Sabbatical, Week Two

Post by Kerrie
As I continue on my sabbatical and my break from writing, I thought I'd share this poem with you that I have framed on my desk. Enjoy!

Life is not about
the end of the story
where you put
down the book
with a satisfied sigh.

It's about
all the chapters
in between
that make your
heart race, bring a smile
and make you cry
as you work your way
deliciously,
exhausted
to the end
where you get to say...

That Was a Great Story!


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Last Monday Book: Reading Like a Writer

Post by Jenny

You regular readers might recall that I’ve been having some trouble getting into my reading this summer. So I thought that Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer – A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them might be just the ticket to inspire me in both my reading and my writing.

Prose is a prolific author, critic, and essayist who also teaches literature and writing. And, IMHO, she has the best last name for a writer ever. The book often has an accessible academic tone to it, which made me feel as if I were sitting in on a lecture given by a very smart and personable professor.

The sections of the book, and the order in which they are presented, struck me as very similar to building a house…or the complicated Lego projects my sons love. Begin with words. It sounds simple, but it made me realize how I, as a reader and writer, take words for granted. Prose’s advice: slow down. Read more slowly and we’ll realize that “all the elements of good writing depend on the writer’s skill in choosing one word instead of another.”

After we understand the power of words, we move on to sentences. I hope we all have had the experience of reading such a perfect sentence that we’re almost reluctant to leave it behind. Regardless of length, a sentence should be strong and clear. It’s not a sin to write a sentence that is a hundred words long; if it is beautifully readable, it’s okay to ask the reader to stay the course.

After sentences come paragraphs, which provide rhythm and momentum. And once this framework of the ‘house’ is complete, Prose lets the characters in and examines their dialogue, details, and gestures, pointing out which types of attributes ring true and which ones fall flat as clichéd pancakes. Throughout the book, analysis of excerpts from a variety of authors—Jane Austen, Jonathan Franzen, and Anton Chekhov among them—offers inspiration (and occasionally intimidation).

Reading Like a Writer did indeed inspire me to make a bigger dent in my to-be-read stack, but it also made me want to read more carefully, to slow down and pay closer attention to the words on the page.

Are you a speedy reader or do you take the time to savor the words?

I'm ready for another party. Where are we meeting?

By Brooke Favero

Last week I was at my cousin's wedding. It was more than fun. My cousin hired a DJ and it was Club Wedding. A real Party in the USA---my girls and I danced till our feet hurt. Good times.

My cousin and her new husband were so in love and full of hope---kind of like me and my new WIP. I love it, I can't wait to see it every night. But I know eventually, I'll hit The End and then revision will set in and kill the magic.

So how do you keep the love alive with your current work in progress?

For me, I surround myself with writers via blogs, crit groups, conferences, and Twitter. It motivates me, inspires me, and pushes me to be better. Last night I followed the middle grade writers' chat on Twitter and it helped me look at my current project from a new light.

Twitter is a hot mess of words, so I thought today I would list some of the Twitter groups I poke around in for great info and inspiration:

#yalitchat

#MGlitchat

#scifichat

#amwriting

#pubtip

#writingtips

#plnws

#askagent

This is a short list, where do you go?

Happy Friday.

The Joys of a Sabbatical

Post by Kerrie

For the rest of this week and next week, I am taking a sabbatical from writing and work. My hope is to clear my head in order to be more productive and creative this fall. The plan is that there is no plan. I am doing whatever I feel like doing. So I am reading, baking, cleaning, playing Scrabble online, having breakfast with my brother, hanging out with my family...  It is my own little Eat, Pray, Love except from my own house and I have no intention of gaining 20 pounds by indulging in good Italian food 24/7.

So in lieu of writing something profound and deep, I will share some videos with you. The first one is is a TED video talking about the dangers of Internet filters and is fascinating--a must see for any one interested in how the Internet is changing how we get our news and information. The second video is from comedian Brian Regan (it is actually the audio from one of his routines and someone else added the cartoon images) and has to do with our crazy English language.

Enjoy!

Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles"



Brian Regan-Stupid in School

If the Shoe Fits

Post by Jenny

I don’t currently subscribe to any magazines, but my mother-in-law occasionally hands down her Good Housekeeping for me to leaf through and cut out recipes I have every intention of trying. Recently, I noticed that the deadline for the Good Housekeeping Short Story Contest is coming right up. Last year’s guest judge was Jodi Picoult. This year’s is Elizabeth Berg. Those GH folks, they have some pull, right?

Entrants are invited to submit a story which reflects “an aspect of women’s lives today.” Okay, that’s pretty broad—maybe too broad, because it instantly sent me into brain-lock. None of the stories I’ve been working on seem to be a good fit. And as for coming up with something new…well, I already mentioned my brain-lock.

In an effort to loosen up the tentacles wrapped around my creativity cortex, I told myself to forget theme or characters or plot and just think up first lines. I didn’t even write them down as they popped up in my brain and then disappeared. I was only trying to get something started. After a while, the process began to feel strangely familiar. It took me a few minutes, but then I realized…it was a lot like trying on shoes.

In college, I worked in a shoe store. The Wednesday night shift was the best because we usually weren’t very busy, and—here’s the clincher—the truck with new merchandise had arrived earlier in the day. With time on our hands, beleaguered stock boys at our beck and call, and a thirty-percent employee discount, we tried on a lot of shoes.

Some shoes I knew at once were not for me. They pinched or wobbled or looked out-of-place at the ends of my legs. Other shoes…well, I needed to walk around for a while to get used to them before I decided. But on the rare, Cinderella-like occasion, I knew a shoe was perfect the moment I put it on, even if it was not “my” style or color, even if I had nothing to wear with it (and its partner) and would have to build an entire outfit around them from the ground up.

And that’s what I’m searching for with ideas, too: the one that sparks my creativity, that gets me thinking outside the (shoe)box, that feels as if it’s made just for me…maybe even by a team of elves burning the midnight oil, though that’s probably asking for a bit much. If I’m lucky, this will happen by the GH September 1st deadline, but if not, there’s always next year.

Have you had an idea lately that feels like a perfect fit?

A Discovery of Self

Brooke is taking this Friday off to enjoy some travel time with her family. In her place we have guest blogger and NCW member Dean Miller

After a day of non-writing, I discovered something new. All my writing has been directed toward a project, or a particular goal; my words have to be pointed at something concrete, like a seawall that stands solid in the face of a storm. I found, too, that I’m not writing to hold something back—as if my non-words on the page were strong enough to withstand the on rushing waves of sentences and paragraphs I knew were coming. But, if those waves were heading nowhere, why write them? Shouldn’t everything have direction and be moving toward completion?

I’ve finally accepted that all things in my life don’t have to lead somewhere; they can be strong in the place they currently occupy. The seawall does not move. It occupies a place. It is simply there. Likewise, my undirected writing can exist just on paper. Someday it may join a future piece or past effort. But for now, it’s okay to write just for the sake of capturing thoughts and giving them a place to be.

After taking a deep breath, well several really, I write without a destination in mind. At first it felt strange, most likely because it was new. Now I’m more comfortable when my writing sessions head off in an unknown direction. Maybe just getting a few words spilled across the page, like an upturned box of Post Alpha-Bits cereal, will be enough to satisfy my writing hunger. Bits and pieces may fall to the floor, but the wonder of writing—and the wonder of words—allow the voice of my soul to sing again.

How about you? Can you let your words decide which way they’ll go, only when they are good and ready? Or do you map out their journey and hold their hand the entire way?


Dean K Miller is a member of NCW. His blog, "And Then I Smiled" can be found at: www.deankmiller.blogspot.com. He writes a monthly on-linefly fishing article for Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel, and just debut an on-line serial titled "The River Zen" found at www.flyfishingcrazy.com. 

Writers on Writing

Post by Kerrie

As usual, there is a lot going on in my life right now. Unfortunately it has left little time for blogging this week. I did come across this great video from Book TV that I thought I could share instead. Enjoy.

In Depth guests Nell Irvin Painter, P.J O'Rourke,
and John McWhorter discuss how they write.

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Milestones

Post by Jenny

When I think about the prevalence of GPS technology in the modern world, it starts to feel a little creepy in a Big Brother sort of way, but, as I have a horrible sense of direction, I sure appreciate how it gets me from Point A to Point B. it has also made my job as road-trip co-pilot much easier…and much less stressful for my husband, especially when we are on a road less traveled.

Hundreds of years before GPS, travelers had milestones to help them gauge their progress and keep them on the right path. Emperor Caesar Augustus erected the Milliarium Aureum—the Golden Milestone—in ancient Rome, from which all distances in the Roman Empire were measured. Inspired by the Golden Milestone, Dr. S.M. Johnson proposed a similar marker for Washington D.C., and the Zero Milestone was completed and dedicated in 1923.

We get the word “mile” from the Latin mille passuum, meaning thousand paces. The paces in question were those of the Roman Legion, so a mile was about the distance the soldiers could travel every thousand paces, with a pace being defined as two marching steps. We’ve standardized things even more now, of course, and a non-nautical mile equals 5,280 feet, or 1760 yards, or 1609.3 meters, or 320 rods. (Now you have to do the math to figure out how long a rod is.)

These days, most of us refer to milestones less in a travel context and more for marking progress toward a goal. And if my internet search is any indication, we writers are milestone people. Though we all set our own, they tend to be very similar: first chapter, first draft, first manuscript, first pitch session, landing an agent, securing a contract, cashing a paycheck.

Unlike the real deal, though, our writers’ milestones are not equidistant. The first milestones are often reached faster, with less perceived effort and more perceived fun. But at a point, progress gets harder, as if we’re crossing more difficult terrain (which we often are). When that happens, and the next milestone doesn’t seem to be any closer, how do we keep our momentum? We might all have a different answer, but I find that it can be very helpful to simply turn around and look back. Sometimes, when we’re so focused on what lies ahead, we forget how far we’ve come. When I’m reminded of the milestones I’ve passed, it becomes easier to pick up the pace and keep on going toward the next one.

Have you reached any milestones lately?

What I Learned from On Writing

Post by Kerrie 

If you have been following The Writing Bug you know that I just finished facilitating a four-week book study on Stephen King's memoir, On Writing. The participants ended the class by writing an essay. I shared one on Wednesday and here is another.


What I Learned from On Writing
by Maggie Goins

I first read this book ten years ago. I was inspired by Stephen King’s determination which helped him succeed and the knowledge he shared on how to be a better writer. This time, reading it and discussing it as a group, reminded me of how much I’d forgotten, what I need to take on, and what I need to let go. Here’s a summary.

Need to have:
     • The desire to be a successful writer
     • Persistence to get through rejections
     • Good writing skills
Need to do:
     • Read a lot and write a lot
     • Write with truth in dialogue, character, and situation
     • Create a writing space, with a door
     • Set a writing/reading schedule
     • Write the first draft without suggestions from anyone
     • Let a completed first draft rest a while, then share it
Need to realize:
     • The process includes magic as well as skill
     • The story is in charge, not the writer
     • Though research and back story are important, the story comes first

So, now that I’ve re-read and truly studied it, how will On Writing help me with my writing?
I have to say, I’m relieved to know I’m not crazy to believe the story comes to the writer, and that it’s my job to first get it down while it’s fresh. I’ll write the first draft of my current novel, from this point on, alone and for my eyes only. When the first draft is done, I’ll let it rest for several weeks before I read it again. Then I’ll make any changes that are evident before I show it to others for help and critique.

Believe me, I know that my draft will need help. As I writer, I have a long way to go. But, as I learned from Stephen King, the first draft is not the time for someone outside the world I’m creating to tell me what needs to be fixed. I need to get the story written without anyone changing words, correcting punctuation, or saying the story doesn’t make sense without knowing yet where I’m going with it. I’ll welcome all opinions and assistance when the first draft of the story is completed. Before then, it will just be too soon.

Thank you, Mr. King. From one New Englander to another, the wisdom you were kind enough to share in On Writing is good. Wicked good.

What do you think about writing a first draft with the door closed, not allowing anyone to see it until that draft is done and then putting it out there for feedback? 

Other Stephen King posts:

Stephen King Moment #1

Stephen King Moment #2-Passive Verbs

About On Writing

It’s Good to Be the King

Definitive Phrases

Guest Blogger: Dean Miller

Every so often I come upon a sentence or phrase the sticks with me. It may paint a clear picture in my mind, appeal to me in a philosophical manner, or simply sound good to my ear. What makes them standout is the phrase can be taken out of its context, stand alone, and still create an image or feeling that is memorable, even without its supportive structure. I like to call each of these a “Definitive Phrase.”

A perfect example of a definitive phrase comes from the classic film Gone with the Wind, when Rhett Butler (played by Clark Gable, my Mom’s favorite) tells Scarlett O’Hara (played by Vivian Leigh); “Frankly my Dear, I don’t give a damn.”

A second comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet proclaims; “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Music lyrics have the same power to paint a memorable image. Dan Fogelberg describes a chance taken in the words of his song In the Passage; “But I cast my fate with the wife of Lot. I turn my gaze around.”

The music group Cake has several vivid images in their hit Short Skirt, Long Jacket. My favorite is; “With fingernails that shine like justice. And a voice that is dark like tinted glass.”

Another favorite was penned by Steve Goodman and made famous by Arlo Guthrie in the 1972 Song City of New Orleans. The lyrics read, “And the graveyards of rusted automobiles.”

The book Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach contains many definitive phrases. A couple I enjoy are; (1) "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly," (2) “Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished. If you’re alive it isn't."

Finally, I offer two of my own taken from my blog postings. They are: “It was there, amidst the chaos of weather and waves, I felt alive” from An Unnamed Memory, and “I am nothing that I write, and yet it is everything in me” from Solitary by Choice.

What are your favorite quotes from your work or a different source?
Share one to two below in the comments section below. Maybe we’ll uncover the next definitive phrase.

Dean K Miller is a member of NCW. His blog, "And Then I Smiled" can be found at: www.deankmiller.blogspot.com. He writes a monthly on-linefly fishing article for Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel, and just debut an on-line serial titled "The River Zen" found at www.flyfishingcrazy.com.  An FAA air traffic controller for 23 years, he lives in Loveland, CO with his wife and three daughters. He spends whatever free time he has left fly fishing on the Big Thompson River.

Git' Er Done: The Top 5 Ways to Finish a First Draft

by Brooke

I started a new story idea this week and somehow found time to squeeze out 10K words. It's a first draft and the story is jamming along but it isn't the story I should be working on. I have another manuscript (currently querying) needing a top coat of polish and another story that just needs an ending, but I'm hot on this new story so forget-about-it. The crazy part is I may never query this new story--it's just for fun. A recreational story, really? Really. Have you ever written a story, you knew from the start, you wouldn't try to publish?

Anyone else in a first draft frenzy? How do you get to The End?

Top Five Ways to Finish a First Draft

1. Write Fast. Don't question it, just do it.
2. Vomit Words. No one will see the mess, so don't mop it up with revision. It's okay if a few bits get in your hair.
3. Find Ways to Hop the Wall or Fill Plot Holes. We all hit them, whether it is writer's block or a plot hole, but you can push through it. I usually take a break and eat something or sleep on it. Sometimes I skip ahead to a scene I know will work and then go back and connect the dots.
4. Don't Go on the Internet. I know this is awkward because you're on the Internet right now. Read my fifth tip and then got off. Seriously, it is a massive time sucker. I didn't go on this week. It hurt but now I'm 10K in.
5. Have Chocolate or D Bar on Hand. I've mentioned this before, but really, everyone should go to D Bar in Denver.

writing sidebar: I'm pantsing this story so I'm running into a bunch of plot holes, as a swear-by-it plotter, I don't how you pantsters do it. Respect.

On Writing Wrap Up

Post by Kerrie

On Monday night, I wrapped up the 4-week book study I led on Stephen King's memoir, On Writing. I have to admit I was a little sad that it ended. I enjoyed re-reading the book, discussing it and getting to know the four other women who were in the group.

Each week I had the ladies read a section of the book, do a writing assignment or two and then examine parts of their own writing. I enjoyed hearing them share each week about what they learned about writing and specifically their own writing. I love watching a writer grow.

For the last class, they were to each write an essay, "What I Learned From On Writing." I enjoyed these so much I wanted to share them with all of you.

Here is Nancy Strong's. I will post the other ones over the next week or so.

What I Learned From On Writing

By Nancy Strong

Stephen King’s book, On Writing, is the most helpful book I’ve ever read on the subject. He establishes an immediate identity with the reader in the first forward stating, “If I was going to be presumptuous enough to tell people how to write, I felt there had to be a better reason than my popular success…What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly and simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the language.”

His use of action verbs is inspiring. “The pain was brilliant;” “Eulah-Beluha had a wonderful sense of humor but it was a dangerous sense of humor-there seemed to be a potential thunderclap hidden inside each hand-patting, butt-rocking, head-tossing outburst of glee.”

Descriptions and metaphors like,  “I lived an odd, herky-jerky childhood;”  I screamed so long and so loud that I can still hear it,”  “shitting like a cowboy,” “Our little family troika had moved back to Maine…” “Our marriage has outlasted all of the world’s leaders except Castro,” will forever be an influence.

The ‘toolbox’ idea includes practical help like ”You should avoid the passive tense…  timid writers use passive verbs,” and “the road to hell is paved with adverbs,”  and “Simple sentences provide a path you can follow when you fear getting lost in the tangles of rhetoric.” He emphasizes the importance of ‘reading a lot, writing a lot’ to develop the skill of good description which is “what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story.”                                  

I’ll take with me the “bomb in the closet,” revelation that King describes as “that sudden flash of insight when you see how everything connects,” or thinking above the curve that will save the story when we’re stuck mid-course.

King’s best advice to me personally lies in the statement, “With the door shut, downloading what’s in my head directly to the page, I write as fast as I can and still remain comfortable.” After that first draft is complete, he revises and edits-“it’s the story putting on its clothes, combing its hair, maybe adding just a small dash of cologne. Once these changes are incorporated into my document, I’m ready to open the door and face the world.”


What do you think about what Nancy shared?

Other Stephen King posts:

Stephen King Moment #1

Stephen King Moment #2-Passive Verbs

About On Writing

It’s Good to Be the King

How's Your Appetite?

Post by Jenny

Something happened on my recent vacation that’s never happened to me before. I lost my appetite. I’m sure it was because of the heat, the humidity, and our general state of busy-ness, but I didn’t often get hungry. And when I did, nothing sounded very appetizing. Even the wide variety of theme-park food—from Emeril’s to the Dippin’ Dots cart—had me saying eh. As a result, I came home three pounds lighter. (Of course, now that I’m home, my appetite, and those three pounds, have returned. Them: “We’re back! Did you miss us?” Me: “You're kidding, right?”)

But what’s more distressing this summer is that I’ve also lost some of my appetite for reading. Summer is the time for page-turners by the pool, for late nights with my nose in a book, for sneaking away in those rare empty moments for just one more chapter. But instead of devouring a book from start to finish, I find that I’m…snacking. Grazing. Piecing. Picking. I’ll get part-way into a book and realize that it’s not the book I’m hungry for. So then I nibble away at another for a while before rejecting it, too. Browsing through my to-be-read stack has become the equivalent of staring blankly into my refrigerator.

In considering how I might remedy this, I realized how many of the words we use to describe food can also describe writing. Take, for example, a sweet love story. A spicy romance. A meaty plot. Fresh prose. Crisp dialogue. But even with a long list of culinary adjectives, I still don’t know what I have a hankerin’ for. A piquant mystery featuring a saucy old sleuth? A hard-boiled crime story pitting a salty cop against an oily villain? A stick-to-my-ribs Western? A smorgasbord of short stories with something for every taste, even the "pleasant savory" umami? Perhaps I should re-read an old favorite for some comfort food, or give up all sense of restraint and indulge in the ultimate summer brain junk, the equivalent of a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped Twinkie (as pictured above; yeah, it's a real thing) dipped in chocolate sauce. That kind of book might not make me smarter, but at least it has no calories.

What books are whetting your appetite this summer?

Passive Verbs and Qualifiers

Post by NCW member Pam Wolf

A few years ago I saw Fried Green Tomatoes, a great movie you may have seen also. It was the kind of movie that made you laugh and cry and nod your head. It was also a kind of mystery story and a story within a story. I liked it because still, I could keep up with it. And I learned some things.

I liked the story within a story where one character experienced an epiphany. She spoke a phrase that sticks in my mind to this day. Have you ever seen something that changed your life and said, ”It was a sign” My sister and I say this often when things happen that verify what we had been thinking about doing or answered a question we had been trying to answer for years.

It was a sign, was what I heard in my head at my writer’s critique group a couple of weeks ago. As an icebreaker, one of the participants asked us to share what it was about writing that ‘bugged us’. Passive verbs and Qualifiers popped into my head. Not procrastination, editing, revisions, or even sitting so long I had to run to make it to the bathroom. No, the words, Passive Verbs and Qualifiers, came out of my mouth.

I’ve never been good at grammar or spelling. Since I have started to write again, I try hard but still struggle with everything I write. I have asked myself more than once. Why? Well, this is it. All my life I have been kind of a slow person. Not really passive per se but I do take my time. One of the biggest culprits for me is “was” and others like it (like is and was??) they slow down and sometimes stop the reader from reading.

And my writing is also littered by my maybe’s, almost’s, sometime’s, someday’s, and if’s, etc. I qualify when I’m going to the store, when I’m going to write, when I am going to get this done or start that, if I like or don’t like something…it goes on and on.

So the ‘sign’ I encountered pointed out to me the reason my writing is full of qualifiers and passive verbs. That’s who I am. Oh, sigh….By the way when I checked the spell checker I had not misspelled any words, anyway. There is hope.

What bugs you about writing?

Why Editors Reject Your Manuscript

Yesterday, Angela James, Executive Editor for Carina Press, tweeted comments editors made in her editorial submission rejection reports. (If you're not following Angela James on Twitter, you need to be. She tweets writer's gold.) She tweeted around 40 comments. You can go to #editreport to read the whole stream. I thought I would grab the comments that spoke to me or were repeated the most. Don't you wish form rejections looked like this?

1. "Feels like a Message Book, & the message...is not subtle, it’s overwhelming the narrative."
2. "An opportunity for rich, vivid worldbuilding, but it fell flat."
3. "Passive voice, tense shifts, flat. Not ready for submission."
4. "The voice is off...trying too hard...doesn’t feel authentic, too much tell."
5. "Suffering from dialogue that is spoken and then is described in tone and detail with extended speech tags."
6. "3rd person omniscient, so I feel distant, head-hopping is more jarring than helpfully informative of everyone’s states of mind."
7. "Tell-y infodump right up front...Redundant info, not engaging."
8. "The writing just isn’t tight or polished enough, and the voice doesn’t always feel consistent or assured."
9. "A little slow to get going, doesn’t have quite enough energy or line by line tension."
10. "(too much) Backstory, a lack of compelling action, and some relationship building that tries too hard."
11. "Could be considerably shortened...too many scenes do not serve a purpose, contribute neither to character development nor plot."
12. "X needs to be a more fully developed character in order to make this story really work."
13. "Opening chapters filled w/dull, daily details that get across sense of pervading discontent but don’t encourage extended reading."
14. "Love this story’s premise but...dialogue doesn’t sound authentic, there's too much telling vs. showing."
15. "There was no connection between the two main characters and their interaction did not ring true."
16. "Overall it was overwritten and I felt...I was slogging through stilted, adverb-laden narrative to get to the story."
17. "Writing lacks depth. Lots and lots of narrative. Action doesn’t start fast enough. POV wobbles."
18. "There was an initial promise for deep, intriguing characters. Yet, the author gives away way too much, way too soon."
19. "Within the first fifty pages, readers have already gone over the same memories, info-dumps, and backstory multiple times."
20. "Instead filling the narration with telling that distances the reader from achieving any emotional connection."
21. "First 70 pages were filled with narration, and the little dialogue that appeared read as “as you know, Bob” convos."
22. "Pace moves too quick, rather than allowing the reader to feel the emotion and heartbreak, the author skims over them."
23. "The stakes didn't feel big enough to engage me."

Do you feel like a new writer after reading these? I did. I've heard this advice many times but to see it written to agented authors put it in perspective. We all struggle with something and the comments point out the most important elements of a story:

1. Voice and Style
2. Characters
3. Dialogue
4. Plot
5. Tension

Your story needs to do all of them well or you'll find yourself in the rejection pile.

I know I need to work on dialogue. How about you? What do you need to work on?

Book Review: The Ledge

Post by Kerrie

This morning I finished, The Ledge, An Adventure Story of Friendship and Survival on Mount Rainier by Northern Colorado Writers member Jim Davidson and award-winning journalist Kevin Vaughan.  This  powerful memoir shows how determination and perseverance can get us through even the most tragic situations.

"On June 21, 1992, climbers Jim Davidson and Mike Price summit Mount Rainier after tackling the difficult Liberty Ridge route. After celebrating on top, they set out on their descent along the Winthrop and Emmons Glaciers, but on the way down tragedy strikes -- a snowbridge spanning a hidden crevasse collapses, plunging both men 80 feet into a dark, frozen slot. Mike does not survive the accident, and Jim faces a seemingly impossible climb to save his own life."

I highly recommend this book, not only because of the incredible, almost unbelievable story, but also because of the quality of the writing. Jim and Kevin took the events from that tragic day and wove them together seamlessly with back story about each of the climbers. As I neared the end of the book, I felt a personal connection to both Jim and Mike and at times was overwhelmed with emotion.

The interesting part is that I know Jim, I've heard him speak about the accident and I even watched the "I Shouldn't Be Alive" episode that featured his story. But from the beginning of the book, starting with the prologue, I was drawn into the story and it held me until the very end.

Here is the opening scene in the prologue.
" I peer off the ledge into blackness. Pressing my gloved hand against the ice wall for balance, I tilt my head to the right and stare past my boots, half-buried in loose snow. Squeezing my left eye shut, I look straight down my right hip and  leg, as if I'm sighting along a rifle barrel. I am desperate to see the bottom of this dim cavern. Nothing. Empty space drops below us and vanishes. My stomach clamps tight, and I swallow hard."

The story starts in media res (in the middle of things). This gets us right into the action and wondering what is happening. This a wonderful and effective technique used by many writers and one you should consider trying if you haven't.

There are also passages throughout the book that are beautifully written, some of those are even from Mike Price who kept journals on many of his trips.
"Seeing the long-shadowed brown furrows cut into the low green-gentle slopes of Observation Mountain is a landmark symbol to me. Perhaps the most important-inspiring one of the trip--to me... A low peak--a 'nothing' mountain--but very beautiful, even more so than Mount Kennedy, in its own right. Green and living, shadowed in the evening arctic sun of mid-July... Nothing awesome, nothing forbidding; a simple easy convergence of peace. The weary way-worn soldier has nearly made it home. The worries of Odysseus are not over...I think I am on the road to being satisfied and it is a road to peace." ~Mike Price

There are many more great examples in the book, but I will leave you with this one:
"Finding the courage to act under duress is among the toughest things most of us will ever face. I believe people can reach into their past to find the incredible strength needed to take action. By remembering loved ones in your life and honoring their faith in you, you can tap the deep well of strength that you innately carry and this will give you courage." ~Jim Davidson

Have you read this amazing book yet?

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The Shared Experience of Writing

Post by Jenny

So much has been written about Harry Potter this summer that I’m a bit reluctant to add another blog post to the list. But my family and I returned Saturday from Orlando, Florida, where we had the opportunity to spend some time at Universal Studio's Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and I still have Harry Potter on the brain.

I’m a big fan of the books and movies, and the Wizarding World was amazing, more than exceeding my expectations. We sipped on Butter Beer as we walked the streets of Hogsmeade, where the “snowy” roofs sparkled in the 90-plus degree heat. We browsed Zonko’s and Honeyduke’s and had lunch at the Three Broomsticks. We visited Olivander’s, where aspiring witches and wizards ooh-ed and aah-ed over the selection of wands. And we toured our way through a spectacular replica of Hogwarts as we waited for the ride of all rides, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

As I rubbed elbows with Muggles from the world over, it boggled my mind to think that the Harry Potter phenomenon sprang from the imagination of one woman. I know that hundreds more people were involved in bringing the books, the movies, and the park to life, but Harry’s world is and always will be J.K. Rowling’s creation. But even more than that, I found myself reflecting on the power of the shared experience. Writing can be so personal, such an individual undertaking, but once someone else reads what we’ve written, it becomes a shared experience. It might be one person, a hundred people, or—as in HP’s case—a bajillion others, but the sharing of stories is still as important to us, culturally and socially, as it was when the first cave people sat around the fire listening to each other recite Diary of a Wimpy Kid. (Okay, maybe my prehistory is a little foggy.)

So here’s to all of us who are bringing our stories to the world. Maybe we’ll never reach “theme park status,” but the acts of writing and sharing are still amazing and important. And by the way, the power of story wasn’t my only shared experience at Universal Studios. Two others were:

1. Queuing (as the Brits say) – I’m not sure how long the line was, but before I reached the end, I had to shave my legs. Twice.

2. Sweating – Florida in July. Enough said.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Universal Studios also pays homage to another of my favorite authors: Dr. Seuss. That was magical in a completely different way.

What’s your favorite part of the shared experience of writing?
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