down the writer's path

Exercising the Writer's Muse: Finding fodder in unlikely places

Many preach specialization today but writers would do well to take the generalist's approach when it comes to writing. I know time is an issue as you get more and more involved in your writing and focused on deadlines. For many writers time becomes a precious commodity, something to be coveted, protected. Their world of writing shrinks. Soon writers focus only on the latest books published in their chosen genre. This narrowed view may build up their knowledge in a specific field but it can also limit their creative expansion in the world of story.

Exercising your creativity is a productive and beneficial tool that enhances the imagination. If you're new to writing and story development, learning to find ideas and build them into viable plots is a healthy lesson. One way to keep the imagination flexible is to read outside your genre. See what other people are doing. Don't just read the story, look for the ideas that have been extrapolated and woven into the storyline. Bestselling authors frequent the world of science as a source of inspiration. Look at the works of Michael Creighton, Robin Cook, Jodi Picoult, Dean Koontz and others. They do more than dip their toes, they bathe in the ideas of cutting-edge news.

If you're muse is being a bit balky, why not take it to a new park to play? I looked at the Science Daily website this morning and quickly found three or four headlines that sparked story ideas. I'm sure you could find even more. To exercise your muse, pull three headlines that spark your imagination. Brainstorm the ideas. Do a quick mind map of the central idea. Pick a protagonist and give him a related goal that either supports or goes against the idea underlying the headline. Now write a quick paragraph that provides a brief story idea and contains a beginning, a middle, and an end. Repeat this for each of the three ideas.

Don't spend a lot of time on this. The idea is to write down your immediate responses, put a character into the mix, give him or her a goal and an endgame and write. Allow 15-20 minutes max to complete each one. Your muse will be entertained, you'll have some fun, and your creativity muscle will be flexed. As you work your imagination in new ways, you'll find new and exciting ideas bubbling up in your daily work. Give it a try and let me know what you think and remember: think big.

Note: If you already troll the science news, move to a different pool. Try history, language, mathematics or any other that is new to you and search the news of the day.

Links: http://www.sciencedaily.com/news, http://www.sciam.com/

Internet Tools for Writers: What's your IP Quotient? Assessing your Internet presence

Social networking has changed the way writers present a public face and they must now consider their IP quotient or Internet presence when engaged in online activities. Writers, many who are by nature introverted and wary of any crowd numbering more than two, have long railed against the idea of professional networking and decried the amount of time stolen from their real work: writing. Today opportunities to get your name out and take part in social media networking don't even require you to leave your ergonomically well-worn chair--although having a computer and the ability to go online is a must.

The Internet raises the stakes of the familiar Las Vegas slogan of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What goes on the Internet stays on the Internet--forever. It's prudent to consider how you will present yourself and your work when you're online visiting sites, leaving comments, and participating in social networks. Just as a person has a public and a private face, so too, for the Internet.

Writers take up all sorts of IPs. Some are curmudeonly such as Grumpy Editor. Others choose to use the Internet as an extension of their writing freelance business such as Georganna Hancock at A Writer's Edge and Lillie Amman. What happens, though, is that all too often no thought is given to the trail being left behind. Things said and done impulsively often boomerang. In the early days when email groups were all the rage, it wasn't uncommon for editors and agents to receive messages from group members tattling on those writers who wrote disparagingly of the agents and editors. Today writers offer opinions without realizing the wider ramifications of what is being said and left online for perpetuity. Anyone can Google their name and read a history of what has been said about them.

The Internet is a trickster that gives off a pervasive sense of immediacy and intimacy and implies privacy where none exists. It is nothing more than a vast illusion. There is no privacy. Writers would do well to remember that.

Growing numbers of writers, myself included, are taking advantage of social media networks such as MySapce, FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and JacketFlap. These are great vehicles to get the word out about books, book tours and signings,and publishing experiences. What's important to remember is that their use leaves lasting footprints. Go where you will but remember: step lightly.
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FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Jacketflap

Down the Writer's Path launches first Facebook ad campaign

One of the concerns of any blogger has to be readership. But doesn't that become a concern for most writers? The first question generally revolves around defining who the reader is. Once that is figured out the really big question is where to find them. If you've noticed my Facebook profile on the left, then you know I'm a new Facebook player. In the last month I've discovered two things important to this blog. DWP now has its own Facebook page with a growing "fan" base, and today I used the Facebook "create an ad" application to launch my first ad campaign. The information below is contained in the ad that began its foray into the sea of Facebook writers and readers a few hours ago. We'll talk more about social marketing but right now I'm happy to see the list of fans growing. If you have any experience with social media marketing, let me know.     

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Writing Tools: Embrace your Kindle

The Amazon Kindle electronic reader quickly becomes a writer's best friend. No one is more surprised than me. I never thought anything would compare to the "book" experience but the Kindle does a great job of simulating the reader's experience in size, weight, and, yes, even page-turning experience. Add the highlighting and note-taking features and, for me, it becomes a keeper.I never thought anything would compare to the "book" experience but I was wrong.   

I've had my Kindle for a little over a year. When I travel now my suitcases are no longer loaded down with books--a big help now that weight has become such an issue. I don't have to ship books ahead when I attend workshops. The number of texts available in books, magazines, and newspapers has skyrocketed. The ease and portability of the Kindle make it great to have on hand for those times when I'm stuck in line or sitting in a waiting room. I can switch from book to book if my mood changes because of the huge amont of storage. No more books littering my car or dragging me down with an additional bag hanging off my shoulder....just in case. Making notes and highlighting text is a breeze and I don't need  to carry a notebook or stack of index cards. I can read it anywhere.  

Now Amazon is releasing the next generation. This one relieves the reader of any dependence on hot spots or computer access. You can download a book anywhere and anytime. If you haven't tried the Kindle now is a great time. I never thought I'd enjoy reading a "book" without paper pages but the Kindle has changed my mind. Best news: my YAs can be found on Kindle.

Links: Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device

Writer's Tools: OMG, I'm Facebooked!

The solitary writer is no longer alone. I have finally succumbed to the social networking phenomena and opened a Facebook account. I did it in the name of research, of course. I wanted to experience what my characters did on a daily basis. Now I'm not sure why it took me so long. Too much focus on the writing, I guess, and not enough playing around. I can see why everyone likes this. I began last night and already have 40+ friends and managed to reconnect with several old friends. It's all so, well, immediate. But there's more for writers to do than simply chat with friends.

Facebook offers writers plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle, to market and to publicize. There's a lot of cross-fertilization that can occur with only a few clicks. You'll find my Facebook profile on the left side of my blog now and my blog posts appearing on my Facebook account. Any blogger can immediately import their feed into the Notes section and a notice of the new post is immediately listed. I uploaded my book covers and put them in an album. The ability to go back and forth and talk to people and keep them apprised of what I'm doing is amazing. I can share photos, links, blog posts, and just about anythng else I can come up with. If I have future booksignings, there's a place for events. If I want to post slices of current work or reviews of my books, I can. The ability to just plain support one another is incredible. The nice thing is that I am not restricted to just writing when I share links and information. I'm still mining all the opportunities Facebook provides; after all, it's been less than 24 hours since my FB birth but I get it. So stop by, say hello, and "friend" me.  

Writer's Tools: Teamwork versus Basecamp project management

Online project management sites can provide useful tools and an additional way to duplicate files of all your ongoing work. Last year I set up a free account at Basecamp for my current novel. I liked it well enough but due to health and family reasons only did an initial setup and follow up. The other day I decided it was time to get a move on and looked up my Basecamp account. It was all there and fine. I like Basecamp but the free account only allows one project and the next level up requires a monthly payment of $24.00 That set me off on a search for other online PMs. I wanted something for my large book projects and not my other smaller projects. (I use Backpack for those and for personal projects.)  

I found what I was looking for at Teamwork. Teamwork's free account allows for two projects. I like this because recently the second book has blown through with enough info for me to establish it as a separate project. The other thing is that the next level up provides more projects and is only $12 a month. That is definitely more in price range should the first two books sell. (You can always open up another free account if you want. The only drawback is that new projects would be in separate account.)

I have the series name as the overall name and then the two book titles as the two project names. A cool feature is that you can assign a logo or photo to a project. Both Basecamp and TeamWork give you the ability to allow your critique members, agents, editors, or whomever access to your projects on your terms. So if you really like a more collaborative writing experience that feature might appeal to you. It's optional so if you're the lone duck type, you're fine.

I'll be going to Donald Maass's next Breakout Novel Writing Intensive next month in the San Jose area so I'll have all my files uploaded and accessible without having to worry about it. I also use Google docs and Google Notebooks so carrying an external storage unit is optional but not necessary since there will be Internet access. Maybe I'll see you there. If not, have fun exploring these writing tools.

Links: Teamwork, Basecamp, Backup, Google Docs, Google Notebook, Maass Breakout Novel Writing Intensive

Freewriting my way to 100K words and a final first draft

It's a new year and with it comes plenty of new energy and renewed commitments to ongoing projects. I've been in the midst of a longterm work for a number of years now. What began as a possible mystery novel has, throuh several years of story development, evolved into a major project that will easily keep me busy for the next ten years. Thanks to Don Maass, his books, and his workshops, I've taken a rather pedestrian amateur sleuth mystery idea and transformed it into a crime novel with a homicide detective that delights me in a world that continues to intrigue me. I'm fascinated with the project, the characters, and its potential. Instead of my interest waning after 3-4 years locked in story development, I find I'm intrigued and happy to be immersed in this world. I absolutely love what I'm doing now and every day is a new day exploring characters who live in a world that is alive and well in my imagination.

Last month I began a 100K freewrite draft. In three weeks I wrote just under 53K words. That's a lot, even for me, but I'm not surprised since this book has been the focus of my imagination and my subconscious for so many years. It's not a chronological draft. I'd tried several times to write a full draft of the story but it always fell flat. But in December I had the urge to toss all the other pages and begin anew with a total freewrite. No notes, no outllines, no previous manuscript pages. Cold turkey, cold writing. It was great and culminated with me writing more than 8,000 words New Year's Day. What a way to bring in 2009.

I've taken a break from the daily writing the last couple of weeks but in that space the second book has blown through and taken up residence. Now I'm being introduced to minor characters appearing in the first book who will take a more upfront role in the next case. It's fun to experience all this and I love the way everything is coming together after so many years. I'm so glad I made a conscious decision to not rush the process this time and it's paying off in a big way now. 

I'm getting ready to do the final push toward the magic 100K number. My goal is to have this freewrite draft finished by the time I attend Don's Breakout Novel Intensive in the middle of February. So I guess I better stop this post and get back to writing--on the book. We'll talk later. 

Recommended Reads: Writing the Breakout Novel; Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook; The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great

Ending 2008 on a high note!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. This has been a tough year what with the death of my father, hurricane Ike, health issues, and a hundred large and small things not worth mentioning. So I can't say I'm sorry to see the page turn. And with a new page comes the opportunity for a brand new year complete with all its hope, renewal, and opportunities. Things have greatly improved in the last month and I've been working on a pet project with vengeance. Tonight I'll be rounding the 50K corner and chugging my way toward the finish line. Writing the new year in is a wonderful beginning. I hope you will all cross the threshold into a new year full of good health, opportunities for increased wealth and for happiness. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Hurricane Ike: When life and research collide

Write what you know. That's the well-worn dictum writers hear over and over and over. The meaning may vary as you make your way through the craft and business. For many new to writing that results in semi-autobiographical novels and coming of age books. Others take the knowledge they've obtained through work and life experience and bring it to bear upon the novel in ways that impact settings, characters, ideas and themes.

The flip side is when a writer must balance what they know against what they don't know. Then they must heed the call of the writer's mighty cry: Research! For fiction and nonfiction writers research often has a magical connotation. Like Aladdin's famous cry of "Abracadabra," the words "it's for research" opens doors. People you don't even know will open up and spill their lifelong secrets and share their most private and intimate adventures. And the writers, in turn, become sponges. They soak up the life experiences of others; they eavesdrop and crib dialogue shaping it to their own needs. They prowl libraries, newspaper morgues, and city streets in search of that one tidbit that will make their fictional and nonfictional worlds achieve the blessed state of verisimilitude. Creating a world on paper that is real in the reader's mind is their one overarching goal.

What that means for the writer is that everything, and I mean everything, becomes fodder. So it's been for me with Hurricane Ike. As so often happens in a writer's life, synchronicity came into play. For the past several years I've been working on a crime novel. One of the novel's major elements is a hurricane, of course. (I do live in Houston and the city is the setting.) As I watched Ike make his northern tick toward Houston, I had a growing realization that Ike was traveling the path of my fictional hurricane. (It's not the first time real life has mirrored my writing but it always feels a tad bit freaky when it happens.) As the winds whipped outside my home last Friday, I grabbed one of my favorite tools, the Flip Video, and videoed the storm blustering past and the news media's real-time tracking reports. For the next 36 hours I sat in front of the TV and videoed the storm and its impact on the city and surrounding area. When the hurricane had passed and the newspapers landed on driveways again, I gathered all the intel on Ike. (Hey, I love the media doing my research!) It continues today. I've videoed the mayor's news conferences, images of boats thrust through homes, flattened coastal areas, community sharing, individual anecdotes--even the Marines in all their glory landing on Galveston. All fodder for my novel.

My own reactions are captured in emails to friends and forums I frequent. Subject lines are tagged for easy search. Will all this appear in my novel as it really happened? No. What I'm looking for is the sense of it all, the timelines, the emotions, and those incremental sensory items so necessary to recreating reality in fiction. For writers, real-time research becomes second nature. It's definitely that way for me. Am I glad the storm came through? No. It's a devastation no community should have to endure. But it happened. And I guess after having been a writer for so many years, I automatically heed the call of research the minute its siren voice is heard. How about you? Have you reached that point where daily life assumes the mantle of research and you find yourself chronicling events, dialogue, and emotions as they occur all in the name of research?

The Prayer of Jonah: Introducing my new blog

Today marks the introduction of my The Prayer of Jonah blog to the blogosphere. The Prayer of Jonah is a new writing endeavor--well, not so new to me but new to the world--that I've created to capture my more spiritual and faith-based writings. I created the blog back in 2004 when I first took up the ancient art of iconography. Since then I've posted infrequently as I worked out the definition, nature and purpose of this particular blog. If you visit the site, you'll quickly see its scope. You'll find my ruminations on the book Book of Jonah and the prophet, reflections on my spiritual journey, and rants chronicling my experience as, I admit, a rather reluctant caregiver. Obviously these offerings will attract a different readership from you here at Down the Writer's Path or that of My Dancing Pencil so a new blog was born.