In the past few months, I’ve seen a few things in the writing blogosphere that have disturbed me: writers nitpicking, complaining, and acting like they have a sense of entitlement.

Some of these behaviours include:

• Being paranoid that other writers, agents, or acquiring editors will steal your ideas
• Claiming writing contests or promotions aren’t fair
• Complaining that the query system doesn’t work
• Expressing concern that agents and editors just don’t ‘get’ one’s writing because it’s above their intellect
• Leaving deliberately abrasive comments on people’s blogs to spark debate
• Badmouthing literary agents who don’t necessarily work the way the writer would like them to
• Giving excessively harsh critiques that aren’t at all helpful
• Saying that other writers’ books should never have been published because they’re not as good as one’s unpublished writing

Getting published is difficult, so it’s sometimes tempting for the unpublished among us to cry, “The system isn’t fair!” or “It’s all about who you know.” Perhaps the system isn’t always fair, and yes, it doesn’t hurt to know someone who can recommend your work to a literary agent or an editor.

But…

Most things in life aren’t fair.

(Sorry. Your mother was right.)

While most of us do our best to build each other up, others insist on destroying morale with their negativity.

The problem is, they’re only destroying themselves and their own opportunities for success. Before these grumblers actually have time to write something publishable, they’ll be disillusioned with the entire process and, most likely, give up.

Why do you think writers sometimes behave this way? Is it to make ourselves feel better? Is it about jealousy? Frustration? Ego?

Perhaps you find yourself caught in a cycle of negativity about the world of writing and publishing. If so, take a moment to remember:

• All published writers were once unpublished like you, and most of them got contracts the old-fashioned way–by querying an agent.
• If, after due persistence, you can’t find an agent who ‘gets’ your work, the problem most likely lies with your manuscript. Focus some of that energy into finding out how to write better.
• You’re entitled to your opinion, but there’s no need to be abrasive about it.
• Criticism is meant to be constructive. Empower another writer by helping them see what areas of their work they can improve, but be nice about it.
• Just because you don’t care for a certain author’s work doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have been published. Everyone has different tastes.

What things drive you crazy in the writing community? What defeatist attitudes or behaviours bother you most?

Now, don’t get me wrong. Most of you are amazing. We’re all grateful for the wonderful community of writers here at Fuel.

Let’s help spread the support to our fellow writers. This week, try thanking someone who’s made a difference to your writing. Encourage a struggling newcomer to the craft. Help someone polish their query. Leave a helpful comment on someone else’s blog.

Let’s do our best to make each another’s journey that little bit easier, that bit more enjoyable.

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Writers: Are You Destroying Yourself with Negativity?

Fortunately, you don’t have to force yourself to write (that’s actually one way to bring on writer’s block) or wait for the muse to rescue you from that staring contest.

But first, it gets worse.

Though most writers fear writer’s block for the obvious reason, there’s something else happening on another level that most writers don’t acknowledge.

Writer’s block stunts your growth as a writer.

Because you’re not able to produce work, you’re not able to grow from experience. And if there’s one thing we can all acknowledge as a community, it’s that the more we write, the better we get … I mean, who isn’t embarrassed by their earlier work?

If you’re not writing, you’re not growing.

Here are three quick things that help avoid stunted growth during writer’s block.

Try Writing For Another Medium

Though most of us aren’t as talented as Niel Gaiman, it’s good exercise for writers to try their hand at other mediums. If you’re a novelist, try writing a children’s book; if you’re a screenwriter, try writing a poem; if you write fiction in general, try writing a helpful article or starting a blog.

The idea here is to expand your horizon by trying new forms of writing. You never know, you might find you’re a horrible poet, but an awesome blogger. Regardless if you find another medium you enjoy, you’ll at least know where you stand, and where your strengths and weakness are.

Push yourself into new areas of the craft and explore your abilities. You might find that you really enjoy a medium you weren’t interested in before.

Read the Work of Your Idols

For me, this is the single most important things to do when struck with writer’s block. Not only does it create inspiration purely because of the how exceptional the work is in nature, but also because it slingshots you into places you otherwise might not have explored.

This applies across all mediums — whether working with poetry, creative fiction, blog posts, and more.

Look to your idol for inspiration by reading their work — chances are you’ll develop a better understand of the craft and pick up on their style.

Quick Note: If you find yourself unable to read the work of your idol, let alone others, you might want to consider asking yourself if you’re writing for the right medium. Be honest with yourself and move on if needed.

Read the Back Cover of 10 Neighboring Books

Similar to when you used to spin a globe, wait a moment, then stop it with your finger — the place you pointed to being the place you would eventually live — writers should randomly select a spot in their local book shop and spend some time reading the back covers of 10 or more neighboring books.

It’s a great way to gain a refreshed sense of story, and see just how different, yet the same, most stories are.

What Keeps You Growing During Writer’s Block?

Those three suggestions work for me, but how about you? Is there anything you think works in terms of continuing to grow as a writer, even in the face of writer’s block?

Please share your own methods of beating writer’s block and growing and improving your writing in the comments below!

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How to Avoid Stunted Growth During Writer’s Block

Doing this will create new ideas for you, and will stretch your current boundaries. Those two things fuel any good writer.

You may want to take it further, though. You might be asking, “What’s the fuel for a truly great writer?”

The answer to that remains elusive. Great writers discover their own mix of secret ingredients. But I’m convinced each one starts with finding ways to expose themselves to subjects, people, places and things they know nothing about. At those moments, inspiration finds them. Rather, they get an idea, and then they act on that idea.

So what am I really saying here? It’s not just about what book you should read next. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone. Act. Forget about finding ways to just wake up your muse. Shake it to its core, instead.

Here are five things you can do to fuel your ideas, and encourage yourself to act on them.

1. Talk to a complete stranger for 15 minutes.
2. Take a long walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
3. Try a new form of art. Music. Cooking. Painting, etc.
4. Travel.
5. Unplug from your digital world for a day.

What other ways can you fuel your ideas?

What else makes great writers?

Please let us know in the comments below!

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If You Read Only One Book This Year…

After much deliberation, the birthday boy decided he’d like a fish-shaped cake for his party, and the photo he gave me for reference looked like quite a challenge.

Nevertheless, I spent half of the following day secretly baking, icing and decorating, to surprise him when he would return home from school.

When my husband walked in the door and found me sweating over the colourful creation, he smiled, gave me a hug, and said, “Every kid should have a mom like you. You were meant to be a mother.”

For someone who once thought she would end up an eccentric spinster with a houseful of cats, those words really hit home. I didn’t always think I was meant to be a mother–in fact, I thought I’d be terrible at it. Now I know different.

This got me thinking about what it means when someone says, “You were meant to be a writer.”

A friend once said those words to me, without ever having read anything I’d actually written. For some reason, she felt it was something I was meant to do. While it was tempting at the time to treat it like an empty compliment, the more I thought about it, the more I started to believe her.

I know I’m meant to be a mother because I love my kids, I’m proud to hear them call me “Mama,” and I would do anything for them. Even when I fail my children, even when times get tough, I wouldn’t trade motherhood for the world.

Writing is different. I know I can string together a proper sentence, I have a vivid imagination, I love to read, and most of all–I enjoy writing. But those are characteristics possessed by many people, and not all of them want to (or should) become writers.

What separates us from others who simply enjoy writing? Is it a gift? A talent? A delusion?

How do you know you’re meant to be a writer? Or, if you’re still unsure, what keeps you from believing you have what it takes?

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Are You Meant to Be a Writer?

“Most of what I know about writing fiction I learned by running every day.” – Haruki Murakami

The quote above is taken from Haruki Murakami’s brilliant memoir ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’. He happens to be both a writer and a runner, as do I. Runners and writers are very much alike. They are both, in essence, solitary characters, often confined to long, lonely hours of mental or physical exertion, in order to achieve their goals. They constantly push themselves to go further, to achieve more each time they do the thing that they love. For runners, it’s miles. For writers, words.

Both take commitment, dedication, and hard work. Sometimes I don’t feel like running, and I don’t feel like writing, but I have to work through tough patches. Writers can learn a lot from running. Either by using it in a metaphorical sense, building up our endurance and rhythm, but also in a literal sense. Towards the end of the article I point out how the actual act of running has aided my writing.

Focus

“… the ability to concentrate all your limited talent on whatever’s critical at the moment.”

Murakami describes this as one of the most important qualities for a writer. This is very important for a runner too, focusing all your energy in the moment, as you take your strides, ignoring the cramp in your side or the wind battering you in the face or the pain creeping into your knee. Writers, similarly, have to be able to focus on the task at hand concentrating on the moment, on the words, on the story. Fortunately, we can train ourselves to do this, as runners do.

Endurance

After focus, Marukami thinks endurance is very important, specifically if you are interested in writing novels. I am writing one at the moment, and besides a novel I wrote a few years ago for NaNoWriMo, this is my first real attempt to put together a proper, long piece of work. This is not my natural habitat as a writer – I much prefer writing short stories where I can construct a scene and delve right into the details and emotions of that moment. Maybe I’m lazy – but it’s also a sense of the vast amounts of real hard work and dedication that it takes to write a long piece of work.

Running, especially mid- to long-distance running, is all about endurance and stamina. Through training we can build up this stamina in order to have the strength, endurance and confidence to keep going and push ourselves when we hit a mid-novel crisis point (usually, apparently, around 30k words). We can train ourselves (and I know I’ve said this many times, but it bears repeating) by sitting down and writing. This is exactly what runners do when they run a little bit further each day, in order to build up their muscles and physique.

Rhythm

“Once you set the pace, the rest will follow.”

Every runner knows that rhythm is vitally important. Your running style must be smooth and consistent, in order to not put too much strain on your body, to allow yourself to run efficiently, to conserve energy and to put in the extra effort where you really need it, like when you are running uphill or in the final push towards the finishing line.

In writing, rhythm is just as important. We need to write every day, ideally, or at least in a regular, consistent schedule in order to build up the habit. Through the generation of this habit the words and ideas will begin to flow, which in turn only makes the writing get easier and easier.

Clarity of Thought

When I took up running, something that I never expected was how meditative it can be. The physical exertion, the repetitive beat of your feet on the road and your heart in your chest, the time spent alone focused on yourself, can be a rather zen-like experience. It can empty your mind, and produce a clarity of thought was is surprising and incredible. Often when I run, ideas for my writing flood into my mind. New stories and characters, twists and tweaks to whatever I’m working on, solutions to problems I’m having with my stories or articles. I even end up writing sentences and entire paragraphs in my head as I run! It is amazing experience, and is worth taking up running for on its own. More about running as meditation can be read here.

Are any of you runners? Have you found it help with your writing? Is anyone inspired to take up running after reading this? Please leave your comments and feedback below.

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Running and Writing: Focus, Endurance and More

Dedication, you might call it, were you the flattering type (thanks!). Idiocy, you might counter, if you weren’t. But let’s label it perfectionism, the bane of the diligent writer, and the whole messy reason I’ve rewritten this introductory sequence three times over.

I’m tempted to rewrite it again.

That’s the terrible truth of it: perfectionism, celebrated in fields that demand little attachment to your work, proves a dangerous hurdle for folks who make a living off the sweat, blood and tears they pour onto the page. Think I’m being dramatic? Tally up each and every unfinished story on your harddrive. Count, too, each draft sitting a simple click away from going live on your website. Now – the best part! – consider where you might be right now if every single one of those projects had seen the light of day.

My own number settles somewhere between embarrassing and horribly depressing. Excuses? I’ve got plenty: too little time, a lack of inspiration, etc. The truth, naturally, hits a lot harder. I’m a perfectionist. Everything I write must visibly gleam on the page, diction so shiny and golden that it affords new meaning to the moniker ‘wordsmith.’

But life, ladies and gentleman, doesn’t play that nice. That’s admirable ambition, sure, but a goal unrealistic for the regular writer – the kind, y’know, trying to afford things like bread and toys off the bounty of the gray stuff between his ears. Striking it big proves a lot easier when the words shine at least silver, but here comes the reality check: if I’m too much of a perfectionist to ever call my work complete, hours spent perfecting every single word do little beyond waste precious time.

I don’t advocate sending your work off the moment you finish, mind. Taking time off afterward can prove a great help to the exhausted writer, but there comes a point when you have to stop rephrasing sentences every time you pull the words up on your screen.

Found Guilty

Obvious confession: I’m guiltier than the rest. A story of mine still lurks on my hard drive from nearly two years back, one that could have seen sunlight were I not so picky about the final product. The constant need to rewrite should already flash as a warning sign, but imagine that process pushed to an agonizing end – reluctance to even revisit the work, to sitting down with the words your own mind convinces you will never be just right.

Your brain does fine work in many cases. Telling you when to drop the editing pen isn’t one of them. But that’s a hard truth to swallow, especially for us poor writer types, and the kind of realization that only clicks when weeks – or months, or years – have passed since you last sat down with your story and tried to tighten it up.

Don’t do what I do, folks. Don’t obsess over minor details and waste countless hours debating the impact of each word on the audience. Give your work its due diligence, of course, but realize that there’s a point when just one more revision will do so much more harm than good.

Your words will thank you for the chance to breathe. And you’ll take away something too: the chance to channel your creative energy into a new project, maybe, without leaving the last one cold and unloved on your desktop. You might even come away with new respect for the countless books and stories crowding the store shelves. Are they perfect?

Of course not. But at least their authors knew when to let go, right?

How do you get over your perfectionism when it comes to your writing? Or do you?

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Perfection is Overrated

“When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth.” – Kurt Vonnegut

If the feeling described in this quote sounds familiar, you’re not alone. We all feel helpless sometimes when we sit down to write, feeling as though we aren’t going to be able to put down onto the page what we have in our heads. This can be a very debilitating feeling, and can demotivate us to the point that we don’t even try.

But, if we take a moment to reflect, we come to the realisation that everybody feels this way at some time. Remembering that masters of our craft, such as Kurt Vonnegut, have experienced this feeling of helplessness too is very comforting. Despite feeling like this, he was able to overcome his self-doubts and write some of the most influential works of the 20th century, and become one of America’s most celebrated modern authors.

So, how can we overcome our own feelings of helplessness? Let’s look at Vonnegut’s quote again, and turn it into positive ways we can fight through our self-doubts and lack of conviction.

Be Legless

Imagine you actually don’t have any legs. You’re not going to be going very far, are you? But do you need your legs to be able to write? Of course you don’t! So stay where you are and just get writing. I know this has been said before, but it really is one of the best pieces of writing advice out there. When we start writing, magic things usually start to happen. Characters start to come alive and they pull us along, encouraging the writing to happen. You realise that you can write, and you can write some really good stuff. You’ll probably write some rubbish too, definitely if you are working on your first draft, but you can always change this later, can’t you? But if you don’t start writing, nothing will happen. Nothing bad, but nothing good either. So sit down and write. Once you get going, and get into a flow, you will feel less helpless with every word that you write.

Be Armless

You could easily write without your legs, but surely you need your arms to write, yes? Wrong! Take inspiration here from the amazing Jean-Dominique Bauby, author of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He wrote this wonderful book after suffering a stroke that left him with a rare condition called “locked-in syndrome”, in which he become completely and utterly paralysed, but with his brain still working perfectly. He composed the story by blinking his left eyelid, the only part of his body that he could move, communicating with an interpretor who wrote his story down. The power and resilience of the mind to overcome that which restrains us is incredible. Remember this the next time you sit down to write. If you feel hopeless, remember Bauby. Focus on what is in your mind, and get it down any way you can.

Use a Crayon

I’m not going to tell you to try and write with a crayon in your mouth (although if you want to try that, I’m not going to stop you!), but why not write with a crayon in your hand? Buy a packet of cheap wax crayons (or steal some from your children!), pick your favourite colour, and get writing. Enjoy the feel of the stubby crayon in your hand, smell the wax, pick up and new crayon and change colours halfway through a sentence, halfway through a word even! In short, approach your writing in a new, childlike way. Embrace that feeling. Children are not restrained by feelings of helplessness or fear. They don’t exist to them. They just do things. Do the same. You can do it.

Don’t let anything hold you back. Most of our helplessness is simply self-defeating thoughts in our heads, which when tackled in the right way can surely be overcome. Whether your armless- and leglessness is psychological (as with Vonnegut) or actual (in Bauby’s locked-in state), it doesn’t mean that you can’t write. So just sit down, pick up a pen (or crayon) and get writing.

What kind of things do you do to motivate yourself when you feel helpless? Please share your thoughts and any inspiring quotes (reminding us that the literary greats are human too!) in the Comments below.

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So It Goes: We All Feel Helpless Sometimes

During the month of December 2009, I took a self-imposed sabbatical from writing. With my plate loaded with more projects than I was prepared to handle, and my stress level reaching epic proportions, I no longer found writing fun. Yet I pressed forward as all good writers believe they must, when hit with writer’s block or fatigue. I allowed my competitive and ambitious nature to berate my good judgment. Until one day, shortly after writing an article for a local magazine, I stopped. I put down my pen, and closed my journal. What followed was relief. For too long I had lost sight as to why I loved writing in the first place. Though it may sound like a cliché, this statement reins true, when writing stops being fun, then stop writing.

I tuned into other creative outlets, which provided the rejuvenation that I needed – music, card making, and hosting a horror movie marathon. Writer’s block, the demands of family, work, and life are all perfect examples why a break from writing may be in your best interest. The last thing an author wants is for their work to sound hollow and unnatural. A lack of passion in your writing is the side effect of forcing yourself to write, when you should not.

My advice is to have fun within all aspects of your life. So, if you decide to put down your pen, or close your notebook, here are two websites, which have the ability to bring a smile to your face, clear your mind and eliminate your stress. Enjoy.

hunch.com

Hunch is an interactive website of questions and answers. It is very easy to become hooked. Be warned.

reasonablyclever.com

Ever wanted to know what you would look like as a mini plastic lego-like being? Well, me too! This site is hilarious, for those with an easy sense of humour.

Have you ever reached a point where the joy you gained from writing ceased? What did you do?

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Put Down That Pen!

As part of this discipline and set of habits, most writers gravitate toward a special place to craft their words. Sometimes, it isn’t just one spot, but several. Heck, maybe it’s wherever their muse strikes them.

My point is you should be thinking about where you’re stringing your words together.

It carries importance. More than you think.

It inspires. Nurtures. Provides focus. Grants freedom. And so much more.

I’m certain the places we choose to write in grab hold of us in all sorts of different ways. This got me thinking…

Upload a Photo of Your Favorite Writing Spot

So where do you write and what does this place mean to you?

Upload a photo or photos of your favorite spot or spots to an image sharing site like Flickr or Picasa and include a short one to two sentence caption about what it means to you or why you like writing there.

Then post the link in the comment section of this post. And don’t forget to invite your writing friends to do the same.

My Writing Spot

I’ll get us started. You see mine above. I love this space mostly because of the photography hanging right in front of me. It’s a shot by Henri Silberman called Poet’s Walk.

It reminds me that writing is a journey, and often a long, hard road, but one worth following.

I can’t wait to see and read about your favorite writing spot!

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And Your Favorite Place to Write Is?

But, should we take a writing course? Many of you may have already taken a course – a learn-at-home course done at your own pace, a week-long writer’s retreat, or even a longer, University-based course. Other may be thinking about it, weighing up the pros and cons. I’d like to share with you here my experience during my time studying for my Masters in Creative Writing. I’ve summed up the experience into the main pros and cons, as I see it.

Con #1 – The money.

A course like the one I took costs money. A LOT of money, in fact, and at several times during the course I was unsure whether the money I was spending was really worth it. I took this course before we slid into a recession, but at this time now it is even harder not to look at things from a cost and reward viewpoint, we are always looking to get our money’s worth. Actual teaching time on this course seemed sparse, about four to six hours a week, so we really had to make the most of the time with our tutors.

One particular area of the course that I did not feel was value for money was the module dedicated to the publishing side of writing – something that me and my fellow students were really looking forward to. All of us, even from the start, had some measure of skill and confidence in our writing, but we all lacked awareness of the industry in which we wanted to break. Unfortunately, this module delivered little of this insight. Each week a different local professional, from publishers to writers to agents to theatre directors, would give us a talk on the industry. But mostly they seemed to focus on how hard it would be for us to get our work published, how little money we would actually make if we did. One writer spent the entire lecture telling us about all the extra things she did to promote her books, with seemingly very little success. Not particularly inspiring, or insightful.

One lecture did come close, where an agent outlined what would make a good submission and query letter, but helpful practicalities like this seemed very thin on the ground.

Con #2 –  Lack of long-term help.

I feel that the Masters course, despite being a year long, still did nothing to help my long-term writing career. This is another major con of a course like this, if you are looking for something like this as a “way in” to the publishing industry, I don’t think that it is it. Even if the course that you take offers better advice on the practicalities of the publishing industry, it is a far cry from actually applying them in the real world. Maybe I went into the module, and my friends also, with the wrong expectations. A better way to learn about the practicalities of the publishing industry, if that is all that you are looking to do, may be to delve into the advice found on the Internet. Yes, you won’t get the face-to-face benefit of talking to an agent, but maybe this is not necessary. After all, you can learn all you can about writing queries, but that’s no use if you haven’t written something that’s good enough to publish!

Despite these cons, and I believe they are pretty major reasons not to take a course like this, they are definitely outweighed by the pros. To see them, you just have to focus not on the future, but take a while to focus on the immediate benefits you experience on a writing course.

Pro #1 – Honing your Skills.

Stephen King argued that while it is impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, or a competent writer out of a bad one, it IS possible, with help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one. On the Masters we definitely got the help and advice for this to happen. We all got the opportunity to really hone the skills that we already had. Learning them from scratch on a course like this may be a lot harder, but we all went into the course already with some writing skill, and I don’t think anyone would take a writing course if they didn’t already have some skill in writing.

Perhaps the dullest parts of the course, for me certainly, were spent learning about some of the mechanics of writing. However, these are all important, even if you do not think about them all the time while you are writing (in fact, it’s probably a good idea if you don’t, for fear of restricting and second-guessing yourself) it is important to be aware of how the words you put down and the way you construct them affect the meaning and the story that you convey to the reader, and can make a big difference in your writing.

Another skill that we all honed was becoming aware of and developing our individual styles. One such exercise in style that I can remember, and one of my favourite memories of the course, was when we had to count the number of adjectives that we had in a (short) passage of our writing. I had seven, one of the lowest in the class. Most people had a few more than that. My best mate had 22!

Pro #2 – The company you keep.

One of the best things about taking a writing course (unless it is a home-study one) is the wonderful people that you are likely to meet. On the Masters I was brought together with lots of like-minded people, people who wrote but wouldn’t yet call themselves writers. There were many people my age, and also a lot of older people, which was a great mix of enthusiasm and experience. There were some amazing characters too — the American pastor who had a story for every occasion and would tell it no matter who was or wasn’t listening, a lady who seemed to accidentally make everything that she wrote erotic and filled with double meanings, and a Lord (not a real one…) with whom I have shared many a milkshake, and many a game of Wii Mario Kart. 

And these were just the students! The teachers were amazing too, for the most part, and were all so different in their backgrounds and writing styles that we were exposed to a range of influences and teaching styles. The teachers included Jackie Kay, a writer who almost became the first female Poet Laureate, a Malawian writer who was imprisoned for almost 4 years by the Dictator Hastings Banda for his poetry, and the wonderful David Almond, author of Skellig. He, in particular was utterly inspiring, sharing with us not only practical skills, but also ways of thinking about our work, and the magic that is at the heart of writing. On any writing course I am sure that you will be exposed to a similar variety of tutors, many of whom may be rather famous and successful themselves. Even the ones who aren’t will have a wealth of knowledge, both practical and inspirational, to pass on.

Pro #3 – Having FUN!

Writing is supposed to be fun, right? Far often we take it too seriously, sitting for long hours at our desks, writing away, editing, getting frustrated. On the course we would meet up frequently outside of class, sometimes with our current work that we would share with each other, critique etc. We bad-mouthed a particularly obnoxious tutor, joked with some of the girls that they fancied him. Me and my best mate got told off once, like little schoolkids, for laughing and joking on in class. We had parties, drank cocktails. The great thing was that even spending time not writing with these new friends was rewarding and beneficial. What we ultimately all had in common was writing, the creative spirit, and a commitment to furthering our knowledge. Being like-minded individuals, we all helped each other to grow, not just as writers but as people as well.

In the end, it boiled down to one thing. It was the people I met that made it worth taking the course, and the same will be true for you.

Have any of you taken a writing course? Did you think it was worth it? Please share your comments below, and please ask any questions you might have about my experience studying the craft.

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An Education: Reasons to Take a Writing Course

Entitled “Parisian Love”, the 60-second spot mesmerized the viewer with a story of romance that began with online academic research. The ad used Google’s global search engine to incrementally pace into descriptive snippets that moved the viewer from schools to jobs to restaurants to churches to baby cribs. The ad hit a home run with many watching the Super Bowl, some reporting they were moved to tears. Why? Because the ad told a great story. It’s that simple.

Good story telling often times requires a defined beginning and end. The Google ad did that by demonstrating its own search engine product.  Well-thought-out sensory touches can make a good story a great story. Google did that through selective, but audible sounds heard only three times during the ad. And the story’s point must resonate with target audiences. Even the most die-hard, beer-guzzling football aficionado could appreciate the point of this story.

Kudos to Google’s creative team! Thanks for reminding us that, as writers, we need to keep it a simple story.

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KISS – Keep It a Simple Story

Just like any poet, prophet or forward-thinking bringer-of-light, you, as a writer, have a big task ahead of you. Whether writing a novel, screenplay, play, essay, or updating your gardening blog — you are both shaping the future and immortalizing the past. And wielding such deity-like power is freakin’ exhausting.

When I sat down to write this article, I had no clue what the topic would be, so I started with the title. I had never heard the word “whelmed” on its own, and the little red spell-checker-underline-thingie appeared. I guess you’re either under or over, and whelment itself is a level of balance so unattainable that it wasn’t worth putting in the dictionary.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job

A teacher of mine once said:

Your legacy is the only thing you should be working on.

That’s a tall order. And I took it literally, feeling like I should just blow everything else off.

Looking a little deeper the word “working” stood out. Am I “working” to handle all the petty tasks that are most day jobs? Am I dwelling on them? Stressing out about them? Or am I just getting them handled and out of the way in as calm a manner as possible?

If the day job doesn’t entail doing what one loves (or is not a viable stepping stone to that end), and it’s taking up exorbitant amounts of time and energy — either find a job doing what you love, or find a job that will pay the bills and that doesn’t. Then “work” at doing what you are passionate about.

Maybe you’ll get frustrated while writing, painting, singing or expressing yourself in whatever creative medium floats your boat — that’s fine. Better stressing over your art than over something that will mean nothing to you — or anyone else — months from now, let alone when you’re gone.

Take an analysis of how you spend your days. Are you contributing to your story? (and stories.) Answer and go from there.

Love The Chaos

Since the chances of being whelmed are slim to none — it’s really a game of balance.

By nature, creative types are emotional, sensitive, and passionate beings. And Sensitivity always travels with her kid sister, Drama, who drives us up a wall—but is secretly the propagator of our best art.

Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity — T.S. Eliot

Look at history’s best writers, they’re all insane to some degree — and that’s part of what makes them so damn good.

Is insanity prerequisite to be a great writer? Possibly. At least a little. A writer must be somewhat schizophrenic to invoke and portray his and her many characters; to be his own antagonist and protagonist; her own desperation and hope; their own villain and hero.

Where the balance comes in is in embracing the insanity. Wrap your arms around Drama, that little bitch, and let her know that you appreciate her. Accept the chaos in your head — as well as the chaos in your life — for the gift that it is. Without chaos, we’d have no clue what order was. In the same way that without a villain, we’d have no idea what a hero was.

In like fashion, it is our time spent in those thick, tangled fields of overwhelm, and barren, dusty acres of underwhelm, that leaves us yearning for and ever moving towards that luscious, green whelm-adjacent pasture.

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Whelmed

(Oh, and I got a little excited and asked more than one question within a question, so I hope you can keep up.)

Fuel Your Writing:

Let’s get the big questions out of the way — What prompted you to start oneword.com? How did you go about doing just that? And (if you did) how did you market the site?

Brian Kessler:

It is a prompt site, which was prompted by prompting in a verbal prompt exercise. So there was a lot of prompting involved. A friend of mine had done a similar exercise in a writing group where one person would call out a word, then the group would write about it until the moderator would call out “stop!”
I really liked the idea and wanted to create an online version of the exercise, but had no clue where to begin. This was back in 1998. In 2003, I started blogging and was using the Movable Type publishing platform, and I realized that I could tweak it and make it work, so I tweaked away and it was up and running within a week. At that point, I really was just wanting it for myself, and didn’t really imagine anything else happening with it. I sent it to a few friends and they all dug it, then within a few weeks it got listed as Yahoo!’s site-of-the-day and sorta blew up. Sorta. It simmered back down to a cool 200-300 posts per day, which was good, because it was mostly serious writers, and very few cut-and-paste-the-F-word entries.

Oh, and no marketing whatsoever.

FYW:

I heard that Demi Moore tweeted about your site a while back. Do you know what types of people you reach? And how many visit the site on a daily basis? Do you even care about the stats? Is it just a service, for lack of a better term, you provide, and what the writers get out of it is satisfaction enough for you?? What DO you get out of all of this?

BK:

Yes, [Demi] did and her tweet generated a lot of new fans . . . I certainly appreciated the props. … The site averages around 1500 visits per day. Though there have been up to 10,000 visits in a day—that’s the average lately. …
What I get out of it is the satisfaction of knowing that I’m helping others to be creative. I love it when people leave comments on the Facebook page about how it got them out of a block—that really makes my day.

FYW:

[So,] you’re up and running now and you have great prompts all the time. I use them myself just as a simple writing exercise for the day, or I even take it further sometimes. I expand on what I’ve written in the sixty seconds allotted for anything from my books to flash fiction to just random ramblings. It seems you’ve struck a chord with a lot of people, and I’m wondering what your plans are for the future of the site…

BK:

Right now, it has already exceeded all of my expectations. I love that people like you use it to kick-start your creativity. That really makes it all worth it.

There has been discussion of revamping it and adding new features, which has garnered a lot of “NO!!!!! Don’t change it!!!!’” multi-exclamation-point responses. But really, the changes would be unobtrusive, and the simplicity of the site would remain intact, as I believe that has been what has kept it afloat all these years. It’s really a no-nonsense site. It does what it does, and does it well.

That being said, we’re taking suggestions in the discussions section of our Facebook page.

FYW:

(I asked Brian if there was anything he wanted to tell me I may have missed asking, and this was his response — his question to himself…)
–The only thing I know you wanted to ask, but were too afraid was “where do the words come from?” to which I added: Are you the only one involved, or do you have people who help you out? Are all the prompts yours? Do you think you’ve ever unintentionally repeated a prompt, or do you keep a list of some sort??

BK:

A lot of times (thanks to the iPhone) I’ll be out and about and will just look around for inspiration. Other times it has something to do with what’s going on in my life at the time.
Yes, it’s just me. Now and then I’ll be with someone and say “give me a word,” to which they usually say something like “sesquipedantilism!” or [something a bit more risqué] — depending on who I’m with at the time. And I like to keep it clean and simple. Even so, I still get the occasional “wall? what’s that? wtf? I don’t know what that means!”
I try and keep it to words that my 6-yr-old niece can understand. And, no, I don’t keep a list, and have most definitely repeated one or three words over the last six years. I’ve been tempted to do the same word twice in a week to see if return writers would be inspired to write something totally different, though I’m pretty sure I’d get a lot of “hey! we already did this one!”. Really, that’s what flow is all about, letting those fingers fly regardless of any would-be obstacles.

FYW:

Another part of the follow-up included this: I actually did have one more question based on what you said:: Do you read through the entries to see what people are writing? You mentioned a couple times that you were aware of the content and quality, so I was just curious.

BK:

I don’t read every entry, but I do browse through them, usually . I will be going more thoroughly through them over the next few months as I am thinking of doing an annual book “365words” or something like that. And it will be a good time for me to go get rid of all the useless entries.

* * *

– There was so much more we discussed, but this was what I thought was the coolest and most interesting info that you might want to learn. Head on over to the site, oneword.com (I do all the time — one of our writers even has it set as his homepage (after reading my first article) and I guess be on the lookout for a future book. We’ll keep you updated!!

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More Than One Word (.com) With Brian Kessler

Multi-Colored Paper – Jenny Bick Bookbinding

Now how flippin’ fun are these? The answer is a lot! Maybe some of you will feel like a kindergartener drawing on construction paper but wasn’t life so much simpler back then? (The answer to that one is yes!)

Customizable – Bookfactory

Put your name on it! Or logo. Or anything else you want. With the Bookfactory, the sky’s the limit. Don’t let the minimum order get you down. For your business writers out there, what a great client gift idea.

Online – Mylifehereonearth.com

This is just one of the many online journal options out there. What I liked about this place was they have an option to write your autobiography. Isn’t that what a journal kind of is anyway?

Plantable – Uncommon Goods

Oh you read that correctly. Plantable. As in put it in the ground and create yet ANOTHER thing out of it. I just love this one! I should probably get a few of these since my huge box o’ journals is getting a little bit out of hand. This is also a great way to keep your private thoughts private. Well, Mother Earth will probably get a kick out of them but I hear she’s a great secret-keeper.

Venetian Wrap – Kiki James

This classic style of journal is handmade of soft nubuck. It comes in a variety of colors to satisfy both the ladies and gents out there.

Vera Bradley – Vera Bradley Barnes and Noble

This popular handbag designer teamed up with one of the largest booksellers to create this unique line. If you love her…um…unique and vibrant designs, then you’ll love carrying around these beauties.

Inspirational – Compendium

What I liked about these is that they’re not your typical “black poster with pretty picture” type of inspirational object. These provide fodder for your mind–even their covers inspire! This one pictured is the “Enjoy Everyday Journal.”  See what I mean?

Grandparent’s Journal – Uncommon Goods

Some of life’s best lessons come from the past. If you’re lucky enough to still have them around, get to know your Grandparent’s – therefore, part of your own – history with this unique and engaging journal.

Unique – Writer’s Bloc

I love the look of this one. Pure and simple.

Little Black Book – Jenny Bick Bookbinding

Because every person needs one. <Wink Wink Nudge Nudge>

Natural Hemp – Barnes and Noble

Green is good! For those of you who are into the “green-movement” this is a great choice for you. Called the “Kelambu Notebook,” it is handmade in the heart of the Himalayas in Nepal.

For Kids – Chasing Fireflies

We’ve covered the older generation, now it’s time to handle the younger one. Give a child this diary (at what point is it called a journal?) and open up a whole new world for them. The best part is that it comes with a lock that is supposed to keep out any prying eyes (who don’t have a paper clip and a nagging interest in someones innermost thoughts).

Travel – Gallery Leather

We recognize that there is so much more to writing than just jotting down your thoughts and ideas in the comfort of your home. This travel journal has thicker paper than your run-of-the-mill journal and the company says it is “the same indestructible construction of our other journals.”

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Write It All Down

Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal.
–Lionel Trilling–

What do you all think of this quote?

Recently I wrote about this on my personal site, expecting to expand on it, but life got in the way… (Moving, New Job, Holidays and all!)
So I’m going to talk to you about it instead.

I personally agree with Mr. Trilling.
Here’s my reason why — I stole the ending to my book. Yes, I did. I admit it.
But before you start chastising me, hear me out…

A few months ago, I was watching one of those crazy, Japanese thrillers. You know, the ones like The Grudge, and the one that inspired The Ring? Well this one had the coolest idea and I knew something else could be done with it. Something other than what this particular movie did. The movie was great, truly—one of my favorites now, but I knew the idea could be expanded on and used so many different ways!

It wasn’t intentional, but I began to think about how the concept of the entire film could be used in even a tiny part of my story. And, voila—I had my ending. Or at least the beginning to my ending. The main problem that my dear Alexis will have to solve in her own, tragic way.
This dilemma ended up becoming the cornerstone of my entire book. I figured out how it could be woven in to the rest, all the way back to the prologue. And now I couldn’t imagine my book without it. It would be a boring, pointless story. Kind of makes me wonder what my original plan was for the novel…

Anyway, back to the quote.
I take it to mean that mature artists steal from everything around them and turn it into their own. Kind of like American Idol, ‘You made it your own, dawg!’ Ha ha!
But seriously, not to toot my own horn (and I’m far from a mature ‘artist’), if a writer can take anything and everything they see and experience and feel, and turn it into something for their own work, that shows creativity and ingenuity.
Whereas writers who haven’t found their own style yet attempt to ‘borrow’ from other authors. They try to emulate their favorites, but never quite succeed. Their craft hasn’t yet matured.

At least, that’s my take on what Lionel Trilling was attempting to say.
Do you agree or not?
Why?
Let us know!
(And please, don’t be too hard on me about my theft—don’t turn me in…)

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To Borrow or To Steal?