New Year’s Resolutions: Get Ready, Get Set, Get...Writing!

By DeAnna Knippling


Why do we start a bunch of resolutions on January 1? It shouldn’t really matter when you make your resolutions...

...Except that it does.

Changing your habits is always hard; you’re fighting against your survival instinct. Habits increase survivability and decrease calorie consumption (they let you go on autopilot during a fight or flight situation, and they work just like “sleep mode” on your computer, putting your brain into a low-energy state that’s more easily interrupted than waking up fully). Habits are supposed to be hard to change--they keep you from walking out of the house naked, from getting lost on your way to work when you’re not really awake, and more.

Mostly, habits are good.

But what about when habits need to change?

Even though we’re wired for habits, there are ways that we’re wired to make changing habits easier, too. Because you are constantly reprogramming old habits that no longer work, like when you change jobs or move desks: the first couple of weeks are weird, but soon enough you’ll be moving on autopilot while driving to the new job or sitting at the new desk. We’re perfectly okay changing habits when the right conditions are met.

The trick is understanding and planning for the right conditions.

First, you need to know the process of your habit. It starts with a trigger (some condition that tells you when to start the habit), continues through a routine (the actions that you take during the habit), and ends with a reward (an immediate tangible or intangible benefit).

We’re not really built to stop habits. But we are built to replace them. This process will vary from person to person and habit to habit, but in general, you should start with the following:

•          Identify the trigger that starts the existing habit that you want to change. (For example, you want to write for 15 minutes in the morning every day--the trigger might be the alarm going off).
•          Identify the routine. (When does it start, and when does it really stop and your conscious mind take over again--for example, after you have your first cup of coffee at work?).
•          Identify what rewards you get from continuing the old routine. (Knowing you’ll be getting a paycheck, getting to sleep in later after hitting the snooze alarm, etc.)
•          Optional: Establish the attitude that change has meaning. (You can’t change a habit if you’re too pessimistic that the attempt will do any good).
•          Optional: Gather support from your community in changing your habits. (We are social creatures, and approval from our peer groups is a big reward).
•          Optional: Release your doubts to a “higher authority.” (A good explanation for this is in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. The point is to have something you can fall back on when things go awry--“This isn’t working!” “It will, eventually!” Whatever you normally use for that kind of thing is fine).

Once you have those things figured out, make sure that when you hit the trigger, you have planned a different routine--and when you complete it, you immediately give yourself some kind of tangible or intangible reward.

To help reinforce the new habit, you could make sure you’re not defeating yourself by saying that you’ll never change the habit, make sure that your community supports you in changing your habit, and release your doubts to your personal higher authority (say, your spouse, your faith, or “the writing process says that I have to fail a lot before I can succeed”).

Don’t think these techniques can work? But they did for a ton of people last month, during NaNoWriMo:

•          NaNo forces you to find time to write 1667 words every day--or at least to explore different solutions to the problem of finding time.
•          NaNo clearly defines the routine (1667 words or more).
•          NaNo rewards you for completing the routine (daily bar graphs; comparing yourself against others; encouraging emails from professional writers, etc.).
•          NaNo continually sends the message that any writing you get done is valuable.
•          NaNo certainly sends support both through the writing communities (we’re all in it together) and in the wider world (“look, a lot of people are doing this, honey”).

NaNoWriMo taps into valuable habit-changing techniques. But for a lot of people, the habit dies down once November is over (or before then, if you’re not setting up a powerful enough trigger/routine/reward process).

Now it’s December, though. NaNo is over, and we’re all back in the same boat again: how do we accomplish our writing goals?

My suggestion: Start on January 1 with a year-round National Writing Year.

So why January 1?

Because January 1^st has a national, if not worldwide support group for starting new resolutions. January 1^st is a holiday that will help boost you in forming habits and provide a little extra push for people who find community support rewarding.

How can writers use this?

•          Spend time now, in December, studying the writing habit you want to change and setting your goals (might I suggest 1K a day?).
•          Identify the community that can support you through this change (like Pikes Peak Writers!)
•          Accept that iterative success is not the same as failure, and that yes, anything you get done has value.
•          Set up a test phase for the new habit in December; make sure to include the trigger for the habit, the routine, and the reward.
•          Be prepared to change your routine if it’s not working, both during the test phase and after you officially start.

For example:

•          You want to write every day and have identified that you want to write every day first thing in the morning.
•          Study your early-morning routine. Where does it start, and where does your brain click off autopilot? What triggers it, what do you actually do, and what do you do to reward yourself after you’re done?
•          Figure out a new habit: what’s going to trigger you to start it (pour first cup of coffee), what the new steps will involve (pour first cup of coffee and put it down by computer, start computer, start writing program, write until x words written OR until y time, backup work, close program, open email/web browser), and what the reward is (adding running total to a spreadsheet, announcing word count by way of bragging, staring at the bestseller list for 10 seconds while imagining your book at the top).
•          Tell your support community about your new routine.
•          Report in to your support community about both successes and failures.
•          If you get stuck writing or if your writing isn’t very good, trust the writing process: “writing more now leads to better writing later” and ignore that day’s crap.
•          If you drift off track, look at your routine to make sure it has a trigger, routine, and reward--and that those things are actually meaningful to you.

Finally, a note:

Pay attention to the things you do that don’t make sense; those are usually pretty telling indications of a habit that you need to eradicate or one that you can use to your advantage.

Keep flipping over to FB in the middle of writing? Then make FB part of your reward (and make sure it’s not otherwise part of your routine). Upset when you meet your goal but don’t exceed it (this is one of mine)? Then lowball your goals so you can have the reward of overshooting them. Hitting writer’s block every time you sit down to write? Establish a habit for when you’re stuck to get you writing again and remove the word count requirement (change it to time spent instead).

You could use the same techniques to teach yourself how to stop snacking on food you really don’t need or getting your butt in the gym--but why bother? Being a famous writer is so much sexier anyway :)


About the Author: DeAnna Knippling started freelancing in May 2011 and wouldn’t be able to do it without her wonderful family and friends, especially her husband. In fact, she owes a lot to Pikes Peak Writers for helping her be a better writer, especially through the Write Brains, both in the lectures and in meeting lots of other writers.

Her reason for writing is to entertain by celebrating her family’s tradition of dry yet merry wit, and to help ease the suffering of lack of self-confidence, having suffered it many years herself. She also likes to poke around and ask difficult questions, because she hates it when people assume something must be so.

For more kicks in the writerly pants, see her blog at www.deannaknippling.com or her ebook How to Fail & Keep on Writing, available at Smashwords, B&N, Amazon, and OmniLit. 

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"So long as you write it away regularly nothing can really hurt you." -Shirley Jackson, born December 14.


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...DeAnna Knippling discusses New Year's Resolutions for writers with "Get Ready, Get Set, Get Writing."

...Aaron Michael Ritchey asks "Why a Critique Group?"

...MB Partlow brings us our first Countdown to Conference post for PPWC 2014!

Sweet Success! F.T. Bradley

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

F.T. Bradley’s thriller, Double Vision: Code Name 711 (ISBN: 978-0062104403, hardcover, 256 pages, ages 8-12) was released October 12, 2013 by Harper Children’s books and is available wherever books are sold.

Linc's second mission takes him to Washington D.C., city of spies and secrets. This time, he has to uncover spy history dating back to the Revolutionary War and George Washington, to foil a plot against the U.S. president before it's too late...

F.T. Bradley is the author of middle-grade adventure series Double Vision, featuring Lincoln Baker and Benjamin Green. Her husband's Air Force career has F.T. and their two daughters moving all around the world, but for the moment the family lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. To find out more about F.T and Double Vision, visit www.ftbradley.com or www.doublevisionbooks.com. Twitter: @FTBradleyAuthor. E-mail: author@ftbradley.com.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email Kathie Scrimgeour at ppwsweetsuccess@gmail.com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

Scene Writing Series, Part IV - Setting, Part II

By Jax Hunter

Hello Campers,

Last month we talked about setting - the physical world in which our characters come to play. You’ll remember Bo Goldman’s list of things that go into the box (scene) that “jacks up the drama”: setting, weather, costuming, lighting, props, animals. Then we took a look at how some screenwriters set the stage in their scenes. 

Did you do your homework? How did that work for you? Is this mic on?

This month we’re going to add just a bit to the box by discussing character description. Remember that we’re looking at screenwriting, and in many ways screenwriters don’t describe their characters in the same way novelists do. I think we can learn a bit from them, nonetheless.

In Story Sense, Paul Lucey informs his audience that characters should be introduced in a sentence or two so as not to limit the casting choices. Not really a problem for novelists. Lucey then goes on to give numerous examples of how characters are first introduced in screenplays. We’ll do the same here.

Before I do that, though, I want you to think about your current characters. If you had to describe them in a sentence or two, how would you do it? Take a moment and give it a try. Off the cuff, here’s mine: Chris Gabriel is 6'4" tall with short, dark hair, grey eyes. He’s classically handsome and smiles readily. 

Wonderful, huh? 

Okay, take a look at some of these descriptions and then we’ll try again.

MUNNY [Clint Eastwood] is thirty-five or forty years old, his hair is thinning and his mustache droops glumly over his stubbled jaw. If it were not for his eyes he would look like any pig farmer with his canvas overalls tucked in his boots pushing on a hog. Unforgiven.

DR. HANNIBAL LECTOR [Anthony Hopkins] is lounging on his bunk, in white pajamas, reading an Italian Vogue. He turns, considers her. . . A face so long out of the sun, it seems almost leached – except for the glittering eyes, and wet red mouth. He rises smoothly, crossing to stand before her: the gracious host. His voice is cultured, soft. The Silence of the Lambs.

SAM BALDWIN [Tom Hanks] is in his thirties. His neck is pinched into a crisp dress shirt and tie. His expression is vacant, faraway. A breeze blows but he doesn’t react to it. Sleepless in Seattle.

A translator's words ring in the earpiece of a handsome man [Harrison Ford] in his mid-forties. Worry lines crease his forehead and the touch of gray at his temples attest to three very difficult years in office. This man is JAMES MARSHALL, and he is the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Air Force One.

Riding along the road comes WILLIAM WALLACE [Mel Gibson]. Grown now, a man. He sits his horse as if born there, his back straight, his hands relaxed on the reins. He has a look of lean, rippled power. He looks dangerous. Braveheart.

MARION [MURRON] MacCLANNOUGH [Catherine McCormack], grown now into a stunning young woman; her long auburn hair reminds us of those years long ago; she wears it the same way, straight and full down her back. Her dress is plain, like the grass that surrounds a wildflower. She’s the most beautiful girl in the village, maybe in all of Scotland. Braveheart.

Wendell "BUD" WHITE [Russell Crowe], 30, stares at the enormous Christmas tree on the deco platform over Bullocks' entrance. An LAPD cop, Bud's rep as the toughest man on the force has been well earned. L.A. Confidential

Sgt. ED EXLEY [Guy Pierce], 30, bespectacled, is at the desk with a YOUNG OFFICER. Exley is an up-and-comer. Burning with ambition. The faster he rises through the ranks, the more resentment he leaves in his wake. L.A. Confidential

Her hair kerchiefed, LYNN BRACKEN [Kim Bassinger] waits as the Owner writes it up. There's glamour, a cat-girl grace about Lynn. She seems like she belongs up on the wall with the movie

stars. L.A. Confidential

LAPD Sgt. "Trashcan" JACK VINCENNES [Kevin Spacey], late 30s with slick, good looks, dances with a young ACTRESS. Grinding their way through a ballad, they're obviously hitting it off. L.A. Confidential

I find it interesting how some of these characters are described so much more fully than others, even in the same screenplay. In L.A. Confidential, we don’t have a clue what Bud looks like, but we see Vincennes with “slick, good looks." Exley gets even more with characterization in his. As I read through screenplays, it’s interesting to see that sometimes the writer give you a nice description of the character and at other times allows the character to show himself through his actions straightaway. Here’s an example:

A MAN idly walking around the building. He is BUTCH CASSIDY [Paul Newman] and hard to pin down. Thirty-five and bright, he has brown hair, but most people, if asked to describe him, would remember him as blond. He speaks well and quickly, and has been all his life a leader of men, but if you asked him, he would be damned if he could tell you why. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

But when it comes to introducing Sundance [Robert Redford], he only calls him MUSTACHED MAN. As you read the scene (it’s wonderfully done in the movie) it’s almost as if the writer wanted the reader to have the same reaction as the characters playing cards with Sundance. MUSTACHED MAN has been very quietly cleaning up at the tables. There are accusations of his cheating thrown about. If MUSTACHED MAN says anything at all, it’s very quiet, one or two words here or there. He ignores the accusation and simply stacks his chips carefully into piles. Finally, there’s the drawing of guns and threatening of MUSTACHED MAN, who just sits slumped in his chair sadly, his head down. Then BUTCH shows up and starts talking (that’s what he’s good at,) and all MUSTACHED MAN has to say is “I wasn’t cheating.”  

More words, more threats and a great shot of MUSTACHED MAN taking in his surroundings as he and BUTCH talk. Finally (ta-da) BUTCH says, “Can’t help you, Sundance,” and we have the shock, amazement and fear that comes when the rest of the characters - and the audience - find out who this MUSTACHED MAN is. 

All this done, with nothing more from the author than MUSTACHED MAN by way of introduction. The author just let Butch introduce his friend. Even then, the author simply says, “THE SUNDANCE KID, for that is the name of the MUSTACHED MAN. He sits slumped a moment more, his head down. Then he slowly raises his head. His eyes dazzle. He looks dead into MACON’s eyes. Still staring, he stands. He, too, wears guns.”

Can you do that in a novel? If you’re creative, you can. But, I’d be willing to bet that our author knew intimately what the MUSTACHED MAN looked like. He also knew how both Butch and Sundance moved, how they talked (or didn’t talk much). As novelists, of course, we have to get all that on paper. 

The key, again, as with setting is to use specific detail to describe characters. (If you want a complete course in making characters come alive - check out Margie Lawson’s Creating Character Emotions class) 

In closing, let me give you a taste of where we all want to be when describing characters. Here, from Jonathon King’s The Blue Edge of Midnight are some one-liners used to describe Murphy, the newsstand owner:

“He was a huge lump of a man who sat for hours at a time on a four-legged stool with what seemed like half of his weight dripping over the sides of the small circular cushion.”

“He had a fat face that folded in on itself like a two-week-old Halloween pumpkin and you couldn’t tell the color of his small slit eyes.” 

“He had a voice like gravel shuffling around in the bottom of a cardboard box.”

Okay, shall I try again on Chris? Chris was tall and lean, with dark, shortly cropped hair and silvery eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He had the look that guys got when charming old ladies. But on this man, it seemed to be second nature.

Homework assignment: Write in your books. Gasp, sob. Okay, I admit it, I write in my books. Not books I borrow, but books I own. I underline great writing, be it description or just fabulous wording. So, even if you don’t want to write in your books, you can still start “noting” great setting and character description. Feel free to even send it on to me for my files. 

If there’s a better way to learn how to write great fiction than to read great fiction, I don’t know what it is. 

                                                                                         
Until next month, when we’ll discuss Visual Storytelling, keep your butts in the chair and your hands on the keyboard - BIC-HOK. 

Jax (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)

(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2005.)

About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.

Make Time to Read & Other Tips From the Denver SCBWI Conference

Agent Sara Megibow asked and Letters and Lines Fall Conference participants delivered singing Happy Birthday to her husband. It's a little fuzzy as I was singing and taking picture with my cell phone at the same time. 

By Stacy S. Jensen

"I don't have time to read."

That's a statement that doesn't cut it with Author Linda Sue Park. She was a keynote speaker at the Letter and Lines Fall Conference in September for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

She encouraged the children's writers present — from picture book to young adult — to spend time reading. "Saying you don't have time to read," Park said, "is the equivalent of an Olympic Athlete saying she doesn't have time to train."

"Don't let screen time take away from reading time," Park said.

She was one of many great writers at the conference. SCBWI has a strict blogging and recording policy, but allows attendees to share impressions and quotes. So here are a few snippets. I don't want to be banned from future conferences.

I spent most of my time in picture book workshops. Colorado Springs Author Dian Curtis Regan shared tips on picture book structure. She had writers thinking about page turns and whether a child would want to read their stories again and again? AND would a parent or grandparent want to spend $17 on their books?

While exploring her website post-conference, I found this fun link to Write a Young Adult Novel in Five Minutes!

During an industry panel, industry professionals from agents to editors said, "Don't write to a trend."

Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency suggested writing something from your heart, your voice, and your passion.

For children's writers, whether to write to the educational Common Core State Standards seems to always be a hot topic. Kelly Barrales-Saylor of publisher Albert Whitman & Company said the standards don't affect acquisitions, but do affect sales, as it becomes a marketing tool.

Editors and agents mentioned they are acquiring new titles. They all encouraged writers to sift through their feedback and keep working. "The only way to fail is to quit," Megibow said.

This fall conference always gives me a boost to make it through the end of the year. The greatest piece of advice from the conference? I return to Linda Sue Park, who said that writers can find free writing lessons in books! True. So, grab a book or your Kindle and read.

About the Author: Stacy S.Jensen worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for two decades. Today, she writes picture books and revises a memoir manuscript. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and toddler.

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." -Horace, born December 8


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Stacy S. Jensen helps us "Make Time to Plan & Other Tips From SCBWI"

...Jax Hunter brings us the next piece in her series, "Setting, Part II"

...Kathie Scrimgeour brings us another Sweet Success!

December News, Events, & Links

PPW Events

Quick note: PPWC 2014 registration is open! Check out the details, our fabulous keynotes, and registration information at the PPW website.

The December Write Brain will be online only, and is a Q&A on Short Stories with Carrie Vaughn. Tuesday, December 17, 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Bring your questions; you'll be invited to ask any questions you might have concerning the writing, editing, publishing, and marketing of short stories. We require a reservation at www.delvewriting.com/rsvp. It's the only way we can get you the link for the online event venue.

PPW Open Critique will occur on Wednesday, December 18, 6:00 to 8:30 PM, at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts. The first 8 to RSVP may bring 8 pages of their manuscript to critique. 

Writer's Night is canceled for the month, due to proximity to Christmas. It will return in January.

Other "Local" Events

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is having their RMFW Holiday Party on Saturday, December 14, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. They're also offering an online class, presented by Trai Cartwright.

Colorado Springs Fiction Writers has various meetings throughout at the month at different locations. Visitors are welcome. 

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America will be holding their RMMWA Holiday Party in the form of their 4th Annual Noir at the Bar. Come enjoy readings by various established authors. December 12, 8 PM. Not at the usual location.

The Pikes Peak Pen Women will hold The Magnificence of Creativity: Sharing a Present of Writing, Art, or Music December 14. 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. You are asked to bring a gift of your creativity, such as a story or painting of yours to share. RSVP required to receive the location.

Publications Open for Submissions and Contests:
Please note: Inclusion of links in this post does not equal sponsorship by Pikes Peak Writers or a relationship between the two entities.  Please always be sure to pursue due diligence before submitting anything to a publication or contest.

The Capilano Review publishes "venturesome experimental writing and art" and is looking for submissions. Submission deadline is February 28 for the spring issue. Pays $50 per printed page. The theme is languages.

Workers Write is seeking poetry and prose from the cubicle dwellers point-of-view. 500-5000 words. December 31 deadline. Pays $5 to $50.

Angelic Knight Press is taking submissions for their anthology Demon Rum and Other Evil Spirits. Deadline December 31. I didn't find any indication of payment for this particular anthology, but their overall submission guidelines state quarterly royalties and a copy of the book. More information on this specific publicationhere.

Infinite Acacia is seeking short stories for a collection, Infinite Science Fiction. Deadline December 31. 2000-6000 words, Science Fiction. Pays $.01/word. They also have a short story collection entitled Mother Knows Best, same deadline. Pays 10 Euros, plus a contributor copy.

Firbolg Publishing is seeking environmental horror short stories for the fourth entry in their Enter At Your Own Risk series. Pays a flat $40 fee. Deadline is December 31.

Crossed Genres is taking submissions of Science Fiction and/or Fantasy short stories with the theme of "Runaway" for their April issue. Pays $.05/word. Deadline December 31.

Suspense Magazine is holding the Terri Ann Armstrong Short Story Contest. Deadline is December 31. Must be in the suspense/mystery/thriller genre. No cash prize is mentioned. May be published online or in their print publication.

21 Peaceful Genders is an anthology on Transgender healthcare being run as a contest. December 31 deadline. First prize is $500. This appears to be run by two individuals, rather than a publishing house, so please do your research before entering.

The Dreadful Cafe is putting out their second anthology, Thresholds, and they're looking for submissions of fiction and art. Specifically, they'd like something that crosses genres and meets the theme of crossing boundaries/thresholds. Short stories pay $125, novelettes pay $250. Art pays on a scale. Open deadline, but will close when the desired number of entries has been reached.

Weird Tales just opened for submissions this last week. They're seeking entries with the theme of either Nikola Tessla or Ice. They will also be holding a flash fiction event online soon. Pays $.03 per word.

Writers Market has put out a call for entries for the 2015 Guide to Self-Publishing. They're taking pitches for topics through December 15. They aren't seeking writing craft pieces, rather the how-to's and tips for self-published writers. They pay competitive wages.

Red Paint Hill Quarterly is seeking poetry for their next issue. Deadline December 15. They also have an upcoming anthology focusing on relationships with mothers. Poetry, deadline February 1. I'm not sure about payment at this time.

This is a contest with an honorable backing. Story Share is holding a writing contest to find low-literacy stories to support beginning readers of all ages. Cash prizes for 11 winners.

Apex Publications is holding A Merry Little Apex Christmas Flash Fiction Contest. These should be Christmas stories with a dark Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror theme. Deadline December 16. 250 words. All entrants will receive a copy of Apex Magazine. The winning piece will be published on the Apex blog, with the winner getting a short story critique, payment of $.05 per word, and a year subscription to Apex Magazine.

The New Ohio Review is currently in their open submissions window. This one closes December 15, then is open again from January 15 to April 1. Paying market. Literary market for prose and poetry.

Picayune Literary Magazine is taking submissions through December 15 of short or flash fiction, poetry, black and white photography, and black-line art. Pays with one contributor copy.

The Lindenwood Review is taking submissions through December 15. Accepts fiction, poetry, and essay. Pays in a contributor copy.

Strange Musings Press is seeking romantic stories that make you laugh. They can be any genre, as long as they involve a romance and are humorous. Deadline is December 30. Pays in royalties and an e-book copy.

The Apalachee Review is always open for submissions. Fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. Pays two contributor copies.

Puritan Magazine is always open for submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, interviews, and reviews. Paying market (pay differs per type of submission).

Martinus Publishing has a variety of anthologies taking submissions right now, with varying deadlines. The topics include: Veterans of Future Wars (December 31 deadline, pays in royalties); Altered America (December 31 deadline, pays in royalties); Life of the Dead (open until filled, pays in royalties); We Were Heroes (opens December 1, pays in royalties); To Hell With Dante (opens December 1, pays in royalties).

An open audition is being held for travel writers by Great Escape Publishing and International Living. No experience necessary.

The Head & The Hand Press is accepting submissions for multiple publications. For Asteroid Belt Almanac, they're looking for short fiction, narrative non-fiction, and visual art. Pay unknown. Deadline December 13. The Breadbox Chapbook Series is open to literary fiction and non-fiction essays of a certain length. Ongoing. They also take manuscript submissions.

Zizek Press is holding an ongoing contest for fiction and non-fiction, as well as a Bad Fiction Contest with the deadline December 10. Cash prizes.

Harper's Bazaar is holding a short story competition. Their theme is "Spring," and the deadline is December 13. The winner will get to choose an antique book and spend a week on a private island.

Submission and Contest links originally posted on The Warrior Muse.

About the Author:  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, Shannon Lawrence has recently thrown herself back into it. Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel. She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, and her short horror story "The Blue Mist" will be in the March 2014 issue of Nightfall Magazine. She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children. She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.  

Voice Lessons for Writers

By
Deb McLeod

 
As a writing coach, I have had the privilege of being there more than once when a writer finds her voice. It often happens in my writing circles – my group coaching practice. There’s a reason it happens there, which I’ll explain later when I try to illustrate what you can do to find or improve your own voice.

Here’s what it looks like in the circle: The writer has a particularly good writing day. (We write and read our raw material for the juice it holds.) The good day came because they got lost in the writing and were able to express a unique take on whatever the prompt was. Or they’ve reached a depth in the scene that goes beyond the plot on the page but makes the world of words come alive.

When they read it’s clear to one and all that in some way they’ve linked with the material and with that part of themselves that has permission to speak. There’s a mastery of craft that marries with a passion about what they’re writing and it’s almost as if a writer is born. While it may not be that dramatic, what has happened is that the writer has taken her work to a new level.

What’s particularly interesting to me is that once I’ve heard that change of voice, and once it’s been validated and supported within the group, it continues to grow.

But I’ve begun to notice a pattern. We meet weekly and the writers who’ve had this sort of breakthrough usually have a few more hits and then a rather large miss. Almost as if they’ve come up against some sort of line of mastery. Perhaps they reached too far out of their own comfort zone. Perhaps they’ve gotten slightly comfortable and so a little lazy. What’s needed when that happens is an infusion of craft to challenge them and/or a slight change to the process. A longer or shorter session time. A new craft element to master. Something to keep the process fresh.

The following week they dig back in and once again I hear the difference in their work from when they started.

So what is happening in these classes and what about that process can be duplicated for other writers? I’ve been studying that question for a few months now.

Here is what I’ve come up with so far:

Step One: Mastering the free-writing process is essential to connecting with your unique way of expression.

Free-writing is pen to paper for a timed exercise. Don’t lift your pen off the paper even if you’re writing “I don’t know what to write.” Keep writing until your timer goes off. Begin short – 10 minutes or so, but don’t let yourself get comfortable with any one time. Switch it up.

Free-writing works because, with pen to paper for a timed writing, it is possible to get your editor to quiet down. If you really don’t care about the grammar, the run-on sentences, the changing tenses and any other editing horrors; if you just let your pen (your soul? your characters? your story?) tell you what it wants to say, you will surprise yourself. You will get beyond your insecurity and connect with the muse in a way you don’t when you peck out one word at a time and fuss over commas and what your critique group said was wrong with your piece last time.

Free-writing is the cornerstone of how many of my clients have found their voice. We all have internal editors grown from school, from critique groups and writing rules. So we need a way to get past that critical voice inside ourselves. Growing your internal editor is absolutely essential to the entire process. But in growing your editor you might be drowning out the voice of the creator inside.

By free-writing, you are developing a practice that gets the words on the page before the internal editor can slice and dice. Consider free-writing like practicing your writing scales. The more you practice the better you will be. It will be easier to slip into the material and see what it is you have to say.

As an aside, the NaNoWriMo contest is a great tool to get past your editor. The pressure is on to produce and get words on the page so the rules are tossed in order to compete. After completing NaNoWriMo one of my clients read her work in the writing circle. She had that shift in voice because NaNo forced her editor to get out of the way. If you haven’t competed, check it out. It’s only 11 months away.

Step Two: Develop your eye for potential. Before you start hacking at your raw work and editing in the traditional sense, take a step to notice what’s working. Begin to train your eye to the potential in what you’ve produced. Be generous. If you develop this skill you will become a writer who can let the words tell you what needs to be said. You will discover and develop a depth within your work that will define your voice. I had a mentor once who told me that writers have to become the best readers of their own work. I take that to mean that I must be able to see what it is I want to say. And then say it.

In this step you challenge your internal editor to look for the possibilities and not the defects. When you’re working with a piece of raw writing, what you’re looking to identify are the images, the expressions, the plot twists, the symbols, the themes, the character revelations and anything else that makes a work come alive.

Step Three: Free-write for depth. Once you’ve taken the time to look for the possibilities in your work, don’t step into traditional editing quite yet. Give yourself permission to free-write again. Focus on developing the potential you identified.

• What about that image haunts the page? Why that image? What other forms of that might you use?
• Now that you know something new about your character, how might it show up in a different way? In a different scene?
• How does the dialogue your character uses reflect what you now know about him?

Feel free to write in actual scenes or rewrite the scene you just wrote with your new knowledge. Or sometimes just address your creative self directly. Do a free-write where you tell yourself what you’ve discovered and what you’re trying to achieve. How you can use that image or how that scene fits the theme of the story, etc. You’ll be surprised again when ideas start flowing right onto the page.

Step Four: Let your internal editor loose on the page. Once you’ve taken your free-writes and developed the scene as far as you can, give it over to that wonderful internal editor to fix.

Step Five: When you butt up against that line of mastery what you must do next is immerse yourself in craft. Studying craft is essential. Forever.

Move up the scale of craft instruction. Learn how to create tension in subtext. Learn how to show, don’t tell. Learn about conflict and scene structure. Learn all there is to learn and then find another perspective.

Find a book, a class or a mentor to challenge what you know about craft. Experiment with your new knowledge in a free-write. Stretch and challenge your writing self.

If you practice, you will wake the artist in you and free your voice to the page.

Here's another blog on voice you might be interested in. 

About the Author: Deb McLeod, is a writer, creative writing coach and founder of The Writing Ranch. She has both an MFA and a BA in creative writing. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years. Deb has published short fiction in anthologies and journals. She has written articles and creative nonfiction. Deb has been a professional blogger, tech writer, graphic artist and Internet marketing specialist.  

December Letter From the Editor

December. You either hate it or you love it. The holiday season started just before Halloween, and it's still going strong. All around us people are baking and putting up decorations, and the radio is blasting out Christmas tunes. Smells of peppermint, pumpkin, and gingerbread abound. Friends and families are planning gatherings for the holidays. Menorah are being lit. It's a festive time.

It's also a hectic month, and one writers are often the least productive during. So much to do, so many gatherings, so much shopping, greeting cards, school parties. It's utter insanity, so who has the time to write?

You do!

Try to eke out just a little bit of time each night, even if it's just a few minutes per night to keep your storyline fresh in your mind. Jot down some notes or brainstorm while you're waiting in line to purchase those gifts. At yet another party? Cocktail napkins make great paper for poetry and plot lines.

But if you choose to take a break this month, go for it. And make sure you give yourself full permission so you don't have to feel guilty about it.

December is also often a month of giving. Did you know that you can opt to donate a portion of your Amazon purchases to Pikes Peak Writers, among other charities? Amazon is offering their Amazon Smile program now. It doesn't cost you anything above the price of your purchase, but a percentage of that purchase will go to the charity of your choice. And, yes, Pikes Peak Writers is in there! To sign up for the Smile program, simply go to www.smile.amazon.com. It takes about two minutes to sign up, and then they'll do the rest of the work for you. This change will apply to your charity from then on, without you having to do anything else. It's a nice way to give to the charities you want to support while doing your holiday shopping.

Lastly, there's been a change to the PPWC 2014 lineup. Gillian Flynn had to cancel as keynote, but we will instead have Hank Phillipi Ryan, mystery author and on-air investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate. She joins Jim C. Hines, Chuck Wendig, and Gail Carriger in this year's awesome PPWC lineup!

Here's hoping you lots of wonderful family time, as well as a productive writing month!

~Shannon Lawrence
Managing Editor, Writing From the Peak
PPW NCE Director

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

“But then, that’s the beauty of writing stories—each one is an exploratory journey in search of a reason and a shape. And when you find that reason and that shape, there’s no feeling like it.” -T.C. Boyle, born December 2


This week on Writing From the Peak...It's a new month, so we have our Letter From the Editor and the News, Events, & Links post this Friday, with information on upcoming local events, our fellow writer's groups, and publications open for submissions.