollins, and ultimately who will benefit from the publication of a book that is destined to be a big seller?I suspect that we, as the general public will never know all the answers, and certainly not at the moment, and will have to be satisfied with speculation. So I am going to look at it from the perspective of both a reader and a writer, and hope that Ms. Lee herself will have at least some benefit from the publication, and that her fans are given an opportunity to see a little more of her journey of becoming the talented author that wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm not expecting Go Set A Watchman to be as polished, as indeed it's being published without the benefit of the level of editing usually given a published work, so that it is true to Harper Lee's original manuscript.This is probably a unique situation actually, as most 'lost' manuscripts tend to turn up after the writer has died. However convoluted the unanswered questions behind the scenes may be, I feel grateful that we are being treated to more of Harper Lee's writing, and I hope she gets the accolades she will doubtless deserve once the book reaches publication. What's your opinion of the upcoming sequel? Are you excited? Do you have concerns about it? Would you rather To Kill A Mockingbird remain Ms. Lee's only novel?Come join the discussion, and please share this post on your favorite social media. 

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Do you Want to Start #Writing Like #Steinbeck?

 

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the the film release of Grapes of Wrath so I thought it was appropriate to re-purpose this post. If you want to start writing like Steinbeck, then take a look at some of the things he found important and include them in your writing. "Learn from the best"

John Steinbeck’s writing methodology was stringent and meticulous. When writer's you love talk about how they write, it’s hard not listen.Steinbeck really wanted Grapes of Wrath to be good  - exposing the exploitation of people in 1930’s Southern California, was a story he thought needed telling. I re-read the novel a while ago, and the style blew me away.

[tweetthis] "Nothing about The Grapes of Wrath is dated."[/tweetthis]

It's incredibly refreshing to read a book with such valuable social commentary that's also just a damn good story. Part of its success lies in the fact that we live, eat and sleep with the Joad family. Everything is personal, so we care about what happens to the characters, and it allows us to see the injustice very clearly, without the point being hammered home. Steinbeck simply tells a story.Below is part of John Steinbeck’s interview in the Paris Review*(Please note: Steinbeck died in 1968. A lot of the quotes were compiled in Steinbeck: A Life in Letters and published in October 1975 by Viking. Hence the Paris Review article was not until 1975.)The comments in italics are mine.

 ON GETTING STARTED

Now let me give you the benefit of my experience in facing 400 pages of blank stock—the appalling stuff that must be filled. I know that no one really wants the benefit of anyone's experience which is probably why it is so freely offered. But the following are some of the things I have had to do to keep from going nuts.

 1. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish.

Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.This is the most important one & can’t be said too often. One page at a time.

 2. Write freely

...and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material. Don’t worry about anyone looking over your shoulder. Just get the work written. Good tip for all of us procrastinators.

 3. Forget your generalized audience.

In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn't exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.I’ve heard this before, and I think it's an excellent way to keep yourself on track. You can't write for everyone. So write for one.

4. If a scene or a section gets the better of you

...and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.Rewriting – its all there is. But don't be afraid to write non-sequentially. Sometimes one just isn't in the mood to write about a dramatic moment, so switch gears and go to a section you do want to write today.

 5. Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you,

...dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.Tough to give them up isn’t it?

 6. If you are using dialogue

...say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.Excellent tip. If you read it out loud it will sound strained immediately if it’s not working.On my writers resources page I refer to his book Working Days, which is the diary he kept while he was writing Grapes of Wrath. (He wrote his first draft in 6 months BTW!). It’s a great book for writers if only to show how persistent one has to be to make the end product worthwhile.Are these methods  you can work with? Do you have different ways of attacking the same problems? 

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*Paris Review has rich resource material in their decades of interviews of famous people, writers included.I first saw part of this particular interview in one of my favorite blogs www.brainpickings.org

Margaret #Atwood #Writing New Beginnings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but one resolution I do have is that I want to make time for new writing. And by that, I don't mean editing or revising, but new fiction. To that end, I came across this quote by Margaret Atwood from a Paris Review Interview in 1990.

“Every novel is—at the beginning—the same opening of a door onto a completely unknown space.”       ~ Margaret Atwood 1990, Paris Review

I thought it was a very fitting start for the New Year. A new beginning.

As we know, beginning something is easy. How a new gym membership pans out after that crucial six week mark is the telling point and when things can become a little more difficult.

 In saying I'm making a commitment to new fiction,  I may need to reduce my blogging time, or at least reduce how much time I spend on each blog. But nothing's written in stone. It's all still a new beginning right?But what will I write? I can't be specific, but I have been enjoying re-learning how to write short stories over the past couple of months. It is quite a change from the previous years I've spent on novel writing. But I'm still querying agents with my second novel, Under The Bed. And I'm revising my first novel, Radio Echo so...who know's...the year is young. Let's see how quickly I can write!

In the same interview with Margaret Atwood, the interview asks "Do writers perceive differently than others? Is there anything unique about the writer’s eye?" An interesting question I thought. This is part of her response:-

 The unique thing about writers is that they write. Therefore they are pickier about words, at least on paper. But everyone “writes” in a way; that is, each person has a “story”—a personal narrative—which is constantly being replayed, revised, taken apart, and put together again. The significant points in this narrative change as a person ages—what may have been tragedy at twenty is seen as comedy or nostalgia at forty. All children “write.” (And paint, and sing.) I suppose the real question is why do so many people give it up. Intimidation, I suppose. Fear of not being good. Lack of time.

To me that was an important point, because I often ask myself why is this important to me, why do I feel the need to keep creating new worlds to populate? I think it's important to me not to quit as much as anything else. But I also need to have something to say, to have a comment on the world in the work. It's not that I wouldn't consider writing, for example a light romance. I certainly have great admiration for those who do so and do it well. But for me, if I'm going to spend three + years on a 100,000 word novel, it has to say something. Whether I succeed or not is another matter, but I need to at least try.  There has to be a purpose behind the work, not just storytelling for story telling's sake.

The year is new, and January is a good month for lofty goals. What are yours?

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P.D. James - A #Writing Life of Crime

This is my last post for 2014, and in looking back over the year I wanted to remember one of the writers who died this year, British crime writer P.D. James. She was 94 yrs old.[embed]https://www.flickr.com/photos/faberandfaber/2850161383/in/photolist-hz4bs4-dYym4s-hj7CKw-6uNvpi-foSfQN-qgKqcG-5kRPFv-5kVZ6S-5kVZcA-79SyMm-4KgvRD-dg9n2f-7ysTcK-5kVZ7S-comjZA-4jXhk9-5kVZa9-5kVZ3Y-5kRJ2x-5kVZbN-sqogs-eWKRc2-bZK2nf-5WB5Lf-dYt7mi-dYyiQW-foBZ6R-5kRHX2-4KkMWy-4KgvN6-4KkMPS-8Xwe85-4KkMSS-4KgvQR-b8zRq8-4qHvDH-h2yx39-632mMr-xCL7R-dRK26C-9DWyQB-8AZfWa-6YNAoi-aoot2o-eYh2vr-cbMyUm-8Y75kZ-72R6om-aootXf-D1yEy[/embed]Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known as P. D. James, was one of the first crime writers I ever read. Although P.D. James didn't publish her first book until she was 42, she went on to become one of the most prolific crime writer's in the UK and took the  genre far beyond her predecessors of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.Many of P.D. James's novels take place against the backdrop of UK bureaucracies, such as the criminal justice system and the National Health Service, in which she worked for decades starting in the 1940s. Two years after the publication of Cover Her Face in 1962,  she took a position as a civil servant within the criminal section of the Home Office. She worked in government service until her retirement in 1979.I thought this quote was great for looking back over the year.

“It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.”P.D. James, A Taste for Death

I was born in England, so know exactly what P.D. James is talking about. But I think it probably applies to all of us. We have an image of things in our mind, which may in fact just be a quintessential moment that has existed, but doesn't happen too often. And so our faulty memory becomes the truth with which we live.It's hard to remember everything that's happened over the span of a year, good and bad. But if we don't get it quite right, what's wrong with having memories that might be a little rosy? Maybe that's just me. After all, I am a fiction writer.Thanks to all my readers for your support and comments throughout the year, and I look forward to seeing you in 2015.

Happy Holidays!

Which writer or celebrity do you most remember who died in 2014?

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Can We Compare Steinbeck's East of Eden to Breaking Bad?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMjKq8xk-E&app=desktop

Trailer of Steinbeck's East Of Eden

“I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer -- and what trees and seasons smelled like -- how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich.” John Steinbeck from East of Eden

Steinbeck is well known for his work Grapes of Wrath, but East of Eden is an incredibly powerful work, which many of you may know more from the film with James Dean that the novel itself. The clip of the movie above, is great because it is of such an era where both the music and the fonts across the screen portray the the film in a very time specific dramatic way. The trailer itself is relying on our senses to make us believe something is a particular way.

Trailing the Senses

Some of you may be familiar with the TV show Breaking Bad that finished it's final season earlier in 2014. It was anything but a light show. It focused on Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston), a science teacher who starts cooking crack cocaine initially to pay for his medical bills. But his family's life deteriorates as Walt becomes more and more involved in the violent life of hardcore drug manufacture. Hardly light fare, or full of fields of green, childhood memories.So back to our title:  Can we compare John Steinbeck's East of Eden to Breaking Bad? They are both about families, and failures within those families; fathers failing their sons. But that's not what drew me to look at the two together. What brought me to the comparison of the two films were the two trailers I've put in this post, and how we as the audience are manipulated by what we see and hear. Through our senses we draw conclusions.Here's another video where the accompanying music completely changes the conclusions we draw about what we see. This trailer is a spoof of Breaking Bad as the serious, violent show it actually is.Try Breaking Bad as a sitcomhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZpo89mmJo&app=desktopI was stunned by how my perceptions could be manipulated by what I heard - the accompanying laugh track, and happy comedy music intro soundtrack.

The Senses Made Me Do it

 As the audience you are drawn in by what writers, and film makers, want you to hear and see. Just as Steinbeck drew on the senses he remembered from his childhood, in this spoof trailer of Breaking Bad, we are seduced by our associations and memories induced by our senses to look at something in a completely new way.My conclusion is that the works may both have their similarities in terms of family dynamics being integral to the plot, but aside from the trailers, I think that's where there comparison ends. I touch more on using the senses in writing in my post Savouring Taste Treats: Using the Senses in WritingWhat is the strongest sense for you? What memories are the most easily sparked and by which sense?

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How to Avoid 7 Deadly Sins of Short #Story #Writing

This post is a reblog from a Bridget Whelan Post. Click here for the original post

This post grew out of an article I originally wrote for the Hysterectomy Association when I was writer in residence of their annual writing comeptition earlier this year.I recently came across the WikiHow entry on how to write a short story. The actual article contains good advice, but I arched an eyebrow (see above) when I read the introduction.

“While writing a novel can be a Herculean task, just about anybody can craft and, most importantly, finish, a short story.”  wiki

No, they can’t – unless the writer means that almost anybody can produce 1000+ words of grammatically correct sentences that somehow link up together, but that’s no more a short story than a roll of material pinned into a tube is a dress.I resent the idea that short stories are an easy option. The very size means there’s nowhere to hide flabby ideas and weak sentences. A clunky phrase stands out as brashly as if it had been highlighted in neon yellow. Usually a short story has a very restricted range of characters and the action takes place over a relatively short period of time – days rather than years – and there’s no room for time slips or flash backs. Usually. As soon as you try to formulate any rule of writing you can think of brilliant exceptions, but I read a lot of short stories by emerging writers and here are some of the most common problems I come across.

1) Too much information

I don’t need to know that the head gardener is called Barry and is a veteran of the Falklands War if all he does is knock on a door. It may sound like being a member of a spy ring, but everything’s on a need to know basis. If Barry only has a walk on part readers don’t need to be introduced.

2) Too many names

Not every character has to be named. They can be refered to as their occupation: the vicar, the postman. Or by their relationship to others: grandad, his wife, her teacher….

3) Too much back story

Sir Angus Wilson who helped set up the first UK Masters in creative writing at the University of East Anglia in the early 1970s thought that short stories and plays were similar.

“You take a point in time and develop it from there; there is no room for development backwards.”  ~ Sir Angus Wilson

I think Alice Munro, the Canadian short story writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013, was saying much the same thing when she described short stories as ‘a world seen in a quick glancing light. ’

4) Too much description

If you think of a story as a journey, description forces the reader to stop. It’s as if the author is saying hold on a moment, I know you want to find out what happens next, but I’ve created a whole new world for your enjoyment: stop and look at the sun reflecting on the water, the child’s soft curls and the cold blue of the spring sky… Too much description and the reader might not bother to wait for the journey to start again. Too little and the reader might not care where the journey is heading.

5) Too timid

Safe stories about safe subjects don’t linger long in the memory. Once you’ve got an idea ask what if? and keep on pushing the boundaries…Avoid timid titles too. Think of it as the first line of the story – which is most likley to make you want to find out more: The Party or Jiving with St Joseph?

6) Too Over the Top

You can’t encapsulate the complexity of a novel-length idea in a few thousand words without losing something vital. Accept that you have a small canvas.

And finally...

7) Starting in the wrong placeDo you really need to set the scene? And do you need to do it in the opening paragraphs? Introductions are needed in academic essays – not short stories. The great American writer Kurt Vonnegut said start as near to the end as possible. Experiment – see how far you can push that idea.And here’s the rest of Kurt's rules for what you should put into a short story.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyQ1wEBx1V0photo credit: FLASHFLOOD® via photopin ccphoto credit: Urban Woodswalker via photopin ccBridget Whelan is a London Irish novelist and Creative Writing teacher. She has taught at the prestigious Goldsmiths Collegein London, UK as well as other locations in both London and Brighton. Her first novel is A Good Confession, and this year she released a fantastic book called Back to Creative Writing School which is now OUT IN PAPERBACK! as well as an ebook. Click the link below.You can reach Bridget at Bridgetwhelan.com  and on twitter @agoodconfessionCan you think of any more sins?  What other problems do you have writing short work?

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Do You Want A Little Free Library in Your Neighbourhood?

Have you seen the Little Free Libraries that keep springing up everywhere?

If not then you’re in for a real treat. Although I'd seen a couple, I'd no idea they were so widespread until I read an article by Margaret Aldrich in The Atlantic .

What Are They?

A Little Free library is essentially a small bookcase that someone has built and filled with books. People can borrow books from them or take a book to keep, and replace it with one they put inside. And it’s all based on the honour system.Tod Bol built the first Little Free Library in the Mississippi River town of Hudson, Wisconsin, in 2009, as a tribute to his mother—a dedicated reader and former schoolteacher. When he saw the people of his community gathering around it like a neighborhood water cooler, exchanging conversation as well as books, he knew he wanted to take his simple idea farther.

“We have a natural sense of wanting to be connected, but there are so many things that push us apart,” Bol says. “I think Little Free Libraries open the door to conversations we want to have with each other." He goes on , "We have a natural sense of wanting to be connected, but there are so many things that push us apart,” Bol says. “I think Little Free Libraries open the door to conversations we want to have with each other.”

Since Tod Bul had this brilliant brain wave, the idea has spread all over the US, and now into other countries.As of January 2014, there are over 15,000 Little Libraries worldwide, and counting. An estimated 1,650,000 books were donated and borrowed from 2010-2013

Why do they Have Such Appeal?

Everyone loves things for free don’t they? But people also like things that make them feel like they are part of a community, something they can easily participate in. In fact what books are in the Little Free Library is going to tell you a lot about your neighbours. I think the other appeal is that it is so low tech in a world that is seething with gadgets, reinventing the book and the way we read it at every turn.Many people may remember being taken to a library when they were little and that just might not happen so easily now.

What is Their Real Potential?

The other potential, and this has already happened, is that the Little free Library becomes a low budget way for the “real thing” to reach areas in the world, including the US, that simply don’t have the money to build, stock or staff a traditional library. The organization’s Books Around the Block program, for example, aims to bring LFLs to places where kids and adults don’t have easy access to books. In North Minneapolis, an area more often in the news for shootings than community engagement, the Books Around the Block initiative set up 40 of the little libraries. Two hundred more sprung up shortly thereafter.

How Can You get a Little Free Library in Your Neighbourhood?

If you’ve not found one in your neighbourhood then do one of two things. Check on line to see if theres a local map showing where they are.OR, better still…..Build one !!! and put it outside your front door. I have considered it myself, but have not yet done it.But I know the first time I came across one - and I’d not heard of the movement at the time - I thought  -Wow, this is so cool that someone took the time to build this little case, and fill it with books. I also thought it really said something about the neighbourhood. That it was somewhere people cared about and somewhere  people trusted others enough to not worry they would be immediately ”stolen” from. Isn’t that the essence of what we want in a liveable society? Sounds good to me.

What do you think are the pro's and con's of the idea of a Little Free Library?

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Do You Need the Ideal Time and Place to #Write?

Do writers need an ideal time and place to write?  Is it the right time or place that gets you going? We all have our different routines and rituals when it comes to writing, so there is no right or wrong answer here. That said, some writers feel the reason they are not more successful in their work is because they are constantly fighting an uphill battle in seeking out an ideal time or place to write. Let's look at the different factors involved.

Where do you most like to write?

Where you most like to write will be different for everyone.  I think place can both influence and be influenced by what we are writing. Many people talk about the ideal being the ability to go on a writer's retreat - whole days of  doing nothing but write, often in a country setting which may or may not include other writers , depending on the situation.That sounds great, and it may work for some people. Personally I like the comforts of home, and I’m fortunate enough to have quiet if I need it, or at least an uninterrupted space. I like to work in an easy chair, or even propped up in bed with pillows. That said, I also enjoy being in a cafe having the buzz of people around me, which doubtless drifts into my subconscious and effects what I write.

It’s nice to be able to put yourself in an environment where you can completely accept all the unconscious stuff that comes to you from your inner workings of your mind. And block yourself off to where you can control it all, take it down…  Bob Dylan

What time is it? Are You a Morning Person?

In “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running", Haruki Murakami tells us that he starts working at six, and his best writing time is early morning. But he is very clear on noting that his most fruitful time is when he’s finished writing and he goes out into the world.We all have different circadian rhythms which determine the sleep and feeding patterns of animals, including human beings. There are also clear patterns of core body temperature, brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities. In short, with regard to writing, we all are at our most productive at different times of the day. So it makes sense that if we had no other commitments, we would have a time of day that we work best. Of course, many writers have day jobs which interfere with that lovely theory, and have to squeeze in an hour in the morning or perhaps after the kids have been put to bed, if there is any energy left. I generally think of myself as a morning person, but in truth I do most of my writing in the afternoon, in part because I consider it a reward for the chores of daily living that need to be done.

Sounds of Silence or the Sound of Music?

We all have different needs when it comes to sounds, and I think just like place, ambient sound can effect how we work and the work itself. This post was prompted by Maria Popova at Brainpickings.org when she was discussing Robert Kellog's book, The Psychology of Writing.

“The lack of interruption in trains of thought may be the critical ingredient in an environment that enables creative flow. As long as a writer can tune out background noise, the decibel level per se may be unimportant. For some writers, the dripping of a faucet may be more disruptive than the bustle of a cafe in the heart of a city.”  The Psychology of Writing (public library) by Robert T. Kellogg

Some people find music is essential, whereas other people like to write in silence. I’ve experimented with both, and discovered that for me it depends on what I’m working on. When I was writing my first novel set in WWII, then I listened to 40's jazz or “Trio Lescano” an Italian trio similar to The Andrew Sisters. Cole porter was another favourite. It was particularly important as music played an key role for both the protagonist and the antagonist. Much of the time though, I write in silence, or I find if someone else is in the room listening to the radio or the TV, it doesn’t bother me either way.

Do You Need The Ideal Time and Place To Write?

I feel the important thing is to not worry too much about the situation being ideal. Life doesn’t always work like that. So make the most of whatever time and place you have. Whenever I have to frequent a waiting room whether it be at the airport, hospital or the mechanic’s, I like to have a notebook, or at least a phone to take notes, or actually write sections.  I find these situations more conducive to planning, or changing a plot point, or how a scene ending might change. But the actual work is possible too.Some people are able to create an ideal time and place to write on a regular basis. Fabulous if you can, but I think unrealistic for many of us. But it’s good to notice what we do like in terms of time and place for our work. Sometimes even a small adjustment might lead to more productivity. After all, writing should be enjoyable shouldn’t it? Ok , so it’s sometimes just hard work that  needs to get done, but why not make the most of it while we’re there? Where do you like to write, and what is your best time of day? Do you write with music, if so what really get's your muse going? 

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#Muse media #Annie Proulx on Love

Love...#Muse media

#Muse Media are a series of short posts that combine different media with a notable author.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpCaQSRwdd0[/embed]“Late in the afternoon, thunder growling, that same old green pickup rolled in and he saw Jack get out of the truck, beat up Resistol tilted back. A hot jolt scalded Ennis and he was out on the landing pulling the door closed behind him. Jack took the stairs two and two. They seized each other by the shoulders, hugged mightily, squeezing the breath out of each other, saying, son of a bitch, son of a bitch, then, and easily as the right key turns the lock tumblers, their mouths came together, and hard, Jack’s big teeth bringing blood, his hat falling to the floor, stubble rasping, wet saliva welling, and the door opening and Alma looking out for a few seconds at Ennis’s straining shoulders and shutting the door again and still they clinched, pressing chest and groin and thigh and leg together, treading on each other’s toes until they pulled apart to breathe and Ennis, not big on endearments, said what he said to his horses and his daughters, little darlin.” Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain

Love is portrayed in novels in as many ways as there are to love. But in the quote above from the novella Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx manages to capture the most intense sense of passion and desire to make it a visceral need. If it's not already obvious, the two characters have not seen each other for a long time - at least a year if not longer as I recall. If you want an example of writing that makes every word count, this is it. And she conjures not only love and passion, but by her use of phrases such as "stubble rasping" and repeating "son of a bitch" she manages to impart the sense of maleness that is integral to the scene, and the love affair the book portrays. And yet even then, there is a tenderness as Ennis calls Jack "little darlin".  It's one of the few books that I have read, then seen the film, and then  reread the book and still cried at the final scene.

In the video above, Annie Proulx talks about the making of Brokeback Mountain and gives some insight on her process of how she came up with the story and well as the film being made. Even watching the first minute I think you will find worthwhile.

Perhaps her love of the printed word helps to give us some insight as to how she can portray her signature characters from the American range so vividly.

 “You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”

Annie Proulx

 What  kinds of love scenes  do you like in a novel? Do you have a favorite love story ?

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Banned Book Week: Should We Ever Ban Books?

 I am guest posting at http://jeriwb.com today, so head on over to Jeri's site for my post for Banned Book Week. See you at  http://jeriwb.com/should-we-ever-ban-books-42544/ThanksA.K. Andrew

Tips for Pitching to Literary Agents at a Writers’ Conference

I'm thrilled to have Jeri Walker-Bickett as my guest blogger today. She's given us an incredibly informative post on pitching to literary agents.Welcome Jeri!Attending a live pitching session shows agents a devotion to craft and a higher likelihood that the writer can deliver a polished manuscript. Submitting a written query may be less daunting, but a face-to-face meeting increases the chance of getting noticed. These tips for pitching to literary agents will help prepare you for a successful encounter.Even if you are pursuing less traditional paths to publication, any time spent clarifying the core essence of your work can only be a good thing. No writer writes alone, and as entrepreneurs, writers need to be able to sell themselves in all mediums. In the big picture, the costs of attending conferences and paying for editorial services are small prices to pay to ensure your work is top-notch.

#1 Completing the Manuscript

A million great book ideas exist, but bringing a concept to fruition has killed many drafts. An agent is looking for work to acquire for representation now. That being said, I’ve pitched my work in progress two summers straight in the name of practice. When you’re finally ready to submit, make sure the manuscript has also undergone revisions.

#2 Doing Homework

Conferences often list the agents who will be attending months in advance. Research each agency and follow their blogs and social media sites. At the very least, attend the agent panel at the conference where they will briefly state the types of books they are looking for.

 #3 Preparing Materials

This includes not only your pitch, but also a logline, query letter, and synopsis. If you don’t know the difference make sure to utilize the almighty Google to get informed. If writing nonfiction, a proposal is most likely in order as well. It’s also a good idea to have your social media stats available in case an agent is curious about your platform building efforts.

#4 Perfecting the Pitch

Tons of advice exists for how to write a great pitch. I’ve gravitated toward the Place, Person, Pivot model (http://jeriwb.com/how-to-pitch-a-book-lost-girl-road-pnwa-2013-6789/)   described by literary agent Katharine Sands. Make sure you know comparable titles as well.

#5 Practicing Delivery

It’s not uncommon for conferences to offer rooms for writers to practice with each other. I like to practice by filming myself using my iPhone camera. No matter how much I think I have my pitch memorized, bringing along a half-sheet of paper to the session helps keep me focused.

#6 Looking the Part

Aim for business casual. Even though my favorite garb may be T-shirts and jeans, a grubby shirt from my Broadway musical collection isn’t likely to make a great first impression.

#7 Conquering the Session

Make eye contact, shake hands, introduce yourself. Dive in! Nerves serve the purpose of keeping us on our toes. A pitch session of three or four minutes will fly by, but if the session is longer, feel free to use the time to ask the agent to critique your query letter or answer a publishing question or two. Remember that agents are people too, plus it’s their life’s work to find the right stories for the market they represent.#8: Line-Waiting StrategiesDo the math as you wait in line. If five people are in front of you and the sessions last four minutes each, that’s twenty minutes of standing in line. When the final bell sounds, if your current line is too long take that chance and pitch to an unlikely agent with a shorter line.

#9: Submitting Materials

If an agent is interested they will make a request and hand you a business cards. You should not hand any materials to them. The sooner the requested information can be submitted, the better. If querying more than a year later, try to see if it’s possible to re-connect with the agent at another conference before submitting. Emailed queries should indicate the conference name and year in the subject line. Also, don’t submit to more than one agent per agency.

#10: Gauging Interest

Not all agents will request material, and many will offer sound reasons why. If an agent merely says feel free to query according to the steps listed on their site, this might be their way of avoiding saying they’re not interested. Do they request ten, twenty-five, or fifty pages? What about the full manuscript? No matter what, don’t give up.The more effort a writer puts into finding the right audience, the greater the likelihood for success.Have you ever attended a pitching session? Feel free to ask more questions or offer points of your own in the comments below.Jeri Walker-Bickett (@JeriWB) writes short stories, creative nonfiction, and psychological suspense. The rough mining town she grew up in—with its mix of bars, churches, and whorehouses—populates her literary landscape. Food, travel, and photography also inspire her creativity. She lives in Idaho with her wonderful husband and their demanding pets. You can connect with her at JeriWB.com where she blogs about writing tips, lit chat, and more. Please explore her titles via Amazon. She also works as a freelance editor.Blog: JeriWB Author & Editor http://jeriwb.com/Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Jeri-Walker-Bickett/e/B006UHV4CA  

10 Ways to be Creative this Summer

Does summertime make you feel creative and want to try new things? Or do you just like to have fun in the sun? I like both, so I'm taking a break from blogging after this post until after Labor Day.What will You be Doing for Creative Fun this Summer?Summer is a great time to try things you might not normally do. Here are my suggestions for being creative this summer.

1.Build a Sandcastle or a Sand Painting

Building sandcastles are one of my favorite childhood memories as we always had beach holidays. Some of the ones you see are amazing, not just the fill a bucket and turn it upside down kind. I love making a moat with a sand castle too, all that foamy water rushing in. And then at the end of the day you can make it disappear with one sweep of your hand or wait for a wave to do the same thing. Creative things don't need to be permanent. Sand paintings are fun for that very reason. Do one on the beach with a stick or your finger, or buy a sand painting kit.

2.Write a Short Story

This is the time to let go, have some fun with it. And remember no-one but you will see it, unless you want them to. Write about an unexpected sexual encounter. Try out a different genre you don't usually use. Never written about vampires? Now's the time. Write in a different point of view, or from the point of view of a different gender, or sexual orientation. Hey, this is supposed to be fun right?

3.Go see a Film or Make a Movie

When was the last time you went to a cinema? No, not your home theatre, but a big screen-Dolby stereo-popcorn-selling cinema. Treat yourself. If you're a regular cinema goer then try a different kind of film. For me that would be a horror film. Of course, I'd have to take something to hold up in front of the screen though! Maybe you'll be inspired to make a short movie on your phone or camera. One of the best shorts I've ever seen was made by a guy who was stuck in his house in Minnesota one winter, and he used himself as the subject. It was so imaginative, and best of all, hilarious.

 4.Take a Photograph

We all spend so much time on our mobile phones these days, but do you use your phone camera for anything other than selfies or groups of friends laughing together? I love those photos, but it's great to capture even simple things you see that give you a memory of the place you've been and the good time you had.  Better still, take an actual camera!You remember those right? I must dust mine off. I happened to catch these cowboys with my phone while driving home last Sunday morning - I wasn't driving:-)

5.Try a Poem

Lots of people, myself included, sometimes find poetry intimidating. But if you think of poetry as being just the essential information you need, it's not so threatening. Of course, the arrangement and choice of words is what makes poetry beautiful, striking and memorable. Play around with words that come to mind, and put them together in a bizarre order. See what happens.

6. Watercolors and Painting

I used to think water colors had to be twee little scenes of cottages with roses round the door. They can be if that's what you want, but you can paint anything you want with watercolors including abstracts. Look at the beautiful watercolors from Leora Wenger she painted during a blackout. It's a brilliant medium to take on holiday. I have a little Winsor Newton box that is about 3"x  5 " with a telescopic paintbrush inside. The paints are little squares like a kids paint set. I've had so much fun with that little box. The key to both drawing and painting is really looking at your subject. And don't try and get the whole thing in the painting. Just pick a small section, like a doorway not the whole house, or a single plant, not the whole garden etc. If you really want to be adventurous, try acrylics or oil paints. The textures are delicious.

7.Drawing

Kids have so much fun with drawing , and there is no reason why adults can't either. If you want your drawings to look as if you were classically trained, good for you. But if like me, you don't have that skill, then draw whatever it is you see. If it's stick figures - fabulous.  You know who they are, and I can guarantee that if you forget about it having to look realistic, you will have fun with it. Think simple , but creative. Look at the work of Keith Haring. I used to think drawing was an innate skill. Some people have more of a natural talent, but it can basically be learned by anyone. So you might want to elaborate on your stick figures, and give it a shot. Drawing your own hands is a great way to practise. Or look in a mirror as I did above for this self portrait. Drawing images from photographs is much easier than from real life, so that's a good place to start too. Pencils are great, but charcoal or pastels are also really fun too. The important thing for me is the process.

8.Gardening

Gardening  is a fantastically creative pursuit and I'm often amazed the effects people can get from very simple things eg. putting a plant in an old metal jug, or combining flowers with herbs. It's hot and dry in the summer where I live, and I've seen some of the most amazing succulent gardens in our neighborhood. Years ago I thought they were a very boring plant, but once I saw them in the US, and particularly the ones that bloom, I've come to love them. They're great for needing little water too, which is always a good choice. Watch your back though - gardening is addictive, and it's easy to forget how much work you've done. If you find this is the case then try using raised beds. Here's one surprise I found in a neighbors garden....

 9. Music

How many times have you heard people say, I can't sing? Nonsense! Everyone who does not have vocal chord issues can sing. Some voices are more pleasant to listen to than others, but we're talking about having fun here. Sing at the top of your lungs, and who cares what it sounds like. Or pick up a musical instrument you haven't tried before. Harmonica's and tin whistles are inexpensive. Ukulele's can be very cheap these days. The chords are very simple,  - some only use one finger. It's all about having fun.

10. Cooking

Cooking does not have to be complicated, and in the summer, many of the dishes we eat are cold. Some people are so creative in what they make. Check out Susan Cooper's site Findingourwaynow.com. She has lots of great recipes, and you can tell she has fun in her cooking. I like simple dishes in the summer. There's nothing more beautiful than a caprese salad - luscious heirloom tomatoes with fresh buffalo mozzarella, sprinkled with chopped basil and dribbled with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Talk about a treat for all the senses.

What else do you like to do creatively? Welding, sculpture, making jewellery, beading, rockhounding? Tell us how you express your creativity. Try something new this summer, and whatever it is make sure you enjoy yourself.

Have a fantastic summer everyone and I'll see you after Labor Day on September 8th when I have the pleasure of Jeri-Walker Bickett guest posting on Writer's Notebook.

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How Can you Convert Failure into a Learning Experience?

Converting failure into a learning experience sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?  Think again.Being afraid of failure is a common human trait. For artists, the fear is usually greater as their persona is often embodied in their work for all to see. Although of course that’s not true. What we write, or paint, or sculpt, is not who we are. But it is hard not to take criticism personally. If you are unable to separate criticism of your work from criticism of yourself as a person, then you are in the wrong field.

How do we Develop a Thick Skin?

Your work is not who you are. Your actions are not who you are. But they have consequences, both good and bad. So the important thing to remember is writing a boring book does not make you a boring person. Similarly, doing a stupid think like leaving the car unlocked in a high crime neighborhood, does not make you a stupid person. You might kick yourself for losing the bag you (stupidly) left in the back seat. You are still a smart person who did a stupid thing.

How Can We Learn from our Mistakes?

We can learn from our mistakes by improving the way we write or behave. As in the example above, the chances of you leaving the car unlocked when you lose something valuable is unlikely. With your writing , or painting , or whatever, then you can pick apart what you did, and find a way to do it differently. Which takes us to the next part.

You will only learn from failure if you have an open mind ~ A.K.Andrew

How to Embrace failure.

I love making mistakes in my writing. Every time someone points out something is not working in my novel, then I know that’s a golden opportunity for me to improve what I’m working on. Be grateful when someone points out you did a lousy job, because this is your chance to learn. This is your chance to make things better.In a recent article in Brainpickings.org,   Ed Catmull, a cofounder of Pixar, had some great insight on the nature of failure.

We need to think about failure differently. I’m not the first to say that failure, when approached properly, can be an opportunity for growth. But the way most people interpret this assertion is that mistakes are a necessary evil. Mistakes aren’t a necessary evil. They aren’t evil at all. They are an inevitable consequence of doing something new (and, as such, should be seen as valuable; without them, we’d have no originality). And yet, even as I say that embracing failure is an important part of learning, I also acknowledge that acknowledging this truth is not enough. That’s because failure is painful, and our feelings about this pain tend to screw up our understanding of its worth. To disentangle the good and the bad parts of failure, we have to recognize both the reality of the pain and the benefit of the resulting growth.

Six Guidelines to Embracing Failure

Be open to criticism.Stop being defensive.Love and learn from your mistakes.See every hurdle as an opportunity for learning.Failure is the road to improvement.Be adventurous and be prepared to fail.All those positives are fine in theory, but as Ed Catmull noted, we are human and failure is painful. But remember the resulting growth is worth the pain. Do you want to be adventurous and creative, or play it safe and go with the status quo. It’s your life, and your choice. I choose to fail.

How do you deal with failure? Is it something you dread? Can you see a positive side to failure?

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Related articles

• Pixar Cofounder Ed Catmull on Failure and Why Fostering a Fearless Culture Is the Key to Groundbreaking Creative Work

Munir Bello - Do you Remember a Childhood Nightmare?

Do you remember a childhood nightmare? Yes, we all do. Snakes under the bed, dragons, a burglar, Dracula. Most people's childhood nightmares are based on fearful fantasies. But in Munir Bello's case the nightmare was real life. And something which contributes driving him in his work today.I'm very happy to welcome back Munir Bello who featured in this interview about his book The Break Up Recipe a few months ago. It was an interesting interview, and as his responses were honest and open, I wanted to find out a little more about the author. You might be surprised by what he told me.  Hi Munir, Good to have you back on  A Writer's NotebookThanks. Good speaking to you again.What have you been up to since we last spoke?I have been running around like mad. I’ve released, The Break Up Recipe as a paperback due to heavy demand, done a few more interviews and I am in the middle of shooting my dating show, it’s been awesome and I’m really enjoying myself at the moment. The team I work with have been fantastic and the singletons are brilliant. Had our first kiss recently (off camera) which was exciting. I’m also writing the second book as we speak which I’m hoping to release later this year.Fantastic. Congratulations on the paperback, when can we expect to see the show?Very shortly, I promise to keep everybody informed closer to the time. We’re shooting through the summer and aiming to start airing in Mid Summer.Since we’ve last spoken I’ve noticed that you have done a few more interviews and it looks like you’re featured in different parts of the world.Yes I have, it’s been brilliant. There have been pieces in The US, The UK, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nigeria and there are some due out in South Africa and other parts of Europe. I will soon be writing regularly for a huge international blog. They read the first chapter of my book, took a liking to it and approached me about being a columnist. We’re still in the middle of the discussions.Congratulations! I hope being a columnist works out for you. You definitely don’t stand still for long. You mentioned in your previous interviews your book was written after a painful break up but you never expand on the subject. As the incident inspired your book I’m sure your fans are keen to find out just how much of an influential role it played.Good question. You’re very correct that I’ve never expanded on it and I don’t really plan to. Yes it’s true that I wrote the book after a break up but that event was never the influence of the book. The parallels between me, Mark Mutton (The main character in the book) and my previous relationship are contained in a small amount of the book and not all over it. I’m aware that there is a belief that this book is an autobiographical book written about my break up and that the reason I’ve been working so hard is to prove something to my ex, which is not the case. That chapter is closed and I don’t look back on it at all.That's great you are able to looking forward  which is always positive. I wanted to discuss your work ethic in more detail. I know about the intense routine you had when writing (living on 3 hours of sleep) as well as the amount of things you did to try to get your work to the general public (5000 emails and 10000 flyers). Tells us what really drives you?I think it goes back to certain incidents that took place in my past, which made me realise that you should never get comfortable or take anything for granted.What specifically are you referring to?One day when I came home from school, I overheard my mother telling one of her friends that my father had been arrested and wouldn’t be coming home that night. This was at a time when Nigeria was ruled by a ruthless dictator named Sani Abacha. He had locked up various people who posed a threat to his power and some of them later died while in custody under very suspicious circumstances or were executed (Most notable names being MKO Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and the author Ken Saro- Wiwa). This was a period when I thought that I would become the man of the house and it was particularly difficult because it was just before I came to England to start schooling.How long was your father incarcerated for and what was it like to go through that when you were so young?My father was incarcerated for a period of over 3 years if I’m not mistaken and it was tough. Whenever I’d go home from England during the school holidays, I’d see what my mother was going through. There would be threatening phone calls coming through to the house, which sometimes I would pick up. The underlying message of those calls were people telling me that I wouldn’t see my father again or people just generally mocking us. It was nuts to say the least. Although I was young and my mother tried to protect the children by putting on a brave face, I was fully aware of what was happening.I don't know how you coped. It truly does sounds like a nightmare for anybody to go through.  What effect has it had on you, and in particular your work?Lots. As the oldest son, I naturally felt a responsibility towards the family. I’m just happy that I never had to become the man of the house. The uncertainty of not knowing what would happen to my dad was frightening of course. I commend both my parents for never feeling sorry for themselves and just carrying on after that. When you have people like that for role models, you have to step up to the plate. In answer to your earlier question, I work as hard as I do because there is a psychological scar left on me from that period. I felt underprepared to be the man of the house at that age and I guess the drive comes from me wanting to make sure that if called upon to fulfil that role in future that I am ready.Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m sure your fans will  have gained new insight into you as a person.I’m guessing they will.I wanted to get a little more background as to what has made you the author you are today. And of course I'm thrilled to hear the book is now in paperback.And all you got was this lousy sob story hahahahahahaha. I was just hoping to plug the paperback release and the dating show. All the same, it’s been a pleasure talking to you as always. Thanks Munir Munir’s book, The Break Up Recipe, is now available on paperback at Amazon.Keep up to date with him either on www.facebook.com/thebreakuprecipe or on twitter, @munirbello1983.

How do you think you might have coped with circumstances Munir talks about? 

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How Will you Remember Maya Angelou?

How will you remember Maya Angelou who died last week aged 86?

Poet

Will you remember her as the poet who, at Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993, delivered “On the Pulse of Morning”, which asks the nation to look to the future, and leave behind its cynicism?

“Do not be wedded forever

To fear, yoked eternally

To brutishness”

Memoirist

Will you remember her as a memoirist? As a woman who defied the odds? Or will you remember Maya Angelou as a woman who experienced racial discrimination from her birth in Arkansas, her adolescence in San Francisco and LA , but went on to spend her life unafraid to vocalize her beliefs, and show us her life in autobiographies. These memoirs use such lyrical prose it is hard to separate from her poetry. In fact, naysayers have called her poetry nothing more than prose with line breaks.

We see her criticism of the discrimination she endured in her first autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” , published in 1969.

 "If growing up is painful for the southern black girl," she wrote, "being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult."

I read “I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings” when I first came to San Francisco. I picked it up on a friends recommendation, as Angelou had spent part of her early adolescence in The Western Addition, which by the ’80s had displaced a good proportion of a once thriving African-American community. Much of the neighborhood was physically torn down when I arrived.

Woman of Determination Who Loved Life

How this book came to be written I found showed the heart of the woman’s determination in the obituary I read in the New York Times.

“But she remained best known for her memoirs, a striking fact because she had never set out to be a memoirist. Near the end of “A Song Flung Up to Heaven,” Ms. Angelou recalls her response when Robert Loomis, who would become her longtime editor at Random House, first asked her to write an autobiography. Still planning to be a playwright and poet, she demurred. Cannily, Mr. Loomis called her again.

“You may be right not to attempt autobiography, because it is nearly impossible to write autobiography as literature,” he said. “Almost impossible.”

Ms. Angelou replied, “I’ll start tomorrow.”

She went on to write seven memoirs, her most recent being “Mom & Me & Mom” (2013)

This video where she talks about her grandmother is very moving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7dxnQQEpXs

Inspirational Teacher

Here are my three favorite quotes of Maya Angelou, which I feel show her spirit, her passion and her love of life:

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.”

We have lost an incredible woman, a true American icon, an African-American pioneer. But we are fortunate to have her words to find anywhere we look, to carry with us, and inspire us now she is gone.

What are your favorite quotes or memories of Maya Angelou. What is the best thing you remember her for?

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How to Write like Chekhov

I recently came across this quote from Chekhov, and for me it summed up the key to writing. It's all in the words.  This may sound like a very obvious statement, but simplicity is not necessarily something you link with literary fiction.

One Word At a Time

For anyone starting a lengthy work, it's a marathon of words that lie ahead of you. But like Anne Lamott says in her iconic book, Bird By Bird, you are writing one word at a time. The word becomes a sentence, becomes a paragraph and pretty soon you have a chapter.

What Word do I Use Next?

This is where Chekhov comes in. The moon is shining is a perfectly fine phrase. We can see the moon, we know there will be a light cast on the ground or the field.  But you and every other writer this side of the Steppes could have written that phrase. But the glint of light on broken glass? Now there is a description that's worth writing.

How Else Can I write It?

Chekhov is throwing down the gauntlet and making us work for our writer’s crust. So let's see what we can do. If the glint of light is the moon, how else could we say that? The circle of light, the distant glow? No, it's neither, because it's just a glint. So fleeting glimpse might work - the fleeting glimpse of white, of light, or the fingernail moon, fingernail light. So we've given ourselves a few options.

On Broken Glass? What does that Mean?

We know the moon is not shining on a field. Unless it's a field of snow or ice. More likely it's a lake.

So the moon is shining on a lake.  What then is a different way to say a lake? A puddle? - not quite...

A shimmer or ripple of water. Ripple of water's not bad. What about the color?  At night, a body of water would look black, so the moon is changing the color from black to white.

So we could have the fleeting glimpse of white danced between the light and dark of the lake….Mmm… Bit wordy.

Let’s try again. The fingernail moon pierced the darkness of the lake.  Getting better. But still not the glint of light on broken glass.

Perseverance

Very occasionally you  find a phrase that falls off the end of your pen that’s the glint of light on broken glass. But more than likely, you will have to work your muse into helping you find the solution. As I've said before, all writing is rewriting, so if you start with the moon shone on the lake, and it sounds flat, just play with the words. One word at a time, as we've been doing.

 Showing is Experiencing

Show don't tell is the mantra of every writer, and the bane of every beginning writing. It is in essence what Chekhov is saying. Make me feel I am in the moonlight. And I do when I see the glint of light on broken glass. It's there in front of my eyes. I'm in the scene, not outside. And that’s crucial for your readers to experience the story for themselves, not second hand. To experience  the same thing as the character who can feel the hot breath of their pursuer on their neck as they come out of the woods and see the glint of light on broken glass. It stops them short, and makes them either pause and get caught,  or find enough light to see the one path that they can escape on.  It has in one fell swoop opened up the tension to be life or death in a way that “I ran toward the moonlight” would never have done.

 Simplicity

All of this is with the use of simple words. You don't need to be a walking thesaurus to create fantastic prose. Simple is usually better. While I like to learn new words, I hate reading a book where I need a dictionary by my bed stand.

So I'll leave you with the hot breath of the pursuer on my neck, as icicles of light dance on ripples kissing the boat.  I snatch the rope and disappear into the black night.

How would you have reworded the quote? What tricks do you use to try and find the right words for your writing?

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Kickstart Your #Flash Fiction With #PhotoFlash

PHOTOFLASH

Flash Fiction + Photo = Photoflash

Do you want to kickstart your flash fiction into high gear?  Using photos as inspiration for your flash fiction gives your writing the double whammy kick in the pants it might need. Writing short bursts of flash fiction can also jump-start your writing mojo and make your regular prose taut and clean.

How Do I Write PhotoFlash?

When you start, don't think too much about what your writing.  Consider it a free-write. Look at the photograph and just go with your intuition. Then you can peel off the layers until all you're left with are the essentials. Less is more.

"Did my actions mirror my thoughts? I had the intention, but the boundaries were so unclear I pushed them to the point of invisibility. She put up her hand to stop me from speaking and walked away before I could finish my excuse."

How Long is Flash Fiction?

Definitely 1000 words or less, others say anything under 150 words. Sometimes as little as six words can tell a story. The most famous, and arguably the first six word story was by Hemingway.

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn"

In recent years flash fiction has become a recognized and well respected form of the written word.Jon Jefferson regularly writes excellent flash fiction on his site under the category Quick Beats. There are also loads of six word stories on http://www.sixwordstories.net. Another source if you want prompts, is from IndiesUnlimited. They give a weekly flash fiction prompt, along with other great resources  for indie writers. Also check out http://flashfictiononline.com

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Can you add a line or two of flash fiction to this photograph? What does the image make you think of?

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Go Tell It On The Mountain - from 101BOOKS.NET

 Robert Bruce whose site 101BOOKS.NET, is consistently voted the Best Book Blog. It is definitely my favorite book blog. He has kindly allowed me to reblog one of his posts about Go Tell It on The Mountain, but be sure to check out more of his work at 101books.netRobert is reading 100 of Time Magazine‘s greatest English-speaking novels since 1923 (plus Ulysses) and blogs daily. I have chosen Go Tell It On the Mountain, as it is a favorite novels of two of my character in my latest novel Under The Bed.

Book #19: Go Tell It On The Mountain

by Robert on June 15, 2011

Sometimes, when I read a book, I’m more taken by the writing than the story.It’s not that the story is bad–it’s usually powerful, in fact–after all, an author who can captivate a reader with his writing usually has enough wherewithal to create a unique plot.But, sometimes, when I close the book, when I read that last word, I stop and reflect more about the author as a writer than as a storyteller. And that was definitely the case with Go Tell It On The Mountain.From a writing standpoint, James Baldwin is one of the best authors I’ve read. I gave you an excerpt of his writing in yesterday’s post, and that’s just a small sample. Go Tell It On The Mountain is beautifully told.Here’s another passage that describes 14-year-old John’s spiritual tension as he struggles with believing in God and his hatred toward his father. It’s a theme that carries throughout the book. 

“He lived for the day when his father would be dying and he, John, would curse him on his death-bed. And this was why, though he had been born in the faith and had been surrounded all his life by the saints and by their prayers and their rejoicing, and though the tabernacle in which they worshipped was more completely real to him than the several precarious homes in which he and his family had lived, John’s heart was hardened against the Lord. His father was God’s minister, the ambassador of the King of Heaven, and John could not bow before the throne of grace without first kneeling to his father.”

But what of the story?Set in 1930s Harlem, Go Tell It On The Mountain centers on this 14-year-old boy, John, who is conflicted between a faith he doesn’t believe inbut still feels drawn to. His father, Gabriel–who is also a deacon and former minister at their church, “Temple of the Fire Baptized”–abuses John and his mother, Elizabeth. He’s a mean, hellfire and brimstone kind of guy, who claims to be “God’s annointed.”While I would say John is the central character, Baldwin also tells the story of three other characters: Gabriel, Aunt Florence, and John’s mother, Elizabeth. The book is broken up into sections that focus on on each character, shifting the story between their past and their present.Other than the writing, two other things stand out to me about this novel.First, the dialogue. I’m no expert on African-American dialect in 1930s Harlem, but Baldwin seems to capture it well. Consider this exchange between Aunt Florence and her brother, Gabriel. Aunt Florence, my favorite character in the novel, tells it like it is. In this situation, she’s confronting her brother about his past misdeeds.

“Look like,” she said, “you think the Lord’s a man like you; you think you can fool Him like you fool men, and you think He forgets, like men. But God don’t forget nothing, Gabriel–if your name’s down there in the Book, like you say, it’s got all what you done right down there with it. And you going to answer for it, too.”

Out of context, you might not appreciate that dialogue. But it’s a strong characteristic of this book. It’s another novel where I can almost hear these characters speak as I read. Baldwin really nailed the dialogue.Second, Baldwin draws heavily from biblical stories throughout Go Tell It On The Mountain. It’s easy to see how he was once a teenage pastor.I noticed allegories and illusions to biblical stories in many places. For instance, Gabriel is an Abraham-like figure–his first wife was barren, and unwilling to wait on God to provide, Gabriel sought out the company of a prostitute and fathered an illegitimate child with her.The main character, John, and his brother, Roy, are similar to Jacob and Esau in Scripture. Esau (read: Roy), the first-born, the legitimate child, who is a hellian yet remains the apple of his father’s eye.And John, the good son, the one that, though he’s illegitimate (unlike Jacob in the Bible) is more capable of making Gabriel proud. But Gabriel mirrors the blindness of Isaac in Scripture by overlooking the flaws of his elder son.James Baldwin (Photo: MDCArchives)James Baldwin is quoted as saying, “Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart; for his purity, by definition, is unassailable.” I’m not sure who Baldwin was talking about there, as I haven’t been able to source the quote, but it perfectly describes his characterization of Gabriel in Go Tell It On The Mountain.Your dislike for Gabriel–his arrogance, his brutality, his hypocrisy–will carry you through this novel. Though the story somewhat revolves around John, it’s Gabriel who carries this story. You’ll feel his presence on the characters throughout the book.Whether you’re a Christian or not, spiritual or not, this is a strong book. You’ll read a moving story about a young boy’s growth into maturity, despite the presence of an overbearing and abusive father.More than all of that, though, you’ll hopefully appreciate James Baldwin’s talent as a writer. For me, that alone makes this book worth the read.Other StuffThe Opening Line: “Everyone had always said that John would be a preacher when he grew up, just like his father.”The Meaning: The story dives into the gray areas of faith. Men who profess absolute truth but live in absolute hypocrisy. In that murkiness, though, Baldwin shows redemption is still possible.Highlights: James Baldwin has a cadence, a rythym with his writing that is simply beautiful. Amazing that Go Tell It On The Mountain was Baldwin’s first novel. Also, I think Baldwin does a excellent job of leaving the discussion open about Christianity and the church. Considering his upbringing, I think it could have been easy for him to come down hard one way or the other.Lowlights: A lot of the story occurs in the past, explaining the history of some of the characters. I would’ve enjoyed seeing a little more in the present, and a little more focus on the main character, John.Memorable Line: “John and his father stared at each other, struck dumb and still and with something come to life between them–while the Holy Ghost spoke. Gabriel had never seen such a look on John’s face before; Satan, at that moment, stared out of John’s eyes while the Spirit spoke.”Final Thoughts: James Baldwin could make an infomercial poetic. The guy could flat write, and that’s what made Go Tell It On The Mountain memorable for me. I would say that anyone who is a writer or claims to be a writer should read this book. It’s beautifully told.Robert's Menu: Home   About Me  The List  My Rankings   Frequently Asked Questions  Friends of 101 Books  Your Blogs  Archives

  I hope you will find Robert  @robertbruce76  or at his  website: 101books.net.  There's lots of great stuff there, not just a summary of each novel like this post. Oh, and while you're there, tell him A.K. sent you!

What is your favorite James Baldwin book, or favorite book set in New York City?

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