HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

With the New Year here, it's a good time to get your story started. 

There are so many 'time' quotes. 

One that comes to mind is: 

 "No such thing as spare time. No such thing as free time. No such thing as down time. All you got is time. Go." ~ Henry Rollins 

Another one is: 

“We all have time to spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it. But, once passed, it’s gone forever.” ~ Bruce Lee 

And a final one I love is: 

“One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.” ~ Unknown 

I thought this time of year is the perfect time to talk about … time. 

It seems that when the end of the year comes around  and the New Year pokes through, most of us reflect about the things we've done and the things we haven't done. 

I've been thinking about my own children's stories … the ones I've had on the back burner because I've been too busy ghostwriting for others. Hopefully in 2021 I'll find the time to work on my works-in-progress. 

So, if you've thought about being the author of a book, but don't know how to write, or don't have the time, or just don't want to put the effort into it, look into getting help.

 Whether you look into taking some online classes, reading lots of books on writing, looking into hiring a writing coach, or even hiring a ghostwriter, take that to-do off your list. 

Get started today! 

 

 

 

Writing Through 2020, Or Not with Suzanne Lieurance

 In light of the unprecedented and scary year we've had, we thought it'd be a good idea to share our 2020 in regard to how the year affected our writing and our lives.

Today, Suzanne Lieurance shares her experience.

~~~

  As 2020 comes to a close, I have to wonder if I’m still a writer.

I haven’t gotten much writing done in months.

You see, both of my parents died this year.

My father died in January, so 2020 did not start off well.

Then, in March, the pandemic quarantined all the residents in the assisted living center where my mother was living. She was having a hard time, so after several weeks, my husband and I packed up everything we owned and moved from Florida to Nashville to take care of her.

We were lucky. We were able to rent a nice, large home down the street from my younger brother and his family, so they could visit with us and Mother often, even if only from the window, or inside at a distance, with a mask.

We hoped my mother would fare much better under our care than she had in near isolation at the assisted living center. But that was not to be. She was home with us for only one week when, overnight, she lost all use of her hands and feet and could no longer do anything for herself. We had to feed her, change her, brush her teeth and hair, prop her up in a wheelchair (after getting her in the chair with a hydraulic lift), wipe her nose, scratch her head, read to her, sing to her, tell her stories. We became her entire world– when she wasn’t hallucinating. Much of the time she communicated with people we could not see or hear.

The pandemic made it difficult to find paid caregivers, but we finally got some part time help. And, after a few weeks, my mother’s doctor referred her for Hospice care, so a nurse and an aid started coming in two to three times a week.

I don’t know what we would have done without Hospice. I knew nothing about helping a loved one die comfortably and peacefully at home. But that’s what Hospice allowed me to do for my mother for the next nine weeks – let her slowly die at home with us, in peace, without fear or pain. The Hospice people guided me every step of the way on that journey with my mother, and that is what I am most grateful for this year.

No, I didn’t get much writing done in 2020.

Mainly, I wrote my parents’ obituaries.

How I wish I could have written other things instead.

My writing tip for 2021:

Be kind to yourself. You don’t need to write every day or when there are other things you must do. Just don’t give up on your writing. Come back to it when you are able to.

For more writing tips, be sure to visit writebythesea.com and get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge. Once you're a subscriber, you'll also have access to a Private Resource Library for Writers.

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 35 published books, a freelance writer, and a writing coach. 

Writing Through 2020, Or Not with Linda Wilson

 

 

In light of the unprecedented and scary year we've had, we thought it'd be a good idea to share our 2020 in regard to how the year affected our writing and our lives.

Linda Wilson is up next.

The year 2020 has brought unspeakable hardships due to the onslaught of Covid-19. Did any good come of it? Though like everyone else I’ve had my own challenges, I have had experiences that I can be thankful for.

•    Zoom meetings: I think like most of us, I believed zoom was something a fast car did. That was before March, of course. Soon after our first shutdown, suddenly friends, colleagues, soul mates, fellow classmates, and for me, my group piano class, took the first baby steps toward learning how to visit virtually. Now we’re pros.

•    Our Albuquerque SCBWI chapter expanded to include members from all over New Mexico, southern Colorado, and western Texas. No longer are we confined to meet only at libraries and community centers in Albuquerque. We meet once a week at our virtual coffee house, once a month for our critique group, and often to hear visitor-speaker programs and local as well as national conferences. We’ve enjoyed meeting this way so much that we’re going to continue meeting with Zoom from now on, as well as in person when the time comes.

•    When I moved from Alamogordo in southern NM to Albuquerque, I had to say good-bye to the eight students in my group piano class. Now we meet once a week and play piano for each other.

•    Since my husband’s boxing program, Rock Steady Boxing, a nationwide program for “fighters” battling Parkinson’s disease, closed down in March, I’ve met with several members once a week to exchange notes and offer each other support.

•    Shopping: I marvel now at how much I was “out” before March, shopping, meeting friends for lunch, and more. Others have told me they were doing the same thing. At first in March, it was difficult to stay in one place—home—for such a long time. But I’m used to it now and have learned a new kind of reality: finding that it’s not so bad staying home. I get a lot more done and have found a certain kind of peace that I didn’t possess before March.

•    Seat Time: A lot more writing takes place at my desk now. I’ve become more productive. Before March, I worked on one project at a time, I now understand, because I didn’t make time for more. Since March I’ve continued to edit Book 2 in the Abi Wunder series, revised two picture books, both in different stages of development with an editor and an illustrator, and am working on my third picture book. I found a company to produce an audiobook of Secret in the Stars, the first book in the Abi Wunder series. The audiobook is finished and will become available soon.

So, for all the problems Covid-19 has brought, I have found that, sad as this year has been, there are reasons to be thankful for some of its fallout.

A tip to make 2021 your best year yet: Set realistic goals NOW. Make your goals brief. Set a deadline. Post your goals where you can see them every day. Cross each one off after you’ve reached it. Take stock, say in 6 months, and reset your goals. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

 

Linda Wilson: Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery, Linda's first book, is available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthor. The next book in the Abi Wunder series, Secret in the Mist, will be available soon. 

Follow Linda on https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com.

Writing Through 2020, Or Not with Carolyn Wilhelm

In light of the unprecedented and scary year we've had, we thought it'd be a good idea to share our 2020 in regard to how the year affected our writing and our lives.
Carolyn Wilhelm is up next.

Happiness is 2020 in the Rearview Mirror

Dear Readers,

Everyone must be looking forward to seeing 2020 in the rearview mirror. Hopefully, 2021 will be a much better new year. 2020 has felt like we were living in a different country.

2020 began with my local writing group finalizing an adoption anthology manuscript for me to format and upload to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. While working on it, I was still blissfully unaware of the coming pandemic. In Minneapolis and waiting for a grandchild to be born in Seattle during the spring of 2020, we stayed home in case of any needed travel.

Seattle became a “hot spot” for the virus, as we all remember. In February, our neighbor was going to travel there for her great-aunt’s birthday when the airline sent her a voucher and announced the flight was canceled. Oh, so now what? We never did schedule our April flight and have yet to see our grandson in person.

Minnesota’s first elementary school to close after people tested positive just happened to be the one where I was volunteering weekly. Volunteers were the first to be told to say home. The information hit close to home, as did news about Seattle.

With nothing but time on our hands, you would think my husband and I (both writers) would work on manuscripts. Instead, we stayed glued to the TV as we followed the news. Worry, not creativity, filled our brains. I’m sure readers can relate!

Finally, life is coming back into focus, and we can see ahead a few months. Dear readers, I hope you are also beginning to see the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, although it is not over. We are not out of the woods as yet, of course.

What is a writer to do?
1.       Write
When stress is high, smaller writing pieces are useful as they required less energy. Dust off older works that were begun and dropped. Find files to save or finally trash. Expect less of yourself. Be kind to yourself.
2.       List
List ideas for when life is brighter and ideas begin to flow, even if you can’t work on them at this time.
3.       Read
Checking on Goodreads, I was surprised I have read over 100 books in 2020. Notice plots, characters, and words when reading. It is sure to be a positive impact on writing at some point.
4.       Listen
Listen to stories as you talk to people on Zoom or the phone. Some writing ideas stem from conversations.
5.       Think
There has undoubtedly been more time to think, plan, and wonder if you have been part of a lockdown or quarantine in recent months.
6.       Review
Do you remember books from high school or even from reading to your children? What stands out? Reviewing such older books on Goodreads is an idea for short writes and documenting favorite reads.  
7.       Absorb
Walk in nature, listen to music, tend plants, and take more time to appreciate what is going well despite living through this extraordinary time. Our brains do need some down-time.  

I hope everyone has a much better new year!
Thank you for reading, Carolyn

Carolyn Wilhelm is the curriculum writer and sole owner of The Wise Owl Factory site and blog. She has an MS in Gifted Education and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12. As a retired teacher of 28 years, she now makes mostly free educational resources for teachers and parents. Her course about Self-Publishing from the Very, Very Beginning is available on UDEMY.

A Story Revision Checklist

Sometimes progress feels slow,
but take the time  to revise, and your
story will sparkle.

Once your first draft is written, you can begin revising. Looking at one piece of revision at a time can be helpful. After I finished the first draft of Book 2 in the Abi Wunder series, Secret in the Mist, I let the manuscript rest while working on other projects. About three weeks later, I was amazed at how much revision was needed. Every single page of my 30,000-word manuscript has #2 pencil cross-outs, squiggly lines, and deletions—every one! 

To be effective, it’s good to have a revision plan. I stuck with a general revision the first time. That included condensing long-winded paragraphs, finding better word choices, making dialogue sound kid-friendly, and replacing “telling” with “showing” passages.

Again, I put the manuscript down. I wanted to begin again with fresh eyes. While the story rested, I shared my story outline and a few chapters with my critique group. They helped me think through flaws in the manuscript that I couldn’t see. Also, I lined up my beta readers, fellow authors and friends who love to read and have offered to give me their opinions. But before I showed it to them, it was time to move on to complete the revision process.

The next revision began a thorough analysis and can be accomplished in parts.

• My first question: What do I need to re-think? Does the title work? Are the plot points in place? Does the story have an arc? Does each character have an arc?

• Is the story structure solid?

• The first sentence, first paragraph, and first chapter are critical. For more tips, please refer to my article “Writers: First Paragraph Essentials”: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2017/10/writers-first-paragraph-essentials.html 

• Does the story have enough conflict? Stakes?

• Are there any characters who don’t have an active role in the story? If so, they either need to be taken out or given an active role in the plot.

• Are there any scenes that don’t move the story forward? Any scenes that drag? You need to find ways to change the scenes that aren’t working.

• Is the story told mainly through dialogue and action? Description can be added, but sparingly. Condense to a minimum and spread out any description “dumps.”

• Is the main character’s flaw/need evident in the beginning, and satisfied/solved from what she’s learned by the end? Does she grow and change by the end?

• Are the facts accurate?

• Are the details specific? Check for anything vague or general.

• Do a drama check. Heighten the drama wherever you can.

• Is the story told from the main character’s viewpoint? For example, any description you introduce needs to be seen through her eyes.

• Make sure the main theme shines through throughout your story. Do the minor themes bolster the main theme?

Books that have helped me the most: Elaine Marie Alphin’s boom, Creating Characters Kids Will Love. Her example on page nine is especially helpful:

His sneakers were braced against the roof’s shingles. Slowly, Benjy took one hand off the sill and gripped a lower shingle instead. Then he took a deep breath, told himself very firmly not to be afraid, and let go of the sill with his other hand . . . Why couldn’t he have been a few inches taller? Benji cursed his height silently. Even just a couple of inches would have meant his toes might have been able to feel the bench beneath him. But wishing wouldn’t make him grow.

Also helpful are books by Chris Eboch: You Can Write for Children and Advanced Plotting.

Recently, I’ve been reading and enjoying the graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier. I bought Guts, and even though my book is a chapter book and not a graphic novel, it helps to read passages now and then to remind myself to “talk” like a kid.

While writing my first book, Secret in the Stars, I had to disengage from disappointment after finding many glaring errors, when I thought the book was done. This must be the armor people talk about that writers must grow and wear, and perhaps why people admire authors so much. For the fortitude and single-mindedness it takes to do the seat-time, on and on, until we are finally satisfied with the finished product. Whatever it takes.

While writing Secret, I thought the amount of revision it took was excessive. Now that I’ve written multiple books, I understand how much revision is required. Lots. A good way to look at it is: the hard work of getting the words on paper is done. It’s time to play! Revising allows you to play with what you’ve written, rethink better ways of showing what the characters are going through, and re-do anything that isn’t working. When you’re finished, after careful attention to every detail, you can take the guesswork out of the many aspects of your story, and feel sure of your work. You’ve earned the title of a professional author.

Snail photo: By Linda Wilson

Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery, Linda's first book, is available at https://www.amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthor. The next book in the Abi Wunder series, Secret in the Mist, will be available soon. Follow Linda on https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com

Writing Through 2020, Or Not with Carolyn Howard-Johnson

 

In light of the unprecedented and scary year we've had, we thought it'd be a good idea to share our 2020 in regard to how the year affected our writing and our lives. 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson will kick off the posts.

-----

Here’s to 2021!

Covid and 2020 provided me with more adventure than might be expected. We planned part of a ‘Round the World Bucket trip on the Pacific Princess—the part of the world we had never been to, the east part of the Africa continent. Just before we left we learned of a new dreaded disease out there, but considered how well the world had kept everything from ebola to SARS relatively isolated in the last few years and that it might be our last chance to see this rather isolated part of the world. At least it feels isolated from where we live on the coast of California. Many would consider this a mistake. It wasn’t.

By the time the world was shutting down we had already boarded our small ship of 700 passengers, most of whom had been on the ship for a good, long time (Consider it sufficient for to be considered a quarantine.) Everyone was still healthy. No one had been exposed to what we were calling “The Corona Virus” at the time. We visited Melbourne and Perth, both places in Australia we hadn’t visited before. That’s when we learned that stops in other faraway places like Bali, Thailand, and Shanghai had closed their ports. Ports continued to be closed to us as Covid grew and our ship substituted several ports on the West shore of Australia we had never been to and probably would never have thought of going to. 

It was very difficult for the Captain and cruise line administrators. Information changed day to day. Decisions were made and remade. Plan and then change plans. It finally looked as if we would be able to go to Sri Lanka, but they closed that port to passengers, too. We docked, took pictures of the skyline while the ship loaded food and other supplies and then we left, waving goodbye to a few port workers on shore. 

Columbo, Sri Lanka

We still wished, hoped for Africa which we knew had not reported an outbreak yet. But one by one our ports were cancelled. Seychelles. Reunion Islands. We floated on the Indian Ocean for about two weeks, a ghost ship with nowhere to go. A ghost ship with great food, good entertainment from flexible entertainers who had been aboard since Sydney, a lovely balcony and, yes, our computers where we could (yay!) write!

Eventually the ship’s captain announced that Princess’ CEO would address us via video in our cabins. Our ship would return to Australia and we would be evacuated to our homes—wherever that might be—at the cruise line’s expense. Why Australia when no place else in the entire world would welcome our wandering ship? I reasoned that it was because we were still Covid free and therefore no risk. But no, it was because by that time we had floated ourselves back to waters under their jurisdiction. It was as if we belonged to Australia, no matter how dangerous we might be—all of us with our Perriers, our margaritas, our champagne toasts...and plenty of time to, yes! Write!

That was just the beginning of our adventure. We still had to get back to Los Angeles and that wasn’t nearly as much fun. Not as relaxing. Much more scary. But I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything other than my impossible dream, that the world had never had to suffer this pandemic. I mean, I have an exciting story to tell my grandchildren and my online friends. I have been mostly completely isolated since then (voluntarily), learning to survive by relying on deliveries and Zoom.
 
So, Karen asked for a tip: How about an idea to ponder instead. Writers have the best of two worlds. The one we live in and the one in our heads. The one in our heads can keep us company regardless of our circumstances. I have heard of prisoners who write books without computers, pens, or paper. I once visited a cramped, attic-like room in Florence where Michelangelo once hid from a Pope who wanted to take him into custody. The walls were white and covered with frescoed drawings in black and white that were easily identifiable as his but rarely known outside of Florence. Michelangelo would have had a view from a rooftop window located under the eaves to inspire him, the city of Florence with Tuscany beyond. Creativity is a blessing. It may not be a uniquely human blessing (depending on our definition of creativity), but we humans can turn to writing in good times and bad. Memoir and journaling (and making other art) are healers and joy-makers; they are the stuff of life itself. 

Carolyn Crafting

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction, a former publicist for a New York PR firm and was an instructor for the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program for nearly a decade. She is an editor with years of publishing and editing experience including national magazines, newspapers, and her own poetry and fiction. Her multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter is in its third edition from Modern History Press
 
Learn more about the author and her career-boosting books at https://HowToDoItFrugally.com

 

 

SEASON'S GREETINGS

 

Wishing everyone a healthy and safe Holiday Season 

and a Healthy and SAFE New Year!

 

My all-time favorite motivational quote is by Mark Twain:

"It's not what you've done that matters, it's what you haven't done." 

 

If you've been putting something off that you've wanted to do, like write a book or publish an article in a magazine, make 2021 the year to do it.