Directions in a Writer’s Life

Namely – mine!

Some writers pretty much stick with what they began with whether it’s novel writing or scriptwriting or journalism for an entire career. That’s great for them, or, if you’re a writer and that’s the way you go, for you.

For me, things keep on a’changin’. It’s not that I move away from one type of writing to another and leave the ‘old’ behind, it’s more like I add to what I’m doing. That can get a bit crazy, but it’s the way I Iike it. Spices things up for me, keeps the fresh and the new ideas rolling.

I began with novels, published with Doubleday, Harlequin and others. 

Then I added script writing and I loved it. Had a wonderful mentor in Larry Brody of TVWriter.com (for whom I'm a Contributing Editor), sold a script, optioned some others and am still working with scriptwriting having completed one a short time ago. All I had to do was know how to type and be creative...and learn the formatting.

But that’s not where it stops for me. I’m also creating a novel from a previously written script. Its great fun and I intend to publish.  I have a romance novel I’m working on finishing up as well. Still typing, still milking the creative juices.

What’s the newest? Comic books. Kid’s books. Yep, an unusual undertaking for me. I’ve partnered up with a great friend and we, together, write and illustrate the comic series Planet Of The Eggs with five adventures published so far and more in the works.  As an off-shot we’re now creating our first ‘read-to-me’/’young readers’ picture book based on the fun characters of Planet Of The Eggs. The first is celebrating the differences in us all, as well as what brings us together, and is as yet untitled, but that’s coming!

The learning curve was pretty steep on comic creation. We’re still using a combination of photoshop, powerpoint and comic life software. Now we’ve also thrown in the free photo manipulator from Paint.net and got a couple of special effects packs so we can create cool pen sketches and other kind of amazing effects.

The results so far is the near completion of the first volume (six issues) of the Planet Of The Eggs comic book series. But wait, there’s something afoot!  The series is about to find itself in a reboot as we evolve from the very young adventurous eggs to the more confident, determined Superhero eggs and their friends, companions and arch enemies. We’re on the very cusp as we complete the first picture book and dive into plotting for the sixth adventure to complete our first volume.  

Oh, and the fifth, Planet Of The Eggs-Eruption 2, Saving Dot has just released in Kindle format and paperback will follow in the next couple of weeks.  Want to keep up with it all? 

Go to our facebook page for Planet Of The Eggs, tell us your thoughts, which heroic egg is your favorite, what villains you would like to see, whatever comes to mind. We love to hear from fans. Oh, and there’s a monthly newsletter as well – just click the sign up button near the top of the page and get access to the first adventure in PDF FREE! Or sign up directly here.

So, my personal writing career has become a fantastical juggling act and I love it. Yep, I’ll be finishing that romance novel, probably creating more novels from scripts and the reverse as well as finding new and exciting things to pursue with my writing.  I’ll let you know what I come up with next.  Meanwhile, happy reading and writing.

Let’s Get Started - On Writing by Writers Great Quotes

I’m a writer, a creator, but who doesn’t like to get the viewpoint of others? To listen in, via quotations as to how the minds of others work. In this case, writers.

Also in this case how to begin. It’s amazing when confronting the blank page. All writers know the feeling. Those who write fiction, non-fiction, articles and even business reports. What to write first? What words to put on that blank screen or paper?

  It’s special and at the same time nearly terrifying. Oh, the heck with ‘nearly’ it is terrifying. And, since putting words to screen (ie paper) is pretty much the same for every writer, I located some basic tips from writers I particularly like.

So join me and let’s take that first step, often the most difficult, together.

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. His position is “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” Hmmm, not to be difficult, but I’m not sure I agree with that one. For me the scariest is just after I hit those first key strokes and see what’s coming up on that white screen before me.

Louis L’Amour took another tact. He said, “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”   Yes! That’s always been one of my mottos. Do it already – you can always change it.

Then famed Sci Fi writer Ray Bradbury had this comment, “Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down.” That’s another one that should get you, the writer, moving – no matter what you write. Either that or send you running, screaming in another direction.

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London says. He’s my kinda guy. Don’t sit there. Don’t wait. Go after it. Writing inspiration isn’t something that falls upon you like rose petals. It’s something you do. So do it.

Toni Morrison advises, “I always know the ending; that’s where I

start.”  To which I say, well, it may work for you Toni, but not for me. I rarely know the ending when I start. It usually pops out at me somewhere in the first third of writing the book. That’s not to say I don’t plan and ideas don’t swarm, but I’m not certain about the ending when I begin.

Author Les Brown makes the statement, “You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.” That truly hits it on the nose. For every type of writer. The simple fact is you have to start…no matter how scary that starting is. Doesn’t matter if it’s a business paper, a short story, non-fiction book or screenplay. It’s not going to get done if that blank page overwhelms and you don’t start.

Sweet Beatrix Potter takes the more optimistic view, “There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.” And I guess that’s what I believe – especially since I never know the end when I start. I just don’t know where it will take me until I get into the act of writing.

And one last comment by Nora Roberts, “You don’t find time to write. You make time.”  Take that one to heart. Write.

Dreams –Not The Night Time Kind

          Do you have dreams? Not the kind you have at night while snoozing away, but real dreams. And I’m not talking about daydreams or fantasies. Not those thoughts about something you probably will never do or be like a multi-national CEO with a multi-million dollar golden parachute, or playing for a pro ball team, or being the first man/woman on Mars (though if those are your actual real goals and dreams, go for it!).

          Most of us have those fantasies and far-away dreams at times.

          But what I’m talking about is those dreams of how great life can be, dreams that keep you striving and moving forward.

          As kids many times anything seems possible. With the vitality of youth they visualize the future, a great and shining place where they accomplish what they dream, but somewhere along the line all of us seem to lose that ability and we narrow our focus to our jobs, our responsibilities, what’s expected of us.

          But it doesn’t have to be that way. The dreams we dreamed as kids are still alive and the universe hasn’t changed that much so they’re still dreams that can be realized. They’re within the realm of possibility. Sometimes we have to realize that we can get so busy doing what he need to, making a living, that the dreams shut down.

          Am I a ‘dreamer’?  Yes, in that I never stop moving forward, never stop thinking about what I want to accomplish next.

          This is life folks. We aren’t just all marking time waiting for it to start. It doesn’t matter your age. Life needs to be greeted as an exciting adventure. The path you choose, something that feeds heart, soul and mind.

          I don’t have to write a tome on this to inspire you do I? Just suggest that now might be the right time for you to think about all those dreams. To sort through them, to find your place and really live life.

          I happen to be a writer. It’s what propels me forward. 

          Maybe you love it as well, or maybe you want to be an architect like Frank Lloyd Wright, or a famous brain surgeon, or someone who makes a difference in the greening of the planet. Or maybe you want to pursue any of thousands of  inspiring dreams.

          Look inside and take a step in the direction of those dreams.

          Do it now.

Ah, The Writer's Life

Every once in a while I like to just ramble and muse about how writing is the pivotal point of my life and how it affects pretty much everything.  There are many things I write about individually, extrapolating and using one thing or another in an attempt to provide guidance to other writers or just give some of my writer friends a smile.

Today is one of those rambling days. Yep, I’m busy working on Planet Of The Eggs comic series and it’s coming along very well, thanks.

Even have a Facebook fan page  – go on over and like it. Keep abreast of what’s happening in Egg world. And don’t forget to tell us which egg is your favorite (we have warriors, scientist, librarian, water hound and medic) and where you might like to see our eggs travel next.

The goal is to put out one adventure per month in this fun comic series. So, here’s the rambling part. If I worked a regular job I’d probably have some time off when I want to take a bit of a break as I’m planning on in September when my husband and I are going to celebrate our anniversary with a few days away. But I don’t have that job. I’m a writer. That being the case I have to plan differently. Yep, I’m working harder and faster now to gain some ground so I don’t fall too behind while I’m off having fun. No paid leave for me. And no matter how I work it or plan it, I know when I get back I’ll feel overwhelmed and like I’ve fallen behind, which I will no doubt have done.

But you know what, none of that matters because I love what I do and sadly, there are many who don’t even like what they do.

But that’s not all. In my musings I give thought to those projects which I’ve put on hold while I work on Planet Of The Eggs. And yes, I’ll get back to them, and yes, fortunately since they’re already on hold they don’t add any pressure to my already slightly overloaded schedule. And that’s another thing. 

The schedule, because I’m a writer and work for myself, is my own. I set it. Mostly (unless there’s a publishing deadline set by another) I set my own deadlines. But I’m a very stern task-master. So those projects I’ve consciously put on hold are still at the back of my mind while I work to meet current deadlines I've set.

One is a paranormal romance beneath the sea that’s about three-quarters done and needs to be finished. I’ll have to re-read the whole thing before resuming work on that one. Then there’s the screen script I’ve barely begun to adapt to novel format. I want it to exist both ways. Probably be a Kindle release when I get that done. There are a few others, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

What it all boils down to is to be a writer one needs discipline, schedule and the occasional break. Yep, there’s another one planned in December. And do I take weekends like a regular person wo works a regular job? Yes, mostly I do. I have a husband and he kind of likes to spend time with me as I do with him. Schedule, remember? He’s very understanding if I do have a deadline and need to work just as I’d understand if he had to put in some overtime. But mostly, I admit, my life is fairly structured. 

For professional writers I highly recommend it. Yes, there is that myth that writers work when the muse strikes. Not true for the writers I know. They ‘go t work’ each day. They may have the freedom to schedule their hours differently than some, but they do schedule.

Think about it.

And while you do I think I’ll just go off and muse on what I need to get done a bit more. Organization. What comes next.

Writers Keep Writing

Writer? Screenwriter? Novelist?

I won’t mention writers of shorter pieces because that’s not what I’m going to focus on in this post. 

illustration by Gabriel Hardman

 

The crux of the matter here is do you have a couple of half-finished novels on your hard drive? Screenplays maybe? You get going with lots of steam and a great idea that’s exciting and motivating, but somewhere along the line something happens. Maybe it feels like the original premise hits a dead end or the writer gets confused about where the original destination was or it just isn’t coming together the way it was hoped. Regardless of what it is that happens it gets agonizing. It’s a wrestling match between writer and story. Many times the writer will beat his or her head against a way for a while and then just gives up.

When it happens it can cause the writer to feel worthless. It can cause the writer to believe he can’t write. It’s flat awful.

So what can cause this? There are a number of things that can cause a writer to give up, not finish script or novel, not complete the story.

First, it’s possible there just wasn’t enough story there in the first place. What to do? Give yourself a break, stop beating yourself up and learn to think your story idea through before you start. That doesn’t mean you need to create every little tiny detail of the story, but it does mean you need to consider where that story idea you came up with is going. Don’t just jump in and start writing script or novel. Create some sort of synopsis or treatment that takes the story from beginning to end and weed out things that don’t make sense or don’t carry the story forward. Take it seriously. Don’t leave yourself in the middle of the lake without a boat so to speak. Create that plan and the solid sense of story and the knowledge of craft, novel or screenwriting, you need to carry you to the finish.

If you have a strong premise and you’re still failing to finish consider how you feel about your writing. Are you afraid that when it’s complete and you put it out into the world that you’ll be rejected? That that rejection is failure? You’ve heard it before, read it, and had it shoved in your face in every way conceivable. To be a writer is to face rejection, feel that terrible humiliation, and learn to live with it in some fashion. The very best get bad coverage, terrible reviews and premises that are ripped to shreds by editors or readers. That’s the way it is. If it’s not for you, if you can’t handle it maybe you need to be doing something else.

But keep in mind, many may pass on your manuscript or screen script, but you only need one yes. If you really are a writer and can handle that inevitable rejection and you can’t find a single yes on one project, it’s time to start another. And when you finally get that yes from publisher or producer you know you finally measure up to industry standards. That means you, as a writer, learned not to take negative comments personally and used rejection to learn and do better.

Embrace rejection. Learn from it. Move forward. Take classes, find readers, keep submitting. Keep the faith and keep writing. It takes focus and serious effort. The one shot wonder is just that, and who wants to be a one shot anyway? Dump the self-pity that can accompany rejection and the whining, “it’s-not-fair”, curl-in-a-ball and hide stance of the abused victim.

Be proud of your rejections – it means you’re in the game.