10 Minute Writer

When you have a suspicion that your novel might wind up at 900 pages but you’re only at 130 . . .

Just keep writing.

When someone very well intentioned points out a flaw in your work, and it stings . .

Just keep writing.

When everything you read about the market, what is hot and what’s not, and that publishing, as an industry, is going down the toilet . .

Just keep writing.

When you’ve had a bad day, you’ve yelled, cried and probably over-reacted to everyone about everything . . .

Just keep writing.

When you really only have ten minutes today . . .

Just keep writing.

When you’ve been at this for years and little success has come from it . . .

Just keep writing.

When you’re losing confidence every time you pick up a hot new novel at Costco . . .

Just keep writing.

When you’ve decided that you’re far better at playing Wii with your seven-year-old son . . .

Just keep writing.

When you just re-read your Work In Progress and you’ve come to the conclusion your 3 year old could do a better job. . .

Just keep writing.

When you’ve been called the hackiest hack that ever hacked . . .

Just keep writing.

When the laundry seems far more interesting than this current section you’re working on . . .

Just keep writing.

When you start saying to yourself, “I’m not good enough yet,” . . .

Just keep writing.

When you received the 739th rejection letter or e-mail . . .

Just keep writing.

When no one around you seems to “get” this dream of yours . . .

Just keep writing.

Just keep writing.

Just keep writing.

For the last three months, I’ve spent a couple of hours on the phone with my friend, Roseanne. She is a professional nanny, has a daughter my age and lives about 45 minutes away. She is my writing buddy.

Roseanne isn’t computer literate, and has no interest in it, so that’s why we speak on the phone. She, at 59 years old, has recently decided that she wants to be a writer, so we spend our evening discussing how we’re both pursuing this interest.

I love talking to Roseanne. I am able to read aloud to her a chapter from my novel. Her comments are very encouraging, she laughs in all the right places and even last night, she told me that she spent the entire week wondering about my Point of View character, Kim. Roseanne was very concerned: would she do this or that? Would she fall in love with Eddie or Jeffrey? (Roseanne doesn’t know there’s a Marty in Kim’s future!)

When I’m done basking in the compliments, Roseanne reads to me what she is writing. Her writing is from her morning pages, from The Artist’s Way. She is just exploring now with her memories, her passions and her voice. She doesn’t have a work in progress, or a deadline, she’s just writing and learning to see herself as a writer.

As I listened last night, I gave her a challenge: Answer this question. What if . . . Look back at your life, at all of the choices you made. What if you had taken another road? What if you hadn’t met him? What if you hadn’t taken that job? What if you had moved to another city instead?

Roseanne is taking that question this week and coming up with the answer. She and I agreed that she can look back at her life and see the areas in which she is an expert. This is her well of life experience from which she can draw.

Next week, she is to have a name for a character and an objective. Then, slowly, we’re going to add obstacles, other characters and a past. I’m very optimistic that a story will emerge.

I think everybody who is serious about writing should have a Roseanne. Perhaps it is in a writing group, or an on-line situation; the specifics of it doesn’t matter, as long as it is a safe place to share writing, be encouraged and come away strengthened.

And take a lesson from Roseanne. It is never too late to start writing, never too late to create a story from the life experiences you’ve already lived.

It’s never too late to say, “What if . . .”

I’v been working on a novel, RED STATE BLUES, about an hour a day, for two and a half years. I want to write this book, I want to see it represented, I want to see it published, I want to see it sold, I want to see it enjoyed. To have all of these goals accomplished I need to do all of these things to get me there, like write proposals, and query letters, and pitches.

Ugh. It’s hard work. Sometimes this work knocks the wind out of me.

But the good news is, last Saturday, I came up with ideas on how to do this. I reduced my story to one sentence.

It was this: RED STATE BLUES: What would happen if you and your brother were partly responsible for the demise of your father’s church?

Then, after mulling that around for a while, I came up with this:

RED STATE BLUES: How two siblings reluctantly returned to their hometown, humbly learned grace and indirectly destroyed their father’s ministry. A Comedy.

Then, I pitched it to an unsuspecting acquaitance on Twitter. She gave me her opinion, and I strengthened it. With this:

RED STATE BLUES: It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Quentin and Kim were two notoriously obnoxious pastor’s kids growing up. After a disturbing accident, they give up the pranks and turn their backs on God. Years later, they reluctantly return to their father’s church, where they see for the first time what grace and forgiveness is. Can they communicate what they’ve learned to their church, without offense, before their congregation splits? Can they speak the truth in love to their father without alienating him?

Now, picture if you will, what it might say on the inside jacket of a book:

RED STATE BLUES: Perhaps this is God’s idea of a joke, but Quentin Roach, a formerly obnoxious Pastor’s Kid, is coming home to Videll, Oklahoma for the perfect job. Now his Catholic/Unitarian wife, Suzanne, can have the homesteading life she’s always wanted. But Suzanne’s fourth pregnancy becomes increasingly complicated. Her high expecations for home and family can’t be met. Can she extent grace to her meat-eating, Conservative, traditional congregation who only wants to help?
Meanwhile, Quentin’s sister, Kim, loses her boyfriend and job in one swift move and is forced to work as her father’s temporary church secretary. Kim has to face the fact that she’s failed, not just her parents, and her congregation, but herself. Can she receive grace and see herself the way God sees her?
And Quentin, as his faith grows, will he be able to honor his father, the Pastor, and guide him to truth, all before the congregation implodes?

Okay — this is where I need your opinion. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of these pitches. Would you read it? Do you think I can add in any hint to the style (rather satirical and witty) to improve on this? WIthout having read the book, what would you give these descriptions?

And this, is what the pros say: Developing an elevator pitch.

I think it far, far harder to write one powerful sentence than to write 50,000 semi-powerful words. Sigh.

This week’s Interview In Confidence is with Author Gary Murning. I met Mr. Murning on Twitter about two weeks ago. He graciously answered my questions via e-mail. I hope you are as encouraged and inspired as I was.

1. Did you ever have a time in your life that you thought, “oh, I could never be a writer”? How did you go from that place to your current one?

I think there was probably a time when it hadn’t occurred to me that I could be a writer, but I don’t think I ever consciously thought that it was something I could never be. As a child, I always dabbled with “stories” that
never got finished — but the real turning point came when I had to finish Sixth Form College (I was about 18) through illness related to my disability. I found myself with time to fill, read lots of really trashyhorror novels and one day half-joked to myself that I could do better and thus made the final great leap.

2. The path of a writer is filled with rejection letters. How have you handled the pain of rejection?

Pretty well, I think — but, then, I’ve had plenty of practice! The first rejection letters were expected, to be honest. I was still learning my craft and understood they were simply par for the course. The later ones, I suppose, were the hardest. Once I reached the point where I knew my work had
something to offer and the rejections came to be more about
publishers’/agents’ unwillingness to take a risk or, even worse, an inability to see what I was trying to do — then it became hard. Extremely frustrating.

3. Sometimes I read a book and get miffed that it is so poorly written. I find it difficult not to be resentful of their success. How do you handle the inward battle of comparing yourself to others– or am I the only one who feels this way?

No, you’re definitely not the only one. As I’ve already mentioned, this was in part one of the driving forces behind my seriously knuckling down to write a novel. Comparing oneself to other writers — both good and bad — is
a fundamental part of what we do, especially when we are just starting out. We learn from other writers and, yes, it’s inevitable that we should on occasion find ourselves resentful of their in some cases undeserved success.
For me, the big moan has always been celebrity authors who don’t actually author their books. I’ve ranted about this on my blog numerous times!

4. Where have you gone to find encouragement in your writing? Or, how do you know that it’s good?

Encouragement… I found encouragement as soon as I started getting positive responses from agents. This was back in the late 1980s. The comments on my
first three novels were very direct and critical — but by the fourth phrases like “well written” were being used and I saw that I was improving. I could see that myself, actually, and I realised that it was simply a matter of working hard at building on these improvements. I found that
extremely encouraging.

Over recent years, I’ve always had people around me who understand what I’m trying to achieve. Their comments keep me going — even the critical ones –but, yes, I have also developed a degree of faith in my own assessment of my
work. If someone says something critical it usually only confirms what I already knew. If they praise my work, I already know why.

5. Have you experience unfavorable public criticism of your work. How did you take it? What did you do to move beyond it?

This is an arena I’m pretty much on the verge of stepping into — my first novel being published in August. Naturally, I’ve done the occasional workshop etc and had to face criticism there but that’s rather different to
reader/magazine reviews and I expect I may still have a few things to learn about myself. I’m hoping I’ll deal with any negativity pretty well.

6. Have you ever attended a conference and met an agent, editor or publisher face to face? How did you handle your nerves?

Other than chatting on the phone with my publisher, no. (He’s in London and I’m in the North of England so we haven’t actually met face-to-face, yet,
oddly enough.) My first telephone conversation with him was rather nerve-racking, however. Lovely guy and very easy to talk to, but I knew it was one of those make or break conversations. He liked my work and wanted to publish
but I was still scared that I might say something stupid and blow the whole deal. I’m not naturally a telephone person, either, but once we got chatting everything was fine.

7. What advice would you give to the talented writer who is
struggling in the area of confidence?

Writing fiction is smoke and mirrors. For the reader to be convinced by the illusions we create, we in turn have to be convinced by our ability to create them. We need to learn that we can develop our ability, that every writer grows with every novel he/she writes. It doesn’t just happen. Writers
aren’t born naturally talented (apart from possibly one or two exceptions here and there.) We all start from the same place, more or less, and confidence… initially, you’ve got to just throw caution to the wind. Accept that people are going to criticise, to snigger behind your back or even, sometimes, to your face. But look for the improvement in your work.
You’ll know it when you see it. Look at the way you shape a sentence, a paragraph, and watch as, over time, it becomes more natural and graceful. See the improvement and hold on to it. Find your confidence there and don’t let anyone take it away from you. It’s hard work. Never doubt that. But that
hard work gives you the right to hold your head up and say “Yes, I’m a writer. I may not be the best writer in the world, yet, but I’m doing it and improving.”

And enjoy!

Gary is a novelist living in the northeast of England. His work
focuses on themes that touch us all – love, death, loss and aspiration. Quirky and highly readable, his literary fiction aims to entertain first and foremost. If he can also offer a previously unfamiliar perspective or insight, all the better.
His first novel, If I Never, is due to be published August 29, 2009 by Legend Press. Gary William Murning Online: www.garymurning.com ”

1. Rain. Rain. Oh look, more rain. This is the same complaint I had in March except it was colder, fluffier and white. For the last three weeks, we’ve had, maybe, five days of sun? I just want you to know I’m ready for some real summer. I’m originally from Oklahoma, so I know that real summer consists of 100+ degree heat and sweat and more complaining.

2. My urban adventure. On Wednesday of this week, I decided to face, all alone, without Daddy, the gargantuan task of taking my brood to downtown Boston to visit the Children’s Museum. This is the first summer that we are diaper and stroller free, so we, at least in theory, can handle these big adventures. The hard part is keeping everyone together and out of the mysterious brown stains on the subway. We did it, cheerfully. I am immensely proud of myself. Next time, though, I’m going to pick a day in which four thousand other mothers and nannies (and their strollers and diapers) spent the day there too. I am also not going to pay attention to any friendly subway maintenance worker who says, “Hey, kids, come here! Wanna see a live rat?”

3. Tonight! I get to back into the city again! This time I’m alone! The main branch of the Boston Public Library (in beautiful Copley Square) is holding a forum by recently published authors about their books. None of the books seem particularly interesting to me now, but I’m sure I’ll change my mind. It’s always fun to meet authors and come away inspired. I’m going to take lots of notes and give you my impressions.

4. Salsa music. My new favorite genre. I especially like the instrumentals. YAY Pandora!

5. My newest frustration: AT&T. Last Friday, my husband bought a new iPhone. This means that I get the old iPhone — WOO-HOO! So, on Friday, he thought it would be relatively easy to transfer my number to my new phone. Wrong! Evidentally, AT&T, Apple and my IT genius husband are either miscommunicating, messing up or messing around (not my husband, though). So I have been without a phone for a long time. If it were just a phone, I probably wouldn’t mind, since I hate talking on the phone, but it’s an iPhone! I’ll be useless as a mother now.

6. Regrets! I partially blaming 41 year old hormones, but I think the lustre on Chapter 12 that I was so excited about, is slowly fading. To Rust. I know this is part of being a writer, but I think I overdid my heroine’s emotional state and made her a slobbering mess. Last week I was writing the Greatest Novel Known To Man. This week, I’m a chimpanzee at a typewriter attempting Shakepeare. My solution is to put it away for a couple of months and come back to it before I send it to my benevolent editor, Kerry.

7. My loving daughter the aspiring novelist has written a quiz: “Which Grubb Kid Are You?” This will be hilarious my friends. When it’s up, I’ll post the link so you can take it.

That’s it for me. And if you knew my emotional state, you’d say it was enough.

See you Monday.

For the last two weeks, I’ve been writing, rewriting and rewriting a long chapter in my novel, one in which a Church Singles group goes to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to canoe down the Illinois River. In real life, I’ve done this probably a dozen times. In my mind, as a result of working on this chapter, I’ve floated about a dozen more. It’s so real to me that I smell like sunscreen, I think I’m sunburned and I desperately need to get out of these wet clothes.

As of last night, it is done, (except for a little tweaking) and I’m delighted. I’d like to blog a little about what this chapter means to me and what I’ve learned from it. This is kind of a rambling, so consider yourself warned.

Firstly, this memory of my young adulthood is a potent one. In my real life, it was filled with angst (like who will be my canoe partner?) and conflict (Look! A snake!) and triumph (I found my sunglasses!) I would imagine in every writer’s life there are events in which we can gently steal from or be inspired by in order to develop our plot and characters.

Secondly, because it is such a real memory for me, it is easy to recreate the sensations of this experience. I remember exactly what the pebbly bottom of the river felt like on bare feet. I can see the dozens of dragonflies whiz by. I can feel the contrast of the heat on the back of my neck and the coolness of my wet sneakers. (You should always wear sneakers, by the way.) My own memories are far more vivid and interesting than something I might of researched that I have never experienced. And I hope my readers can see the difference.

Thirdly, the metaphor. I LOVE METAPHORS. Canoeing down a river can be a metaphor for a million different things and I’m the director here, so I can make it be anything. Canoeing down a river already has a built in objective, so any additional conflict (SNAKE!) just heightens the tension and makes the journey more interesting.

Fourthly, and I didn’t think of this until right this second, but this is good for me. It’s kind of soul nourishing to go back to re-live a time and place in which I was happy and enjoying myself. The best thing about writing for writer is not being published but the writing itself. If I had not chosen to write a chapter about canoeing, I would not have re-lived this. And it would have been a loss.

Do you have a memory like this? Do you have a happy place, a favorite activity, or an event that you can turn into a scene or chapter? Take 10 minutes and brainstorm about this. Save a list and think about your current project and consider how you can incorporate it in gently.

And then, because I am about to burst with excitement, I would like to have feedback on my chapter (with the understanding, of course, that it is Chapter 12, and you won’t really understand everything that’s going on). If you leave a comment, and ask for Chapter 12 specifically (to avoid the spammers) I’ll send you a copy. I welcome any comments or suggestions. And I’d love to see what you’re writing too.

With that, I must shower. I’m beginning to smell oddly like fish.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve had the honor of interviewing via e-mail four authors, all in different phases of their career on the subject of confidence. Much could be written about how to publish or developing craft, but I wanted to address something I see little about, (and an area in which I struggle). That area is confidence.

I don’t know a lot about confidence, why some people have it, why some people stuggle with it and why some people have so much, they’re borderline delusional. I do know that my own journey from non-writer to hopeful novelist has been strenuous. I do not naturally come from a confident place. I’m sure I am not alone in this, and that is the purpose of this series.

The authors I am inteviewing are from different genres and places in their careers. Matthew Meadors, Deborah Vogts, Gary Murning and Susan May Warren were all very gracious with their time to help me with this project.

My first interview is with Matthew Meadors. I’ve known Matt for over twenty years. This are his thoughts on confidence:

1. Did you ever have a time in your life that you thought, “oh, I could never be a writer”? How did you go from that place to your current one?

Let’s see, when was the last time I sat down to write? Boy, that’s one I still struggle with. I know of well-known, published authors who still fight against the doubts to some degree. I think for me it’s been a matter of understanding that I do have a little bit of God-given talent, and believing that God has not only blessed me with some ability, but has also called me to write. If He truly has called me to this, then what do I have to fear?

2. The path of a writer is filled with rejection letters. How have you handled the pain of rejection?

Fortunately I’m a drummer, so I get to work out a lot of aggression there! Actually, I think it’s very good if you can understand that it’s nothing personal. Maybe there’s not a market at this time for the story you choose to write. Or maybe a particular agent or publisher already has a writer in their stable that writes your kind of story. Or maybe, your writing doesn’t quite hit the mark. I think the best kind of rejection is the one that gives you a clue on where you missed the mark. You can then focus on that area to get stronger. Getting published is a process. One I have yet to conquer, but one I believe I will. I’ve seen my writing improve in each effort. When I do get those nuggets of wisdom or experience, rather than being defensive, I try to take them to heart. I make a list of areas I could improve on and focus on those the next time. Not saying this has worked yet (lol) but that’s how I handle it.

3. Sometimes I read a book and get miffed that it is so poorly written. I find it difficult not to be resentful of their success. How do you handle the inward battle of comparing yourself to others — or am I the only one who feels this way?

You know, I’m not one that really focuses on what’s poorly written. I’ve read many a successful author that break one or more of the “rules”. I try to focus on what’s good in a book and learn from the positive areas. Why was this book published? Great plot? Snappy dialogue? I think we all have a tendency for comparison. I can think of many authors who I can’t imagine ever being mentioned in the same breath as them – Randy Alcorn, Rene Gutteridge and James Scott Bell just to name a few. For me, it’s a matter of not being them. The Lord doesn’t need another James Scott Bell. If I’m truly called to this, then he needs my voice and my Christian world view.

4. Where have you gone to find encouragement in your writing? Or, how do you know that it’s good?

Writer’s conferences are a great place to find encouragement. There are many successful authors who go teach at those things, and really want to see us hacks succeed. I guess I rely on instincts to help me know if something’s good. If my story doesn’t move me, then chances are it won’t move others as well. Beyond that I count on an editor to help me in those areas. I’ve been fortunate enough to hook up with a couple of free-lance editors who are great. They’ve taught me a lot, pointed out strong areas as well as weak areas.

5. Have you experience unfavorable public criticism of your work. How did you take it? What did you do to move beyond it?

I once had an acquisitions editor read the first page of one of my stories in a class at a conference. Fortunately she found some good things, but she also said that because of some other issues she would reject it. Of course it stings, but once again, I remind myself that this is just business. They’ve got to find stories that will sell. Once again, I focused on some of the things that I can do to “fix” what was wrong. I even asked her after the class if I rearranged a few things in the opening if it would work better. She said the thought it would, and encouraged me to look at it. So, I guess I just worked my way beyond it.

6. Have you ever attended a conference and met an agent, editor or publisher face to face? How did you handle your nerves?

Yes, I have. I handle my nerves by reminding myself that all they can do is say “no”. They can’t take my family from me. They can’t take me out back and shoot me. I remind myself that many an artist have been snubbed and turned down early in their career. Elvis and Garth Brooks both experienced rejection. To this day, the first six (I believe it’s six) Stephen King novels remain unpublished. I guess that helps me to remember that agents and editors are human too.

7. What advice would you give to the talented writer who is struggling in the area of confidence?

I don’t know that I’m one to give advice in this area! I struggle like anyone else, and I’ve always kind thought all that motivational stuff was kinda hokey. I do know that combining talent with hard work will always come through. Maybe not now, but eventually it will. Believe in God’s plan and put your faith and trust in the Lord. Beyond that, we’ve gotta keep feeding the lake. Keep writing. And pray. A lot.

Biography:
A mild-mannered computer programmer by day, Matthew received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tulsa in 1989. Matthew lives in Sand Springs, Oklahoma with his wife Martha, and his two girls: Courtney 11, and Cassidy 6. He’s currently agented by Joyce Hart at Hartline Literary and he’s written and self-published one novel entitled When You Come Home. He’s completed another novel that is currently being reviewed by my agent, and he’s working on a third. No blog site. Other than writing, the last thing he wants to do when he gets home is spend more time on a computer! Web site is matthewmeadors.com.

Back in the early days of this blog, I listed several ideas on how to squeeze in writing time. This was a subject dear to my heart because I was looking for any way possible to write around my life as a stay-at-home-mother of five.

For my Top 10 List this week, I’m linking old posts on how to do just this. I’m quite sure there are more ways out there, but this is the best I’ve got today.

1. Delegate!

2. Reward Yourself

3. Blood, Vomit and Fire

4. Use Your Caller I.D.

5. Rethink Television

6. Purge Your Blogroll

7. Crock Pots, Rice Cookers and Bread Machines

8. Have A Plan Before Bed

9. Set A Timer (Where It All Began)

10. Take A Hike (Or Incorporating Fun and Exercise)

This Bob likes to play “catch the jellyfish”. My dad, Bob, likes to play cards. In fact, some of my happiest memories involve him playing several card games (some of which we invented) with me and my brother. My dad’s theory of child development never involved coddling — that’s the nice way to say that he beat us. He thought we would rise to the occasion, learn our skills and work to succeed. I would have to say his theory worked. And now we’re both pretty competitive. (Hey, Dad, I have three jokers! They’re all yours!)

This Bob is a carpenter. My dad, Bob, is one too. Mostly during summer holidays (his day job was high school math teacher) he would work as a handyman for local friends. I thought he could make anything. One Christmas he made me a Southern Colonial dollhouse and we spent the next year buying furniture and wall-papering it. Then later, he built an addition to it, but somehow it never got finished, which, if you were a Charismatic, (and not a Southern Baptist, like he is) you would say that this is a prophetic statement referring to my current living situation. You could, but we won’t.

This Bob hangs out with cucumbers. My dad, Bob, hates cucumbers.

Back in the ’70’s, this Bob went to work today on a bus and subway (I thought this was awfully glamorous). My dad, Bob, went to work in a ‘77 blue Ford pick-up. I have a lot of happy memories of riding in the back of that truck, especially to the local lake during the summer. The wind whipped my hair around and I could smell exhaust, my own fishy-ness, and the fresh Oklahoma air. For those of you who are wincing, you have to realize that safety, in the 1970’s, was greatly overrated.

THIS Bob is my Dad!

This very endearing picture was taken at Disney World on a vacation that included him, my Mom, my big family, and my brother’s family. It was very memorable and extravagant.

I love you Dad! Happy Father’s Day!

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