Positive Self Talk for Writers

What I think about, I bring about.

As writer’s, we tend to live solitary lives, hours spent in front of the computer, blocking out the noise of family and pleas for attention. Some of us even barricade ourselves in a tiny room where nobody except us is allowed to enter. With out a support system, this solitary life is the perfect breeding ground for self-doubt and negative thinking.

My husband is tolerant, but not terribly enthusiastic about the writing gig. He figures that it’s just another hobby that will end up stuffed in the corner of dark closet like crocheting or making jewellery – something that I can do when I am bored. So I don’t have a cheering section at home rooting for me every day, telling me they know I can do it.

I do have a great on-line support system. My writing friends are always encouraging, telling me when I am great and leading me back to the path when I stray. But I’ve found, even with all that great support, I really do need to be my own cheering section.

Being positive is one of the hardest things for me as a writer. I will read a book and feel inadequate because my dialogue is not as good, my descriptions fall flat and my love scenes are comical rather than steamy. I read about friends and other authors who write 5,000 words a day when I can barely squeak out 1,000. My story is missing something, but damned if I know what it is.

Because I encounter all sorts of things I could be negative about, I make an effort to be positive. Is the sexy man with no shirt half dressed or half naked? A positive thinker would say half naked, don’t you think?

Believe me I am not trying to brainwash myself into believing something that isn’t true. But I do believe in the power of positive thinking. If you tell yourself something enough times it’s going to sink in eventually. I have positive affirmations around my desk at my day job, because I know I don’t want to be there forever and some days it’s a struggle to be there for eight hours a day, five days a week.

Try writing down in a journal five positive things about yourself everyday. I sometimes struggle with this too. If you can’t think of anything to write down, here is a link to some positive personality descriptions. Post those positive words that describe you best where you can see them every day. http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/adjectives-personality-positive.htm

I honestly believe in “What we think about, we bring about.” Don’t let negative self-talk steal your passion and motivation. Believe that one day soon you will finish the book you have been working on for months or years, that if you keep moving forward you will be published, that 100 words a day is better than none. The more positive your feelings towards your writing and your life, the more likely you will get to where you want to be.

Some positive self-talk that works for me: (I didn’t make all of these up myself, but I have adopted them)

My imagination has no limits, my creativity knows no bounds.
I have faith and courage -in myself and in my writing.
I will forward and never look back.
I am in control of my life and my future.
I am creating a positive, successful future.
I know that I will be a bestseller someday and I will take the steps to get there.
I am not afraid to try something new.
My determination and will are always stronger than the problems in my way.

It’s not just about repeating the statement over and over. Visualize it, believe it, live it.

Please share some of the positive statements that make you keep going.

Welcome to Revision Hell--duh, duh, duuuuuuh

It's June and somewhere on the planet a bunch of writers are getting their revisions on. Savvy Authors is sponsoring most of them I think, for June’s Revision Hell.

I don't have a finished novel to revise this month. What I do have is most of a draft of one. I realized I'm stronger in revision. At least I think I am. When I draft, I do it for the general movement of the story and not for detail. Descriptions? We don’t need no stinkin’ descriptions. So, what am I planning to do? Do I even have a plan?

Well, yes, thank you, I do.

I started by picking up a Kindle for PC copy of Writing for Dummies. Since I had half a novel written already, I wasn’t looking for how to set it up. What I needed was a way to re-evaluate what I had already done, why it failed, and what to do next.

The first thing I did was focus on the thee act structure and ask questions about my characters. I had changed some things about my world based on the critique I received in my workshop. Changing the world also changed what the characters did and how I presented them, but not so muchh that I had to throw them out. The biggest change was realizing that I started the story too early. Needed to start it much, much later. Much closer to the end.

This is where putting up the framework of the three-act structure is helping. Since I know where I need to get my characters, how they end up, I need to figure out here to look in their arcs for the major events that get them there.

It’s not as easy as I thought it would be. I keep writing more scenes and discovering more about the characters and the actions they take. Having the structure, though, and knowing how to question the story in that context, is helping to keep me on track. It’s giving me something to follow.

I have another element I want to try out. Will let you know how it goes next week. Meanwhile, do you have a revision strategy? How do you apply the three act structure to your own writing? Do you use it to plan the story or to shape it after you have some story to work with?

See you in Hell!
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Another Steampunk Round-up

It's been a month of many wonderful steampunk events, including the Steampunk World's Fair in New Jersey and the World Steam Expo in Dearborn, MI. Of course, it seems like every comic, fantasy, gaming (etc.) Con out there has some form of steampunk representation. Even romance gatherings have taken a shine to anachronistic costumes and steampunk discussion panels. Here are a few events to look out for in June:

Combat Con is a multi-genre convention; steampunk, horror, scif-fi, fantasy, and pirates all with a unifying theme of the Western Martial Arts.Las Vegas, NV, June 24-26th.

Con Carolinas covers just about everything. And there's a costume contest, so you know the steampunks will put on a show. Charlotte, NC, June 3-5th.

Davenport and Winkleperry is host to many steampunk-flavored events all year round, including the Clockwork Ball , the Davenport Follies and more. If you haven't heard the Clockwork Cabaret radio program on Monday nights, you are missing out on some really great fun.

As far as reading material, the list of steampunk releases just keeps growing. Here are a few of the gems from April, May and June:

Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine - who doesn't love the circus?

Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar - I must direct you to a wonderfully mixed and intriguing review by Mike Perschon.

The Falling Machine by Andrew Mayer - the first installment of a new series which takes place in Victorian New York.

How To Draw Steampunk by Ben Dunn - pretty self-explanatory.

Check out last month's Round-up if you need more. I'll be posting my first ever review in next month's RU of Devon Monk's first steampunk title, Dead Iron. Anyone with additional suggestions or tales from recent SP events, I'd love to hear them. Or let us know what steampunk you're looking forward to. Till next time, may your tea always be hot and biscuits plentiful.

Criminal Writer

Today's post was written by the lovely and talented Anastasia Pergakis. Visit her website to learn more about her fantasy series, The Kinir Elite Chronicles, and her blog, Labotomy of a Writer.

Yes, I am guilty. I break the “rules” or “laws” of writing all the time. I freely admit my guilt and will gladly pay for my crimes.

Writers, including myself, write great blog posts and articles about the “rules” of writing. Following the chosen genre, the trend of the market, society’s standards, etc. Today, I’m going to talk about how to not do that! Yes, I’m going to tell you how to be a criminal writer just like me!

Okay okay, first let me say that I do believe that “rules” are important. They serve a purpose and allow writers and readers to categorize books in an orderly fashion so they can find them. I get that. I also know that “rules” allow certain standards to be placed on the publishing world in order to uphold the integrity of the writer, the publisher, and anyone else involved with the book.

Are you ready for what I’m about to say? You may want to sit down.

FORGET THE RULES!

Yes, I said it. Bear with me here. I promise it’ll all make sense when this post is finished.

So, when you sit down to write your stories, ask yourself this question: What type of story do you want to right? YOU, as in you the writer, you the person, you the creative one. Not you the editor or marketing consultant.

Why ask this? Well it will help you write the story the way you want, the way the characters want. Yes, trends and following the market is important. But, I’m a firm believer that if you force it to fit the market, your story – while good – won’t be great. So, allow yourself to write a great story – and hang the rules!

Once the story is written – with all the passion you can muster because you didn’t constrict yourself with rules – THEN think about where it fits.

The editing stage of writing is where you can apply all those grammar rules and general plot rules that apply to every story (like ending chapters with cliff hangers or beginning the story and chapters with a bang sort of rules).

Once the editing is done and you begin the query and synopsis writing process is where you figure out where it fits in the market. With fantasy as an example would your story be a  High Fantasy or is it more Fantasy Adventure? Or say for many Urban Fantasy writers, is it more Paranormal Romance maybe? Could you market it as more than one to publishers and agents so you have a bigger playing field?

Do you see how writing first then figuring out the market might actually help you in the long run? Just let the story flow and worry about the technical stuff later! Have fun with the story and your characters. Laugh out loud at the crazy stuff that happens and cry when the sad stuff comes on the page. Later, is the time to edit and tone down or amp up and make it really great – not just good, but great!

I leave with a great quote someone once told me – “If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing.” So, go have fun and don’t worry about the “rules”. Let the story flow from you naturally then mold it later.

Courage to Create - What's Stopping You?

Thankfully, you can’t see me. I’m dancing shamelessly to Beyonce’s “Run The World Girls.” I did it. My first draft of “The Land of Lost Dreams” is finished. I guess you could say I’m pleased with myself because the smile I’m wearing rivals Alice’s Cheshire cat.

The road to glory wasn’t easy. It was mined with booby traps and roadblocks. Created mostly by me, a little from life and some from friends. Yes, those little grey cells are a wondrous thing, but can be highly treacherous. They love to play games with the intention of tricking you out of grabbing the gold. Believe me, I know. I didn’t always know that was happening. But, somewhere along the line I tripped over one of those mind traps and realized I had been there before. When you uncover what’s holding you back it’s like coming out from your safe hiding place under the blankets to a brand new world.

So, this month long boot camp was not just about finishing a first draft but a personal challenge. It was like fire walking. Not that I have, but the thought of facing a bed of hot coals scares the breath out of me. Fear can do that. It squeezes the life you were meant to have and leaves you empty. Fear looked me in the face and asked “Are you up for this? Are you good enough?” and on and on it went.

It takes courage to create because you must battle with a force greater than the Dark Lord, yourself. The courage to create is also an affirmation of life. Yours.

A writer in my Fantasy writing group lives in Japan. After the terrible quake her affirmation of life was to build a potted vegetable garden on her balcony. By that simple act, she tapped into her deepest inner strength to state to the universe, “I will survive and prosper.” How awesome is that?

Life is always testing you by putting up brick walls and roadblocks. How you respond to the challenge placed before you defines who you are. This time I came to do battle with my sword in one hand and pen in the other against fear.

Till next time,

Elizabeth

Be More Positive than Negative

Sometimes writers forget to think positive when it comes to their work. It is hard to do when you don't have a support system while sitting alone working on a story. We all suffer at one point or another. Until we receive a steady paid from our writing, you cannot avoid the negative thoughts. Can we finish this manuscript? Will any agent pick it up? How many rejection letters is this one? We base our worth on what others think of us. A published writer will garner more praise and awe than an unpublished writer.

But even if you make a living off of writing, the constant demand to keep up your status of a published writer can bring negative emotions. At times a 'has been' is worse than 'hasn't been.' The notion of 'you can do it' but 'can you keep it up' will wear you down. Plus the discipline needed to keep all your finances in order because you may need to live off of your savings until the next pay check arrives.

While most people suggest be positive, I suggest be more positive than negative. When I am down, I'm very negative towards myself. But once I crack the wall, I gain positive thoughts but still keep the negative ones. They co-exist inside my mind and heart. I would not be the person I am today without them. As long as the good out weight the bad, I will never lose sight of my dream. If you accept the bad, the good will always follows and that is the key to success.

My Secret Identity

Pen Names: To use or not to use.

I have been seriously considering the use of a pen name – another pen name. Right now I write under the pen name of Stacie Carver. My real last name is lovely, but difficult to remember, spell and pronounce. So I have a dilemma.

History is littered with authors who wrote under a pen name or nom de plume. But why would someone write using a pen name? I think the reasons are as individual as the names. I can think of several reasons of my own.

First: I write in different genres. While some of these genres are fine to be associated with each other, like romance and mystery; very steam romance should not be combined with YA or middle grade fiction. My genres are mystery, steampunk mystery, and inspirational romance. Although at first glance using the same pen name may not seem like a problem, my mysteries actually get quite steamy.

Second: I want my websites to reflect the genre. An inspirational romance reader will probably leave the site quickly if there anr mechanical monsters, fantasy elements and dirigibles floating across the screen. And a steampunk reader would probably scoff at a sweet, cheery website with scripture quotes.

Third: If and when someone comes up to me when they recognize my name to say they love my books (it could happen), I think I would like to know which books they are referring to.

These are just some of my reasons.

Other authors have used a pen name because their name did not fit the genre. Erotica author Angela Knight is the pen name of Julie Woodcock. She choose to write under a pen name because of the double entendre of her last name. Zane Grey is the pen name of Pearl Gray, who thought his first name did not fit the western genre – I agree.

Best Selling authors sometimes use pen names so they can publish more books in a year without saturating the market. Good examples of this are Stephen King who published books under the name Richard Bachman before he was outed. Nora Roberts is also J.D. Robb. She was already a prolific romance author and changing her name allowed her to branch out into a different genre. She was also outed in 2001, but rather than hurt her following, many of her romance fans started to read the “In Death” series.

Of course female authors through history have used masculine pen names so they could actually get published. George Elliot, George Sand and Ernst Alhgren are all female authors. It works the same for men. Personally I can’t imagine reading a romance novel by Tom E. Huff or Harold Lowry by I would pick up a romance by Jennifer Wilde or Leigh Greenwood – their aliases. Even today many female writers chose initials or a gender neutral name rather than a female first name to if writing in typically male dominated genres. S.E. Hinton, J.K. Rowling, Robin Hobb.

Writing teams often combine names or choose a different name. Cleo Coyle is the pen name of husband and wife team Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. Nero Blanc is the pen name of the husband-and-wife team of Steve Zettler and Cordelia Frances Biddle. Terry Campbell is the pen name of friends Bobbeye Terry and Linda Campbell.

Many authors want to conceal their identity. Maybe they write in a genre that could get them in trouble at work or with their family. A recent example is the high school English teacher who writes erotic romance under the pen name Judy Mays. Although she attempted to conceal her identity, narrow-minded parents still freaked out.

So I have decided to choose a pen name strictly for Inspirational Romance and hopefully the two shall never meet. I have not decided on a name yet, but I’m narrowing down the choices.

Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not?

Stacie Carver aka ???