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Contest & Call-In Radio Q & A for Writers/Readers

Contest Drawing:
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TONIGHT, SAT. 8/1/2009 @ 7-9 PM CST

MPR LIVE RADIO SHOW

Call in with your questions on publishing and writing--craft, business, or the writing life.

I’ll be on from 8-9 PM CST with Hope Tarr.

Heather Graham, Cherif Fortin and Lynn Sanders will be on from 7-8 PM CST.

There’s a drawing for Heather’s new book.


Link to the show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/medallionpress

Talk Radio, writing, authors, novels, novelists, publishing, creative writing, Medallion Press, MPR radio, Vicki Hinze, Heather Graham, Cherif Fortin, Lynn Sanders, Hope Tarr

Writing: Is It Worth It?

IS WRITING WORTH IT?

Yes, When You Write from the Heart


As writers, we often ask ourselves if writing is worth the sacrifices it takes. We often wonder if we should keep writing or stop. We often wonder if we’re going to get to the end of our life and look back with regret that we spent it as we did.

If you’re like most writers, you’ve wondered these things and more. And if you’re a people person you’ve no doubt asked yourself this type of thing even more because writing requires you to spend so much time alone.

For many writers, it’s a dilemma. But it’s one I’d like to solve for writers today through two examples . . . READ MORE


Creative Writing, writing, authors, novelists, writers, writers library, vicki hinze

Why Are So Many Ill and Dying?

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Writers are in a sedentary profession. Most of us these days do the majority of our writing at a desk on a computer screen. In many professions, we spend a lot of time sitting. And, according to a physician who spoke on this yesterday, it’s contributing (about 75%) to making us sick and killing us. What exactly did he tag it? Inactivity.

We eat too much, eat the wrong things (those pumped full of sugar and chemicals) and we don’t exercise.

When I heard this, I wanted to groan. For a long time, I embraced a “never deliberately sweat” attitude, which is bad, but when you live in the south, remember that there are about five months a year when walking outside is like getting slapped in the face with a wet washcloth. If you live here, in the long summer, you stand still outside and you sweat bucketsful. It is in spite of this that I love the south, which has many wonderful qualities, but not sweating isn’t among them unless you play hermit and never go outside.

READ MORE...

Tags: illness, lifestyle, diet, fitness, inaction, sedentary lifestyle, authors, writing, novelists, writers, creative writing, reading, books, activity

CRITIQUES

© 1996-2008, Vicki Hinze

Giving or receiving a critique is supposed to be helpful to the author of a work. A positive experience that encourages growth and gives the author an objective (if subjective) opinion on the work.

To truly be effective and an absolute valuable asset, a writer needs to know what is right as well as what needs work. Both are equally significant.

All too often writers who believe they want a critique want praise. We all want our work to be well received, but the purpose of a critique is to get input on taking steps to make the work even better and stronger to make it more well received.

So here are a few guidelines to assist in achieving that goal: READ MORE



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Tags: critique, creative writing, criticism, constructive criticism, writing, author, novelist, writer, books, novels, stories, storytelling

Today's Tip: Remember the Ordinary

TODAY’S TIP: REMEMBER THE ORDINARY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008
WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

When we’re writing, it’s easy to get into the fray of the conflict and goals. To focus on getting key character traits into the work through actions and deeds. To get that forward momentum going and get to the point.

But often we leave out the ordinary. I’m not talking about inconsequential, mundane dialogue. That should be omitted, because while we emulate real life “talk,” we realize that much of it is boring and insignificant. It’s “chat.” Snippets of chat can be useful, if purposeful, but too much and we lose the reader.

So what do I mean: Remember the Ordinary? And where and how do you include it?

READ MORE


P.S.
SURVEY








Tags: writing tips, ordinary things, details, characterization, bonding, authors, writers, novels, books, writing, creative writing, authenticity, real fiction, vicki hinze, writers library

Survey Time!

TAKE MY SURVEY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
WARNING: This is a no-edit zone....

I want to know what you think. Please pause a moment to take my survey.
READ MORE


Tag: survey, books, readers, writers, authors, novelists, writing, vicki hinze, booksellers, libraries

2008 ThrillerFest & ICRS Conferences

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...


I feel I should add to that warning: I’m worn out and slightly dizzy from all the travels/activity. I should also add, I’m giddy. Why?


Because ThrillerFest wasn’t just a good conference. It was ten-fold better--likely once I’ve totally absorbed all the activities--even more.


Remember that “If you build it, they will come?” Well, ITW built it in spades. Having the opportunity to learn craft from--well, just look at the schedule of who taught at www.trillerwriters.org and you’ll see why I’m giddy and nearly speechless. CraftFest was a golden opportunity to learn from many of the best in the business.


I wasn’t agent shopping, but the enthusiasm of those who were about AgentFest was amazing. Imagine being able to pitch to 47 high-caliber agents (yes, they were vetted!) in a matter of hours. Hearing of three or four requests was common. One attendee told me he’d had double-digit requests. Astounding opportunity--and a win/win situation for authors and agents.


Then there was ThrillerFest and a stellar lineup of panels. Typically, four panels ran simultaneously, and I had a difficult time choosing which ones to attend. Then I discovered that they’re offering CDs and on some DVDs, which helped tremendously.


Have you ever attended a writer’s conference and been torn every hour on what workshops to attend? It’s a rare privilege, and yet I found myself in that position each hour. Loved that. From bestsellers to ATF demonstrations to discussions with top forensics experts--well, there was definitely so much to do and too little time.


I had the honor of being panel master to the award finalists, and if I’d walked into the room not having read their books, I’d have hot-footed it to the bookstore (which was also a thing of delight) and gotten them all. The books were diverse, showing the expanse of the genre, and the authors offered really interesting insights on them. Lots of good info for the rest of us on these standout books.


All that and morning and afternoon signings, too.


And then there was the banquet. James Rollins was awesome as MC, and David did a fabulous job of pulling everything together. I didn’t flub the awards presentation, which took a load off my mind, and Sandra Brown was a wonderful and gracious ThrillerMaster. I sat and looked around that room at the authors present. It was a who’s who list. There was a very moving tribute to a Fallen Hero, too. Guys, it was too special for words. This author was also a police officer and just a few days before his first book was released, he was killed on duty. His mother was there to accept the award, and I don’t believe anyone in the room was untouched.


Personally, I had a lump the size of an orange in my throat, and (naturally) spoke right afterward. Thankfully Jim Rollins poked fun at me in my introduction and that helped the orange in my throat shrink long enough to do it. But that tribute has replayed in my mind a thousand times since, and I so hope ITW continues with this award in the years to come. It was a beautiful gesture. I kept thinking if I were that man’s mother how I would have felt, knowing my son had been remembered and honored like this. See what I mean? Tearing up again, just thinking about it.


And then there were the million networking opportunities with my industry pros I too rarely get to see--and I met so many people I’ve talked with online and known for years but had never seen. Sitting face-to-face and having conversations was such fun. What a rush!


I could go on for hours, but let me just say I don’t intend to miss a future ThrillerFest. Was it expensive? Yes, but it delivered double if not triple what it cost. I walked in thinking it was expensive and out thinking “What a bargain!” Seriously, in a multitude of ways, it was that productive and beneficial.


Oh, and some good news from the organizational meeting for active members: They’ve deleted dues! (That alone speaks to the success of the org!)


On Sunday, at o’dark thirty (somewhere between 4 and 4:30 in the morning), I headed to the airport and flew down to Orlando for ICRS--the International Christian Retailers Show.


It was a fantastic experience. Not only did I meet half the world there, I was also privileged to meet many other authors and industry professionals. Walking the floor, as it’s called, was terrific. Meeting folks but also seeing reactions to products and specific books. Very insightful information--and the company was fabulous.


It was a whirlwind trip and my batteries were half-charged on getting there, but rather than feeling drained, the experience was invigorating. I had one great experience after another. And that’s truly a blessing!


Now I’m drained and exhausted but a very happy author. And as odd as it sounds, I’m already eagerly anticipating next year!


Blessings,


Vicki

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WHY DO WRITERS WRITE?

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

As writers, we’re asked many questions. Some from and of ourselves, many more from others. One question seems perpetual for the frequency with which it’s asked: “In light of how hard it is to get or stay published, why do writers write?”

While I can’t answer for everyone, I can share my own thoughts and what I’ve observed from a large pool of writers over a long period of time.

Some speculate that it’s the freedom writing affords. You set your own schedule, work when and as you please, and answer only to yourself.

Well, bluntly put and in practical terms, all that’s a myth. Before writing full-time I was a director of operations for a corporate chain and I had three kids at home (participating in all the typical sports and other activities). Back then I had at least double the free time that I do now.

Yes, writers set their own schedules. But those schedules include many activities that are writing related but not actually writing, and they all must be done, too, which knocks out working when and as you please. Sure, you can choose to write in the mornings and do ancillary related jobs in the afternoon, but typically you end up working most if not all your waking hours less and except those you insist on just taking off to do other things. When you do that, you do it knowing you’re leaving work undone.

As for answering to no one but yourself, well, that’s pretty much a myth, too, though you do ultimately choose how to spend your day. But you answer to your responsibilities and obligations like most other people in their chosen careers, and you’re not an island. You work with an editor (or several editors), an agent (or several agents), with marketing and sales and publicity, booksellers, other writers, organizations . . . well, you get the point. Others are definitely involved, and if you fail to perform, you’ve messed up for yourself and for them. So it’s not as simple as answering to no one other than yourself. Ultimately, you answer to your readers. This is typically a pleasant perk, but pleasant perks too require time and commitment.

So I can’t say I know any writers who write for freedom it affords them. Far more often writers are reduced to sandwiching in time to actually write.

Some speculate that an inborn talent drives the writer to continue writing when not writing would be easier.

I respectfully disagree. I know many talented writers who never wrote to sell a book, have never submitted a book to a publisher, or who have stopped writing because selling books for a living was too difficult or unstable and/or problematic.

And let’s be frank. Writing is never and will never be easy. It’s only through a writer’s effort (some say blood and sweat) that it appears easy.

But talent is only one of many criteria when it comes to selling what you write. It’s nothing to sneeze at, so don’t get me wrong, but talent alone will not give the writer the discipline or ability to write a book or the fortitude to sell one, much less to write and sell the body of work one produces over the span of a career as a writer.

True, one can learn almost everything to do with writing as a career. One can learn craft, how the industry works. One can learn to network and market, to integrate into the business. One can learn everything except one thing: storytelling. That is a gift--a talent--one has or one does not. Yet merely having the talent doesn’t ensure one’s ability to use it to successfully parlay it into a writing career. So talent doesn’t keep a writer writing...

Some speculate that perseverance keeps a writer writing.

Not exactly. Persistence and perseverance keeps a writer who wants to write writing in the face of rejections and other challenges encouraging the writer to stop writing, but perseverance alone isn’t enough to get a writer to write when that writer isn’t already determined to do so.

It’s like with thirst. If you’re thirsty you drink. If you’re really thirsty, you’ll crawl across a desert looking for that oasis and you’ll keep crawling until you find water because you’re thirsty. You’ll persevere. But perseverance didn’t create the thirst. It’s a reaction to the struggle to find water.

For the writer who struggles to get the writing published, perseverance is a tool that aids in the struggle-phase, but it comes after the writing. Now for the writer who elects to write but finds enthusiasm waning to stick with the writing until the work is done . . . perseverance definitely comes into play, as does discipline. But either alone or combined, they are not the catalysts for writing. They’re the reaction to the catalyst--like with thirst. So, no, perseverance can’t make a writer write.

Some speculate education keeps a writer writing.

While I’m a huge proponent of education and see benefits in it in all we do or attempt to do, education alone doesn’t make a writer write. It can deepen the creative well from which a writer can draw. It can enable a writer to convey a story clearly, efficiently. It can help stage an environment wherein a writer can emote, tell a story in a way that makes it appeal to readers (the first of whom are an agent or an editor) but education alone isn’t going to put or keep a writer’s backside in a chair and keep it there through the creative process of creating a book.

Some speculate it’s the relationships a writer forms with other writers, agents and/or editors, bonds with readers that makes a writer keep writing.

Those relationships are important. Critical--to the writer and his/her family, who are spared writing talk only because those other relationships exist. No one “gets” writers like other writers. No one understands the nuances of the process like those in the business. And no one understands the elations and the challenges inbred like those in it. But those are perks that could be applied to any career-field. Scientists about science. CPAs about numbers and tax law. Mechanics about auto repairs. Definitely desirable, definitely beneficial, but relationships do not create and maintain the desire to write. They may support it after it already exists, but these things do not forge the desire.

Some speculate the story itself keeps the discouraged, despairing writer writing.

This is closer to the truth, but not all of it. Enthusiasm for a story, excitement about it, runs in phases. The initial burst of enthusiasm. The wall where enthusiasm fizzles and writing turns to work. The temptation to cease and desist wars with the determination to finish.

There could be, and typically are, other phases, too. The really good ones run their course in about the first three chapters of the book. Then the good stuff goes dormant until the writer is almost at the end. This is why you read so much on sagging middles. And why middles are predisposed to sagging. The enthusiasm isn’t as strong to shore them up. That means more work for the writer, trying to fire it up to shore up the middle.

If the writer isn’t wholly engaged with the story, you can see how much more difficult the process would be. It’s plenty difficult when wholly engaged. It’s under those circumstances that burst of excitement fires and sustains you for those three chapters. After that, you’ve got to create and generate excitement. Find something in the work that fires you up to keep going.

So, no, the story alone isn’t enough to keep the writer writing. It’s significant and its impact is undeniably a factor, but story alone won’t keep a writer writing--not for a book, not for the span of a career.

Some speculate that the writer feels “too invested” in writing to start over doing something else and that’s why s/he sticks with it.

With changing markets, I expect many writers go through periods of time feeling this way, but I can’t say I know any who have elected to write or to continue to write because they felt they had too much invested to do anything else.

By nature, writers are interested in many things. Diversity is one of their assets, and that makes them marketable in the work force. Rather than too invested invested to do anything else, I’d say they’re innately capable of doing many other things--many of which make earning a living far easier in other positions than in that of a career writer.

Starting over might not be fun or an appealing thing, but considering most writers reinvent themselves an average of three times in their writing career, I’d say that makes this speculation a myth, too. The average writer already starts anew--some far more than three times--so I don’t see how this could keep a writer writing.

Some speculate it’s the money, fame and prestige that keeps a writer writing.

Sorry, but this doesn’t begin to wash. Most writers don’t make a decent living much less a fortune. Many go their entire careers writing consistently but are never recognized for it. That pretty well does away with delusions of grandeur on the fame and prestige fronts.

So why then do writers do what they do? Even when they’re hearing no far more often than yes, why do they keep writing?

Here’s where we’re back from observation to what I know from personal experience.

I know writers write because they have something to say that they want others to hear.

I know writers write because they have a reason to write--they feel a strong purpose to their work. That purpose, whatever it might be, ignites the desire to write in them and fans the flame so that it burns consistently and without fail.

I know writers write because the idea of not writing is more than they can bear. A life without writing to convey the stories in their heads is the shell of a life but not one fully lived. Not for a writer.

Purpose ignites and fires the desire. Desire fuels all the rest. Sustains the writer, infuses the writer with the will and discipline and perseverance and determination to do and learn all that’s required. Purpose and that infused need to relate keeps the writer writing. Even when it’s tough to sell. Even when it’s tough to keep backside to chair day in and out, month after month, year after year.

A writer is inspired. Alone that can’t get or keep a writer writing. But infuse that inspiration with purpose, and that will start a chain reaction in the writer.

Inspiration. Infused with purpose. Sparks desire. A need to relate.

But wait. Not just anything inspires a writer and motivates him/her to actually write. Different things impact people differently, right? So what differentiates the writing kind of inspiration from your average run-of-the-mill inspiration? What in inspiration gets a writer writing or keeps one writing?

Purpose. It defines what sparks our specific imagination. Purpose infuses imagination and defines something as the type of inspiration that makes a writer write. Purpose infused imagination sparks desire, that need to relate, and fans its flames, and keeps the writer writing well beyond the time when logic and reason and sense say to quit. Even when everything says stop now... one thing strongly disagrees and it then keeps writers writing. The heart.

The heart pays more attention to purpose than does the mind, reason or logic. The heart is attuned to the desires in it. It’s the well from which purpose-driven imagination springs. And it refuses to be silenced. To have inner peace with him/herself, the writer keeps writing.

And there’s my version of the straight skinny on this matter.

So the next time someone asks what keeps a writer writing when everything--and often, everyone--says stop, you might respond with the short version:

Purpose.

It really is just that simple--and complex.

Blessings,

Vicki

©2008, Vicki Hinze

Tags: author, writer, novelist, creative writing, purpose, writing, rationale, desire, imagination, value, determination, drive, will, persistence, perseverance, fortitude, ambition

Writers: Beware!

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

I’ve been neck-deep in putting together a new series, but received a head’s up this morning and wanted to share it with those of you who are writers with public pages in the social networking realm.

Check your pages.

Once again we have someone who has too little to do and lacks the wisdom to use the gift of time, well, wisely. A bodysnarking incident occurred (an unflattering photo of some, no doubt unsuspecting, guy was substituted for mine). In my case, the offender has been reported. If you note offenses on your pages, do file the abuse reports. They are taken very seriously.

Also today another individual noted a similar event on a different social networking page. That too has been reported. While the identities used for these purposes are typically fake, the IP numbers are very real and traceable. Getting a new IP doesn’t negate the ability to discover an old one. (Isn’t technology wonderful?) Anyway, there are consequences. For repeat performers, some pretty stiff ones--especially if they’ve previously been warned by authorities to cease and desist.

Do be sure to check your text as well as images. We all know changing a single word can change a great deal.

Sites you might want to check closely: Shelfari, Myspace, Facebook, Bebo. Why not use this is an opportunity to just run a check on all of those in which you participate?

Do note that on Shelfari anyone can edit a page. That makes it vulnerable to abuse, though abuse on it is exposed in that all changes are tracked to the individual making them.

Back to work!

Blessings,

Vicki

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What's in Your Body of Work?

WARNING:  This is a no-edit zone...

I love and collect quotes. I came across one a couple days ago that totally speaks to the writer in me:

"In every work of genius, we recognize our own rejected thoughts;
they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty."            
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

I read Mr. Emerson's words and thought, "Perfect. Exactly the right goal and aspiration and tone for a writer who writes first with purpose."

And that made me wonder. How many writers actually identify their goal for their writing? Not what or how much or when they write, but what they hope the work will achieve? What message it will convey to readers? How many writers have defined that message? How many have a clear sense of self and the role it plays in their work?

Is this something that most writers think about? Or do they drift story to story, writing the books they choose for a purpose defined only by that work and not by their entire body of work? I've pondered on this quite a bit lately--sitting with one's eyes closed can assist one in seeing the less-than-obvious quite clearly--and I know writers who do both. Or ones who flip from one position--by the book--to the other--by the body of work. And that got me to thinking about Author Theme.

If we examine an author's body of work, we do see a recurring theme in all of the books. It doesn't matter what genre they're written in, what classification tags have been assigned to them; plot and tone and characters can vary widely, but the underlying author's theme remains intact.

It is the reflection of the author herself. Her perspective, ideas, attitudes and dreams. Readers see and believe and are led to accept what the author wants us to see and believe and accept. We react to the assets the writer employs. That theme might be healing or redemption or cowardice. It might be independence or protection or betrayal. Loyalty, abuse, or dealing with issues such as illness. It might be inspiring, encouraging, offering hope.  Regardless, every author has a theme.

Writers often say, I want to make the bestseller list. I want to be published in hard cover. I want to be sent on tour. I want larger print runs, more money, broader audiences. All of that is fine--and business aspects should be addressed by those writers who write to sell. But can writers write-to-sell and have a defined goal for their body of work? Do they? That's the question of interest to me.

When I first started writing, I set a standard for myself on the books I write. I must love them. That's shorthand, of course, and I know what it takes for me to love a book enough to be willing to invest a share of my life into writing it. For me, that love includes purpose. Every book I write, every story I plot, has a purpose that resonates with me and that I hope will resonate with readers. So that they will see something just a little differently after reading the book than they did before reading it.

Something that turns on a light, broadens a perspective, shows that unknown options exist and anyone can utilize them if they choose to do so and act on the choice.

So writing with purpose isn't a new concept to me. But those goals have defined the purpose for writing a specific book--each specific book. I've never before considered them in relation to the body of work I'm creating.

My body of work has not had a defined purpose. It has not had a single goal that can be attributed to all of the books except in the broadest of terms. I've been remiss!!!

So begins my exploration for that specific body-of-work purpose--and Mr. Emerson's quote, for me, defines it perfectly. I have a starting point.

I am a genius. Not bragging or complaining, just stating a fact with no more or less importance placed on it than on the fact that I am a woman. I had nothing to do with either designation or attribute; the characteristics were divined, like having blonde hair, blue eyes and a crooked nose. But recognition of the human condition? That, I--we all--can choose to do. To notice, acknowledge and either accept or reject. And I can choose the value I place on that recognition. Every human being can. Every writer can.

And that's now the mission. To clearly define my goal for the body of work I'm creating, recognizing the human condition and the value in it.

Mr. Emerson's insight humbles me. How brilliant he was to recognize and verbalize the importance of this. At times, our own rejected thoughts do come back to us both alien and majestic.

And at times, from a mere few words strung together with purpose by someone who has pondered life and humanity and the human heart, we glimpse the mysteries and discover that which we had failed to notice or recognize. We become aware of what we had neglected.

That awareness is a valuable gift. In it is an opportunity to change that circumstance. A chance to redefine our purpose, to hone it so that it becomes clearer to us in our vision of what we want to do with our lives.

Writing requires physical work, yes. But it carries equal demands on our emotions--the method through which we connect with readers--and spiritually--our shared perspectives, attitudes, fears and ideas, beliefs and hopes and dreams. We relay our experiences, define the world and people around us. We attribute qualities that appeal and repulse us. Through our stories and the characters in them, we live.

And life, being precious and elusive and ours for only a short time, should be lived with intention. The clearer our vision of what we hope to accomplish through our writing, the more successful we are at defining and fulfilling intent.

I'm reminded of something I once heard about the end of life. I can't quote it directly; it's been a long time since I heard it. But it was about not reaching the end of life neat and tidy. It was about skidding in sideways, exhausted and used up, thinking, "What a ride!"

Used up, as in replete, content and satisfied that you'd explored all that most mattered to you. Without regret that you'd always played by the rules and always ended up on the short end of the stick without much satisfaction to show for a tremendous amount of effort.

All mortal life ends. It's how it's lived that matters. I kind of like that skidding in sideways visual image--so I'm going to keep it, and Mr. Emerson's insight, in mind and further define my body-of-work goals.

Hmm. Two lines of text and it's been on my mind for three days. I've read hundred thousand word books that didn't linger three hours. Haven't you?

Imagine... To have that kind of residual effect, to have someone read your book and then ponder on it as it relates to their own life... Now that's a goal for a body of work, isn't it?

And that's what's on my mind this morning... Well, one of two things. The other is wondering why this emerald ring that popped up unexpectedly in the writing is so determined to be significant.  I have no idea why, or to whom--yet.*

Blessings,

Vicki

©2008, Vicki Hinze 

Tags: Creativity, body of work, purpose, writing, authors, novelists, writers, books, writers, meaning, life, matters, significance

REINVENTING YOU

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Regardless of career field, at some point and time, most people are confronted with the need to reinvent themselves. The reasons that prompt the reinvention are as varied as we are.

WHY REINVENT?

It may be a personal choice. The career path you’d been on, just doesn’t fit you anymore. Personal tragedies, events that have a profound impact on you, maturity and/or personal growth can ignite the desire to reinvent. We change. What we want to do with our lives change. If the change is significant, and important enough to us, we reinvent, knowing we’ll be starting over and working our way up the proverbial ladder--again.

Writers often reinvent themselves--some, many times during the course of a career. Lines/imprints come and go, demand rises and falls, risky books fail, some elect to ghost write for others and avoid all the ancillary work a writer’s called on to do. There are a thousand reasons--and all of them start with something changing. The writer, the market, sales performance, passion for what one is doing...

It may be as a result of changing times. New technology and applications has had a profound impact on people needing to reinvent to stay employed, for what they’re doing professionally to stay relevant. I’m not talking so much about trends but about advances that redefine industries and the work done in them.

I’m recalling the time when personal computers first began to appear in small businesses and a then employee told her boss that she had kept books fine without a computer for years and would continue to do so. He encouraged her to take the training the company was offering, but she refused. Not too long afterward, she ended up between the rock and hard place. Her work--the means by which she did it--had become obsolete, and since she refused to embrace the new way of doing things, she had become obsolete. She ended up unemployed because she refused to reinvent herself.

Most degrees are obsolete within five years of getting them. Most people realize that they can’t rely on what they know now to carry them through a long-term future. They must continue to grow and expand their skills. Some, like the woman above, elected not to do so. Her choice, and the outcome of it is also her responsibility. The moral of that story is, of course, to keep learning and growing--and, probably most importantly, to keep an open mind.

COMMON REINVENTION MISTAKES

Chasing Trends. One of the most common mistakes made in reinvention is that the person chases a perceived trend. The challenge of course is that by the time the trend is identified, it’s often saturated or out of vogue. Unfortunately, this happened with many writers a few years ago when suspense became so popular. Suddenly people who had no interest in suspense (and were gifted in other forms of writing) switched to writing suspense because of its popularity. A similar event occurred in “chick-lit” after Bridget Jones: a decision that has since had many of those same authors reinventing themselves and their careers yet again.

Ignoring strengths. All too often, a writer will read a book, or several books, that are outside the normal sphere, enjoy them and decide to write one. S/he does, enjoys it, and then writes another. But along about book three, the writer isn’t enjoying the new type of book anymore and interest has waned in writing them.

Maybe the new type of book doesn’t play to the writer’s strengths. Maybe it doesn’t challenge her, or the practical subjects for the novels bore her to tears. No one in this position does their best work, and because the writer ignored her strengths in making this “leap” to a new kind of book, now she has to suck it up and produce anyway (a great way to kill creativity and produce substandard work), or reinvent again. Which is one way of saying, Writer, know thyself before you leap.

That leads to the biggest, worst reinvention mistake we make:

Uniformed decisions. Far too often the writer will choose a different genre or type of work because things aren’t great in the work s/he’s doing. Because someone else is encouraging her to change what s/he’s doing. Because s/he’s done what s/he’s doing for a long time and s/he creatively yearns for an enthusiasm infusion that comes with tackling something new and different. But rather than approach the possibility of reinvention analytically, taking into account the writer (human being and artist) and the market potential, the writer just jumps.

Too often, the writer reinvents with too little thought given to the human being in the writer. It’s all about career potential, sales. Those things are important, yes, but so is the human being in the writer. If there is no contentment, excitement--no passion--for what you will be doing, then the specific reinvention choice isn’t the right one. Keep looking.

Any reinvention worth doing is worth the analysis required to do it well. Only by doing the work can you have any assurance that you are making the right choice for the right reason. Remember, you aren’t reinventing your career to become someone else. (That’s true even if your covers cite another name!) You’re reinventing yourself to reveal a new aspect of you.

You are at the center of your work. And you should be at the core of your reinvention. Regardless of why you are reinventing, whatever you morph to should be an outgrowth of who you’ve become, are becoming, or want to become.

That is the single most thing that writers tend to miss in transforming. And the single most thing that others miss in revamping their career strategies.

Change often stems from necessity. Sometimes it stems from desire. In analyzing your specific case, understanding why you’re reinventing, planning a solid strategy for doing it that incorporates you (your strengths, goals, dreams and desires), increases your odds of a successful reinvention.

A tip from the trench: Follow your bliss.

I did a post on this not too very long ago, so I won’t bore you with repeating it, but if your passion is engaged, little can hold you back or down or dissuade you.

Don’t consider any reinvention that doesn’t ignite a fire in you that burns so hot you think you’ll melt from the inside out. That will sustain you through the transformation, through the onslaught of those asking if you’ve lost your mind for getting off a successful track to get on an unknown one, through the challenges of starting over and working your way up the ranks again--or again after having done it before (maybe several times).

Embrace the passion and follow your bliss.

When you reinvent yourself embracing the passion and following your bliss, you’re nearly there on fulfillment and contentment. Imagine... Being nearly there coming out of the gate.

None of us had that much going for us in our first professional invention, did we?

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: reinventing, career, strategy, goals, dreams, desire, bliss, passion, authors, writing, writers, novelists, books, contentment, fulfillment, career analysis, trends, relevance

From a Mess Comes a Message

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...


It’s contest time. Writers from all over the world are entering contests and other writers (and editors and agents) from all over the world are judging and/or critiquing them.


I’m critiquing and judging (two separate contests) and coordinating a third. Why? Because I love seeing what’s there. What people are thinking, the kinds of things that fascinate them enough to tackle a book, the way they use their words and structure a story. In short, it’s fun.

Tags: author, emerald coast writers, novelist, books, CREATIVE WRITING, writing, writing craft, narrative, characterization, dialogue, writers library vicki hinze
Yesterday, a good friend and I touched base. She too is judging/critiquing right now. And while we, of course, didn’t discuss specific entries, we did both note a trend to heavy narrative in the works. And we both wondered why. Neither of us had an answer, so I phoned a third friend, who also does a lot of judging/critiquing. She, too, had picked up on this trend.


We put our heads together and determined . . . READ MORE

THE AGE OF RAGE

THE AGE OF RAGE ©2008, Vicki Hinze

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Writers connect characters to readers through emotions. That makes it vital to understand them. Otherwise, the odds diminish of depicting them accurately or of having the reader react to whatever is depicted the way the writer intends the reader to react.

We live in an age of rage. Where people once exercised restraint, today they are far more apt to cut loose and let the fur fly--often with little or no provocation, and too often with no thought about the consequences. There was a time not too long ago, when terms like “road rage” weren’t part of our vocabulary. Where watching a group of teenage girls beat up another teenage girl wasn’t broadcast and considered entertainment.

There are a lot of angry people out there, and yet if we limit anger to only the negative, then we’ve missed the best half of its value. Because like most things in life, anger can be positive or negative.

First we need to make to sure we see anger clearly.

Anger isn’t an action. It is a reaction. It is the effect of an underlying cause.

That cause can be someone doing something that hurts you--intentionally or unintentionally, professionally or personally. Something that appalls you, something that scares you. (Note that all three are emotions, writers.) Let’s look at a couple of examples:

If someone makes a false accusation against you, odds are pretty good your reaction will be anger.

If you pull a week of overtime on a project for the boss and the coworker supposedly helping you did nothing but takes full credit for all your work, odds are pretty good your reaction will be anger.

If your daughter wears your favorite jacket without your permission and wrecks it or loses it, odds are pretty good your reaction will be anger.

If you write a chapter and haven’t saved it and the power goes out and it’s lost forever, odds are very good your reaction will be anger.

If someone steals your car, your wallet, or your name for the purpose of damaging your reputation, you can bet your reaction will be anger.

Personally and/or professionally, we react with anger to injustice. To things we consider universally just plain wrong.

But we also at times react with anger when no malice or intent to harm is intended. In fact, we sometimes react in anger when we’re not even directly involved.

You instruct your child not to do something. The child does it anyway. You’re not harmed, but you are angry.

Someone you care about gets sick. You yell at the doctor--outraged from the tip of your head to the soles of your feet.

Why?

Because other emotions are fueling the fire. Often that other emotion is fear.

You fear the sick person will die. You rage against the fear of death, but death isn’t someone you can shout out, so you pick a victim present: the doctor, or nurse or ambulance attendant--anyone will do.

People typically look for someone to blame. It makes them feel more secure, like they’re more in control, to be able to point a finger and say, “It’s his/her fault.” So to feel less vulnerable, they look for someone upon whom they can focus their fear which manifests in the form of anger. They might even choose the individual who is sick!

Fear, frustration, insecurity. Injustice, an inability to manipulate, a loss of control, a failure to achieve a desired outcome--all of these emotion-based reasons, and others like them, can manifest as anger. But remember, anger is the reaction, not the action. It’s the effect, not the cause. The primary core emotion sparking the reaction is the catalyst.

Anger, you see, isn’t an innate reaction. It’s a learned response. A simple example:

When a child hits himself with a hammer, he cries.
When an adult hits himself with a hammer, he cusses.

One reacts to pain with tears.
The other reacts with anger.

A learned response.

The primary causes and effects discussed thus far are largely negative. But anger has a whole different side. A valuable side, and our characters should react to it just as people do. On this side of the proverbial scales, anger is constructive.

It acts as a catalyst to motivate us to do constructive things (versus destructive ones) we wouldn’t have done or couldn’t have done without that motivation. An example:

A doctor lost his father early in life to a heart attack. The son was furious. Now he could have let that anger eat him alive, or even destroy him. He could have grown so bitter that it poisoned him and stole his destiny. But he didn’t. Instead he channeled his anger constructively--and went on to create the first artificial heart.

Anger can motivate us to stretch and grow. It can inspire us to change, to do better and more than believed we were capable of doing. Anger can infuse us with determination, give us the courage to try things we never dreamed of trying--and to keep on trying until we achieve them.

Anger can impact us in ways that change the course of our entire lives--define our life’s purpose.

When we think of anger, we often think of abuse and only its negatives. We neglect to remember the good that can come from it (the anger, not the abuse). Anger isn’t so much about the emotion, though we should understand the ramifications of that, too.

Anger always has ramifications. Some are negative, but some are definitely positive. And we get to choose which our anger will be.

Anger channeled improperly causes stress. Stress kills. It’s that simple. But before it kills, it makes us sick. Headaches, digestive challenges, spastic colon problems and so many more physical challenges manifest as a result of anger (and other negative emotions) not being processed in a positive way.

Anger channeled properly inspires and infuses us with abilities we had but didn’t know we had. Inspires us to gain new skills, new abilities that serve us in all areas of our lives because they broaden our experience and give us deeper wells to draw from in doing things we want to do. Things we’re meant to do.

So, yes, we live in an age of rage. And, yes, many factors contribute to it. What we need to remember is that rage is a reaction--neither a cause nor an action. We all know that every action causes a reaction. Every cause has an effect. And we know that regardless of what that cause and action are, we control our reactions and effects. We choose our response.

We all get angry. We all have hot buttons that someone’s going to push. We know that, too.
What we need to decide is how we’re going to react to having our hot-buttons pushed. We can react negatively--whether it’s firing off a nasty email filled with half-truths or taking a swing at the person offending us--or constructively--whether it’s holding our tongues and promising ourselves we won’t treat others unfairly or we’ll use that anger to build a better mousetrap.

I study a fair amount on abuse; you guys know that. I have for over thirty years. One thing that abusers often say to their victims is, “You made me hurt you.” That or they tell others, “S/he made me do it.”

Definitely improperly channeled anger there. The abuser got angry. S/he chose to hurt, to do it, and we’re all too familiar with the horrific forms “it” can take.

So when you’re writing characters, and in living your own life, understand that anger is normal. Even the most disciplined and most holy get angry. God got angry, and He’s got supernatural powers. We’re mere mortals. So it isn’t that we should fight to not feel the emotion, anger. It’s that we should exercise self-control and channel that anger constructively.

Constructive channeling. Now that’s a valuable weapon when living in an age of rage...

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: anger, rage, abuse, hurt, choices, channeling anger, constructive anger, destructive anger, characterization, author, writer, novelist, books, reading, writing, writers' library, vicki hinze

High-Concept Author Pitch?

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

I did an interview this morning and got asked a difficult question. One tries to prepare for these things, and one does prepare, but this wasn’t an ordinary question. Oh, I’ve been asked about this sort of thing, had this type of thing suggested to me and even some serious interest on the matter about my books, but I wasn’t approached then in the manner I was this morning. I thought I’d share so that you could add this one to your preparation list.

Typically when interviewed, I’m asked about my books, where my ideas originate--the usual. Depending on the interviewer, I might be asked questions about my days as a military wife, or as a writer with a family, or even as a pet owner. I’ve been asked about what kind of music I like to listen to when I write, what kind of junk food I prefer, what kind of car I think is hot--all kinds of things, depending on the interviewer’s audience.

I’ve been asked why I write the books I write, how I choose which books to write; why I don’t write more non-fiction; why I don’t write about distinguished “real” women versus imaginary ones. I’ve even been asked which is my favorite book of all I’ve written.

But this today was a first for me. “Which of your books do you want to be made into a movie, and why?”

My initial response (which thank heaven I didn’t share) was: All of them. Because they’re movies I’d like to go see.

That wouldn’t have gone over well, now would it?

Anyway, I paused a second to think on it. As I said above, I’ve had interest in some of my books going to film, but in those situations, the interested party had read the book and came to me. I didn’t have to choose. And the question struck me the same way that asking me which of mine is my favorite book only even harder because someone else would adapt what I’d done. It’d be the same only different. I was momentarily lost. Imagine someone saying, “You have three kids. Which do you love most?”

Who can answer that?

Admittedly, I’m a bit of an oddball commercial writer. Typically, commercial writers write what’s commercial. I’ve written purpose books and hoped they’d be commercial. It’s a different set of criteria. Yes, I know that the books aren’t my babies and once you choose to sell what you write, regardless of all the couching, you’ve got a product on a shelf in a store. No illusions on that, or problems with it, either.

But when you’ve written nearly thirty books, and every single one of them were written because you felt driven to write them, selecting a favorite one is just impossible.

My response: “Based on what criteria?”

Now the interviewer was at a loss. :)

I explained. My choice would be based on the nature of the film someone wanted to make.

How do you succinctly explain your personal philosophy to someone unfamiliar with your body of work without boring them to tears?

I knew what I needed. A high-concept pitch. And that led me to wondering: Is there such an animal as a “high concept” pitch for an author?

That was the question in my mind, and it’s what’s on my mind this morning.

If you want a rip-your-heart-out kind of movie, then HER PERFECT LIFE, is my choice. A returning POW finding everything had changed (husband remarried, kids calling his new wife “Mom” and being a stranger to their mother, and a WHAT NOW?” kind of movie that ripped my heart out writing it. It’s got a (to me) fabulous, happy ending. My purpose in writing it? Awareness of what serving our country can cost people--on a very real and personal level.

If you want a “I can conquer abuse” kind of movie, then it’d be ALL DUE RESPECT.
If terrorism is your focus, then any of the WAR GAMES books, or LADY JUSTICE.
If terrorism with a political angle is what you’re after, then LADY LIBERTY.
If you ever wondered what happens when one of those folks with top secret clearance mentally loses it; what happens to them, then ACTS OF HONOR is just the thing.
Maybe you’re into a Paris Hilton type with substance. Then BULLETPROOF PRINCESS.
Or you’re into time-travel, or paranormal. That’d be FESTIVAL. Toss in Life After Death, and that’d be MAYBE THIS TIME.
Ghosts or a safe haven--healing story? That’d be the Seascape novels.
Biological warfare? SHADES OF GRAY. Chemical or Nuclear warfare? DUPLICTY or ACTS OF HONOR. Terrorists striking your water supply? SHADES OF GRAY. Striking your shopping mall? DOUBLE DARE. Cloning people with high level security clearances? BODY DOUBLE.

See what I mean? It’s impossible!

So if a high-concept author pitch didn’t exist, it’s being born today. I’m creating it. Because never again do I want to be asked a question such as this and not have a ready response. I can’t choose one book. Not when every book I write is written because I consider the soul of the book relevant.

So maybe that’s my high-concept author pitch. Relevance. That’s my key point.

Course, I’ll have to elaborate a bit. Relevance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder...

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze
c 2008
www.vickihinze.com

Baffled! What Does He Mean?

I received a note with the subject line: HELP! I’M BAFFLED. WHAT DOES HE MEAN?

Now who can resist stopping to read a note referenced like that? So I did--stop, that is--and read the note. It was from an author who had received a rejection from an agent. In the note, he said that the villain didn’t scare him. That’s an important factor considering this is a novel targeted at the thriller market.

The author was confused by it. The villain purportedly had all the makings of a convincing villain. So the agent’s comment baffled the author, leaving her confused and floundering, trying to determine what was wrong with the villain.

I couldn’t resist. From the character sketch, two things were apparent:

1. The villain was capable of villainous acts.
2. The villain was weak and I didn’t fear him, either.

Here was the problem. He was totally evil. No redeeming quality. That makes him weak--and it diminishes suspense because we know to expect his worse and about what his capabilities are going to be.

That’s a challenge. To fear a villain, we need to be uncertain how far he’ll go--or know how far he’ll go and fear he’ll go even further. In other words, he needs to be a little unpredictable.

He also needs to be motivated. Doing what is normal and right and good TO HIM. Even if that’s twisted and crazy and totally nuts. To him, he makes perfect sense and his reason for doing what he’s doing is one we understand even though we consider it twisted.

That means it typically ties to a universal emotion. Why? Because we identify with universal emotions. This gives the villain credibility as a villain.

Lacking those qualities, the villain is weak and because he’s weak, he also diminishes the heroism and admirability of the story’s hero. If the villain were smart and strong and sharp and clever and cunning and oh-so-good at being a villain, then the hero would have to be even better to win in an adversarial match against that villain. Because the villain isn’t those things, the hero can’t be heroic. So his character is weakened, too.

A hero is only as good as his villain makes him.

Regardless of the novel type, that’s an important point to remember in crafting characters.

I try to make the villain as dastardly as I can for some emotional reason. Then I think on him until I find a way to make him worse. After I’ve made him as awful and as strong as I can, then I give him some extra perk that makes him even more terrifying to me. And seat that perk in universal emotion.

Remember, a killer killing isn’t interesting. Why a killer is killing and if he is successful at killing in the face of someone fantastic trying to stop him from killing--now that’s interesting.

Writers have a tendency to eliminate obstacles when they run into situations like this. To eliminate the obstacle or conflict when they should be doing the exact opposite--making it harder still on everyone involved. Putting the outcome in greater doubt.

This brings to mind BODY DOUBLE. In chapter 1 a woman is sealed into a tomb alive. She awakens and digs her way out, makes her way to safety, and is retrieved by an operative. That’s a pretty formidable enemy who can do that. And some would say it’s enough. But...

The operative who retrieved her informed her she hadn’t been missing for three days--as she thought. She’d been missing for three months--and she has no idea where she’s been.

Now that further complicated the matter--and it intrigued the heck out of me. Only one thing worried me. I had no idea where she’d been, or what had happened to her, or why she didn’t remember it.

I had to write the story to find out. And, boy, did I have a blast doing it!

So that’s another perk to complicating matters up, even when you think you’ve complicated yourself right into a wall. You’re creative, you’ll find a window--or make a new one. And when you do, you’ll enjoy discovering these wrinkles and intrigues as much as the reader.

And you shouldn’t get notes such as the one above on future submissions.

Blessings,

Vicki

P.S. There are two articles in the website library (www.vickihinze.com) that might be helpful on this: Villains and The Fictional Dream. You might review deepening conflict and the articles on character, too.

Tags: author, writer, writing, villain, character, conflict, fiction, novelist, vicki hinze, writers library

BIRTHDAY WISH--AND HOPES

Birthdays are special days--and at times in our lives when we’ve thought we wouldn’t have any or many more of them, we learn a new appreciation for them. Actually, it’s a new appreciation for life itself, but the day is the perfect day to acknowledge and celebrate that.

Today is mine. And I’ve made special plans, but none more so than what I’m doing right now, and that is sharing my birthday wish and hopes with you.

My birthday wish.

Wishes are special things. They speak to the desires we hold close in our hearts. And to accomplish mine, I need your help. Someone very special to me is having surgery today, and my birthday wish is that she have a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. A full, speedy recovery.

So if you’ve a spare moment in your hectic day, please join me in wishing her well by whatever means feels right to you. Prayer, healing light, wishes for the surgeon’s skill and the medical staff’s expertise to be focused and sharp and on point. For her body to work in tandem with all that’s needed for healing quickly, painlessly.

This person is loved by many and needed by more. And I appreciate your adding your thoughts, prayers, and wishes to mine. I’m grateful, and I thank you one and all.

My Hopes:

Hope is a fragile thing. We dare to hope, and when those hopes aren’t realized, we fret over whether or not we should dare to hope again. But we should dare. We should always dare. There is a reason that hope springs eternal. It’s because so long as life exists, there is potential and possibility. So I do dare to hope. And this morning, these are a few of the things for which I hope:

I hope that our troops remain safe and those who come home feel appreciated and their needs are met.

I hope that the desperation becoming evident in home invasions and crimes ceases so that home is the serene haven it should be.

I hope that those in need feel the care of those able to assist, that those in pain know relief, and those grieving are comforted.

I hope Oprah’s Big Give catches on and becomes the next big thing. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something to help someone else. Wouldn’t it be amazing if doing so became all the rage!

I hope that leaders get a grip on egos and greed and actually do what is good and right for people counting on them.

I hope we don’t spend the next year trapped in the negativity of dirty politics. We’re not Democrats or Republicans, we’re Americans. It’s time we remember it and remember what it means.

I hope we get our priorities straight: shelter our homeless, feed our hungry, care for our sick, and protect our children. More than anything we need to love one another and that means not looking the other way when someone is struggling.

These are my hopes. I carry them in my heart. I cast them into the world, too. Within and without. And maybe, just maybe, if they are embraced by enough of us, we’ll see them realized.

Wouldn’t that be something?

Oh, but it would. It truly would...

And one more. A personal, work hope: let lives be touched by the work I do, and let me be strong enough and wise enough and determined enough and lucky enough to continue to do it.

In my office hangs a sign. It’s been hanging here for many, many years. It reads: “When I grow up I want to be a Fairy Godmother.”

Today, I’m daring to hope that this too will come true... and one day, it just might!

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze
2008

Tags: birthday, wishes, hopes, authors, novelists, writing, writer's library, Vicki Hinze

Character: CONTENTMENT

When writing, we don’t often think specifically about a character’s contentment. There’s a reason for that: we’re in the conflict business. That, conflict, not contentment, is the spine of our novels. But contentment isn’t the same thing as a lack of conflict. It is peace in the face of conflict. And so as novelists, we definitely should be thinking about contentment and our characters positions on it and where they are in relation to it.

A person can be in the middle of turmoil and at peace. At war against an enemy, and at peace. Going through tough times on the job, with the family, in health or welfare issues--on any front, really, and still be content.

Contentment comes from knowing you’re doing or have done your best in a given situation. It’s accepting what can’t be changed. It’s acknowledging the facts of the matter and being at peace with those facts.

Contentment isn’t an idealistic view of all being perfect and beautiful and everything working seamlessly and without fail, trial, challenge or trouble. It’s peace in light of those failures, trials, challenges and troubles.

What is your character’s contentment level? Why? These are important insights into the individuals and why they behave as they do. The greater insight into why they are as they are and conduct their priorities on value and judgment systems that might one-eighty out from our own.

These are incredibly rich resources for the writer.

What’s your character’s contentment level? What would increase or decrease it? Why would those specific things impact that level?

And, of course, the same can be asked of you, the person. All this holds true for our imaginary people, but it holds true for real ones, too.

Blessings,

Vicki

IMMEDIACY

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Now that income taxes are done (THANK YOU!!!!), two things are on my mind this morning. Well, actually, three things, but two apply to writing so I’ll chat about those.

The first thing came from a phone conversation I had with an editor friend this morning. She read me a bit from a work that was a gem. The first thing that went through my mind was that this story has serious potential. The second thing was wondering if it’d be realized. I hope that it will.

What spurred the first thought was a knowing from line one that something horrific and significant was about to happen. The second thought came from the mechanical challenge in the area of psychic distance.

I’ve done an article on psychic distance for anyone interested. It’s in my writer’s library on the writing website (www.vickihinze.com).

Why was it a challenge? What was happening was intense and yet we, the readers, were viewing it from a distant point versus up close and personal. This was definitely a scene for deep point of view. Intense situation, high stakes, incredible obstacles and horrendously important consequences. Being somewhat removed, the work was good. But if the author closed that psychic distance, the work would be great.

When the psychic distance is broad, immediacy suffers. And this was and required immediacy. What happened had all the elements required for elevated reader identity and it was darned captivating. But it suffered the handicap of that distance.

So double-checking psychic distance is on my mind. It matters. A lot. It makes the difference between good and great. It makes the difference in snagging the reader and giving them a license to set a book down.

Ask yourself, why is this happening now? Must it happen now? What impact will it happening have? Who suffers, gains or loses most?

If it doesn’t have to happen now, there’s not a significant impact if it doesn’t happen, and no one suffers the fallout, gains or loses, then you don’t need it. Doesn’t matter how well written it is, how exciting or thrilling or chilling. Immediacy is required or it’s out of there.

The second thing on my mind came from a phone conversation I had with another author last night. It was about author voice and established genres. Actually, she had read a story I’ve been writing called TENDING GRAVES and shared two observations with me:
1. There’s something in my first person voice that adds an extra element to the work. That’s a plus and something I’ll be remembering. I haven’t explored first person voice a great deal in my work, but I’m going to spend some time doing so. It’s natural, comfortable and adds immediacy--and it lends itself well to her second observation...

2. “You’re creating a new genre again,” she said. I seem prone to do that--and I find it extremely exciting, so I’m going for it.

Is this an easy way to build a career? Absolutely not.

It’d be wiser, I suppose, to write within the confines of an established genre. For marketing purposes, it’d be wise.

But writing to fit has never been my goal or my mission. Writing what I feel driven to write, writing with purpose and for purpose is what motivates me. The stories I can’t wait to get to the computer to write, the ones that awaken me in the middle of the night--or interrupt with thoughts in the middle of other conversations--stories that captivate me. That’s my path.

Many writers get story ideas that fit into established genres and traditional slots, if you will. Others don’t. I’m not sure who is lucky and who has the chore. Opinions on that will vary from writer to writer. What I can say is that it’s essential to be true to your nature to respect your gift. If your gift fits into a defined slot, that’s wonderful. You’re blessed.

But if it doesn’t, don’t despair, because you’re blessed, too. You might not get a lot perks that others do, but you’ll get ones they don’t. Yours.

Blazing trails gets you some scratches and dents and bruises and sometimes you get banged up a little. But you also get immense satisfaction. And when you watch those behind you get excited and join you, well, that’s a pretty special thing.

I can’t speak to it being easier or harder to sell. I will say that when I first blazed a trail, I had to explain what the book was before I could pitch what the story was actually about. And I can say that I got mixed reactions. Some were “Ewe, that’s weird.” Some had light dancing in their eyes, as excited by the prospect as I was excited. And I’ll never forget the editor who literally got so enthused she bounced in her seat.

You know, when it came to that sale, she didn’t offer the most money. She didn’t offer the best contract. But she offered her enthusiasm. She was invested. And I chose her for those books. It was a good choice.

Money’s nice, guys, and I like it as much as anyone else. But I’ll take a fair deal and enthusiasm--an editor with vision who trusts me over more money any day of the week. It’s by far the better bargain.

How do these things relate? Immediacy. One is in the work. One is in the author and the editor selected for the project.

See, I just seem to have scattered thoughts today. Actually, I’m very focused. Well, considering I just spent two days working on income tax... ☺

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: authors, writers, novelists, psychic distance, point of view, writer's library, vicki hinze, writing