I've just uploaded a new article: SUMMER WRITING to my www.vickihinze.net site. See FEATURED ARTICLE"" for the written version or "PODCASTS" for the audio.
Blessings,
Vicki
Showing posts with label bloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bloggers. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
SUMMER WRITING
I've just uploaded a new article: SUMMER WRITING to my www.vickihinze.net site. See FEATURED ARTICLE"" for the written version or "PODCASTS" for the audio.
Blessings,
Vicki
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
THE POWER OF PAUSE
Learn to pause ... or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.
-Doug King
A few days ago, an author friend who was judging a writing competition asked me, when I’m judging, what challenge I most often see in writers’ work. I didn’t have to pause or stop to think about it and immediately answered, “Rushing.”
I then went on to explain. We write, and when we do, we translate the images that we see in our heads onto the page--or we intend to, but often important details get dropped in the transfer. Because we’re rushing to finish in the allotted time, or to get the work submitted, or read or critiqued, we don’t let the work cool long enough--and allow our minds to get occupied with other images sufficiently--so that the images we held during the creation process are dulled by time and/or distance.
So we read the work--read it again several more times--and consider it done. And then months later, we return to the work to see that what is on the page doesn’t sufficiently convey what we saw in our minds during creation.
But it’s too late. We had the critique, the reading--the work has been submitted. And now we wish it hadn’t because we see flaws that we wish we’d first corrected. Fuzzy details instead of sharp, crisp and vivid ones. We see that what is actually on the page isn’t nearly as strong as it could have been. And so we edit, honing the work, fine-tuning it to eliminate the flaws.
The problem is it’s too late to get a first impression through our normal channels. It’s been done. So now we must rely on second impressions and resubmissions, and those can’t be as strong as the first. We can’t recapture that initial burst of enthusiasm, or that sensation by others that what we’ve done is fresh and different because it isn’t--they’ve seen it and experienced it before--from us.
So the drawbacks of rushing are significant. The penalties are steep and the benefit is that if we do this once and recognize it, we might just slow down long enough to not make that same mistake again.
I can hear you say, “But I don’t have a choice. I have deadlines. I have to get this puppy submitted so that I can start the next book.”
To that, I say, “When you invest in writing a book, it should reflect your best. After all, you’ve traded time with your family, time doing other things that are important to you in creating it. If you’ve made those sacrifices, then doesn’t that warrant a complete project that is your very best? Isn’t your time--your life--worth your best?
Remember that writing isn’t all about mechanics and craft. It’s about art, too. And creating something from nothing that will transport readers into a story and embrace them so they live and experience it is art at its best.
How long does it take for those images to fade, so that what you’ve written matches the vision in your mind when you were creating? That’s a question only you can answer. For some, it’s brief. For others, it takes months. The time you’ve put into the work can be a factor. If, for example, you’ve been working on the project for six months straight, it’s going to take a while. If you’ve worked on it and other projects simultaneously, likely it won’t take as long. That splintered focus will aid you in this.
The bottom line is that you need to let the project cool long enough for you to forget the little details. You’ll likely remember a good deal about the characters and plot, but you’ll forget snippets or how A led to B. You’ll know that sufficient time has passed by reading the work. It will seem familiar and yet strange, too.
Will what you’ve written on the page ever equal the vision inside your head? Doubtful, if I’m a decent gauge. I’ve been writing twenty years and I’ve yet to do it. But when I’ve built in cooling periods and utilized them, I get a lot closer. I hope you will, too.
Blessings,
Vicki
-Doug King
A few days ago, an author friend who was judging a writing competition asked me, when I’m judging, what challenge I most often see in writers’ work. I didn’t have to pause or stop to think about it and immediately answered, “Rushing.”
I then went on to explain. We write, and when we do, we translate the images that we see in our heads onto the page--or we intend to, but often important details get dropped in the transfer. Because we’re rushing to finish in the allotted time, or to get the work submitted, or read or critiqued, we don’t let the work cool long enough--and allow our minds to get occupied with other images sufficiently--so that the images we held during the creation process are dulled by time and/or distance.
So we read the work--read it again several more times--and consider it done. And then months later, we return to the work to see that what is on the page doesn’t sufficiently convey what we saw in our minds during creation.
But it’s too late. We had the critique, the reading--the work has been submitted. And now we wish it hadn’t because we see flaws that we wish we’d first corrected. Fuzzy details instead of sharp, crisp and vivid ones. We see that what is actually on the page isn’t nearly as strong as it could have been. And so we edit, honing the work, fine-tuning it to eliminate the flaws.
The problem is it’s too late to get a first impression through our normal channels. It’s been done. So now we must rely on second impressions and resubmissions, and those can’t be as strong as the first. We can’t recapture that initial burst of enthusiasm, or that sensation by others that what we’ve done is fresh and different because it isn’t--they’ve seen it and experienced it before--from us.
So the drawbacks of rushing are significant. The penalties are steep and the benefit is that if we do this once and recognize it, we might just slow down long enough to not make that same mistake again.
I can hear you say, “But I don’t have a choice. I have deadlines. I have to get this puppy submitted so that I can start the next book.”
To that, I say, “When you invest in writing a book, it should reflect your best. After all, you’ve traded time with your family, time doing other things that are important to you in creating it. If you’ve made those sacrifices, then doesn’t that warrant a complete project that is your very best? Isn’t your time--your life--worth your best?
Remember that writing isn’t all about mechanics and craft. It’s about art, too. And creating something from nothing that will transport readers into a story and embrace them so they live and experience it is art at its best.
How long does it take for those images to fade, so that what you’ve written matches the vision in your mind when you were creating? That’s a question only you can answer. For some, it’s brief. For others, it takes months. The time you’ve put into the work can be a factor. If, for example, you’ve been working on the project for six months straight, it’s going to take a while. If you’ve worked on it and other projects simultaneously, likely it won’t take as long. That splintered focus will aid you in this.
The bottom line is that you need to let the project cool long enough for you to forget the little details. You’ll likely remember a good deal about the characters and plot, but you’ll forget snippets or how A led to B. You’ll know that sufficient time has passed by reading the work. It will seem familiar and yet strange, too.
Will what you’ve written on the page ever equal the vision inside your head? Doubtful, if I’m a decent gauge. I’ve been writing twenty years and I’ve yet to do it. But when I’ve built in cooling periods and utilized them, I get a lot closer. I hope you will, too.
Blessings,
Vicki
Friday, May 18, 2007
WRITING SHORTCUTS AND HIDDEN GEMS
An interesting question was put to me a few days ago, and determining a thoughtful, honest response to it has taken time. I had to think, ponder, explore. But finally, I have a firm grip--at least, a firm grip that reflects reality to me. Your reality might be different. (I secretly hope that it is!)
The question? What writing shortcuts have you learned that can help me?
The short answer: There are none. None. Not one. Not a hint of one. Not a whiff of a sniff of a hint of one.
Writing is craft but also art, and art requires its due. You can rush it, and not focus intently enough to unearth the gems. You can nip and tuck and automate creating novel elements to shorten the process and then toss those elements together in a faster fashion, but to get to the core of those elements, you’re going to eventually have to slow down and focus intently so that you--you got it--unearth the hidden gems.
This goes beyond craft and into storytelling. That’s the art, and a gift, and you either have it or you don’t. Storytelling can’t be taught. It’s that still, quiet voice that tells the author, “You’re on the right track. This is significant. This is of value. This is infused with purpose.” It’s that drumbeat that matches the beat of your heart that thuds and echoes in your ears, signaling you that you’ve hit the mark, touched a core truth that otherwise would remain hidden. It’s that bubble in your gut, that burning that starts at the back of your nose and stings your eyes just before they fill with tears.
Some things can’t be rushed. Won’t be denied their time in the sun. Demand their due. The creative writing process is like that.
It’s the embodiment of the human condition. It encompasses all we were, are, and can be. It’s our dreams, hopes and fears personified.
It’s also why some books come to us in a flash--like a lightning strike. One minute we have nothing, the next the creation process is done and we’ve experienced an entire novel--or series of novels--in our heads. Then we work out the details. Then we begin the discovery of the hidden gems.
And it’s why some books take years and years to write. We work on them, focus and give them all we have to give, but we know they’re just not ready. We know there are underpinings yet to be discovered, and often we must wait for something to happen in our own lives that reveals them to us by giving us some new insight or perspective that lifts the scales from our eyes so we’re able to see that core truth.
There are no short cuts in writing.
There are many, many short cuts on the business end of writing, in the methods implemented to lay the groundwork for writing. But the writing itself allows none.
And for that, we should be grateful. Why? Because each project we are dedicated enough to take from a thought to fruition is a project in which there are hidden gems--ones that speak core truths to us and to our readers.
That is the reason we write. So the answer to the question is there are no shortcuts, but the journey is worth every effort because there are many, many hidden gems.
Blessings,
Vicki
The question? What writing shortcuts have you learned that can help me?
The short answer: There are none. None. Not one. Not a hint of one. Not a whiff of a sniff of a hint of one.
Writing is craft but also art, and art requires its due. You can rush it, and not focus intently enough to unearth the gems. You can nip and tuck and automate creating novel elements to shorten the process and then toss those elements together in a faster fashion, but to get to the core of those elements, you’re going to eventually have to slow down and focus intently so that you--you got it--unearth the hidden gems.
This goes beyond craft and into storytelling. That’s the art, and a gift, and you either have it or you don’t. Storytelling can’t be taught. It’s that still, quiet voice that tells the author, “You’re on the right track. This is significant. This is of value. This is infused with purpose.” It’s that drumbeat that matches the beat of your heart that thuds and echoes in your ears, signaling you that you’ve hit the mark, touched a core truth that otherwise would remain hidden. It’s that bubble in your gut, that burning that starts at the back of your nose and stings your eyes just before they fill with tears.
Some things can’t be rushed. Won’t be denied their time in the sun. Demand their due. The creative writing process is like that.
It’s the embodiment of the human condition. It encompasses all we were, are, and can be. It’s our dreams, hopes and fears personified.
It’s also why some books come to us in a flash--like a lightning strike. One minute we have nothing, the next the creation process is done and we’ve experienced an entire novel--or series of novels--in our heads. Then we work out the details. Then we begin the discovery of the hidden gems.
And it’s why some books take years and years to write. We work on them, focus and give them all we have to give, but we know they’re just not ready. We know there are underpinings yet to be discovered, and often we must wait for something to happen in our own lives that reveals them to us by giving us some new insight or perspective that lifts the scales from our eyes so we’re able to see that core truth.
There are no short cuts in writing.
There are many, many short cuts on the business end of writing, in the methods implemented to lay the groundwork for writing. But the writing itself allows none.
And for that, we should be grateful. Why? Because each project we are dedicated enough to take from a thought to fruition is a project in which there are hidden gems--ones that speak core truths to us and to our readers.
That is the reason we write. So the answer to the question is there are no shortcuts, but the journey is worth every effort because there are many, many hidden gems.
Blessings,
Vicki
Thursday, April 05, 2007
FAILING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS
"Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one's actions."
-- Aung San Suu Kyi
No less than three times in as many days have I had a writer tell me:
1. She was afraid to submit her work because as soon as she did, she’d read a group of things she’d done wrong and wish she hadn’t and she couldn’t be sure she was ready.
2. He hadn’t submitted his work because he didn’t think he could stand getting back a rejection.
3. She submitted her work and then contacted the individual and pulled the submission.
If as a writer, you’re waiting for a time to come when you don’t see changes you need to make or ones you wish you’d made AFTER the submission, consider your experience an oddity. Epiphanies have a way of sneaking in and zapping us after the fact. Recognize that it’s normal and happens more often than not. Note it and when the opportunity arises, edit and incorporate.
As a writer, you continually seek to grow and master your craft. Because you do, you will encounter this challenge--and if you aren’t, you’re either very, very lucky or you’re not studying craft and continuing to grow. Warning: that leads to stagnation, and stagnant things die!
I’ve been in this business nineteen years and I don’t think I’ve ever been sure a project was ready to submit. Yes, I know I love them. Yes, I do allow them to cool to make sure what I think is conveyed on the page is conveyed on the page. Yes, I do strive to submit only my best work. And I have enjoyed many bubbles in the gut that shout, “oh, this is strong. This really works.” But to feel that there is nothing--not one word--that could be changed to make the work stronger?
If I ever get there, believe me, I’ll be broadcasting it, so you’ll know. So far, this has escaped me. Which is one of the best reasons to solicit outside readers. It’s true that many projects are submitted too soon--before they’re polished and splendidly shine. By having a couple others read the work and getting their reactions, you will get a cross-section of responses.
Vary these readers. One who loves to read this type book. One who is familiar with the subject matter in the book. One who is sharp on writing craft and construction and novel structure and characterization and mechanics. Barter. I’ll read and comment if you’ll read and comment (with another writer).
On rejection. Understand that if you’re a writer, you will be rejected. Not you, the person. Your work. Accept it and then press on. I know only two writers who haven’t received--and I mean all during their career no matter how high up on the career ladder they’ve gotten--rejections. And both have multiple readings and edits before their work is ever submitted. I know no one who has penned the perfect book.
This is why we create and then edit and edit and edit. We’re striving for the best we’re capable of producing at the time. Then we have others read and we shove (or smother) our egos, hear and listen to what they have to say. What we agree best serves the story, we incorporate. Only what we agree best serves the story do we incorporate.
Often agents ask for revisions. Then editors suggest revisions. Then copyeditors ask for more. Often more than once!
So do strive for perfection, but don’t expect that your perfection is perfect. Others will see things you miss. Know things you don’t know. Catch mistakes that save the book, save your backside, and sometimes they’ll save your hair--spare you from pulling it out by the roots in frustration.
Develop rhino hide, understand that revision recommendations are given for a single purpose: to strengthen the book. Everyone involved in the process (and no one more than the author) wants the strongest book possible.
Rejection might not be about the work, but about what best sells to the readers. Marketability. List balance. Suitability. House focus and/or direction. A million other things. The point: it’s not about you. And it might not be about the work. It might be connected to strengthening the salability of the book.
Writers get rejections. That’s what happens when they submit, stretch and grow and experiment and make all manner of effort. This is not a bad thing and it rarely has spit to do with the author so it should never be taken personally.
There are times and situations in which a writer pulls a submission. Shoot, there are times when an author contracts a book and then buys the book back. But this isn’t something you want to do or something you do without considering all aspects of it and the consequences. Tread lightly.
Remember, first impressions are just that. One-shot deals. You don’t get a second chance. So if you must pull a submission, make sure it’s for an excellent reason and that you don’t make a habit of it. And be wary of the second-guessing trap. It’s easy to talk yourself into thinking something is awful and unfit--especially if it’s a purpose-driven novel. If you must do this, be extremely judicious. And it goes without saying to do all you can to make sure you’re ready to submit before you do so initially.
It takes courage to put yourself out there. If you do so with a realistic view on potential, then you’re in a far better position to cope with the results. Understand what rejection is and isn’t. Understand that continued grow nearly promises you’ll have post-submission epiphanies. And understand that the best way to avoid having to pull a submission is by doing the necessary work and expending the effort before submitting.
Blessings,
Vicki
©2007, Vicki Hinze
Return to Vicki’s main web site
Visit Vicki’s Writing Library
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING SMALL CONFERENCES
Vicki
Two weekends ago, I attended the Emerald Coast Writers, Inc. conference in Destin, Florida. Not only was it held at a terrific resort on the sugar-white beach (5 pools, a spa, exercise room and oodles of goodies) but it was a small conference of just under a hundred people. I had a terrific time. And that got me to thinking of the many benefits of small conferences that I thought I would share.
1. Networking. A NYT bestselling author did the keynote. But he (Jeramiah Healy) also did several workshops on craft and the business. He hung out with all conference attendees, so even brand new writers had access to him and his considerable bank of knowledge.
2. Networking. Two excellent agents attended. Elaine Spencer from Deidre Knight Agency and Natanya Wheeler from Lowenstein-Yost Agency. As well as a panel and appointments, they hung out with all conference attendees so even brand new writers had access to them and their considerable banks of knowledge. If you’re shopping, check these agents out on the web. Both are very personable, earthy and friendly, and sharp.
3. Networking. Two excellent editors attended: Kerry Estevez (Medallion Press Editor) and Nina Kooij (Pelican Press Editor-in-Chief) and both did a panel and hung out with all conference attendees so even brand new authors had access to them and their considerable banks of knowledge. Medallion and Pelican are both Independent Presses. Medallion is building quite a reputation. It is home to a horror author who is not S. King or P. Straub who is on the list--not with her NY publisher, but with Medallion. This company also took on Dolores Wilson (Big Hair and Flying Cows) who as a brand new author won Publisher’s Weekly Pinnacle Award. (Hilarious book, btw.) Pelican has 500 titles on its backlist and is the largest Independent Press operating. So strong companies, strong editors, and very author-friendly.
4. Networking. A host of multi-published authors and educators did workshops. When I wasn’t one of them, I sat in other workshops. The quality and variety was significant, and because the classes were small, more writers got to ask more questions that pertained to their specific situations and circumstances.
5. Networking. Among the workshops were two--not one, but two--by noted Life Coach Darlene Dean. Both were inspiring and illuminating. Darlene is also a writer and it shows in ways I can’t begin to describe. Every author wrote not one but two stories during a one-hour class--and read them aloud--and they were GOOD.
As you can see, a lot of networking opportunities existed. Far more than a writer typically encounters at large conferences.
6. Education. The educational opportunities were amazing. Coordinator, Joyce Holland, made sure there was something for everyone--from poetry to crime fiction to young adult and nonfiction to the mechanics of writing--and just to be sure no one left with unanswered questions, there were two “Ask Me Anything” sessions. One with Jerry and me, and another.
7. Fun. There were evening gab sessions where everyone gathered and just talked writing and the business in a large group. Friendly, relaxed, informative and just plain fun.
8. Some spent some time on the beach. Gorgeous and the weather was amazing.
So while the three days were busy and schedules were full, because of the atmosphere and attitudes creating such a positive atmosphere, people went home relaxed and not worn out. That alone is worth giving a small conference a serious look!
I’ll be going to this one again. The hotel was extremely reasonable, the conference fee minimal (how they manage to offer so much for this price is beyond me) and the rejuvenation on its own makes it a bargain. I was very pleasantly surprised--and I met two people who will be friends for a long time.
Now I’ve been to many conferences. And I’m saying that it’s next to impossible to gain this level of interaction and information and attention to your specific needs at large ones. I can’t speak for all small conferences, but I can and will speak for this one. Emerald Coast Writers, Inc., and Joyce Holland, the conference coordinator, gave attendees real value. The kind that comes in many ways, including those which can’t be measured.
Beam me up for 2008!
Blessings,
Vicki
©2007, Vicki Hinze
Two weekends ago, I attended the Emerald Coast Writers, Inc. conference in Destin, Florida. Not only was it held at a terrific resort on the sugar-white beach (5 pools, a spa, exercise room and oodles of goodies) but it was a small conference of just under a hundred people. I had a terrific time. And that got me to thinking of the many benefits of small conferences that I thought I would share.
1. Networking. A NYT bestselling author did the keynote. But he (Jeramiah Healy) also did several workshops on craft and the business. He hung out with all conference attendees, so even brand new writers had access to him and his considerable bank of knowledge.
2. Networking. Two excellent agents attended. Elaine Spencer from Deidre Knight Agency and Natanya Wheeler from Lowenstein-Yost Agency. As well as a panel and appointments, they hung out with all conference attendees so even brand new writers had access to them and their considerable banks of knowledge. If you’re shopping, check these agents out on the web. Both are very personable, earthy and friendly, and sharp.
3. Networking. Two excellent editors attended: Kerry Estevez (Medallion Press Editor) and Nina Kooij (Pelican Press Editor-in-Chief) and both did a panel and hung out with all conference attendees so even brand new authors had access to them and their considerable banks of knowledge. Medallion and Pelican are both Independent Presses. Medallion is building quite a reputation. It is home to a horror author who is not S. King or P. Straub who is on the list--not with her NY publisher, but with Medallion. This company also took on Dolores Wilson (Big Hair and Flying Cows) who as a brand new author won Publisher’s Weekly Pinnacle Award. (Hilarious book, btw.) Pelican has 500 titles on its backlist and is the largest Independent Press operating. So strong companies, strong editors, and very author-friendly.
4. Networking. A host of multi-published authors and educators did workshops. When I wasn’t one of them, I sat in other workshops. The quality and variety was significant, and because the classes were small, more writers got to ask more questions that pertained to their specific situations and circumstances.
5. Networking. Among the workshops were two--not one, but two--by noted Life Coach Darlene Dean. Both were inspiring and illuminating. Darlene is also a writer and it shows in ways I can’t begin to describe. Every author wrote not one but two stories during a one-hour class--and read them aloud--and they were GOOD.
As you can see, a lot of networking opportunities existed. Far more than a writer typically encounters at large conferences.
6. Education. The educational opportunities were amazing. Coordinator, Joyce Holland, made sure there was something for everyone--from poetry to crime fiction to young adult and nonfiction to the mechanics of writing--and just to be sure no one left with unanswered questions, there were two “Ask Me Anything” sessions. One with Jerry and me, and another.
7. Fun. There were evening gab sessions where everyone gathered and just talked writing and the business in a large group. Friendly, relaxed, informative and just plain fun.
8. Some spent some time on the beach. Gorgeous and the weather was amazing.
So while the three days were busy and schedules were full, because of the atmosphere and attitudes creating such a positive atmosphere, people went home relaxed and not worn out. That alone is worth giving a small conference a serious look!
I’ll be going to this one again. The hotel was extremely reasonable, the conference fee minimal (how they manage to offer so much for this price is beyond me) and the rejuvenation on its own makes it a bargain. I was very pleasantly surprised--and I met two people who will be friends for a long time.
Now I’ve been to many conferences. And I’m saying that it’s next to impossible to gain this level of interaction and information and attention to your specific needs at large ones. I can’t speak for all small conferences, but I can and will speak for this one. Emerald Coast Writers, Inc., and Joyce Holland, the conference coordinator, gave attendees real value. The kind that comes in many ways, including those which can’t be measured.
Beam me up for 2008!
Blessings,
Vicki
©2007, Vicki Hinze
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
What about the Words: Podcast
I've recorded the first of a series of informal chats. The topic in this one is WHAT ABOUT THE WORDS.
Download what_about_the_words.m4a
If you have trouble listening here, I've goofed (sorry, new system and I'm learning to use it!).
The url is:
http://web.mac.com/vickihinze/iWeb/Vicki%20Hinze/Podcast/40EE54AF-3126-40D9-8401-4DB89A4706BC.html
Blessings,
Vicki
Download what_about_the_words.m4a
If you have trouble listening here, I've goofed (sorry, new system and I'm learning to use it!).
The url is:
http://web.mac.com/vickihinze/iWeb/Vicki%20Hinze/Podcast/40EE54AF-3126-40D9-8401-4DB89A4706BC.html
Blessings,
Vicki
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
MISTAKES WE MAKE: PART 7
SELF-SABOTAGE AND SELF-FULFILLED PROPHESY
SELF-SABOTAGE: THE ART OF SNATCHING DEFEAT OUT OF THE JAWS OF VICTORY.
SELF-FULFILLED PROPHESY: THE ART OF WILLFULLY STRUCTURING EVENTS TO MANIFEST A PROJECTED OUTCOME.
It isn’t enough that we have to battle the rest of the world, we have to battle ourselves. And often we are not only our greatest critic, we are our worst enemy. We treat everyone else in the world--including strangers on the street--with more dignity and compassion and respect than we treat ourselves. Why is that? Why is it that everyone else deserves more and better and kindnesses and considerations that we feel we don’t deserve?
A huge part of it is due to upbringing and what we have adopted or has been forced upon us as appropriate conduct and social behavior. We’ve all heard some form of:
Be modest. Be humble. Be unassuming. Don’t get a big head. I made you, I can break you. You owe me. If it weren’t for me, you’d be nothing. I don’t care what you think, in my house, you’ll do as I say. Pretty is as pretty does. Never brag, it’s bad form. Don’t blow your own horn, toot your own whistle. You do you think you are? If I wanted your advice, I’d ask for it.
Loser. You can’t do that. You’re too __________ (fill in the blank).
Think back through your life. This goes back further: (color inside the lines; be seen, not heard; don’t cause a stir). What putdown or well intended behavior sapped the confidence right out of you? Made you feel small and insignificant? Hopeless? Helpless? Clueless or unworthy? Like a victim?
These types of things happen to all of us. Often, they were well intended and not meant to impact us they way they did, but they do. (Remember that saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? Well partly, no doubt, it got to be an often-repeated saying like this.)
Words carry power. We know that. And that definitely includes words spoken to us about us. Ones that impact us strongly, we carry with us. They help form and shape our opinions, our esteem, our behavior and our beliefs. We believe we can, odds are we can. We believe we can’t and we never will--and we will make that true because we believe it to be true. That’s self-fulfilled prophesy. And often to make it happen, we embrace self-sabotage.
An Example: An author has been writing one type of book for years. The market for that type book is dwindling and her editor recommends the author write a different type of book and makes several suggestions. The author refuses--and when contract renewal time comes around, author is told publisher will not be offering a new contract.
Author refused for any of a number of reasons. Didn’t like the type of books suggested. Had no interest in shifting to a new type novel. Feared change. Feared losing her existing reader base. The point is, regardless of the reason the author is now without a publisher.
A more blatant example: An author goes to a conference and at a luncheon complains to a table full of people about her publisher. An editor for that publisher is sitting at the next table and overhears her house being raked over the coals. Said editor reports this tongue-lashing in a public forum to author’s editor. How how enthused is said editor to work with said author?
We all take wrong steps. We try something that doesn’t work. We write something that doesn’t resonate. We plan and set expectations based on the information we have available but that information proves faulty. These are mistakes, yes, but not ones where we have through our own arrogance or ignorance or fears or other personal issue-based actions, shoot ourselves in the foot and cut ourselves off at the knees.
The discretion errors are most frequent. Or, I should say, the lack of discretion. Over the years, I’ve seen more authors sabotage their careers by exercising a lack of discretion than anything else. A little story to keep in mind:
Author A wrote for an Editor at a publishing company.
Author A had some very nasty things to say about another writer to Editor.
Editor spoke very little and formally--cautiously--to Author A because Author couldn’t be trusted to be discreet.
Author A was offended by Editor’s distance and had some very nasty things to say to Editor about it, then promptly went to the Editorial Director and asked to be assigned to a new Editor.
The request was refused.
Author A left the Publisher and wrote for a New Editor at a New Publisher.
Before Author A’s first book with New Publisher came out, her New Editor left the New Publisher for employment at a third Publisher.
New Publisher hired a replacement: Editor from Publisher.
So now Author A is with Original Editor at New Publisher. The Editor she said some very nasty things to and asked to reassigned away from.
Small world, publishing. And Editors move around to move up. Author A is in a tough spot. One she put herself in because of her lack of discretion. Net: self-sabotage. Can she recover: probably only if she looks for and secures a New New Editor at a New New Publisher.
Life would have been so much simpler for Author A had that author just be discreet.
Self-sabotage isn’t only seated in esteem and confidence and negative issues. It can also be seated in fear. Like the fear of success.
People driven by a dream will just about kill themselves to hit benchmarks that define for them success. They’ll climb the ladder, struggle and sacrifice and put in super-human effort to get up to the next rung. Their goal is in sight. They’re almost there. Almost to the pinnacle that has occupied their hopes and dreams and cost them so much and now--now they’re---
scared to death and decide they may not really want it, or that they definitely do not want it.
Suddenly unthought of facets come to life:
✦If I make that sale, people are actually going to read what I write. They might hate it, have ugly things to say about it--about me. I could be embarrassed, humiliated, rejected.
✦If I make that list, people are going to expect so much out of the book. What if it disappoints them. What if they bad-mouth me and it? My family, friends, everyone I know will hear all about it. I’ll look like a fool, an idiot. I could be hurt. My kids could be hurt or embarrassed or humiliated. Rejected.
✦The last book did so well. What if this one bombs?
✦I am going to be judged. I could be found wanting and/or rejected.
See how these things all tie back to self-esteem and image? Your perception of who you are and your place in your world, and in the worlds of others?
We all want to be loved and accepted. We all want our work, which is an extension of us, to be loved and accepted.
And it’s hard to open ourselves up for not being loved and accepted. But the simple fact is this:
Some will love and accept us.
Some will hate us and reject us.
And some will be indifferent.
Of all these things--think about this--indifference troubles us most.
Why? Because it jerks our chains and feeds those little nags in us that says we and what we are doing are insignificant.
You can go into broader analysis, but in my experience, when you do and then you dive deep, it takes you right back to this place. Maybe you need the journey to feel sure of that. Maybe you can take the word of one who has journeyed and taken that journey with many others. Regardless, you do need to grasp the reasons we sabotage ourselves and take constructive steps to resolve the underlying issues. Understand them. And stop doing it so that you can fulfill your potential.
How do you do that? There are many ways, I’m sure, but one I know works is by knowing what you need. And that will be the topic in Mistakes We Make, Part 8.
Blessings,
Vicki
© 2007, Vicki Hinze
SELF-SABOTAGE: THE ART OF SNATCHING DEFEAT OUT OF THE JAWS OF VICTORY.
SELF-FULFILLED PROPHESY: THE ART OF WILLFULLY STRUCTURING EVENTS TO MANIFEST A PROJECTED OUTCOME.
It isn’t enough that we have to battle the rest of the world, we have to battle ourselves. And often we are not only our greatest critic, we are our worst enemy. We treat everyone else in the world--including strangers on the street--with more dignity and compassion and respect than we treat ourselves. Why is that? Why is it that everyone else deserves more and better and kindnesses and considerations that we feel we don’t deserve?
A huge part of it is due to upbringing and what we have adopted or has been forced upon us as appropriate conduct and social behavior. We’ve all heard some form of:
Be modest. Be humble. Be unassuming. Don’t get a big head. I made you, I can break you. You owe me. If it weren’t for me, you’d be nothing. I don’t care what you think, in my house, you’ll do as I say. Pretty is as pretty does. Never brag, it’s bad form. Don’t blow your own horn, toot your own whistle. You do you think you are? If I wanted your advice, I’d ask for it.
Loser. You can’t do that. You’re too __________ (fill in the blank).
Think back through your life. This goes back further: (color inside the lines; be seen, not heard; don’t cause a stir). What putdown or well intended behavior sapped the confidence right out of you? Made you feel small and insignificant? Hopeless? Helpless? Clueless or unworthy? Like a victim?
These types of things happen to all of us. Often, they were well intended and not meant to impact us they way they did, but they do. (Remember that saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? Well partly, no doubt, it got to be an often-repeated saying like this.)
Words carry power. We know that. And that definitely includes words spoken to us about us. Ones that impact us strongly, we carry with us. They help form and shape our opinions, our esteem, our behavior and our beliefs. We believe we can, odds are we can. We believe we can’t and we never will--and we will make that true because we believe it to be true. That’s self-fulfilled prophesy. And often to make it happen, we embrace self-sabotage.
An Example: An author has been writing one type of book for years. The market for that type book is dwindling and her editor recommends the author write a different type of book and makes several suggestions. The author refuses--and when contract renewal time comes around, author is told publisher will not be offering a new contract.
Author refused for any of a number of reasons. Didn’t like the type of books suggested. Had no interest in shifting to a new type novel. Feared change. Feared losing her existing reader base. The point is, regardless of the reason the author is now without a publisher.
A more blatant example: An author goes to a conference and at a luncheon complains to a table full of people about her publisher. An editor for that publisher is sitting at the next table and overhears her house being raked over the coals. Said editor reports this tongue-lashing in a public forum to author’s editor. How how enthused is said editor to work with said author?
We all take wrong steps. We try something that doesn’t work. We write something that doesn’t resonate. We plan and set expectations based on the information we have available but that information proves faulty. These are mistakes, yes, but not ones where we have through our own arrogance or ignorance or fears or other personal issue-based actions, shoot ourselves in the foot and cut ourselves off at the knees.
The discretion errors are most frequent. Or, I should say, the lack of discretion. Over the years, I’ve seen more authors sabotage their careers by exercising a lack of discretion than anything else. A little story to keep in mind:
Author A wrote for an Editor at a publishing company.
Author A had some very nasty things to say about another writer to Editor.
Editor spoke very little and formally--cautiously--to Author A because Author couldn’t be trusted to be discreet.
Author A was offended by Editor’s distance and had some very nasty things to say to Editor about it, then promptly went to the Editorial Director and asked to be assigned to a new Editor.
The request was refused.
Author A left the Publisher and wrote for a New Editor at a New Publisher.
Before Author A’s first book with New Publisher came out, her New Editor left the New Publisher for employment at a third Publisher.
New Publisher hired a replacement: Editor from Publisher.
So now Author A is with Original Editor at New Publisher. The Editor she said some very nasty things to and asked to reassigned away from.
Small world, publishing. And Editors move around to move up. Author A is in a tough spot. One she put herself in because of her lack of discretion. Net: self-sabotage. Can she recover: probably only if she looks for and secures a New New Editor at a New New Publisher.
Life would have been so much simpler for Author A had that author just be discreet.
Self-sabotage isn’t only seated in esteem and confidence and negative issues. It can also be seated in fear. Like the fear of success.
People driven by a dream will just about kill themselves to hit benchmarks that define for them success. They’ll climb the ladder, struggle and sacrifice and put in super-human effort to get up to the next rung. Their goal is in sight. They’re almost there. Almost to the pinnacle that has occupied their hopes and dreams and cost them so much and now--now they’re---
scared to death and decide they may not really want it, or that they definitely do not want it.
Suddenly unthought of facets come to life:
✦If I make that sale, people are actually going to read what I write. They might hate it, have ugly things to say about it--about me. I could be embarrassed, humiliated, rejected.
✦If I make that list, people are going to expect so much out of the book. What if it disappoints them. What if they bad-mouth me and it? My family, friends, everyone I know will hear all about it. I’ll look like a fool, an idiot. I could be hurt. My kids could be hurt or embarrassed or humiliated. Rejected.
✦The last book did so well. What if this one bombs?
✦I am going to be judged. I could be found wanting and/or rejected.
See how these things all tie back to self-esteem and image? Your perception of who you are and your place in your world, and in the worlds of others?
We all want to be loved and accepted. We all want our work, which is an extension of us, to be loved and accepted.
And it’s hard to open ourselves up for not being loved and accepted. But the simple fact is this:
Some will love and accept us.
Some will hate us and reject us.
And some will be indifferent.
Of all these things--think about this--indifference troubles us most.
Why? Because it jerks our chains and feeds those little nags in us that says we and what we are doing are insignificant.
You can go into broader analysis, but in my experience, when you do and then you dive deep, it takes you right back to this place. Maybe you need the journey to feel sure of that. Maybe you can take the word of one who has journeyed and taken that journey with many others. Regardless, you do need to grasp the reasons we sabotage ourselves and take constructive steps to resolve the underlying issues. Understand them. And stop doing it so that you can fulfill your potential.
How do you do that? There are many ways, I’m sure, but one I know works is by knowing what you need. And that will be the topic in Mistakes We Make, Part 8.
Blessings,
Vicki
© 2007, Vicki Hinze
Saturday, December 23, 2006
MISTAKES WE MAKE: PART 5
PROCRASTINATION
There are several specific times when procrastination can be a writer’s biggest challenge. They are when a writer:
starts a new book
is in the middle of writing a book
has just finished writing a book
has just received a rejection letter on a book s/he has written
is ready to submit a book to an agent or an editor
has just read an excellent book by another author
has just read a lousy book by another author
is going through a rough personal time
is going through a rough professional time
is personally or professionally content
is anything else, going through anything else, focused on anything else.
reads this far and none apply, but washing dishes or mowing the lawn seems urgent
Starting a new book is intimidating--especially if you’ve just finished one. Why? Because you’re leaving behind characters and plot and a world you’ve built and lived in for months for a new world filled with new people--an unfamiliar world.
It isn’t that you’re not excited about the new project, or that you lack enthusiasm. It’s that it is easier to stroll along a path you’ve walked before than it is to blaze a new trail. And we tend to like to stroll. It doesn’t demand as much from us physically, emotionally or spiritually. We like to stroll. We are comfortable strolling. We’ve already invested heavily and we reap the benefits of that investment in having ideas feeding on ideas, and fully developed characters driving plot. Motivates and conflicts are clear and our vision is vivid. In starting a new book, we aren’t at that place yet--and won’t be until we do the work.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
In the middle of writing a book, the writer has burned out that initial burst of enthusiasm that comes with starting a new book. That fire in the gut that demands you write the book. Along about chapter three, it fizzles and then fades, and often the writer is worn thin at all the creating--new world, new scenery, new characters, conflicts and motivations--that s/he wonders why s/he wanted to write the book in the first place. Yet there is an investment that was and is still worthy, and s/he loves the story, and so s/he must write on. But without that initial burst of enthusiasm, which blocked out thoughts of any and every thing except the book, it hits the writer that continuing on with the novel is going to be REAL work and other things in life, both both professional and personal intrude, stealing focus.
While this is normal and happens to every writer, some make the mistake of allowing the theft to progress without a whimper much less a wail. And once the momentum is broken, it is so much harder to pull yourself back to working on that book.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
When a writer just finishes a book, whether or not it is already sold, there is a sense of accomplishment that is hard to beat. It’s a deep satisfaction of creating something from nothing and for a writer, few things in life can compete with those feelings. We’ve worked hard. We’ve sweat our blood and tears, sacrificed things we wanted to do when we wanted to do them to meet this goal of completion, and now we want to play!
The mistake some writers make is they play too long. They have broken stride in working and have had a blast playing and even though it is time to get back to work, they’re enjoying themselves just too much to give it up. So they continue to play and play and play. And then they then find themselves in a position where they’re late on their next deadlines, or under a crunch where they must produce an unattainable number of pages per day to meet the next deadline or adrift in writing at all.
Again, momentum broken is difficult to reclaim. The reason is that when you break it, you lose the ground you’ve gained and the ground you would have gained. Think of the ripple created in water when you drop a rock in. It keeps going. If you drop a second rock, it doesn’t stop the ripple of the first, just creates swells behind it. No rock, no ripple. No second rock, no swell. Now image a day’s writing as a rock. See how the impact grows?
Another challenge is that the last book finished is always the best we’ve done. The reason is our familiarity and immersion in it. And the idea of starting over with a totally blank slate appeals about as much as a root canal. But to finish again, we must start again. (A tip is to overlap. Start the new book while doing the final edit on the last book. Then, when you turn focus to the new slate, it’s not blank.)
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
Rejection letters can dampen enthusiasm like nothing else--if you let them mean more than they do mean. Our work incorporates so much of us, the human being, that we wrongly attach rejection of a work as rejection of us. It isn’t so. Often rejection has nothing to do with us or the quality of the work. It has to do with marketing, publishing trends, the publisher’s current list of writers and acquisitions--a thousand things that have nothing to do with a specific writer or work. And yet many writers make the unfortunate mistake of taking a rejection personally.
Some writers are so emotionally distraught that they can’t function for days--sometimes longer. That’s heart-wrenching--and a total waste. Even the best rejection letter in the world is only worth five minutes of emotion. FIVE MINUTES ONE TIME. After that, the writer needs to look at it again, see if it hold wise gems, as these letters often do, decide whether or not to incorporate those wise gems, and then get on with the business of writing.
The more time and energy spent on wallowing in that rejection, the more time and energy will be required for the writer to dig him or herself out of that black hole. Remember, a rejection is a subjective opinion. One agent or editor’s “no way” is another’s “Yes, let’s!” And if you’re wallowing, procrastinating because you just can’t take another rejection, get over it. Accept that rejection is part of the work and that you’re not going to find the “yes” so long as you’re indulging.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
When a writer is ready to submit a book to an agent or editor all kinds of fears and doubts strike at the heart. Is it ready/ Should I go over it again, see if I can possibly strengthen anything else? Is it good enough? What if I send it and then see errors--and you will! Do I really want to put the work--me--out on the line?
It’s amazing how much we can love the book and doubt it at the same time. We’re resourceful, I have to admit. And some of this, provided it isn’t debilitating, is normal. We want others to love what we’ve written, our stories are meaningful, purposeful to us. The fact is that some will love them, some will hate them, and some will be indifferent toward them. It is also a fact that this is a good thing or we’d need one writer and one book. So do your homework to find your best agent/editor match, submit and hope. That’s where your control ends, and not realizing that is a mistake too many writers make.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
When a writer reads an excellent or a lousy book by another author, s/he can be tossed into a tailspin. If the book is excellent, then s/he starts comparing his/her work and feels inferior. The current work might be brilliant but the writer is never going to see what s/he’s done as equal. Why? Familiarity and our propensity to be our own worst critic. We are not the best judge. That’s fact.
If the work read is lousy, then fears that some other reader will consider our work lousy intimidates and inhibits us. We don’t want to look or feel or come across to others as inferior.
And so we procrastinate because we don’t feel we measure up or fear we won’t measure up.
Self-esteem is a tricky rascal. Too much and we’re worthless as writers because readers don’t relate. Not enough and we’re worthless as writers because we don’t relate. But there is a balance and it’s found in honesty. If you write honestly, then you express the fears and doubts and vulnerabilities and frailties through emotions that are universal, and to those both the writer and the reader relate well.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
Rough times, professionally or personally, make for wicked writing. It’s extremely difficult to write when your personal life is in the toilet and you’re up to your backside in alligators. When no one else cares if you write. When there are so many demands on your time and attention that you’re too scattered to write.
Often writers are crippled by grief, turmoil, upheaval in their relationships (family and/or trouble with or losing an agent/editor/publisher). The thing is if life--work and home--ran smoothly and there was no conflict, then the writer wouldn’t have a thing to say in his or her stories. Conflict is the foundation of writing--the spine of your stories. To understand conflict and its effects, its impacts on human beings, you need to experience it. And we all do.
So rather than procrastinate your way out of writing during tough times, use the emotions you’re feeling in your writing. Because the fact is that without emotion, conflict isn’t conflict. It is our reaction to what happens and our understanding of why it happened that makes the story.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
Contentment. We all strive for it, for peace. But in writing, when we are content, we lack passion. We need fire to create. We need to be touched to care enough to feel the fire and create. When we are content, we glide. When we are not, we struggle, we endure, we sacrifice. We are determined and dedicated--we have purpose.
Contentment can be a purpose, but the truth is, human beings are basically lazy. If we’re strolling along and all is good--our needs are being met (physical, emotional, spiritual), then we don’t typically feel driven to do much of anything. It’s when our needs (actual or perceived) are not met that we push ourselves to accomplish. Remember the old saying, “Necessity breeds invention.” Well, it got to be an old saying because it’s true.
I’m not suggesting that you create turmoil in your life so that you can write. I’m saying don’t procrastinate because you’re content. Invest in things outside yourself. If you do, you’ll never run out of fodder.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
In just about any situation, for just about any reason, a writer can justify procrastinating. There are all of the usual suspects--wanting to get out and just have fun, wanting to do something else--but there are unusual suspects, too. Brick walls in the work, needing to write a scene that makes you uncomfortable for any of a dozen reasons, or a lack of certainty on where to go next in the story. There’s also fatigue, the grind of constant production, overwork and hyper-stimulation.
Writers must daydream. It’s part of the creative process. The key is to not daydream to avoid work but to revel in it--and to know the difference.
If you’re procrastinating and you don’t know exactly why, then finding out must be your priority. It could be you’re lacking support for your writing, that you’re at a juncture where you’re not sure what you want to write, or any of the reasons discussed above. It could be for another reason entirely. The thing is that if you identify the root cause, then you can find a constructive solution. Until you identify the root cause, you’re going to flounder and be one unhappy writer.
There is but one cure: Discipline. So recognize the challenges, accept them as valid, and then dive in and get to work, avoiding the mistakes.
I’m sure that by now you’ve noted a recurring cure. You can tag it as you wish, but there truly is but one cure for any of these ails that are rooted in procrastination: Discipline.
You must make a choice to not procrastinate. You must look at what you’re doing, why and by your own will elect to change.
No one is going to tell you that it will be easy or painless or that your world will be rosy if you succeed. If someone does, I’d think twice about listening to any of their advice and/or comments, because they’ve clearly never faced this demon.
What I will tell you is that it’s hard work but if you manage to face the demon procrastination and succeed, then you’ll be in a better place because you’ll be making conscious, informed decisions that are your own. These should be your calls.
Why?
Because it’s your life, your career, your responsibility. You’ve exercised the discipline, recognized the challenges, accepted them as valid. You’ve done the work--and you’ve avoided the mistakes.
And that brings us to what we want most--the topic in MISTAKES WE MAKE: PART 6. We’ll address that next time.
I hope this helps!
Blessings,
Vicki
Vicki Hinze
©2006, Vicki Hinze
Sunday, December 10, 2006
WORKING AT HOME, PART 2
The 2nd segment of a new Everyday Woman Radio show series on Working At Home has just been released by iWRN radio network. This show and several other recent ones are available through the www.everydaywomanradio.com web site. Blessings, Vicki
Saturday, December 09, 2006
MISTAKES WE MAKE: PART 2
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
As people we have strengths and weaknesses and both carry over into our writing. One of the most frequent errors writers make is in not recognizing this, or what exactly their strengths and weaknesses are and writing to their strengths rather than to trends.
For example, a few years ago, romantic suspense took off like a rocket. Many who had been writing historical novels, which at that time weren’t selling well switched to writing romantic suspense, seeking a foothold in what had become for them a very liquid market. Some writers did well. They had a natural flair or affinity that allowed them to connect with readers in their stories on a suspenseful level. Some didn’t do well. Their suspense lacked inherent elements to suspense writing that makes it work.
In some cases, it was the writer’s voice. While suited to historicals, it was not suited to contemporary suspense novels. Voice can be altered, of course, but it is difficult to affect a voice that isn’t natural to the writer and even more difficult to sustain it through an entire book.
In other cases, the challenge came in plotting. Historical novels require a lot of world-building, anchors that keep the reader firmly planted in the past--and those anchors include intangibles like opinions and mindsets that were natural to that time-frame. That left less room in the book for plot, which creates challenges in the suspense novel.
In still other cases, pacing presented the challenge. The tone and pace of novel events is substantially different in an historical novel and a suspense. The transition requires an alteration in the writer’s thinking and execution and that’s a difficult transition for many writers to make.
Just as it benefits us as human beings to know our strengths and weaknesses, we can see the value of knowing them when it comes to our work. If we write to our strengths and work to improve in those areas in which we are weak, then the work, like the human being, benefits. The whole is stronger for the effort.
It is always a mistake to write to trends. The books published now were conceived and written on an average, two years ago. By the time a trend manifests in the market, it is at least a year old, and that means its peak time is likely before you could write a book, much less write and then add the twelve to eighteen additional months required during production.
Another common mistake writers make is in not understanding the direct link between his or her human strengths and weaknesses and his or her writing subject matter. Some think of this in the terms of personal preference. “I prefer suspense, therefore I write suspense.” And that’s great, as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough in aiding the writer to define the vehicle s/he chooses to depict that suspense.
Many say “write what you know.” It is wiser, and opens new and exciting unexplored vistas to the writer to instead: “Know what you write.” If something new to you captivates your interest and imagination, explore it, learn what you need to know and then use it as a vehicle in your writing. Don’t limit yourself to what you know or you’ll quickly lose interest in exploring, and that lack of enthusiasm is crystal clear in the work. It grows dull. Flat. And you will feel and see the absence of magic in the work.
Being mindful of your author theme helps the writer to avoid many of the mistakes we make. If you’re not familiar with the concept, there’s an article on it in the library on the www.vickihinze.com web site. I can’t stress the significance of this enough. Author theme is closely associated with you, the writer, and the stories you tell--as well as the way you tell them. If you are aware of these things and know how they impact your work, then the odds are far greater that you’ll factor them into your choices and that is writing to your strengths.
Recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses isn’t any easier in writing than it is in life but it is worth the effort. Listen to the feedback you get from others on the work. Do the comments have common threads? Speak well of or work required of a specific writing element? For example, if you hear multiple times that your plotting is convoluted, then you need to work on that. If you hear that your characterizations are strong, then you know this is a strength and writing character (versus plot) driven stories would serve you well. Others can help you identify and recognize your strengths and weaknesses, but it’s up to you to write to them--or to address them in your life.
Either will help you avoid repeating mistakes in those specific areas. Recognizing both--strengths and weaknesses in the writing and in your life--will help you avoid even more.
And that brings us to SELF-TALK: the topic we will discuss next time in Part 3 of Mistakes We Make.
I hope this helps!
Blessings,
Vicki
©2006, Vicki Hinze
As people we have strengths and weaknesses and both carry over into our writing. One of the most frequent errors writers make is in not recognizing this, or what exactly their strengths and weaknesses are and writing to their strengths rather than to trends.
For example, a few years ago, romantic suspense took off like a rocket. Many who had been writing historical novels, which at that time weren’t selling well switched to writing romantic suspense, seeking a foothold in what had become for them a very liquid market. Some writers did well. They had a natural flair or affinity that allowed them to connect with readers in their stories on a suspenseful level. Some didn’t do well. Their suspense lacked inherent elements to suspense writing that makes it work.
In some cases, it was the writer’s voice. While suited to historicals, it was not suited to contemporary suspense novels. Voice can be altered, of course, but it is difficult to affect a voice that isn’t natural to the writer and even more difficult to sustain it through an entire book.
In other cases, the challenge came in plotting. Historical novels require a lot of world-building, anchors that keep the reader firmly planted in the past--and those anchors include intangibles like opinions and mindsets that were natural to that time-frame. That left less room in the book for plot, which creates challenges in the suspense novel.
In still other cases, pacing presented the challenge. The tone and pace of novel events is substantially different in an historical novel and a suspense. The transition requires an alteration in the writer’s thinking and execution and that’s a difficult transition for many writers to make.
Just as it benefits us as human beings to know our strengths and weaknesses, we can see the value of knowing them when it comes to our work. If we write to our strengths and work to improve in those areas in which we are weak, then the work, like the human being, benefits. The whole is stronger for the effort.
It is always a mistake to write to trends. The books published now were conceived and written on an average, two years ago. By the time a trend manifests in the market, it is at least a year old, and that means its peak time is likely before you could write a book, much less write and then add the twelve to eighteen additional months required during production.
Another common mistake writers make is in not understanding the direct link between his or her human strengths and weaknesses and his or her writing subject matter. Some think of this in the terms of personal preference. “I prefer suspense, therefore I write suspense.” And that’s great, as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough in aiding the writer to define the vehicle s/he chooses to depict that suspense.
Many say “write what you know.” It is wiser, and opens new and exciting unexplored vistas to the writer to instead: “Know what you write.” If something new to you captivates your interest and imagination, explore it, learn what you need to know and then use it as a vehicle in your writing. Don’t limit yourself to what you know or you’ll quickly lose interest in exploring, and that lack of enthusiasm is crystal clear in the work. It grows dull. Flat. And you will feel and see the absence of magic in the work.
Being mindful of your author theme helps the writer to avoid many of the mistakes we make. If you’re not familiar with the concept, there’s an article on it in the library on the www.vickihinze.com web site. I can’t stress the significance of this enough. Author theme is closely associated with you, the writer, and the stories you tell--as well as the way you tell them. If you are aware of these things and know how they impact your work, then the odds are far greater that you’ll factor them into your choices and that is writing to your strengths.
Recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses isn’t any easier in writing than it is in life but it is worth the effort. Listen to the feedback you get from others on the work. Do the comments have common threads? Speak well of or work required of a specific writing element? For example, if you hear multiple times that your plotting is convoluted, then you need to work on that. If you hear that your characterizations are strong, then you know this is a strength and writing character (versus plot) driven stories would serve you well. Others can help you identify and recognize your strengths and weaknesses, but it’s up to you to write to them--or to address them in your life.
Either will help you avoid repeating mistakes in those specific areas. Recognizing both--strengths and weaknesses in the writing and in your life--will help you avoid even more.
And that brings us to SELF-TALK: the topic we will discuss next time in Part 3 of Mistakes We Make.
I hope this helps!
Blessings,
Vicki
©2006, Vicki Hinze
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Book Blog and Bloggers Data Base
Book Blog and Bloggers Data Base
I've updated the Book Blog and Bloggers Data Base. Please note the new URL is: http://web.mac.com/vickihinze/iWeb/Vicki%20Hinze/Book%20Bloggers%20Report.html .
Blessings,
Vicki
Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com
www.everydaywomanradio.com
I've updated the Book Blog and Bloggers Data Base. Please note the new URL is: http://web.mac.com/vickihinze/iWeb/Vicki%20Hinze/Book%20Bloggers%20Report.html .
Blessings,
Vicki
Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com
www.everydaywomanradio.com
Sunday, September 17, 2006
BOOK BLOGS AND BLOGGERS MASTER LIST
Occasionally, I take on Special Projects. And I've just completed the initial preparations for one--a Book Blog and Bloggers Master List.
It is 100% opt-in, so it's not a complete listing of all book blogs/bloggers on the web, but it is off to a great start!
The URL is: http://itgirlsseries.com/BookBloggers.htm
When you click on the date--(this special project will require frequent updates for a time)you'll get the pdf file. Click on the toolbar to rotate it clockwise. (There was too much information on each entry to store it in portrait format, but you can get 81% sizing by just rotating it clockwise. That was readable to me without glasses.)
Enjoy!
Vicki
Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com
www.everydaywomanradio.com
It is 100% opt-in, so it's not a complete listing of all book blogs/bloggers on the web, but it is off to a great start!
The URL is: http://itgirlsseries.com/BookBloggers.htm
When you click on the date--(this special project will require frequent updates for a time)you'll get the pdf file. Click on the toolbar to rotate it clockwise. (There was too much information on each entry to store it in portrait format, but you can get 81% sizing by just rotating it clockwise. That was readable to me without glasses.)
Enjoy!
Vicki
Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com
www.everydaywomanradio.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)