THE TRUTH ABOUT MUSES
May 15, 2019 by Rebecca Forster in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster tagged as inspiration, writing, writing craft, writing life, writing process, writing tips
The other day I was musing about muses. This was a rather convoluted process that went something like this:
I want to write but I don’t have an idea. I should write, but I’m bummed because I don’t have an idea. I could write if I had a great idea. I need to get one and until I do, I’ll watch TV. There’s a movie on TV called The Muse. I’ll watch The Muse and get inspired.
This is how the musing went after the movie.
The Muse is awful. She’s demanding, self-centered, and doesn’t care about the writer’s work. Still, the he sees something in her. What does he see in her? I want a muse. I just don’t want a muse like that.
I turned off the TV, obsessed with the idea of getting a muse. I just had to figure out where to get one. Since I’d never actually seen a muse, I decided I better find out exactly what I was looking for.
In the dictionary, the first definition of muse is to be thrown into a deep state of dreamy abstraction. The second is a noun, naming any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology that preside over song, poetry, the arts and sciences. The third definition is the one we think of most often, a human source of inspiration or a guiding genius.
With this information in hand, I analyzed my career and realized that a muse has guided me every step of the way. I have often found myself lost in a dream state inspired by another writer. Their work has more often than not sparked an idea for a book of my own or a shown me a new way of laying a story foundation or become a point of reference for an essential building block.
The second definition – the naming of the goddesses – is a matter of inspirational faith. I have always believed that there is ‘something’ hovering over artists that not only encourages the creative soul, but also gives it the courage needed to present its work to a critical public.
That brings us back to the movie and the third definition of muse: the source of inspiration that we can touch and talk to. For some people this is one person, for me it has been many. I don’t call them muses; I call them friends, lovers, family and colleagues. Each step of my career was inspired and moved forward by the muse of the moment, the one person I needed just then.
There was the high school teacher who told me I wrote well, my husband who rescued by early attempts from the trashcan, my children who proudly said their mom was a writer. As the years went on and the books piled up, there were editors who trained me and readers who cheered me on, inspiring me to be better at my craft. All these people were – as definition three would have us believe – guiding geniuses.
It doesn’t matter if they knew the roll they played in my writing. What matters is that I wrote because of them and never in spite of them. The truth is, all you have to do to find a muse is open your eyes, your mind, and your heart. That muse is there – sometimes where you least expect it.
0 0 Read moreEat . . . I mean, Write What You Want Day by Jina Bacarr
May 11, 2019 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as pizza, romance, writing
Ever want to indulge in a pepperoni pizza and then chocolate gelato? A splurge to celebrate a book deal or soothe a broken heart when your online date turns out not to be your dream guy (that’s another story).
You had me with pizza and gelato.
So the same can be true with your writing. On this Eat What You Want Day, let’s take a look at Write What You Want Day.
Suppose you’ve been cranking out hot contemporary romance until your bleary-eyed and drinking hot, black coffee for what seems like forever. You’re good at it, readers like it…your editor likes it.
But you’ve had it. Up to here. The ole mojo ain’t working.
Pizza and gelato time.
In other words, don’t abandon your shirtless hunks and sassy heroines. Just give them a day off. Write something different. Taste the honey on the next beehive by trying something different with your magic pen.
Your imagination.
So, what shall it be? Prince Charming or history?
Why not have both in a sizzling historical romance.
Love mystery or crime shows? Dark fantasy? Write a scene about a female knight solving a mystery in a dystopian world while trying to save her little sister from the underworld creatures making slaves of her people. And the avenging superstar from the future who steals her heart.
Okay, a bit over the top. But you get the idea. Let your mind run free for a day and write whatever comes to you.
It’s like sorbet for the mind.
You may find that your contemporary romances have a fresh spin on them the next time you sit down at the computer.
And always, always write from the heart…
Setting – Gemstones & Stories by Jenny Jensen
April 19, 2019 by Jenny Jensen in category On writing . . . by Jenny Jensen tagged as editing, Jenny Jensen, Setting, writing
A beloved aunt left me her jewelry not long ago. I don’t do a lot of bling so I carefully put most of it away. Except for the sapphire ring. I love that stone. The blue is so true, so deep you feel you could drown in it. It blazes with its own cool fire. Like a crow I covet it in secret. I love to look at it. Wearing the ring is out of the question—the setting looks as if it came from a box of Cracker Jacks. It is so lifeless it buries the stone in boredom. I don’t know where Aunt Bea got the jewel but given the racy facts of her life I bet it’s a helluva story.
Setting. It carries such an impact. Every writer learns early on that setting is a critical element of good writing. A badly defined setting diminishes a great story as much as that pot metal dulls my sapphire. I’m going to have it reset someday. First, I have to figure out what the perfect setting should be—Integral or Backdrop?
With an Integral setting the story’s environment affects the action and characters. The time and place influences every aspect of the story. A good setting conveys atmosphere and mood – Wuthering Heights could not have taken place anywhere else. I’m thinking my sapphire would be lonely in the Yorkshire moors.
An integral setting can convey so much more than a background for the action. The symbolism of your choice of setting can be powerful. To simply place the reader in an abandoned house is enough to know we’re not in the security and warmth of Grandma’s kitchen — we know it’s empty and holds none of the energy of life. The stage is set for all kinds of otherworldly possibilities from ghosts to demons to zombie politicians.
In all historical fiction an integral setting defines the characters. An aristocratic gentleman in Regency England is as defined by that period as is the beautiful housemaid working in his manner. The setting will mean something to each of these characters and therein lays the story. What does that setting mean to each character? Does each character change and view his or her setting differently? The tension and the action are defined by the period setting.
Fantasy and Sci-fi, any genre with world building, offers the possibility of a setting where the world not only affects the characters, it can interact with them. That’s when setting becomes a major character in itself. In addition to mood and atmosphere setting can be a good guy or a bad guy. World building offers the added component of changing the setting. Harry Potter opens in the ordinary world and moves to the incredible, interactive setting of Hogwarts.
All the rich possibilities of an integral setting would overwhelm my sapphire. Backdrop setting however, works for a story that could take place anywhere with no affect on the action or characters—The Emperor’s New Clothes or Winnie the Pooh or Waiting for Godot. All simple stories with a central message.
My sapphire is universally appealing. It is timeless. This sapphire is like a moral tale. It has a simple message: beauty. That makes a backdrop setting my best choice. I’m not looking for vague and general like many backdrop settings. I want it to be a clear, simple setting that anchors the message and then fades gracefully away to let the stone shine. I bet I can find at least 10 of those. Now if only I can get an appointment with VanCleef and Arpels…
4 0 Read more
Writing Magazine Articles: Writing is writing, right?
April 12, 2019 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as publishing, writing, writing milestonesMagazine articles may not be a full novel but I have found the process in writing smaller articles to stretch me in ways I didn’t expect.
The Need to Write Something
As a writer, it’s one thing to write down your thoughts, ideas and inspirations. It’s another to hand it over to someone who is going to take it and print it. Doesn’t matter if it’s a full-length novel or smaller articles.
I’ve always loved writing, and had many experiences in the corporate world creating pieces for our customers to use with their customers. But these were always product related and the specifics were crafted by a team of people.
To have something that I wrote from the beginning to completion on my own, is a completely different experience.
You never know where opportunities are going to come from. Because I need to find a way to generate an income if I want to write full-time, I thought to look into other areas. Last spring I happened upon a booth for a regional magazine and inquired about writing articles for them. She gave me the contact for the editor, I reached out and submitted some writing samples. She offered me a choice of some articles and in the July/August 2018 issue, my first two magazine articles were printed. Little did I realize they would be cover stories!
They even used a few of the pictures I submitted, which made it all very exciting!
And then I received a precious rose!
See, in our Orange County Chapter of RWA, roses are awarded for publishing. Different color roses represent different types of works. Novels are Red, and so on. For articles they are white. I have been watching for YEARS, waiting for the day I would receive a rose, so it was so meaningful to receive roses for these two articles plus one more for the next issue.
Each time a new issue publishes, I’ve been asked to write for the next issue (picking from a list already decided upon by the editor). It’s been great writing experience writing different types of topics. I feel my writing is growing stronger. I’m gaining experience in working with an editor, meeting deadlines, submitting and the concept of letting go (which we all know is difficult to do).
Three of the articles are part of their digital library on their website.
July/August 2018 – Adventure Awaits on Route 66 and Homeward Bound
Jan/Feb 2019 – Safety Tips for Your Family – Kids and Tech
Other articles include:
September/October 2018 – Celebrating Milestone Events
March/April 2019 – Finding New Ways, to Thrive Follow Your Passion Now which is the Current issue online.
And printing in the May/June 2019 issue: Women Learn to Brag…you can’t be modest in business.
So today I’m celebrating a few publishing milestones. It’s been a blessing to write these articles and gain this experience. It’s fun to look back and see how far I’ve come. I’d love for you to join in the celebrating with me.
Thanks for reading,
Denise
2 0 Read moreDear Extra Squeeze Team, Should I Just Give Up?
March 31, 2019 by The Extra Squeeze in category The Extra Squeeze by The Extra Squeeze Team tagged as Indie, Jenny Jensen, Rebecca Forster., Rejection, writing
Dear Extra Squeeze Team, I just got my 20th rejection. Should I just give up?
USA Today Bestselling author of 35 books, including the Witness series and the new Finn O’Brien series.
Don’t give up!
Learn!
Something isn’t striking a chord with editors so figure it out.
Perhaps your blurb is off-putting, the book is slow to start, pacing is awkward, or your characters aren’t defined.
Are you sending the right work to the wrong editor?
Have you truly defined your genre or are you waffling between two or even three?
I often ask people about their genre only to hear “well, it’s sort of a historical, coming of age, horror novel with aliens”. That’s not going to fly with editors.
Ask the most successful author you personally know to read your pitch and first chapters and give an honest opinion. If they cannot articulate their objections, then ask them to point out the areas where they got stuck or where they lost interest. Some of my best learning experiences have been through my rejection letters. I keep a file to remind me of my strengths and weakness. It is like having a tutorial at my fingertips
P.S. I had a friend who write 70 books and when she hit, there was no looking back. Be objective about your work, learn, and move forward. Good luck.
Do you have a publishing question for The Extra Squeeze Team?
Use this form to send them to us.
Developmental editor who has worked for twenty plus years with new and established authors of both fiction and non-fiction, traditional and indie.
Rejection – the inescapable bane of a writer’s life.
JK Rowling in her own words received “loads” of rejections and now she posts them on Twitter to encourage aspiring writers. I think that’s wonderful and says it all. If writing and sharing your work (publishing) is your driving passion then no, never give up.
It could, however, be time to ask yourself why. Publisher and agent rejections are based on a myriad of reasons. Sometimes you’ll get a form letter or you could receive a note with some details explaining the rejection. If you have, then study the reasons closely and consider revising your manuscript to accommodate the input. Hire an editor for a review from fresh eyes.
If you’re 100% confident your story is ready for publication, take another look at your submissions material. Could there be a better way to present the story? Be certain you’ve submitted to the right publisher. Harlequin is not interested in political thrillers and a romance editor would likely not read past the first line of your letter.
If you feel you have the perfect trifecta – manuscript, letter and synopsis – then keep on submitting until you land before the eyes of just that editor or agent who is looking for exactly what you’ve written. According to Ms. Rowling, that’s pretty much how it went for her: the right editor with the right eye and the right curiosity. Go for the long haul.
Today’s huge Indie market allows a writer to bypass traditional publishing (which has always seemed to be somewhat arbitrary) without giving up the dream. Self-publishing is a lot of work on top of the time and effort invested in writing a novel. It’s not enough to simply post the book. You must publicize and tout and twitter and tweet, Facebook and Instagram and fish for reviews. Going that particular long haul gives the author far greater control and ROI than any traditional publisher will provide—especially to a first-time author.
If you believe your work is the best it can be you have choices. Never give up.
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