The Inevitable Question: How’s Your Writing Going?

I don’t know about the rest of my writer friends, but I’ve decided it’s inevitable that whenever I end up at a gathering that does not include other writers, someone will ask how my writing is going. And it’s really obvious that the people who ask this question mean well. Most of them are truly interested in hearing news about my progress.

The problem is that most of the time there is no quick, easy way to answer this question with much detail. Am I still writing? Yes. More than I ever have. Am I still submitting? Again, yes. Have I finished another novel? Yep. A few. When are they coming out? Uh…someday. Maybe? I hope. Am I still looking for an agent? Yep.

All these answers are the same ones I’ve been giving for a while. In the eyes of the people who ask that question, nothing has really changed. I’m still chasing an impossible dream.

But in reality, everything has changed. I have more finished projects, and am preparing at least one for querying/submission. I am a better writer than I was two years ago. A LOT better. I write faster. I am more focused. My characters are more developed, my plots clearer and more compelling. Most importantly, I feel more confident than ever. I KNOW I’m making progress. I’ve come a long way since I started. And I’m so excited about this progress. About my personal possibilities.

Still, there’s really no way for a non-writer to understand this progress in the ten to thirty second question-answering allowance. So I am usually reduced to something like, “It’s going well. Making some great progress.”

For now, that answer is going to have to be good enough. And I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that someday I’ll have news they can actually understand.

What about you? How do you answer that question?

Snippets of Wisdom, part 2

In case you missed Wednesday’s post, this week I’m sharing quotes from writers whom I have decided are infinitely wise in our open-mindedness.

I’m going to focus today on sharing quotes about life, in hopes that something here reaches out and touches one or two of my readers. Okay? Okay.

“The journey of 1000 miles starts with one step.” ~Jess Smart Smiley author of Upside Down, A Vampire Tale

“Being a grown up is not a prize you win. It’s something you reach out and take for yourself.” ~Sandra Tayler

“When you know you don’t know it all, you’re willing to learn.” ~Stacey Whitman, Senior Editor, TU books.

“Everyone is making it up as they go.” ~Tracey Hickman

“Very few times in our lives do we have a choice that will change our entire future.” ~James A. Owen, author of Drawing out the Dragon

“We have to get over the fear of making mistakes, even when we make them.” ~Stacey Whitman

“Be willing to forget what you know and just be who you are.” Jennifer Nelson

Okay, now it’s your turn. At some point in your life, you’ve heard a quote (don’t deny it, I know you have!) that changed you. Or at least made you really think. What was that quote and who said it?

Snippets of Writerly Wisdom (part 1) Snippets of Writerly Wisdom (part 1) Snippets of Writerly Wisdom, Part 1

I’ve decided that writers and artists are possibly the smartest people on the planet. We may not actually be building rockets and flying through space, or curing cancer, or even the flu, but we are open to any and all possibilities—even when the odds are stacked against us. (And dudes, we totally WRITE about all those things.)

I have heard some of life’s best wisdom from the mouths of authors/artists who are talking off the cuff. Panels, as you will often find at symposiums and conferences where writerly-types gather, are a great place to find valuable little snippets that make you think.

This week, I thought I’d share some of the snippets I picked up at my most recent symposium foray. Today is writing Wednesday, therefore, the following quotes will pertain mostly to writing. (And on Friday, I’ll share some that apply to life for everyone, not just artists, yeah? Okay.)

“You can’t create a villain just to fight the hero. The villain should never be evil just because your hero is good.” ~ (Sorry, I don’t know the name of the person who said this, but I thought it was good.)

“A good place to start is to decide to finish. “ ~Jess Smart Smiley, author of Upside Down, a Vampire Tale

“Art is making lines on paper and choosing where they go.” ~James A. Owen.

“Suspense and tension are not the same thing. Every book doesn’t need suspense, but they all need tension.” ~James Dashner, author of The Mazerunner series.

“Any time your character faces a choice between two goods or two bads, they are choosing who they’re going to be.” ~Clint Johnson

“Your goal is not to create reality, but the illusion of reality.” ~J. Scott Savage author of Farworld

“Creativity is about what is calling to you, what you think about a lot, what you want to talk about a lot.” ~Sandra Tayler

“Get into a rhythm where you finish one book, then set it aside for a bit and work on something else. It’s how you grow. “ ~Brodi Ashton author of Everneath

Lots of good stuff, right? I’m sure I’ll be blogging more about some of it in weeks to come. But for now, I hope you saw one thing that reached out and grabbed you.

Art, Lines, Choices

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend Life, the Universe, and Everything, a science fiction and fantasy symposium in which authors and artists converge to share knowledge. The keynote address was given by a man named James A. Owen, and what he had to say struck home with me.

Turns out, James and I are likeminded people. I have spent so many posts talking about choices, and the importance of making good ones, and this was the focus of his address. His words were a well-timed reminder to me.

He says (I’m paraphrasing) that art is nothing but a series of lines. It’s up to us, the artists, to choose where each line goes. Everything in life is about choices. “Your choices are cumulative, and every choice you make gives you the chance to make new choices.” Meaning (to me), that the choices we made as children have brought us to where we are as adults. The choices we make as adults will ultimately decide on the paths of our lives. And sometimes, our childhood choices come back to us in unexpected ways.

He then went on to spout a number of fantastically wise words that I started writing as quotes. I’m going to share the three most important points of his address here, and then I’ll give you information about where you can purchase a book in which you will find James Owen’s whole incredible, triumphant story. I bought it. He signed it. I treasure it because of the incredible message inside. Worth. Every. Penny.

1. “If you really want to do something, no one can stop you. If you really don’t want to do something, no one can help you.”

2. “Are you the kind of person things happen to or the kind to make things happen?” (Decide!)

3. “Never sacrifice what you want most for what you want the most in that moment. If you hesitate [in making the decision] you’ve already made your choice. It was probably the hard one.

And one last quote for the road. “If you are strong enough to overcome, you will. It’s YOUR choice.”

What choices are you making today that will affect your life, or the lives of others, tomorrow?

James A. Owen is the author of Drawing out the Dragons, the Starchild series, and the Imaginarium Geographica series. Also, he is a highly motivational, absolutely inspiring speaker. Check out his works at his website.

**Update**

James A. Owen is right now GIVING away free ecopies of this book here. This is for a very limited time, so hurry, go fill out the form and download yours now!

In Which J. Scott Savage Points Out I’m Growing Wings

Last weekend, while at LTUE (the science fiction / fantasy symposium in Utah) there was a moment when I stopped in the hall to chat with some friends and eat a snack. While I was there, Jeff Savage (aka J. Scott Savage) stopped to socialize with us.

Me: Dude, you’ve had so much success recently. Word on the street is that you’ll be publishing six books in 2013.

Him: Yes, it’s a lot in one year. That’s why I’m taking 2012 to sleep and see my family.

Me: And yet, you’re here, teaching the rest of us how it’s done.

Him: I figure I need to grow an extra set of wings to help me get to heaven. *looks at me* By now, you’re probably growing wings, too.

Me: So that’s what those knots are in my back! *moment of realization*

What Jeff didn’t know: for the past two months, I’ve been seeing a chiropractor and a massage therapist because of two annoyingly painful knots between my shoulder blades. (True story.)

In a moment of absolute clarity, I realized that Jeff was right. I AM growing wings. (Wonder why my chiropractor didn’t notice?) They’re coming in fast. And by dang, it won’t be too much longer before I learn how to fly.

Watch out writing world. I’m not just planning to break through the wall. I’m going to knock it down.

Thanks, LTUE peeps, for a fantabulous, inspiring weekend. That is all.

Happy Valentine's Day! (Books are for Lovers)

May you have buckets of love this week!

Books are for lovers. Let's show our love for brick and mortar bookstores by purchasing an actual book on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2012.

I Believe in Monsters

Last weekend, as I watched the Super Bowl with my family, a heart-wrenching news story broke, flashing across the bottom of the TV screen. It was a story of heartache and loss, of innocent lives gruesomely taken in a murderous fit of rage, a story of sad choices, that has brought me, and many others, to tears.

Things like this happen, and they happen WAY too often. More often than any of us want to think about. But let’s be real.

Evil exists in the world.

It bores into the core of certain people, grows into a huge, ugly thing, and manifests in horrible, disgusting actions that will forever alter, destroy, or end the lives of others. It exists in men. In women. From elderly to—yes, I believe it—children. It exists.

There are monsters walking the earth. They may not be the demons we read about in books like I Am Not a Serial Killer, but they’re monsters, just the same. Worse, even, because the monsters are disguised as human beings. When someone does something so heinous as this, those left behind have nothing left but to wonder. Was it a sociological disorder? A chemical imbalance? A physical condition that overtook a mind and turned a person into a demon?

They are left forever wondering why.

Why would a parent abuse a child? Why would a husband abuse a wife (or vice-versa)? Why would someone—anyone—take the lives of his or her children? There are no real answers to these questions. But I think, sometimes, there are explanations. And I hope the people who need them are able to find them. I hope they somehow find peace.

Also, their own kind of power. The power to overcome, to move forward, and to defeat those dang monsters with shiny, plastic swords that shoot fire from the tips. (Oops, my writer-self is leaking out.) Or, you know, with something more scary-looking.

The Power

One of the reasons I write is to rid myself of situations in which I feel helpless. To give myself power to look at both the good side and the bad, and to give my characters power over situations in which they might otherwise have none.

Sometimes I really do hope to help someone—even if it’s just one person—finds his or her own power. Whether it’s the power to save the world or the power to defeat demons (real or imaginary). The power to find courage, or the power to give of themselves. The power to be strong, to make better choices, and to choose good over evil.

Is this my way of fighting back? Of taking control of things I can’t personally fix? Maybe. Do I think I can change the world? Sure. Why not.

Someone has to try.

Why Change is Important

I know I’ve promised to post about writing on Wednesdays, and life on Fridays. Don’t worry. Even though this post is going to start out with discussion about writing, it really is about life.

When I was first learning the important elements of writing a good story, I learned an important lesson. The story starts on the day when things change. This is when the main character (who we may, or may not already know for a few pages) has his or her world turned upside down.

Unfortunately, the reason this is such an important element of story is because this is the thing that gives us a harsh place from which the character can rise and grow.

This is also the case in real life. Change is inevitable. There is nothing we can do to avoid or stop it. Children grow up, relationships change, economic circumstances create difficulty or abundance, people get sick.

Some changes are welcome and exciting. Others are devastating. But all change helps us grow into the people we are, or who we need to become.

A lot of people I know are right now experiencing some serious changes in their lives. Hard changes. Exciting changes. Devastating changes. And I’m not going to tell them that everything will be okay. Maybe it won’t. Maybe things will be hard for a long time. Or maybe it will be okay and they’ll come out ahead or on the very top. But regardless of what each change means to each person, I hope they will remember one very important detail.

This is where your story begins. And all stories, regardless of if the ending is happy or tragic, end with one thing in common. Hope.

What recent changes in your life give you cause to hope?

Emotionally Driven

Guess what? I just finished a fifth (or sixth?) draft of a manuscript. That makes two solid edits I’ve finished this year—and it’s not even February yet!

*dances around*

Also, I’m working on an outline for another idea. I’ve decided to take a different approach with this one, since it’s going to be for a different audience than my other work. I’m reading publisher websites, requirements, requests, that sort of thing. Also, I’m paying attention to what people in that target audience are reading.

I’m not surprised by what I see.

In all my research, in all genres of YA and adult material, there is one thing that will always have an audience, no matter the story. Emotion.

Stories that are emotionally driven will always have readers because emotion is something with which everyone can identify and which we all feel. Romance, love, anger, hate, happiness, contentment, fear, triumph—these are the feelings we experience every day, and also the ones our favorite characters experience in our favorite stories.

What are your favorite emotionally driven story lines?