Break Free From the Mindsets That Make Writing a Struggle

By Alissa Johnson

A writer recently told me she had plenty of ideas but rarely got past the first few pages of a story. She got into fights with her characters because they wanted to do one thing and she wanted to stick to her original vision.

One time, determined to finish, she jotted down the basic points from start to finish, intending to add details later. But having finally gotten to the end of a story, she couldn’t bear to make changes. What if she got it wrong?

As a writing coach, I hear these stories frequently and they lead to one consistent conclusion: Maybe I’m not meant to be a writer. Perhaps you know the thinking: Real writers write every day, finish what they start, and don’t get stuck. I’m not a real writer.

I don’t buy it. True, writers write. But struggle isn’t a sign of failure. It’s most often one of three false mindsets at play:

infinitemindset.com

Mindset #1: I Don’t Know

This mindset is like a song stuck on repeat: I don’t know if I can pull this off. I don’t know what happens next. I don’t know the ending. I don’t know if the story will be as good as the idea. I don’t know if anyone will like it.

When characters “misbehaved” for my writing friend, she didn’t trust the new direction. And because she couldn’t force the story go the way she wanted it to, she got stuck.

To get unstuck, try turning “I don’t know” into “I’ll figure it out.” Let writing be a form of exploration. If you sit down to write one thing, and it turns into something else, why not go with it? It might be better than your original idea.

Mindset #2: I Know

When you have a hard time changing a story, there’s an underlying assumption at work: you know how it’s supposed to go. But talk to any “real” writer, and you will hear stories about revision after revision after revision. The idea of a perfect first draft is a myth.

But what if writing could be an act of discovery? Try reading your work for what you actually wrote, not what you think you wrote. You’ll see that it’s often quite different. You’ll also see what you can add, what you can take away, and the parts you really like. Your writing will quickly improve.

Mindset #3: I Must Protect My Work

The writer above struggled with mindset #1 and #2, but it didn’t take long to learn that her troubles stemmed from a bad experience with a reader. In college, she showed a story to a friend in her dorm and he trashed it. Now, she felt like she had to get it right before she shared her work.

It’s tempting to think that you are protecting your work by showing it to someone you know—an acquaintance, a friend, a family member. They respect you, so they’ll respect your work. Unfortunately, the people closest to you don’t always know how to give feedback. I have seen far too many writers stopped in their tracks by inexperienced readers. Instead of protecting your work, honor it by selecting someone who understands your vision and can give you honest but respectful feedback.

The good news is that these mindsets are simple to identify and shift. A couple of weeks after my conversation, my writing friend emailed me. She’d practiced these new ways of approaching her writing, and she was in the middle of a story, letting it evolve as she went. She liked the story, and most importantly? She was actually having fun.

About the Author: Alissa Johnson helps writers finish what they start, including essays and short stories, screenplays and memoirs. As a "writer's confidante" and "story whisperer", she helps them release doubt and uncover the story that needs to be told. Learn more at writingstrides.com.

The Ability to Write - Nature or Nurture? Part II

By Pete Klismet

In Part I of this article, I explained how important a person’s writing ability is to the eventual solution and prosecution of crimes. Having seen a lack of this over the course of many years, I decided to explore it in a more systematic manner.

Since research on the ability to write would be helpful, I decided to start mine by asking my wife a simple question. “Was your mother a good writer?” My wife and her sister both are excellent writers, more than able to convey their thoughts, whether in an email or some other form of written communication. For the record, my wife’s answer was “Yes.” I thought that was an excellent start to proving my theory that the ability to write is inherited, thus genetic.

Believing this topic deserved more extensive research, I asked myself, “Was my mom a good writer? How about my dad?” And the answer to both questions was an unequivocal “yes” for both, despite the fact that my dad had only an eighth grade education (the required standard for the time he was in school). Then I asked myself, “Are your kids good writers?” Again the answer was yes. So I quickly advanced my theory ahead a few more spaces on the board.

Then I asked myself, “Am I a good writer?” And the answer was “I think so.” I know when I was a police officer in California, some of my reports were deemed to be “legendary.” And I always enjoyed writing them. I enjoyed doing research papers in college and graduate school, seeing these as an opportunity to think outside the box. In the FBI it is said that only about ten percent of all agents can put together a complex investigation, explain it in reports, and then write a wiretap affidavit (which is basically longer than the worst term paper you ever did, and has to be reviewed by tons of lawyers). In twenty years, I wrote about ten of them. So apparently I was capable of writing at a high level while in the FBI. 

But, did being able to write good reports, search warrant and wiretap affidavits predict a good writing career? Those reports are generally narrative, and that type of writing doesn’t necessarily translate directly to an ability to write a novel. I found that out with the first book I wrote, which was deemed “horrible” by a literary agent after she read only part of one chapter. I was floored. Result: Writer’s block for about five years. I was a hopeless case. My self-esteem plummeted. My hopes and dreams of someday becoming a best-selling author were dashed. 

Or so I thought. I was living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the time, and about twenty miles down the highway was the University of Iowa. Somehow, I found out about their famed Writer’s Workshop, and decided to see if I could attend. No problem. Pay the tuition, attend for two full weeks, and hopefully come out a better writer on the other end. And so I paid and attended. We did a lot of evaluating of each other’s work. When my chapter came up for review, it prompted an extensive lecture by our instructor. And finally the light bulb went on and glared brightly. I remember him saying, “You build a story by using action and dialogue.” You mean narrating won’t work? Nope. But I was really good at writing police reports and stuff like that. Doesn’t matter, that was narrating, and it doesn’t work if you’re trying to advance a story in a novel. Oh, now I understood why I got that scathing rejection – I can write great police reports, but that doesn’t translate to writing a book someone will want to read and which will hold their interest.

It was just the jolt I needed, but then came the problem of adapting my writing style to my newly-learned knowledge. You can’t tell a story with dialogue only, and if you revert to action, you’re back to narrating. This caused a significant paradigm shift for me. I had to see if I had the ability to blend both of these concepts together. And quickly learned it wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. There was going to be some work involved. I had to ask myself if I had the commitment. The only way to find out was to start writing again. But, don’t write fiction. I didn’t need to do that. All of my years in law enforcement, about fifteen by that time, gave me enough experiences to write more than one book. In fact, I now have about eight in my head. It’s a tight fit, in case you were wondering. 

I continued my research on the Internet and found there was no shortage of information about the ability to acquire language as an innate ability. But what most of that referred to was people being more able than others to learn new and different languages. I knew that didn’t apply to me and was not what I was trying to discover. I did, however, find some short articles about the ability to write being an inherited trait. Which I was very excited about, except that the answers were clearly maybe or maybe not. That didn’t advance my theory a whole lot, either.

I found a somewhat compelling blog by someone who calls himself “Rodismay.” The blog had a ton of advertising links, so his goal is apparently to teach people to be better writers and make money in the process. There were a number of comments by various people who said they felt their ability to write was “God-given.” Mr. Rodismay also commented, “When I am in the mood, one word heard or read can be expanded into more than 1000 words.” Hmmm, I thought, that sounds a lot like me (and surely some of you). It’s almost like being an alcoholic, by way of analogy: Once you start, you can’t stop. Maybe that’s not the best analogy. A better one might be getting the so-called “Runner’s High.” I’ve had all of these things happen, so maybe writing is akin to an addiction? And maybe, just maybe, I’m onto something here. Research on addictions shows a high degree of predisposition, such that if one is an alcoholic, someone above you on the food chain, whether mom, dad, grandpa, etc., was or is an alcoholic as well. So maybe this guy Rodismay has me headed in the right direction. And maybe I was starting to think outside the box as I wanted to be.

And I continued my research. I’ll explain that and how I tried to connect the dots in the third part of this article.

About the Author: About thirty years ago, a small cadre of FBI agents were hand-picked by the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) to receive training in what was then a highly-controversial and ground breaking concept: Psychological Profiling. Pete Klismet was fortunate enough to have been chosen to become one of the original FBI “profilers.” He received additional training, was temporarily assigned to work with the BSU in Quantico, Virginia, and put that training and experience to work in assisting state, federal and local law enforcement agencies in investigating violent crimes. 

He was named National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in 1999, the same year he retired from the FBI. For the next 13 years he taught in colleges, and is now retired as a professor emeritus. He and his wife Nancy live in Colorado Springs.

Pete’s award-winning book FBI Diary: Profiles of Evil is available at www.houdinipress.com and www.amazon.com. He plans to release ‘a couple more books’ in 2014.

Steampunk Costuming Tips

Friday night at Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2014 is an optional steampunk dinner, where you're invited to dress up in steampunk regalia. Not sure what that entails? No problem! Aaron Spriggs, expert on all things steampunk, is here to give us some tips.

By Aaron Spriggs

Steampunk: What it would have been like if the future had happened sooner. 

First, let’s start with what “steampunk” is, and where it came from. In the 1980s, cyberpunk speculative fiction was all the rage. Author K. W. Jeter told his publisher his next cyberpunk novel would be set in the Victorian age and that it would be a ‘steam-punk’ story, to paraphrase.

Steampunk has been around for over one-hundred years, but was only then codified. In the most stripped down, bare bones sense, it is the outsider or underdog (punk) fighting the system. The ‘system’ can be just about anything, such as government, big corporations, the church, social norms, etc., and it is set in a time period where steam was the dominant, most advanced technology (the "steam" in steampunk). It was solely science fiction, but the recent trend is to include fantasy/urban fantasy into the mix. For me, I prefer my steampunk straight-up sci fi, but I’ve read some great stuff with fantasy elements included.

See "Woman in Black
Dress" below for attribution

The costuming, or cosplay (costume play): Any historical clothing combination from about the 1790s to the 1910s works great. Mixing and blending from cultures around the world is even better. Throw in some goggles (always be prepared for that open gondola/dirigible/train ride), add a splash or two of sexy, and you’ve got a great steampunk outfit.

Costumes trend towards the upper class styles of clothing, but mechanics, engineers, and adventurers are all very commonly found, as well. Remember, classism was alive and well, and can be played up in costumes.

Femmes: Corsets are common for women. They’re sexy and fun, they flout social dictums being worn on the outside visible to all, and they go with just about everything. Itty-bitty hats pinned on are big (big as in popular, not in size - I just said they’re itty-bitty). Parasols work as props, as portable shade/rain protection and as weapons. Don't forget the ever present goggle.

See "Nyah" below
for attribution

Hommes: Pith helmets, bowlers, and top hats are all very common. Canes (sword canes, even, but check with state and local laws….) are an excellent accessory. Tuxedos and smoking jackets with patterns are good pillars in any man’s wardrobe. If you have the time, grow mutton chops! And have I mentioned goggles?

Colors: Anything goes. There is a prevailing attitude for earth-tones, but the Victorians had the full color spectrum to use, and they did so. Historically, they often had dark cloaks and jackets to deal with industrial soot and the new pollutions, but their clothes (from around the world) have always had colors, so don’t be shy. Patterns (such as paisley) and stripes are very popular with steampunks, too. Ignore the snarky “steampunk is when goths discover brown.” Haters gonna’ hate. Remember punk not caring? There you go.

Accents: Gears, watch parts, springs, and the like. There is some snarky-ness to gluing these items on clothing (such as hats and lapels), but I like them. After all, steampunk has taken on an aspect of cargo-cultishness, and thus ‘worship’ of the industrial elements is only natural - and expressing such worship via adornment is very natural. So I say glue that cog on and be proud!

Squid and octopus is a super-strong theme as well, heralding from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Vern. Again, rings, necklaces, tattoos for the hard core - do it up!

Finally: RAY GUNS!* Among steampunk is the fringe science, pushing the bounds of believability, and ray guns is the vanguard of such tech. Make those ray guns out of anything available: candelabras, tattoo guns, welders, water pistols, nerf guns etc. Do it up. Sneak in a hidden battery and light it up with LEDs, bubbling oil in tubes, vacuum tubes, air cartridges, etc., etc., etc.

Remember, you’re punks. There is no right or wrong. If a hard core fanboy tries to tell you those faery wings ‘aren’t steampunk, turn your punk dial to 11 and give him a quote or two from Blaylock (steampunk author with fantasy elements long before steampunk was defined).

Now get cracking on that anti-kraken semi-aquatic de-hydration auto-illuminating musket, and make sure you have your goggles firmly around your hatband, just in case…

*Note: The Marriott has asked that there be no weaponry, even costume weaponry, brought into the venue.

About the Author: Born before the Lunar Landing in the Land of Enchantment, Aaron has lived in many states of the Union, but has reduced his relocation rate and has lived in Colorado since 1980, all up and down the Front Range and mountains, and currently resides in Denver.

Aaron has published a few short stories and several poems and is sitting on a few novels, like everyone else.

Scientist by day (hazardous waste management in the past, and entomologist/zoologist these days) and poet/musician by night, Aaron has gone on several musical tours around the USA. He plays trumpet poorly and theremin passingly. During the heat of summer, Aaron can be found at Burning Man every year. 

Image Attributions: 

Nyah: By Craig Hatfield (Nyah.  Uploaded by Fæ) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Woman in Black Dress: By 5of7 (Flickr: Steampunk - woman in black dress) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons