I think they call it Scatterbrained.

Being a writer I’ve always been a dreamer.   Now I have a new name to call myself.  Scatterbrained.  That’s what I feel like lately.  I had a few errands to run before I went to work, but I just drove by the place I needed to stop.  When I got to work I was so upset.  Now I have to wait one more day.  Darn. 

Writing a list so I can stop off after work, but what I was going to do after work now is not going to happen.   Double darn.  

What has me so scatterbrained.  Health issues.  I mean major health issues.   I ignored the thing, thinking that it would go away.  It’s been three years and it’s not going away.  Plus it’s getting worse.  It’s time I faced the fact and find out what it is.

It started with just a small itch.  But the itch persisted.  I tried many ways to stop it.  Sometimes it would almost go away only to flare up again.  Day after day, year after year.  It still itches, but now there is pain.  When I bump it or rub against it.  Ouch.

A few weeks ago I was watching Dr. Oz the TV show.  There was a panel of doctors as guest.  One of the female doctors said something that stunned me.  She said there is a not very widely know type of breast cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  She said it was where the breast would itch and would not go away.

I did some research, looking at photos and reading the internet. Finally I went to the Cleveland Clinic emergency room.  I was seen by a doctor practitioner but there is just no way to know.  I need further testing.  Another reason I’m scatterbrained. I forgot the phone number to the follow up doctor.  That’s the most important thing of all of the things I forgot.  Drat, Drat, Drat.

Well I will try again in the morning and will update on my health issue.  It may be absolutely nothing…

Until next time.  

The Diligent Writers Critiquing Group, September 2011 meetings.

I founded The Diligent Writes Critiquing Group because I couldn't find one.  After 7 months of groups and some success I'm having a problem. 

I’m trying to figure out a way to motive the writers of my critiquing group.  I have 32 members but only about 15 have shown up to a meeting at least once or more. 

There are a few who are consistent and committed, of which I am grateful. 

I thought of sending surveys to the group by email, but wonder what kinds of questions to ask.  I typed up two surveys but each time I chicken out and deleted it.  I kind of feel that if the person was motivated they would do what needs to be done.  Then again, I can remember a time when I had dreams and didn’t do anything about it.   

You may ask in what ways I have catered to the groups needs.  Well we have a main critiquing group that meets on Saturdays once a month.  I just added an evening time for the individuals who cannot make the weekend meeting. We have a smaller group for writers who have a finished draft and working on revisions, we meet twice a month.  Then we have a Fiction Writers Workshop.  We do a chapter each month during which we do 15 to 20 writing exercises to boost our writing techniques and knowledge.

In answer to this dilemma: I’m not going to try and motive the members who haven’t taken the time to come.  I’ve decided to promote the group to find other committed writers. 

Members will come and go, it’s the ones that stay that are the ones I’m interested in.   

I did a little bit of research and will start to pass out flyers and contact other writing group on line and off.  And I will ask the members who are active to spread the word.

This is just the beginning stages.  I’m stepping way out of my comfort zone but I’m willing to do it to help other writers and get the group off the ground.  

Update to come up soon.  Until next time. 

The Diligent Writers Critiquing Group.

I have to admit this particular meeting was a bit nerve wrecking for me. I was to give a critique on one of the member’s novel.  After one month of having it in my possession I was now going to give him both good news and bad news. 

The good news: for a first draft it was quite good. My immediate concern was, was this a first draft? If it wasn’t then I had bad news to convey. 

Upon asking him, this wasn’t the first draft and he did a considerable amount of revisions on it.

Drat, I said under my breath. 

The bad news: “The manuscript was not written with the reader in mind.” I said. 
Explaining what I mean to someone who doesn’t understand writing techniques was very difficult. 

I told him, “as I read, I couldn’t get close to the characters, to know what was going on, what they were seeing, feeling or thinking.  It didn’t make any sense to me.  I was hovering over the situation not in it, and it was so annoying.” I couldn’t even get through the Prologue, and it was the beginning. Of course I didn’t tell him that.  

I tried to explain a few more things about writing techniques and possible better ways to write it but he just looked at me. I could feel his confusion and disappointment. 

Oh gosh, the last thing I wanted to do was critiquing his novel under the table so much that he would stop writing all together.  Honestly his writing wasn’t bad.  It had great ideas and his tone was extremely well done.  However the execution of the writing was lacking.

How do I proceed here? I asked my friend if he had taken any writing classes.  He shook his head.  That explained a lot.  In order to understand how to make the most of your writing you/ the writer, need to understand how to write.  And believe me its not just putting pretty words on a page.  It involved technique.   

My first manuscript I didn’t have any clue how to write.  And it shows.  I read it to my girlfriend, who is a writer and a good one, and got some feedback that baffled me.  I tried to explain my thinking and she just told me it didn’t work.  I was so perplexed at the whole thing I just didn’t know what to do.

“Start reading books on writing.”  She said. Like that was the answer to all.  I was so overwhelmed I didn’t even know where to start. 

“I started with The Fiction Writers Workshop book.” She said.  We were talking over the phone.  The name of the book was familiar to me.  I looked on my bookshelf and guess what I saw.  The Fiction Writer Workshop book.  It was one of the first books I bought on writing.  In reality I thought I didn’t need it.  But being so overwhelmed I decided to go through the books and do the exercises. 

So back to my friend: I explained to him, when I started writing I had no clue either.  But the more I read books on writing techniques the better I understood what I was doing wrong.
So my advice to him was to start classes or reading books on how to write.

To be honest I’m not sure how he took my critique or my advice.  My only hope is that he doesn’t stop writing because of it.  He did tell me that he sent out seventeen query letters to agents and received nothing back, just rejection letter. 

If there was any kind of potential on the manuscript he would have received some kind of hand written message on the rejection letter.  He didn’t. 

I told him if he kept writing the way he was without knowing how to write it would take three times as long to get his writing where he wanted it to be.

If writing is your passion, please get some kind of education on it.  Either by taking classes or reading books on the art of writing.  There are many really good ones out there. Please remember that to achieve something takes time, passion, talent and practice.  Do you think a violist, or athletes or anyone achieves success without blood, sweat and tears.  It is the same with writing.   So write and do it because you love it. 

Until next time. 

Outlines and why they are so important.

As a writer I knew in my heart I didn’t want anything to get in the way of my creativity.  It seemed to me that an outline would do just that.  But it was the opposite.

Here is why:  When I started writing I had an idea and I let my fingers do the walking.  I had to admit when my fingers flew across the keyboard it was thrilling.  But then something happened.

The idea I had wasn’t well thought out.  Had I taken the time to outline my idea in a form that would allow me to add to it then ask those important questions, such as, why, when, where, what if and so forth.  I would never have gotten a block, so the idea ran out.

Ideas need to be well thought out and explored.  The more explored they are the more organic, or original the story is.

The way to organize those ideas is through outline.   I know most people don’t believe that.  But having a clear picture of where your story goes and all the nuances makes a big difference in how the story turns out.

When I started my manuscript I had an idea.  And as I proceeded I continued until the logical conclusions.  The ending was good and I am proud of it.  But there were some threads that I found later as I re-read my manuscript that were untouched.  Once found I realized those thread would make the story fuller and more three dimensional, adding tension, suspense and conflict plus more not only to the characters but to the story also.

So I am outlining the story now and will continue those thread, adding to the dimension of the characters and what happening in the story.  Outlining has allowed me to place each point in an order and move them around to better place them when they would fit.

I’m on my second reading of my story.  It needs a lot of work, but then again that’s what writing is all about isn’t it.  I learned a valuable lesson in Outlines.  I will keep you posted on the outcome of this.

If you have a similar problem or found a better way to solve it, please feel free to post a comment.  It would be great appreciated not only by me but others as well.

Happy writing,  until next time.