Where it all began! At least our writing group that is. Every other week, like clockwork. We meet. We exchange critiques, ideas, encouragements, and suggestions for improvements on each others' writing. I'm getting ready to head out the door soon, but wanted to take a minute to just take a deep breath.
Today is September 1st. This weekend is the last official weekend of summer and bam! just like that it's Fall. Many of the Plot Sisters are teachers or former teachers of some capacity, not to mention mom's of school kids, and Fall always translates to BUSY. There's a challenge into staying balanced in responsibilities, but yet continuing to devout time to develop one's craft. And I'm trying my best to devote time in front of the computer screen or trying to keep a legal bad in front of me to write the ideas that keep beating around in my head. "You have to get 'em down on paper" How many times have we heard that? A lot. And it's true. I've got several irons in the fire and when I can't extend on an idea on one project I have to move on to another project and pound out some words. It wasn't as productive of a summer writing wise as I would've liked, but I can't reflect too long about the past or I'll never move forward. And there's so much in the future that it's not worth giving up to stand still.
It's hard to believe that the last time I posted, I'd just returned from my Happy Place. June meant lazy days, and the promise of a long, hot summer.
Two months have passed since then. Despite the chaos of summer, The Plot Sisters have met on schedule. Much writing has been done, but very little blog posting. And that's okay, right?
Right.
Because not all of us find as much value in blog posting as I do. I use my personal blog for communicating with my friends and family, but also as a means to practice my craft. I use this blog as a way of connecting to people, but it, too, helps me practice the craft. I have found, over time, that--get this--I am a better writer because of all the writing I do! Who knew that practice could do that? (Wink, wink.)
But writing a blog takes up a lot of time. And by a lot, I mean A LOT. I could probably work on some of my short pieces or clean my house, improve my lectures or spend time with friends. I choose to use my time the way I want to, and you, my friends, do the same.
What I want to emphasize, though, is that in order to become the writer you envision, you must write and write often. If you don't want to work on a blog, then simply journal. Or jot down some poetry. Or write paragraphs that sum up your day, or start a new piece. I don't care in what way you do it, but as Nike says, "Just do it." Now.
I woke up this morning after a week's vacation to realize that while I hadn't done much writing over the past week, I had done much soaking. As in soaking in the inspiration, the peace, the serenity, the goodness that comes with a venue I call, "My Happy Place."
Happy Places are so important for all of us, whether or not we realize it. Happy Places help us become who we are and who we should be. They keep us calm in the midst of personal hurricanes, and at least for me, they can lend guidance when I most need it. Happy Places can help us grow, heal, and just be.
What is your Happy Place? And what does it do for you?
Summer is here! Summer means lots of things. Sunshine, hot-weather,
and yard work are among the many items that come to mind for me.
A few weeks ago I was surveying my half-acre lot, making a mental
inventory of all I needed to do to get my yard in summer shape. I discovered an
area I had neglected. Regretfully, I had let numerous thistles grow underneath
an evergreen tree. The thistle patch was abundant. If only they were flowers. But
they aren’t. The thistles are unsightly weeds. Poking through the base branches
of my pine, alongside my thistle patch, was also a mostly grown mulberry tree. I
had willfully let that mulberry tree grow after a former neighbor identified
it. The neighbors who were extremely environmental
and health conscience had asked if I’d let the tree grow so they could pick
berries. That was a handful of years ago. Those neighbors have long since moved
and the only ones picking berries these days seem to be the birds that devour
the fruit and leave reminders of their diet on my sidewalk.
I figure I have two choices. Choice number one, I can utilize
nature’s fruit and implement the mulberries into my diet. Alternatively, I can discard
the mulberry tree in attempt to beautify my landscape. There’s no sense in
letting a tree so invasive grown unless I’m going to capitalize on what the
tree produces. The scenario got me thinking about the decisions I need to make
in regards to my writing endeavors.
It appears I’ve been so worried about certain aspects of
writing that I haven’t done an intensive general evaluation on “what’s growing
under my tree.” What’s impacting my writing holistically? Time management. My emotional
life. My creative flow. Lack of editing motivation. There are many things to
consider. The longer I go without a full evaluation the more work I’m making
for myself. I would’ve been more aware of the thistles and the mulberry tree in
my yard if only I’d made time to take a good look. The thistles are gone, but
the tree remains. The mulberries are still green, but they will ripen soon. My
days are numbered and I’ll have to make a decision and with inaction I’m making
a passive decision. It’s time to for me to weigh the options of my yard and my
writing. But in the meantime, why don’t take a moment, too. Do you know what’s
growing under your tree?
Despite the cool temps peppering this area of the country, summer is almost upon us. Yes, it's May 15, and my children have four more days of school. And then? They'll be out until mid-August.
As any mom knows, summer is when the real work begins. I need to be more on top of the tasks around here because everyone is home. The house will be messier, we'll have more clothes to wash (thank you, summer heat), and cooking? I don't look forward to the number of meals I'll have to put together between next Friday and August 17.
Of course, I'll have four helpers who can aid in all of those tasks...
But the one thing they can't help me with is writing. How am I to get my writing and editing done with four pairs of little feet home 24/7? It's a question I ask myself every summer, and every summer, I put together a list of priorities. What can I realistically accomplish this summer in between pool visits, beach vacations, and taking care of the kids?
This summer, I don't have much on my list except for two items:
1. Keep up with my Literary Mama duties.
2. Revise After We've Fallen.
And while the list may be short, those two tasks are monumental. If at the end of the summer I have accomplished them, I'll be able to give myself an enormous pat on the back.
Do you have any summer goals? Feel free to share them with us!
The other night, after having a conversation with an old friend, I pulled out a big black binder filled with pieces I had written.
I spent more than a few minutes walking down memory lane that night, reading and rereading, reminiscing about what spurred on a poem, or how I actually used to be able to write an entire upper level college essay in French. I laughed at a few pieces, swooned at a few more, and at one point, I even shed a couple of tears.
Those pieces tell their own individual stories, of course, but put together they also tell a collective story: the tale of my writing journey that, apparently, started long before I ever thought it did.
For you see, I've been writing since I was a kid. Really. I found half-formed poems, letters, quotes,
and the beginning of what I think might be an epic love story. With each piece, I noticed an improvement in writing craft and style. I noted that I moved from simple letters and words to more sophisticated fragments and phrases.
And the lesson I learned? That with each new piece, my writing improves. That's right: every single time I sit down to write and revise a piece, I'm moving forward and making progress on a dream. I might have to take one million baby steps to get there, but someday, I will.
Start working on your dream, whatever that may be. And as always, Happy Writing!
On Saturday, despite the blanket of snow that covered the ground in
Yellow Springs, Ohio, I attended the spring (ha!) seminar from Antioch Writers' Workshop. The topic of the seminar was "The Writing Life," and Margaret Wrinkle led the pack as the featured speaker.
I hadn't heard of Margaret Wrinkle before registering
for the seminar, but I took a peek at her bio, which intrigued me
(excerpted from her website):
Born and raised in Birmingham Alabama, Margaret Wrinkle is a writer, filmmaker, educator and visual artist. Her debut novel, Wash, published
by Grove Atlantic, reexamines American slavery in ways that challenge
contemporary assumptions about race, power, history and healing. It
has won the Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize and
an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. Wash has also been named the Fiction Runner Up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a finalist for the 2014 Chautauqua Prize, a Wall Street Journal top ten novel of the year, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, an O Magazine top ten selection and a People magazine 4-star pick.
Not intimidating at all, is she?
Much
to my utter delight, Margaret Wrinkle walked into the auditorium
dressed in casual clothes and spoke to us like she'd known us for years.
And after listening to her speak about her writing life, her bookis now on the top of my to-read list.
But
what did she say that other people have not? I mean, I've been to
several writing conferences, I personally know authors, and have read
extensively on "the writing life." In fact, I have my own writing life,
right? A couple of sentences stuck out amongst the others in her
presentation, as they struck me as something I hadn't really thought
about before. They included:
Images help you stay present to the heart of the story.
Your mind is a small boat on the ocean of your subconscious.
Live a boring life; save the drama for the work.
I plan on referring to those thoughts wherever and whenever I can.
~
I also had the pleasure of hearing three energetic and passionate
speakers talk about querying, editing your manuscript, and
self-marketing.
First up, Sharon Short.
I know Sharon on a first-name basis, and attended the query session
because I was interested in what she had to say. (I'm in the process of
querying right now and have an agent looking at my book. I hoped that
I'd done everything right.) Sharon's genuine enthusiasm made for a great
session. She shared her experiences with querying, gave us some
information about agents--those to look for and those to avoid--and
helped us understand the importance of researching which agent you
actually query.
Kate Geiselman
then took me through the art of editing and formatting a manuscript.
Again, I'm past this stage but I felt like I wanted a refresher course.
Kate provided that and more. She began the session with a lovely video
by Stephen Fry (If you haven't seen this yet, you should):
And
from there, she reminded us of grammar rules and formatting tips that
any writer could use. The best advice she gave, though, is to pay attention to submission guidelines, as they can vary widely. Like the true teacher she is, Kate repeated that phrase often.
I'd seen Kate before at a Sinclair Community College
writing workshop, but I've never had the privilege of attending one of
her sessions. She's a vibrant teacher and someone from whom we can all
learn.
Last but not least came the session with Greene County Public Library publicist Ryan Ireland.
He'd created a presentation worthy of any publicist, and disseminated a
wealth of information on how to self-market. (He spoke about figuring
out your readership, what to include on a website, and how to use social
media most efficiently, among other topics.) I'd chosen this session
because I find it really easy to help promote someone else, but I had,
until yesterday, no idea how to self-market myself. Based on what Ryan
said, I think I have a lot of work cut out for me, but I knew that when I
got into this mess of a writing life.
~
This
spring seminar is a one-day type that happens every year. I'd suggest
trying to get there next year, if you're local. But if you're looking
for something even more extensive, consider the Antioch Writers' Workshop Annual Summer Workshop.
It's a week-long event that is chock full of information and experience
that any creative writer would be fortunate to add to his or her
writer's toolbox.
Happy Writing!
~Christina
(Blog post originally published at http://17gon.blogspot.com/ and used with permission here.)
