As A Writer You Must Be Free To Think

I'm working on a social satire. So... I'm studying a lot of writers: Twain, Swift, Adams (as in Douglas Adams), and Orwell, of course.

I'm filtering my work through the eyes of a protagonist who sees a myriad of characters who call a modern metropolitan American city home. 

Here's a quote from Orwell that confronts my protagonist. 

"You are free to be a drunkard, an idler, a coward, a backbiter, a fornicator; but you are not free to think for yourself."

The great thing about literature is that the writer may bring his or her meaning to what is written, but readers complete the thought and contribute their reality to bring it to life.

What does that quote mean to you?

OMG! Is 2017 Actually Coming To An End? You Didn't Meet Your Writing Goals Did You?

It seems like yesterday was January 1st, 2017. 

Now January 1st, 2018 is upon us. OMG!

I can say this much about 2017... I failed miserably with my writing goals. Maybe... God forbid... you're like me... I spent day after day saying, "Tomorrow... I'll have time tomorrow..."

Ha! tomorrow is here. I wrote some notes... filled a few pages in a spiral notebook. But, didn't finish that novel.

Also... If you are an aspiring writer... you MUST READ! If you write poetry... Read poetry. If you write short stories... Read short stories, etc.

I read some. I wrote some... But, I did neither in the volume I should have as an aspiring writer. Let's not sugar coat it or go all snowflake and blame someone else for my poor decisions. 

I blew it. I didn't work on my craft enough to actually call it a craft. A truism: you can't call yourself a writer if you don't actually WRITE!

I know... tough love. But, I'm a father of five. I'm a tough love kind of guy because I know it pays dividends. 

Moving forward, what does that mean??? First of all, after correcting one of my children, doling out whatever punishments were necessary, then it'd be time for restoring harmony. 

What does that mean? You can rebuke yourself for falling short. Fine. Then... a restorative measure is necessary. Restore the creative process. Otherwise how can you move forward?

Forgive yourself for blowing it. Then... GET OVER IT. Get back to writing.

Set new resolutions. Maybe this time scale them back a bit and make them more realistic... or shoot for the moon, but, bring in a friend to keep you accountable.

Bottom line: Get back on the horse. Write. Start with one word. Then two; then 20; then 100... Keep going.

2017 may be at an end. You may not have accomplished what you wanted. .. But, 2018 is around the corner. Now's your time. Make it happen this year.

You can do it.

5 Things To Do When (and if) You Are Not Writing

You should write all the time. 

Having said that, I know sometimes we just won't be writing. If you are at one of these rare moments as a writer when you aren't writing, then there are by my count 5 things you should be doing besides writing. These are the only 5 activities I don't feel guilty doing instead of writing.

OK, maybe I feel a little guilty, but I get over it...usually.

So what are these five things? Fine, here they are:

1. Researching - Got an idea for a historical thriller set in biblical times, but you know nothing about ancient civilizations? Doing a little research on the times, how people lived, etc., is essential. In my second book of the Mall Demons Fantasy Series, I take readers back to the time of the biblical Noah. Although I know the story, I did research on everything from what ancient people wore, what they ate, how they farmed and traded, as well as, when they married. WARNING: If you're researching, set a time limit or deadline. Once you reach that limit or deadline, stop researching and start writing. The temptation is to keep researching until you know EVERYTHING about your topic. You'll never know everything. If you try, you'll never stop researching and start writing.
2. Reading - This is the activity I do most when I'm not writing. Why? You can't truly grow as a writer if you don't read. Makes no sense to want to write (a craft that relies on words), but not want to read (an activity that familiarizes you with words). This is the one activity that I will schedule in my day, like writing. I must read every day: fiction, nonfiction, newspapers, magazines. This helps me learn how to be a better writer. I often see how another writer describes a tree or someone's face and it gives me ideas how I can do the same. Can't stress how important reading is for writers. Reading is fundamental.
3. Living - I'm a big fan of experience. The more you do in life, the more you can write about with authority. Reading and research can compensate for experience. I'll admit that. However, experience will go a long way towards giving you confidence in your writing. I can set a story in Austin, Texas, describing the city or a neighborhood park with confidence because I have experienced many, many years of life there. I can create a character who is an Army veteran, knowing I will make him realistic because I was a soldier for eight years. I can write a scene showing the birth of a child because I witnessed the birth of all my children firsthand...and I did not faint. My advice: don't forget to live. write a lot; read a lot; but don't sacrifice life. Get out of your house or apartment. Turn off your computer. Take a walk outside. Meet real people. Live.
4. Resting - On December 1st last year, I didn't bother to write one sentence. I didn't write a sentence the next day or the next. I was resting. It was my sabbatical, if you will. I had just spent all of November writing a novel draft, 50,000 words. I was drained. After such a frenzied period of writing activity, I felt I needed a well-deserved rest to recharge. That was OK. Don't abuse this. I do not allow myself to say, "I wrote today for 10 minutes. Now I can take tomorrow off."
5. Thinking - If you're not writing, you should be thinking of writing. Bottom line. Whether you are researching, reading, living or resting, you should be thinking about writing. End of discussion. If you are a writer, you must write or be thinking of writing. Human nature is too easily corrupted. We will compromise in a heartbeat. You can't compromise your craft. If you're not writing, you're not a writer.

What do you think? Agree with these 5 things? Have your own activities to add to the list? Share!

Take a Break From Writing... NaNoWriMo is coming!

Source: Microsoft Office Images

In 10 days, I will begin eating, drinking novel writing. For 30 days, it will be an existence transformed for the sake of completing a manuscript for National Novel Writing Month.


So, I'm thinking this weekend is time to have a whole lot of fun that doesn't involve much writing. If you are preparing for NaNoWriMo, maybe you should consider doing the same. Why not. This is time to make paper airplanes with your son. It's time to take your wife out for a romantic stroll in the park. Maybe something more adventurous?


When I was a boy, I used to love camping. We didn't have much cash growing up, so camping was a rare treat and an inexpensive family gathering, by the way. When I say camping, I mean old-school camping with a  small uncomfortable tent, a sleeping bag, etc. 


I remember running around the woods with the other children gathering wood for the fire. It was usually the first task after unloading all our supplies. No fire. No dinner. It was a great time sitting in the dirt around the fire.

Source: Microsoft Office Images

Some details escape me all these years later. I don't remember how we washed up - maybe we didn't. We definitely did not have showers. But, hey, we were kids. We didn't care if we were stinky in the woods. Modern camping grounds have amenities that take all the adventure out of roughing it.


Anyway... you get the idea. Do something. This is that weekend to let loose because November 1 is coming. Then it'll be writing, writing, writing every day.

Elementary Steps To Writing - Are You Smarter Than A Fourth Grader?

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My wife and I just returned from a parent-teacher conference to hear that our child is doing very well. Something parents always want to hear. Getting to the particulars, the teacher said our child loves to read. Given free time in class, it is her activity of choice.


Now, that's something a writing father loves to hear.


As I observed the room with a writer's eye, I noticed one wall devoted to laminated signs that spelled out several steps to the writing craft. I read the signs and was pleased to see what fourth graders are learning about writing in elementary school. Since I can't remember when I was that young and I imagine other adults may have forgotten their wonder years as well, here's what those signs said about writing:


Six Steps (and I'm paraphrasing what they said)

• Prewrite - Brainstorm your topic
• Draft - Write out that 1st draft
• Edit - Check for grammar and other errors
• Revise - Rewrite to make your manuscript more interesting
• Publish - Use your best handwriting 
• Share - Let the world read it.

I thought the list was pretty cool. Granted, the 'publish' step could be altered to address any formatting requirements writers might need to follow when submitting a poem, article or short story to a magazine, journal or other publishing venue. But, the list itself is solid advice to more than just elementary school pupils. I think these steps are excellent building blocks every writer can use to improve their writing.

Office Images

As a writing professor, I often see students give short shrift to several of these steps (if not ignore them completely). 


Prewriting is often ignored. I don't know how many times I've seen students try going from blank screen to 1st draft without a plan or at least a brief exploration of the topic. 


Can I just say that skipping the editing step is probably what annoys me the most as a teacher. That just screams laziness. And finally, revising is often ignored, too. The first draft of anything is crap. There is almost always something writers can do to revise their work and make it more interesting. No matter how many times I say this in class, someone always rises to challenge my statement.


"You've never seen one of my papers," the student will say. "It'll be an A+ on the first try."


"Prove it," I say. "Don't boast. Show me."


Hubris... I'm still waiting to this day for that perfect paper on the first try.


So, what do you think of this elementary school list of writing steps? Share your thoughts.