Ergonomics Pt 2 Eye Fatigue & Keyboard/Mouse Use

By: Catherine Dilts

Ergonomics for Writers Part Two: Preventing Tired Eyes and Aching Wrists

Mary Plehal, professional ergonomist, generously shared valuable information specific to writers. Last month, we covered correctposture and chair adjustment. Today we’ll learn how to prevent eye and wrist fatigue, proper desk organization, and monitor adjustment. Your particular needs should be verified by your health care practitioner.

What I take away from today’s tips is that we must adjust our work stations to suit our bodies, and not the other way around. As much as is possible in your situation, make your work environment ergonomically correct. Don’t let preventable aches and pains end your writing sessions early. The better you feel physically, the longer you’ll be able to write!

Prevent Eye Fatigue

Colorado is a dry climate. Dry eyes and eye fatigue are common. Mary’s tips will help you keep your eyes happy.

• The 20-20-20 Rule:
• Evert 20 minutes take 20 seconds and focus on something 20 feet away
• Closed Eye Rolls: Close eyes, roll eyes in different directions- up, down, side to side, circles
• Make sure your font is big enough for your viewing comfort
• Dry air? Consider moisturizing drops
• Avoid reading or doing crossword puzzles on breaks

Safe Keyboard Use

I have a tendency to stick my elbows out while typing, not unlike a chicken attempting to take flight. When I follow Mary’s next tips, I have less fatigue in my shoulders and upper back.

• Keep elbows close to sides
• Avoid repetitively or constantly bending wrist to the little finger side of the hand. People with broad shoulders or torsos may benefit from an ergonomic keyboard
• Use the lightest keystroke possible
• When not actively typing, rest your hands

Safe Mouse Use

That little critter next to your keyboard can be problematic. It’s not so much about your hand, as the position the mouse puts your wrist into, and where you place the mouse on your desk.

• Avoid repetitively bending your wrist toward the little finger side of your hand
• Position your mouse directly next to the side of your keyboard
• Consider a mouse that allows your hand to drape rather than hover (no gap should be between the mouse and your palm)
• A mouse that turns your thumb slightly upward prevents wrist contact pressure with the desk and rotates your arm in a more neutral position

Desk Surfaces

The next section some of you won’t like. I often claim I need the clutter, and that I know where everything is if people will just leave my stacks of junk alone. I have to admit, being organized has its advantages. Not only does a clean and tidy desk prevent fruitless searching for misplaced items, but it also has ergonomic benefits.

• Keep things organized and uncluttered. Clutter decreases mental focus and energy
• Make enough space for adequate keyboard/mouse space, wrist rests and forearm support
• Avoid contact pressure from resting wrists on desk edges- move your keyboard back or get a wrist rest (note: your body tolerates contact pressure better on the forearms than at your wrists)

Desktop Organization

• Keep frequently used items within reach
• Avoid frequently reading hard copy that is laying flat on the desktop to prevent neck bending and twisting

If a copy stand is used, place it in a location that is close to the monitor(s)

If a keyboard tray is used, don't place the mouse on the desktop if it requires reaching forward or to the side

Monitor Positioning      

No matter what type of monitor or desk you use, you should be able to make the following adjustments to encourage proper posture.

• The monitor(s) should be centered in front
• Monitors should be approximately fingertip distance away when reaching forward
• The top of the monitor screen should be approximately even with eye level
• For those people who wear multi focal or progressive lenses, the monitor should be lowered to prevent tipping the head back (consider task specific computer glasses)

Position Change

Now that you’ve gotten everything adjusted correctly, you need to cement all the settings, right? Wrong! Changing position relieves fatigue and prevents aches and pains.

• The best position is a new position– change positions frequently
• Tweak your positions slightly throughout the day:
• Move keyboard closer or farther away
• Move wrist rest closer or farther from keyboard or mouse
• Slightly change the tilt on the chair back
• Move the copy stand to the other side of the monitor
• Take micro breaks: Find reasons to stand up and move regularly

Non Traditional Work Settings

So you get your home work station adjusted correctly. That’s great, but what about when you work elsewhere? While traveling, at a coffee shop, or on a cushy chair in a sunny window?

• Regular long durations of laptop use are not recommended. Minimize sofa and coffee shop time
• When working on the sofa, place a pillow behind your lower back for support
• Pause frequently to stretch in the opposite direction of the position you’ve been maintaining (neck, back, hips, shoulders, hands)
• Try to create some forearm support on the tabletop or with pillows
• When at home, use a separate monitor and keyboard or a stand for the laptop and a separate keyboard (these are very portable and can be brought to a coffee shop)

 Thanks to Mary Plehal, professional ergonomist, we’ve learned about avoiding eye strain, and how to set up a work station correctly to minimize wrist fatigue. Join me next month for a continuation of the series. What happens when you do feel aches and pains? Stretching, the topic of next month’s ergonomic article, can help. Additional thanks goes to Mary Plehal for her professional advice and illustrations for Ergonomics for Writers!

About the Author:  Catherine’s fifth published short story appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine’s May 2016 issue. The second novel in her amateur sleuth murder mystery series, Stone Cold Case – A Rock Shop Mystery, is available on-line via Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and in e-book for Kindle. She anticipates a fall release for book three. With a day job as an environmental regulatory technician, her stories often have environmental or factory-based themes. Others reflect her love of the Colorado mountains, fishing, and running.

You can learn more about Catherine and her writing at:http://www.catherinedilts.com/

Dear Annie - Annie's advice for September

Dear Annie:

While at my critique group meetings, I tend to get upset and defensive despite being a ten-year critique group veteran. This is a new turn for me as I used to take the feedback in stride. A day or two after the meeting, I re-think my responses and ponder the feedback only to realize my wonderful critique partners are right. How do I correct my attitude during the meetings?

Signed,

Bad Attitude in Monument, CO

Dear Bad Attitude:

You’re experiencing a common human response. Inherent in your question lies a hint of the solution. When tempted to respond by defending or explaining your author intent, remember the confession that you just shared: later you realize that the criticisms were just. Take a deep breath and bite your tongue, remembering this point.

If you’re a member of a group that consistently gives appropriate and constructive criticism, remind yourself of your good fortune. Not all groups have the experience to give such excellent guidance. Many writers are desperate to find a competent group like yours.

Lastly, your years of experience may be part of the problem. Are you expecting fewer criticisms at this point in your writing career?

When your work becomes cleaner, the evaluation is likely to become finer tuned. I’m sure you notice that each revision brings your WIP to a higher level of competence. Each edit builds on the last making the writing more tight, more exact, more refined. Perhaps you’re receiving just as many comments as you did when you first began to write, but your critique partners are now judging your writing with higher expectations in mind.

~ Annie

Dear Annie:

I’m totally lost when confronted with the project of creating an author platform. It’s such an important requirement today. Where can I find help?

Signed,

Techno Challenged

Dear Techno Challenged:

Sounds as though you unfortunately missed the August Write Brain. That’s a shame because Cindi Madsen presented an in-depth look at this daunting project. She provided a wealth of interesting and helpful web sites, explained the necessity of creating advertisements geared to your audience, and suggested pre-order campaigns and give-aways. She also pointed to the advantage of creating a newsletter. Ask your friends who might have attended to lend you their notes.

In addition, see the Pikes Peak blog, Writing From the Peak. The August 15th article by K.L. Cooper, “How Pinteresting,” will also be of significant help. Just use the search bar on the right of the blog to look up this article in the archives.

Several comprehensive courses on the subject of building your internet presence can also be found online.

~ Annie 

Dear Annie:

Please explain what is meant by the three-act structure. I’ve heard just enough to confuse me. I understand the concept of a climax and denouement. But what I hear today uses new terms and seems more complicated.

Signed,

Wanting Clarity

Dear Wanting Clarity:

Many theories exist on the use of the three-act structure. A simple explanation is the following: act one is a set up for an eventual inciting incident which propels us into act two. Act two is the longest act and presents the main confrontation central to the theme. Generally, there is a plot twist mid act, then a crisis near the end of act two. This critical event ushers the reader into act three and the resolution or denouement.

I recommend Blake Snyder’s book, Save the Cat! for a thorough, clear, and concise explanation. An older book on the subject that is still a pertinent classic is Sid Field’s Screenplay. In both cases, you’ll need to adjust the pages outlined for each act or plot point to be proportional for a novel; but the outline and process are the same.

~ Annie

Dear Annie:

How can I create enough conflict to satisfy contemporary readers without contributing to the excessive violence that characterizes our society today?

Signed, 

God-fearing Pacifist

Dear Pacifist:

Conflict goes way beyond physical violence. There can be emotional, philosophical, or competitive conflicts within an individual or between two or more persons or groups of people. Identify the goal your character has chosen. What does he want? Conflict is anything that stands in his way.

If your character wants to become president of the United States, his conflicts are likely to involve negative advertising, inaccurate media coverage, ridicule from the opposing party or even his own self-doubts. A potential assassin in the crowd would rank right up there, too.

Consider the difference between violence for its own sake and violence executed by that assassin in the crowd. If the murderous use of arms fits the circumstances in your story, it will be more readily accepted even by a peace-loving reader.

~ Annie 

Have a question for me? Write to me at annshill@q.com with your suggestions. I will answer serious questions, and maybe some funny ones, to the best of my ability. Your writing is of utmost importance to mee because it is important to you.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

~ Ms. Annie

About the Author:  Dear Annie is the pseudonym for Ann S. Hill. After hearing the call to write in her thirties, Ann set the ambition aside while life happened. Now that she has retired from her career as a dentist and her children are adults, she is seriously attacking that parked ambition. She spends significant time on her true passion and has recently completed her second novel. Her first novel, Wait for Me, was a finalist in the Zebulon, Pikes Peak Writers Contest. She has written several short stories. In the meantime, she remains a voracious reader and film aficionado. 

Quote of the Week and the Week to Come

"My relatives used to laugh when I talked of being a writer." ~ Taylor Caldwell

Source: Wikipedia & Brainy Quotes

Taylor Caldwell (Sep. 7, 1900 – Aug. 30, 1985) was an American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction, also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner, and by her married name of J. Miriam Reback.

In her fiction, she often used real historical events or persons. Taylor Caldwell's best-known works include Dynasty of Death, Dear and Glorious Physician (about Saint Luke), Ceremony of the Innocent, Pillar of Iron, The Earth is the Lord's (about Genghis Khan) and Captains and the Kings. Her last major novel, Answer As a Man, appeared in 1980.

This week on Writing from the Peak:

Sep 19          Dear Annie    Pikes Peak Writers Writer Advice Column by Ann S. Hill

Sep 21          Ergonomics Series Part 2 Tired Eyes & Aching Wrists by Catherine Dilts

Sep 23          Sweet Success Celebrates Donnell Ann Bell & Audio Book

Sweet Success Celebrates Darby Karchut & Finn's Choice

Darby Karchut’s middle grade fantasy FINN’S CHOICE (ISBN: 9781633920705; 230 pages; trade paperback) released September 20 from Spencer Hill Press. It is available at Amazon    Barnes & Noble , and indie bookstores worldwide. This is the fourth and final book in the Adventures of Finn MacCullen series. School Library Journal called the first book in the series, FINN FINNEGAN, “...a great choice for adventure-loving readers who prefer their battle scenes with a hefty dose of ancient weaponry, ground-fighting skills, and just a touch of magic."

Just when Finn MacCullen thought fate couldn’t kick him any harder after the events of the Festival of the Hunt, it does. Now, he must overcome a series of nearly impossible trials to prove his worth as an apprentice, or lose his place at his master Gideon’s side. However, Finn’s life has as many twists as a Celtic knot, and master and apprentice find themselves in their ancestral homeland of Ireland with only their wits—and a fair bit of the Black Hand’s charm—to protect them from a vengeful Celtic goddess. It’s going to take every scrap of Finn’s Irish luck and pluck to save himself, and his master, from death. Or worse.

  

Darby Karchut is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter.  A native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms. When not dodging death by Colorado, Darby is busy writing for children, teens, and adults. Best thing ever: her YA series, GRIFFIN RISING, has been optioned for film. She is represented by Amanda Rutter at Red Sofa Literary. Visit Darby at www.darbykarchut.com.

Sharing Literary Citizenship through Historical Fiction

Hi! My name is Jason Evans and this is the premiere of my Pikes Peak blog on historical fiction. I am really excited to share my experiences, my passion, and my so-called, “expertise,” on the subject with the members of the Pikes Peak Writers community. Before I begin, I want to thank Donnell Bell for offering me this opportunity to reach out to you, the members of Pikes Peak Writers.

So before we get started, allow me to stand on my soapbox.

I strongly believe in “Literary Citizenship.” It’s a term I coined a couple of years ago. Basically, it means we are all members of a strong and diverse community of writers in Colorado Springs, the Rocky Mountain Region, and across North America and the world. As a member of this community, we have to constantly earn our place through service. But it doesn’t end there.

To keep our place, we have to continue to be of service to our fellow writers. The good news is that service renews our hope and revitalizes our art, and anybody can serve.

It could be telling a friend about a great craft book we’ve discovered, or writing a review for a friend’s published book on Amazon. It could be as simple as celebrating our peers during their successes. (This may also mean swallowing our jealousy – hard!) If you’ve been in the writing game for a while it may be volunteering at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference by leading a panel or seminar. It could also mean mentoring someone new to the craft. I myself have been humbled by the support I’ve received from pros like Aaron Michael Ritchey, author of the Never Prayer and Dandelion Iron. Or, my dear friend Mary Wine, author of Highland Heat and Highland Spitfire.

The point is, wherever you are in the writing process, whether you’ve published a book, or struggling with your opening line, you too can help others along the way. There is room enough for everyone and this is not a competition.

I get the impression that historical fiction scares a lot of people. That the idea of writing a compelling story, (whether it’s a novel, a novella, or a short story,) somehow should be the province of the professional historian, or at least the master of historical trivia.

I also get the impression that some people believe that you can’t write historical fiction with diverse characters. Whether those characters be women, minorities, transgendered or gay, nothing could be further from the truth.

Let’s take two popular eras for book writers, for example: Regency and Tudor England.

The formal English Regency, when Parliament declared George III unfit to rule, occurred from 1811-1820, when George III died. However, many artists, architects and historians use the term loosely to refer to period from 1795-1837.

Regardless of how you define it, this was a tumultuous period in British history. Want strong women? How about the Quaker reformer Elisabeth Fry, who worked tirelessly to make British prisons more humane for both men and women. Growing up in a family of bankers and politicians, she used her influence to wage a nonstop battle against corruption and the abuse of women for more than 30 years.

Or how about the Irishwoman Elizabeth Conyngham, an Irish noblewoman by marriage and mistress of King George IV. Born into a wealthy Irish banking family, she climbed the social ladder using her looks to her advantage until she gained the attention of the prince-regent. Weak women don’t manipulate kings like this woman manipulated King George IV.

Intrigue and social reform not cool enough for you? OK. Remember this, the American War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars occurred during the English Regency. Native American tribes fought on both sides of the War of 1812. Tribes like the Shawnee, the Winnebago, Delaware and Miami fought for the British. And, the largest emancipation of African slaves in North America, before the Civil War, occurred when the British freed and enlisted 4,000 slaves. Many of these former slaves chose careers in the British armed services as sailors and soldiers, earning ranks as high as sergeant. (Officer ranks were reserved, mostly, for the British nobility.)

During the Napoleonic Wars, revolution ravaged Latin America, too. In Latin America many of those who supported revolution from Spain were Mestizo or Creole with Native American and European heritage – although this was not always the case. Again though, we have the potential for diverse characters!

Let’s also remember that during this period, women controlled noble titles, estates, farms & businesses while their men fought on both sides. Let’s also remember that women worked as spies, as did men of all heritage. And, while I personally have never researched the appearance of transgendered or gay historical persons from the English Regency, that doesn’t mean they weren’t there.

The Tudor period, on the face of it, seems like it would be a much more homogenous time in European history. Diverse people lived all throughout the British Isles during this period, too. But let’s define our terms, shall we?

The Tudor period was 1485, when Henry 7^th killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, to 1603, when Queen Elizabeth I died, ending the Tudor line of monarchs. While this was a much more peaceful period, it was still a time of cultural and ethnic interaction and appropriation.

For example:

Pocahontas visited England and actually had an audience with Queen Elizabeth I.

Sailors and artisans from Spain routinely settled in England for business reasons before and during the Anglo-Spanish War. Some of these were of Arab and African descent.

Visitors from the Ottoman Empire visited England during Elizabeth’s reign in an attempt to build an alliance against Philip II’s Spain.

Onyeka Nubia published Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, their Presence, Status and Origins, in 2013. He argues that Africans existed in small numbers in Elizabethan England as artisans and craftsman. That the evidence shows they married into English families and were a part of English culture, however small.

So let’s review: Arabs, Africans, Native Americans and Turks. I see diversity of characters here!

Did I mention the Irish pirate Grace O’Malley, scourge of the Irish Sea?

Not convinced?

Look at these three medieval paintings. In each one, a woman is participating in a traditional male craft. One is butchering  – a man’s job.

Not convinced? Look at the woman sculpting a statue with a hammer and chisel.

Still not convinced? Look at the woman in the back of the third painting, she working as a BLACKSMITH!

Diverse people and strong women lived in all periods of western history, you just have to look for them.

So what do you do with the information? WRITE YOUR STORY! Write strong women characters. Write characters who are Black, Arab, and Latin Americans. Write gay and transgendered characters.

Now, this is not license to ignore the historical record. No African prince proposed to Queen Elizabeth I. No Muslim-Arab became Duke of Somerset. Women were still brutalized and oppressed in many situations. Homosexuals and transgendered were sent to prison or murdered when discovered. But the evidence points to their existence in both the English Regency and Tudor England.

Tell the awful, horrible truth, in your historical fiction. People of diverse origins lived, worked, and thrived in the past. Sometimes they struggled and were treated unfairly, but they were there.

The past was more diverse than we imagined.

So what are you waiting for? Go write!

You can sign up for his newsletter and visit Jason at his website at www.jason-evans.net.  

Or, you can like his author page on Facebook: Jason Henry Evans

Or, follow him on Twitter @evans_writer

About the Author:  Jason Evans always wanted to be a writer, he just didn't know it. He grew up in Pasadena, California, in the 1980s where he watched way too much television, but was introduced to literature by his grandfather and his favorite middle school and high school teachers. He wasted his youth working at the So Cal Renaissance Faire (a dangerous place because it’s the gateway drug to other historical costumes,). In his leisure time he’s an educator, a writer, and a bon vivant. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, with degrees in History & Renaissance Studies, a teaching credentials from CSU Los Angeles, as well as a graduate degree from the University of Colorado, Denver. He currently resides in Denver with his wife, the fetching Mrs. Evans, their three dogs and a mischievous cat who calls him his thrall.

What's In It for You? Entering the 2017 Zebulon Writing Contest

By: Dawn Smit

Are you working on your Zebulon contest submission?

The 2017 Zebulon Writing Contest opens for submissions on Thursday, September 15.

Normally, at this point I’d wax rhapsodic about how useful contests are for writers in terms of deadlines, attention to detail, professional presentation, and getting used to complete strangers reading your work. It’s just like submitting to an editor or agent—in fact, the top entries in each category effectively do just that in our VIP judging round—only we promise feedback, even critiques if contestants so desire. We have many great judges, some of whom have been judging for longer than I’ve been working with the contest.

Normally, I’d talk about how encouraging contests can be, especially this contest. Writing is generally a solitary exercise, and not everyone understands why we do it. This means we don’t get a lot of kudos, especially at the beginning when our writing, ahem, needs work. Even as we get better at our craft, we may only hear praise and constructive criticism from our critique group (you do have a critique group, right?). A good writing contest can help fill this gap and let us know that we are indeed improving. That’s what happened for me, and I want it to happen for you.

However, this year’s Zebulon has something more going for it. This year’s contest is affiliated with the 2017 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, which is celebrating its 25th year. As a volunteer, I hear things, and let me tell you, it’s going to be big. PPW is pulling out all the stops on editors, agents, and authors. Darynda Jones of Charley Davidson fame will attend her first PPWC. Keynote speakers will include Kevin Hearne of The Iron Druid Chronicles, best-selling author Tess Gerritsen, creator of the successful TV show Rizzoli and Isles, and literary agent Donald Maass, well known for his Writing the Breakout Novel workshops. Imagine talking with industry movers and successful authors. 

Imagine talking with industry movers and successful authors. Imagine walking around with a CONTEST WINNER nametag, getting first dibs on your editor/agent query appointment, and receiving your reward in front of this group of people. Imagine coming to the 25th PPWC for free because you placed first in your contest category.

So, are you working on your Zebulon contest submission?

Find out more about the Zebulon at:
http://www.pikespeakwriters.com/contest/


Important Dates: (Mark your Calendars)

Thursday, September 15, 2016 – The Zebulon is open to submissions

Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 12 p.m. MST – The Zebulon closes to submissions

November 2016 – February 2017 – Judging

March 2017 – The Zebulon announces winners and returns judged submissions

Saturday, April 29, 2017 – The Zebulon awards ceremony and banquet at the 25th Pikes Peak Writers Conference

About the Author: Dawn Smit is a freelance editor and proofreader and the creator of Rainbow Editing®, a technique that writers can use to teach their computers to help them self-edit. She was the contest director for the Paul Gillette Writing Contest from 2005 to 2010 and has returned for an encore.

Quote of the Week and the Week to Come

“The brain may take advice, but not the heart.” ~ Truman Capote

Source Wikepedia

Truman Garcia Capote, Sep. 30, 1924 – Aug. 25, 1984, ) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966), which he labeled a "nonfiction novel". At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced of Capote novels, stories, and plays.

This week on Writing from the Peak

Sep 12     What’s in it for you? The Zebulon    by Dawn Smit

Sep 14     Sharing Literary Citizenship by Jason Evans

Sep 16     Sweet Success Celebrates Darby Karchut aka Darby Kaye

Sweet Success Celebrates Margaret Mizushima second in a series

Stalking Ground, Margaret Mizushima’s second in her Timber Creek K-9 mystery series, is scheduled to release September 13, 2016 by Crooked Lane Books (ISBN: 978-1-62953-834-1, in all formats, 320 pages). For more details, check out her website at www.margaretmizushima.com under the Books tab.

In this episode, Deputy Mattie Cobb and her dog Robo return to investigate what happened to Deputy Ken Brody’s missing sweetheart, but the hunters become the hunted when she, Brody, and veterinarian Cole Walker find themselves caught in a killer’s stalking ground. This sequel to Mizushima’s Killing Trail can be found on several online booksellers or at a bookstore in your neighborhood.

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series, which includes Killing Trail (2015), named debut mystery of the month by Library Journal, and Stalking Ground (9/2016). She lives in Colorado where she assists her husband with their veterinary practice and Angus cattle herd. She can be found on Facebook, on Twitter @margmizu, and on her website at www.margaretmizushima.com.

Psst. You. Hey, You! Wanna Have a Good Time?

By: MB Partlow

If you like the idea of having the legal limit of fun while doing something for the writing community, Pikes Peak Writers has an offer you won’t want to refuse.

We are looking for people to fill four positions, that are neither board positions nor conference positions. Neither fish nor fowl, if you will.  

First, our Most Esteemed Blog Editor, Donnell Bell, is looking for people who would like to contribute to the PPW blog on an insanely broad variety of topics. If you’re a blogger (or would like to be), contact Donnell directly at editor@pikespeakwriters.com.

Next up: We need a Contest Director for the Zebulon Writing Contest, only the finest writing contest in the history of the written word. The contest is highly automated, and responsibilities include yearly review and updates of categories, rules and judging instructions; recruiting judges; coordinating with our traditional and social media mavens; and, of course, handing out the awards at the conference banquet. If you have questions or are interested, please drop a note to contest@pikespeakwriters.com.

Following on the heels of Contest Director, we’ll need judges for this year’s contest. Keep your eyes on the website and social media, because that’s where the call will come out!

Is anyone here a fan of Writers’ Night? Held the fourth Monday of every month, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Writers’ Night is a time to hang out with your fellow writers and ask the burning questions. How do other people deal with writer’s block? Where do you find short story markets for romance? How can you find the kind of agent you want to work with? This is an informal gathering. All are welcome, and all types of questions about writing are welcome. You can pick the brains of your peers and solve your latest writing dilemma. Our current host, Deb Courtney, is looking for someone to co-lead the group, and possibly eventually take over. If you’re interested, contact her at Deb.Courtney@comcast.net.

Source: gratisography.com

The final position is that of Volunteer Coordinator. This is the bane of every nonprofit group’s assistance—a way to keep track of volunteers, stay in touch with them, and get them connected to the people who need them. We’re in the process of building a volunteer database, but we need the human part of the equation to manage it. This position is wide-open right now—you’d be creating your own job description as you figure it out. This does require someone to be cheerfully and politely able to work with a wide variety of people. If you think this sounds like a groovy challenge, please contact J.T. Evans: president@pikespeakwriters.com.

Don’t keep this a secret! Please pass the information along to anyone you think might be interested.

About the Author: MB Partlow tries to inject her off-center sense of humor into everything she does. She writes mostly in the speculative fiction world, with forays into mystery and women’s fiction. Her first paid writing gig was for the A&E department of The Independent. She has also written a parenting column for Pikes Peak Parent and spent years writing restaurant reviews for The Independent and The Gazette. She’s a longtime volunteer for PPW, having done everything from stacking chairs to Conference Director to serving on the board, currently as the Vice President. She reads voraciously across genres, and thinks making up stories for a living is the greatest job in the world.

90-day Challenge: Writing Hot

debmcleod.com

By: Deb McLeod

Life decided to intrude into my 90-day Romance Novel project since my last post. So I lost some days and the project isn’t 90 consecutive days, but I’ll still be finished before the 90-day deadline. I’m at day 63 today and I’m almost done revising the first act.

If you’ve been watching my previous posts you know I’m designing and testing a process to produce a genre novel of choice in 90 days – from idea to final revision. When I’m done with the revision, I will hire a proofreader and publish before November.

As a sixteen-year writing coach, my theory is that the writing process I developed should allow both my clients and me to produce quality fiction quicker than we currently are. To that end I decided to test my theory in the genre of my choice – romance.

Now in the final third of the 90-day Romance Novel trial, I’m deep in revision as I write this. Before I move onto the discoveries I’ve been making, I want to talk about revision.

Revision vs editing

I work and socialize with a lot of writers. When I ask them about their revision process almost all of them approach it the same way. After they’ve finished the first draft they begin to read, either online or in print, and jump into editing line by line. But that’s editing, not re-visioning. And it’s editing a story that isn’t ready for editing.

My theory of story is that the first draft is for the writer. It’s a skate across the surface of the story. As the writer you need to find out what happens, you need to know where to plant the tickles and the clues that will pay out down the plotline. You need to focus on the arc and the development of your character. You need to follow the riffs that occur to you, to allow subplots to emerge, and beyond. Basically you need to tell yourself the story on the page.

But the real writing happens during revision.

It’s in re-visioning the story that the book is made whole and becomes an experience for the reader. It’s in revision that all the craft elements in your toolbox should be put to use. The first draft is the figuring out phase. The revision is the deepening phase.

As a story developer and story editor, my job is and isn’t to line edit my client’s work. They expect the line edit. After all, they usually want to improve their writing skills (sentence skills), so I will show them how to improve their work at the line level. But in reality, the most important work I do is at the story level and especially at the scene level.

My revision process, and the one I teach my clients, is to re-vision the story with two goals in mind. To make the work tighter and deeper.

• Tighter is easy to understand: no loose language, no dangling subplots, no faulty story logic, no bloated scenes, following riffs that matter, and more. 
• Deeper means creating thematic continuity, honing the facets of the story, revealing layers of meaning, and crafting a felt experience for the reader. 

By focusing on these two aspects of the novel, the work is simply a better read. I’ve helped dozens of people discover the story under the story so the novel they produced was a higher quality novel.

How do I know what I mean, until I see what I say?

The first draft is for what you say. Revision is for what you mean.

At the core of my teaching is the idea that you have to become the best reader of your own work. So revision starts with analysis. Until you deeply understand a scene, its placement in the overall, and its connection to the themes as well as to the plot, you can’t create an authentic experience for the reader. So you must come up with a process that helps you analyze your story at the story and scene levels.



Word edits will come later.

My plot arc choice is Blake Snyder’s beats. There are other story structure maps that you can use to check the story at story level. For scene level work, I’ve had to develop my own tried and true tools. I have a scene arc tool, a conflict tool, and a way to discover and express the deeper meaning of each scene. I use a note card questionnaire in Scrivener for each scene and answering the questions analyzes what I need to know to deepen the scene for my rewrite.

The big discovery in my revision process

Two years ago I took a 22-week revision class from a popular writer/teacher and learned a lot. But as is my nature, as I was going through the class, I saw where there could have been improvements. This particular method focused on the story logic level of revision, the first level in my estimation.

And, the course was designed so that we spent most of the 22 weeks in story analysis and were then let loose to rewrite. The analysis was great, but by the time I got to the rewrite, the scenes I had analyzed were cold. And there was no help to make them deeper.

So writing hot is the main discovery I made in the revision portion of my 90-day Romance Novel project. When I analyze a scene I write the revision immediately – the same day. The analysis itself creates the spell to write it deeper. The discoveries I make show me what the scene really means. The rewriting uses that discovery to focus not only on the plot of the scene but the words I use and the flavor I create on the page.

I rely heavily on the barn exercise from John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist. It’s been a long time since I looked it up, but here’s how it is in my head after many years of teaching it. Basically it goes: write a description of a scene where a character comes upon an old barn. First write it from someone who is in love, but don’t reveal that fact or any details about the character’s story. Just let the love the character feels pick the words you use to describe the barn and how the scene unfolds.

Then write the same barn scene from someone who’s in grief, say someone who just lost a parent or a lover. But don’t reveal the details, just let the character’s mood and emotions influence the word choice.

What would the two characters see differently? What words would they use to describe the barn, given their state of mind? When you can do that you’re creating the experience of the barn through the lens of the emotion you want to convey. Now the reader will feel it.

Once you understand where your character is emotionally, it’s simply a matter of incorporating that into the plot of the scene, the beat in the story arc, the choice of verbs and what you show in the setting. It’s more fun than I ever imagined to see the story come alive this way scene by scene.

So I’m analyzing and rewriting day-by-day, scene-by scene, in order to write it hot.

When I’m done I will print, read all and comb any transitions that need it. I’ll run my editing cheat sheet over it for the line-by-line, looking for the bad habits I still carry. Then I’ll chapter it and send it to the proofer.

Here’s my stats at 61 days:

• Total days spent on the project so far: 61 days 
• Average time spent per day: 3.5 hours 
• Exclusive days spent on character development: 3 days 
• Exclusive days spent on plotting the arc: 9 days 
• Plotting scenes and writing: 36 days 
• Revision days so far: 13 days 
• Word total for finished scenes: 52,834 

I’m shooting for a 60k word minimum so I have to add some scenes coming up, but I already know where they go. And I have found that the second half of the second act is a little longer than it should be. If I cut there, I’ll have to add elsewhere so I’m keeping that in mind as I go.

It has been a great discovery process for me. And best of all I’ll have a book when I’m done. So tell me, if you would, what are the revision aha’s you have noticed in your own work?

About the Author:  Deb McLeod, MFA, practices novel research immersion. For her novel, The Train to Pescara, Deb journeyed to Sardinia to study ancient goddess worship and spent time in the Abruzzi village her great-grandparents left in 1905. Her metaphysical knowledge for the Angel Thriller, The Julia Set, culminates from four years of studying and teaching meditation, clairvoyance and chakra healing. For over fifteen years, Deb McLeod has been a creative writing coach helping other writers to embrace their passion and get their words on the page. For more,