MY 6 RULES FOR NEW WRITERS

 

I've reached the point in my career where some people are actually asking ME the type of questions I remember asking others when I decided to become a professional writer back in 2010. I'm honored someone thinks I actually might know what I'm doing and take my role seriously whenever I voice my opinion. Here are some things to think about if you are considering putting the title "author" after your name some day...

UPDATE YOUR LIBRARY CARD

It will be overwhelming at first when you begin to realize just how much you DON'T know about writing. Forget about all those bits of poetry and prose collecting dust in a drawer somewhere. The day you seriously decide to become a professional at this, THAT is the time you need to start reading everything you can get your hands on about the actual craft of writing.

BUY A BOOKCASE OR TWO

You think I'm kidding? I have a small two shelf bookcase in my study, a five foot wide five shelf bookcase in my living room, and I STILL have two large piles of books by my chair waiting to find a place on said bookshelves. Some of them are reference books about the craft of writing, some are nonfiction books on research topics I like, many are books by other authors I admire, and then there are simply the books I am waiting to get the time to be able to read for pure enjoyment. All are important to me and feed my huge thirst for knowledge when it comes to the thing I love to do.

STOCK UP ON SUPPLIES

Raise your hand if you have a bunch of pens and pencils in a drawer somewhere...just so you don't run out of writing utensils if an idea comes to you? I have a picnic basket stuffed with those cool black & white Mead composition tablets and more mechanical pencils than I can shake a stick at. I usually start my stories on paper and then transfer to the computer but whatever way you give birth to your stories, make sure you have all the supplies you need to make it happen before that fleeting moment disappears.

PUNCH THE TIME CLOCK

Writers need to be organized. That's not to say MY way of organizing things would work for YOU, but at least have a plan. Commit to writing daily, whether it's at six o'clock in the morning or eleven at night. Small blocks of time...one sentence or paragraph at a time...still adds up to a completed project eventually. If writing is only a hobby, then enjoy it while you are able. But if writing is your passion, no matter how old you were when you discovered your calling...MAKE THE TIME TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!

RETHINK YOUR THINKING

Writing itself is a solitary occupation, but the writing industry is full of loving, supportive individuals who have been where you are at one point in their careers. I'm sure ALL of them remember what it feels like to doubt your own ability to put coherent words on paper sometimes. Don't think you have to travel this path to publication all by yourself. Reach out to critique groups to challenge your writing skills, join Facebook groups to find the creative support you need when you think you can't take another rejection, and chatter on Twitter with the thousands of people out there just like you...working toward a goal and trying to make a dream come true.

TAKE A BLIND LEAP

Probably one of the most important rules for a new writer is to believe in yourself. You might just be starting out, you might not have the technical side to this writing thing perfected yet, but if you wake up in the morning and realize you can't breathe if you can't write, then you WILL make it as a writer. Have faith and take a blind leap into the pool of writing words cuz the water is fine.

Welcome to the world of writing, my new friend, welcome!

I hope you learned something new today and be sure to check back tomorrow for the next post in my month long celebration!

You can preorder my book, THE STORY CATCHER, now through Amazon, www.amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble, www.barnesandnoble.com. It is available in both ebook and print copies. Here is the book blurb and book trailer.

 

 

 

 
Blurb:

 
   Addie comes from a long line of readers, or "story catchers," as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own, though, the words play tricks on her. Addie tries everything she can think of to corral those wiggly letters, but it will take a little faith to become the next STORY CATCHER.
 

Trailer :

 

 

 

Learning How To Swim...

I always thought I would learn to swim one day. Watching others float gracefully in a pool or even seeing my own son playfully cut through the water like an otter made me envious. But it's not likely to happen in my lifetime. You see, I have a great fear of getting into the water.

Even though I was raised near the bayous of southern Louisiana where I was literally surrounded by water, learning to swim was never a priority. By the time I graduated high school I still saw no opportunity to learn and decided my life wouldn't be missing much by my lacking that particular skill. 

I was wrong.

The summer I turned eighteen my Navy officer brother invited me to visit him in sunny California. He was stationed in San Diego and to a shy, small town girl, it was as close to a glamorous adventure as I'd ever hoped to see. The trip turned out to be an uneventful one until the day he invited one of his Navy buddies to come along with us as we spent the day at Coronado Beach.

I began that day having great fun as I dug my toes into the cool wet sand and chased the edges of the waves as they returned to the sea. It should have been a sweet memory to take home with me. My brother and his friend, on the other hand, thought it would be great sport to grab me and toss me into the ocean to see if I could make it back to shore on my own.

In one terrifying moment I went from listening to seagulls call out to each other high above me to finding myself face down in knee deep ocean water. Disoriented and choking on salt water, I didn't know where land was and nearly drowned before my brother and his friend stopped laughing enough to realize they needed to rescue me.

It's been a long time since that day, yet I've never overcome my fear of the water despite having a tremendous love and appreciation for the ocean. But if I ever did try to swim I imagine there would be three things I would learn to do first before I jumped into the deep end of the pool...

1. START SMALL

Children learn to swim by beginning to tread water and dog paddle. It's the small steps which help a person gain confidence while those small steps eventually add up to greater accomplishments.

2. KEEP PRACTICING

Swimming is like any other sport and it takes practice to get better at it. There are books on the science of the subject, places like the YMCA where lessons are taught, and swim groups where you can receive encouragement from other practitioners while you are learning to make it on your own.

3. HAVE FAITH

One day you are just going to have to let go of the flotation device and trust that you know what you are doing. To take a leap of faith and test the waters on your own, proving to yourself there's nothing to be afraid of.

Come to think of it, sounds a bit like becoming a writer, doesn't it?

Novice writers need to take those small steps of learning their craft, practicing their skill by writing every day, learning from those who came before them, and having faith in their ability to become stronger the longer they work at it. It doesn't happen all in one day. Just like learning how to swim.

Maybe one day I will learn how to swim for real but until then I'll concentrate on learning how to swim through the publishing waters until I make it all the way to the deep end...

Dropping The Ball

Sometimes dropping the ball is not a bad thing.  This little fellow just loves it when someone fumbles and drops the ball.  You would never see him give you a disappointed look when you overlooked something.

Then there are times when dropping the ball can mean the difference between a championship ring and a silent ride home.  I realized last night that I was the one that had dropped the ball and I feel horrible.  Friday, March 16th, was National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence.  I told my new friend, Shari Lawsen,  that I would be honored to help get the word out and talk about it on my blog this past Friday.

That's when I dropped it.  It doesn't matter that I was having car trouble or I was busy at the school or any other reason.  My word is my bond and I made an honest mistake by overlooking the promise I had made.  Then I realized that while I might have missed the day, I haven't missed the opportunity to shine the light on what unfortunately is becoming almost a national epidemic here in the states.

According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center and Health Resources and Services Administration, nearly 30% or 5.7 million children in the US are involved in bullying either as victims or perpetrators. Unfortunately, my own son was one of those statistics.

When he was in Kindergarten, he was bullied by his own teacher because she didn't like boys in general.    I filed several complaints with the school system but was told that since nothing was on "tape", it was my word against hers. I was able to place my son with another teacher and the issue was finally resolved.  When he was in fourth grade he was thrown head first into a large dumpster simply because a bully wanted his second-hand tennis shoes...a baffling reason to me because they weren't even a brand name.

Bullying comes in all forms from verbal to cyber to physical and emotional.  It take a toll on a child's self esteem and can crush a spirit faster than anything else I've ever seen.  Parents who ignore it because they think it's just a phase, school administrators who dismiss a parental concern because they think the parent is simply enabling their child, or a society which condones this type of behavior when they remain silent is adding to the problem and in some ways are just as guilty of violence as the bully themselves.

My solution?  Let's go back to the day when parents were responsible for teaching their children right from wrong and being held accountable if their children did harm to others.  Provide support for the school systems so that they feel more empowered to deal with this growing problem, but also make them accountable for doing everything within their power to protect the children under their care.  Lastly, and probably the easiest thing to do, is to get the word out that bullying is no longer an acceptable part of growing up.

Just stop the bull...