MidLifeWriter

Do You Suffer From Roughdraftitis?

by Deanna Mascle

There is an epidemic sweeping through writing groups around the globe. Day after day writers drag their weary fingers and bleary eyes into my office and beg for a cure.

The symptoms they describe are all too familiar:

~ Writers block
~ Disorganization
~ Frustration
~ Inability to create a coherent sentence
~ Problems with usually simple tasks such as spelling

Sometimes the disease is only in its early stages and writers have a few pages they have managed to create but refuse to share out of embarrassment. Others in more severe distress claim that the blank page (or computer screen) is silently mocking them. They are sure they will never write again.

The diagnosis is not the commonly-called "writer's block" as so many claim but rather the easily cured Roughdraftitis. Too often writers are in a hurry to capture their ideas in print or to finish a project. Often what they attempt to do in an effort to "save time" is to skip one or more steps in their personal writing process. Then they discover that rather than save time they are wasting it while struggling to write their rough draft.

The cure is simple. Allow your personal writing process to work through at its own pace. Use time to your advantage and give your brain the space and time it needs to work its magic. Most important of all, give yourself permission to write a really crappy rough draft.

Who says that a rough draft has to be something wonderful readable? Often times the reason writers struggle with their rough draft is that they are not really writing a rough draft. They have a vision in their head of the perfect final draft they hope to create and for some reason they expect that final draft to be born whole and wonderful at the tips of their fingers. Silly writer, beautiful final drafts are not made from whole cloth but are rather cut, stitched and patched together from the good bits of quite imperfect rough drafts. Beautifully crafted writing takes time and it takes more than one draft to create.

The next time you find yourself struggling with Roughdraftitis take the following prescription:

~ Sit your butt in a chair and start writing. Do not leave your chair until the rough draft is complete.

~ Do not reread or revise as you write.

~ Do not worry about spelling, grammar, or the perfect word choice.

~ Do not worry about organization or detail.

~ Concentrate on filling a certain number of pages or getting down a certain number of ideas or thoughts. When you have accomplished this goal then set your newly created rough draft aside and consider yourself cured.

Once you let go of that vision of the perfect rough draft (a beast more rare than the purple polka-dotted unicorn) you are on the path to that much more accessible quarry -- the perfect final draft. Just remember to bag your prize you must give yourself, and your brain, time to work through the drafts necessary to sort out all those problems with organization and development as well as surface errors such as grammar and spelling that you ignored while writing the original draft.

Writing a really ugly rough draft is a wonderfully freeing experience and can often be accomplished in an amazingly short amount of time. Soon you will wonder why you ever wasted time contemplating the perfect action verb or adjective. Once you have that rough draft, no matter how rough it is, you are on your way. It is much easier to craft and shape something existing into your vision than it is to create that vision on a blank page. Sometimes a really ugly draft can be a beautiful thing.

About the Author

Deanna Mascle shares more writing tips and advice with her blog Answers About Writing at www.AnswersAboutWriting.com

Nine Points to Ponder When Writing Short Stories

by C. M. Clifton

Whenever I begin a short story, I remind myself of two things: to try to get in touch with readers' senses as much as possible by writing something to see, hear, touch, smell, taste, and feel (emotionally), and to try to keep nine points, specifically, in mind when writing my story in hopes of composing a tightly-written story that sticks in readers' minds. Those nine points are as follows:

Focus - Some of the most successful short stories I've read are the stories that stuck to their themes and storylines. They pulled me and kept me reading by maintaining a strong focus. It seems the more tightly drawn a short story is, the better.

Theme - While every story I write won't have some sort of deep, underlying message to it, I still like asking myself what exactly will my story be about. I try to answer the question in one or two sentences whenever possible, and notice that when I do, I usually spend less time smoothing out a story, trying to make it "say" what I want it to say. If you're aiming for a clear message, then try asking yourself just what is that underlying message or statement you're trying to convey to readers? Knowing what you want to say might lead you to tighten your writing, and maybe end up with a story that will linger in readers minds.

Time Span - Short stories usually cover a short time period. I try to remember to keep my short stories narrowed down by staying focused on the stories theme, and working to paint a picture explaining the main event for readers. In creating three-dimensional characters, I work to keep all of the characters emotions, thoughts, and actions relevant to the story.

Hook - "Begin your story with a bang." We've all heard that one, haven't we? However, with short stories, I've noticed that its more often sage advice than not. Beginning your short story with conflict, whether you choose to do it through action, dialogue, or atmosphere and mood, can hook readers and perhaps keep them reading.

Description - I've actually come across submission guidelines where an editor stressed, "More story; less description." Depending on the market you're planning on submitting to, story word limits might only allow you a small amount of description throughout your stories. A publication that wants more action than descriptive writing in stories, and publications that cap their word counts at around 3,500 to 5,000 words, usually place strict limits on the amount of words you can spend on description. On the other hand, publications with story word limits from around 8,000 to 10,000 allow you to spend much more of the story on descriptive writing. Regardless of word counts, I try to remember to make every word count toward the story by avoiding over-describing settings, actions, or characters.

Characters - It's important that I remember not to include too many characters in a short story. Too many characters might cause the story to spin out of control. Sure, I could solve this problem by extending the short story into a novella or novel. But if my aim is to write only a short story, I try to limit the characters. Two or three characters, or, sometimes, even one character, seems sufficient enough for a short story. Only you will know how many characters it'll take to portray your story, but if it begins to seem like your story is growing out of control when you don't want it to, then try to limit the number of characters.

Setting - I recently read an editorial called "This Story Doesn't Stand Out," and thought it was great insight into an editors mind. The editorial touched on some of the reasons why an editor might reject your story. One of those reasons was that many of the stories already accepted were set in similar settings, such as the present-day world. The article also confirmed my suspicion of why I'd finally gotten published by SDO Detective, a former online mystery publication, after several unsuccessful attempts--the last mystery tale I submitted was set in Ancient Egypt. Sure, mystery stories have been set in Ancient Egypt before, but there were none at SDO. So, I took the chance, and submitted my story, "Minkahs First Case," which featured a crime-solving scribe. While setting still isn't my main concern when I begin a short story, I make a conscious effort to try to place the story in a unique setting. Maybe by doing so, the story will head down an unexpected road and end up a better read as a result of the journey.

Twist - Every story doesn't have to end with a twist, but an occasional twist can be fun. I enjoy trying to write some of my own short stories with a twist. You can surprise your readers with an ending they should have seen coming, and maybe even leave your readers guessing about your characters fate after the story has ended. I recently read a short story that offered readers three different endings. It wasn't a twist seen often, so I really enjoyed coming across such a story. It was unpredictable and memorable, as are most successful twists. Have fun trying to create your own tale with a twist.

Denouement - I always try to end my short stories in a sensible, satisfying way. A reader left too far in the dark by the end of the story will be an unhappy reader. As a reader, I don't mind being left to wonder a bit about what else might happen to a character after the story has ended, but not to the point where I'm scratching my head at something that doesn't quite make sense where the story is concerned. As a writer, its important that I try to write a logical, mostly unpredictable ending that tie up all the major loose ends.

While I'm sure I haven't quite written that short story that sticks in readers minds, Ill keep trying by continuing to practice these nine points whenever I write a short story. Don't be afraid to tighten your story, begin with a "bang," or let your story have a message, a brief time span, good description, interesting characters, a strange setting, and a twist. Happy writing!

About the Author

C. M. Clifton is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writers. Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/fictiondiva so stop by and read for a while.

Brainstorming Children's Book Ideas

by Steve Barancik

When I speak to writers' groups and writers' classes, the questions I hear most often are about writer's block and how I come up with my ideas.

I'm a screenwriter, but ever since a little girl came into my life, my heart for writing has been in children's books.

If children are part of your life, you have a boundless source for children's book material, even if you don't realize it.

Want a children's book idea? Try this: think of one of your child's problem behaviors.

Do you have one? Good. Now think about what concerns you about that behavior. Sure, the behavior is annoying. But think about how it might play out negatively for your child rather than you.

For instance: let's say your child insists on sleeping in your bed and not his own room. You might worry that such immature behavior will result in your child's friends thinking him a baby. They might stop coming over.

You don't want your child to lose his friends, do you? Neither does your child!

Doesn't this sound like subject matter for a book? You already have a major character facing a high-stakes dilemma that your reader (a child) can easily identify with!

Now take the negative outcome you imagined and plot BACKWARDS to the behavior.

For instance:

Your son's friend stops coming over. Why?

Because your son no longer has his own room. Why?

Because Dad turned it into an office. Why?

Because bedrooms are for sleeping and your son is no longer sleeping in his!

That should be enough story arc for a picture book! Wasn't it easy? I'll bet your children have enough problem behaviors for you to write a whole collection!

About the Author

Steve Barancik is a screenwriter with a passion for children's books. His website, www.best-childrens-books.com, is geared both to parents and to children's book writers

Find a Literary Agent or Self Publish: How to Decide

by Fern Reiss

So, you've finally finished your book. Now, do you try to find a literary agent--or do you self publish? What are the tradeoffs? I give all-day Publishing Game workshops on this topic--but here are just a few things to consider:

* Cachet. Being able to refer to your literary agent and publisher is now, and probably always will be, more impressive than publishing yourself. When someone at a cocktail party asks what you do, if you can say, "I'm an author, HarperCollins published my latest book," that's classy. When I say, "I'm PublishingGame.com," it's just cute. So it depends on your goals; if you're in it for the prestige, the traditional literary agent/big publisher route is probably best for you.

* Control. If you want to control the details of your book--the editing, the cover design, even the content--you need to self-publish. Although the best publishers give you some input, you're never able to control all the details unless you're publishing yourself.

* Profits. If you have a clear sense of who your audience is, and how you can reach them, you might be able to generate much more income from your book by doing it yourself. When you work with a large publisher, you make only 10% of list price (and the agent takes 15% of that.) So the book that sells for $10 retail is netting you--85 cents. As a self-publisher, you keep all those profits--so that same $10 book, once you've paid off the middlemen who sell to the bookstores and libraries, will generate at least $4.50, or as much as $8 or $9 for books sold back of the room at talks or directly over your website. You can be just 10% as successful as a large publisher--and make the same amount! (The downside is that you'll also incur all the financial risk. With a big publisher, you may not make money, but you won't lose it either.) Still, there are over 100,000 small publishers in the US today, and we're generating over $14 billion annually in book sales. You can be one of us.

* Speed. Mainstream publishing is painfully slow. Even after you find a literary agent and publisher, the time lag between their acceptance of your manuscript and the final publication of your book could easily be as long as two to three years. Be sure your topic won't wither in that period of time. (My book, Terrorism and Kids: Comforting Your Child came out one week after 9/11. All the big publisher books on 9/11 came out nine months later, way too late for the market--and most of those books ended up being remaindered.)

* Shelf Life. With a big publisher, you have no control over the shelf life of your book. Most books today--even those which receive huge advances of money--have a bookstore shelf-life of only eight months. So if you want your book to be around for longer, you need to consider self-publishing. (I turned down a six-figure advance for my book, The Infertility Diet: Get Pregnant and Prevent Miscarriage, because I was concerned that it would be yanked from shelves prematurely. By self-publishing, I was able to ensure that it stayed in print--and on bookstore shelves--forever. That book has now been selling for six years--and it still sells like hotcakes.)

* Business. If you like to write, but you have no interest in business, leave the publishing to someone else. Self-publishing is a business. To make money at it, you need to like those sorts of business things. (You may, on the other hand, find that you love those sorts of business things--I have!)

* Publicity. Finally, no matter which way you ultimately decide to publish your book, remember that you--and you alone--are responsible for your book's publicity. No matter how much money the big publisher throws your way, it's unlikely that they'll be doing any publicity for your title. (In fact, several large publishing houses are now buying my small press book, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days and giving it to their authors to encourage them to do some publicity on their own!) If you want your book to sell, and sell well, you'll need to learn how to do book promotion. Fortunately, it's a learnable skill, and with a little practice, you'll get good at it.

Finally, remember that publishing is a game. Whichever way you decide to publish, sit back, relax, and enjoy the experience!

About the Author

Fern Reiss is the author of The Publishing Game book series, and leader of the popular Publishing Game Workshops. For more information, visit http://www.PublishingGame.com

The 3 Secrets to Successful Freelance Writing

by Anne Wayman

The desire to write is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it taps some of our most creative resources and forces us to find a way to express ourselves in the symbols we call words.

It's a curse because getting it right, or even close, can be agony. Ah, but when it works, its sheer bliss, no matter how we get there.

Writing is also a blessing because it gives us the opportunity to share our ideas with others - potentially thousands, even millions of others. Not many ever get the chance to inform, influence and entertain that many people. Of course, that's part of the curse too, because we have to find and reach our audience.

We all want an easier, softer way to write, and to get published and to earn money through our writing.

It turns out there are three keys, or secrets, that are absolutely essential:

Write
Rewrite
Market

Sound obvious? Good. It should be obvious. Or were you expecting some magic? Some get rich quick scheme? Not here. Let's explore a bit and see where the truth is.

Write

Nothing can happen if you don't sit down and write. There's no escape; if you want to be a successful freelancer you must get words on paper. The trick is to write and to write regularly, whatever that works out to be for you. It might be every day, or three days a week; it might be X number of words a day or even a complete chapter a day. The nature of the schedule you evolve - and it will change over time - isn't nearly as important as writing consistently.

Rewrite

Once you've written, you've got to rewrite. Okay, rewriting is usually no fun at all. But it's essential. Rewriting is where clarity and conciseness appear. It's in the rewriting that our personal style begins to shine through, setting us apart from others and making our work salable.

Rewriting may actually be part of your writing or it may be a separate activity done before or after generating something new. It may be done in bits and pieces or you may sit down to a marathon editing session. However you do it, rewriting must be done.

By the way, it's worth noting that some of your pieces will need more rewriting than other pieces. The more we practice writing, the better we get at turning out clean copy, at least most of the time. Even when you've been writing successfully for years, however, some of your writing will need major rewriting. It's a fact of the writing life.

Market

The need to market is the bane of every writer's existence, but it's an absolute must if we are to be successful. Peter Bowerman, in his excellent The Well-Fed Writer, says, "The bad news: marketing yourself is a continuous process." He also says that if you market yourself consistently (emphasis mine) we'll be something like 95% ahead of the competition. My own experience confirms this and I like to spend at least a third of my time marketing me.

Part of marketing is researching potential markets, but that doesn't count if you're not out there contacting the publishers or others who may buy your material.

You just must find a way to become your own best sales person. Bowerman suggests cold calling potential clients, which can work if you're looking for corporate, non-profit or business writing. If you want to be published in magazines, you must send queries or even articles on spec. Putting together book proposals counts if you get them in the mail.

It takes a while to get all three elements of successful freelancing working well together. But once you do, you'll find you are well on your way to becoming a successful freelance writer.

About the Author

Anne Wayman has been writing and getting published for over 30 years. She maintains www.aboutfreelancewriting.com - a resource for freelance writers.

Use Your Brain To Become A Better Writer

by Deanna Mascle

Anyone who has ever labored over a writing assignment knows that writing is hard work. While it does not require the same physical effort as lifting heavy objects, it is often very heavy lifting indeed. While it does not require the same physical effort as pounding metal rods into concrete, pounding on a keyboard can be just as stressful to your body and infinitely more stressful to your brain. However, writing does have something in common with physical labor and athletics.

Anyone who has ever played a sport or worked with their hands know that there is a point during the learning process when you no longer need to think about what your hands or body are doing to achieve a certain task. A baseball player can process a pitch before it leaves the pitcher's fingers, make calculations on the physical motion and path of the ball, and then make adjustments to his body and bat. Later on, he could explain in detail the process he used to determine his swing, but at the time he relies on muscle memory to achieve it without conscious thought.

This simple trick of muscle memory is the reason for repetitive practice drills for athletes and the reason that older, more experienced manual laborers can work faster than their younger and more physically-fit peers. The older carpenter does not have to think about the process of placing a board, situating a nail, and then fastening it in place with a nail. He has successfully completed this process thousands perhaps millions of time over his professional life. His body knows what to do without conscious direction on his part.

Experienced writers also fall back on this trick of muscle memory. We internalize vocabulary, grammar rules, sentence structure, organizational patterns, and all the other tools of the writing trade. One of the ways to improve your writing is to increase your personal store of muscle memories or writing tricks. How do you accomplish this? By using your brain.

This means that you will never be done learning and growing as a writer. Accept that and revel in it. Continuing to learn and grow as a writer means that you must continually read. Read for knowledge, both in your field and out of it, and read for style, both authors you would love to emulate and those whose style is at odds with your own. Do not simply restrict yourself to professional writers either. I know as a writing teacher that I learn from my students all the time.

Learning and growing as a writer also means you must continually practice your craft. Write on a regular basis but do not simply write for a specific purpose (such as to earn money). Remember what drew you to writing in the first place and write for pleasure. Write for fun. Take risks with your writing and experiment with different forms and genres. Not all writing needs to be shared with others and much of this may never be read by eyes other than your own, but stretching yourself as a writer will always make you a better writer in the long run -- so it is not wasted effort.

Writing is very much a cerebral activity but by continually working to improve yourself by reading and writing on a regular basis you can improve your muscle memory and your writing tool box.

About the Author

Deanna Mascle shares more writing help and writing tips with her writing newsletters at http://wordcraftonline.com

Do You Have a Book Inside You? Then Let It Out!

Many people want to write a book in midlife, but not everyone is successful. Here's an audio interview with book coach Sophfronia Scott on how to get your non-fiction book started and published so you achieve your dreams.

Do You Have a Book Inside You?

Linda Locke
MidLifewriter.com