Joan, A Byliner Original by Sara Davidson

Post By Kerrie

Sara Davidson is no stranger to the world of writing. Over the past 40 years she has published six books, was a journalist for the Boston Globe covering everything from the high profile campaigns of Bobby Kennedy and Richard Nixon to Woodstock, she wrote television shows and her magazine articles have appeared in popular publications like Esquire, Oprah, New York Times Magazine and Rolling Stone. She was a pioneer in the field of literary journalism and paved the way for writers who enjoy combining the research of journalism with the story telling of fiction.

Her recent project is a Byliner Original, Joan, about her friend and mentor, literary icon, Joan Diadon. This memoir chronicles their 40-year friendship with nine compelling vignettes. True to her style, Davidson draws us in by setting the scene and using well crafted dialogue to engage us into the story. It is done so seamlessly, we feel as if we are right there in the same room, watching it all unfold before us.

The topics covered in this e-book are ones many of us can relate to; marriage, family, friendship and writing. I enjoyed each section, but as a writer, the parts where Davidson is talking with Diadon about the craft and business of writing, fascinated me the most.

In one scene, Davidson asked her friend how she felt when she got up in the morning and knew she had to go to her office to write.

Diadon replied, “Oh, I don’t want to go in there at all. It’s low dread, every morning. That dread goes away after you’ve been in there an hour. I keep saying ‘in there’ as if it’s some kind of chamber, a different atmosphere. It is in a way. There’s almost a psychic wall. The air changes. I mean you don’t want to go through that door, but once you’re in there, you’re there and it’s hard to go out.”

Davidson’s friendship with Diadon has helped mold her into the writer she is today. In a recent interview she said she can’t even imagine what her life would be like or what kind of writer she would be today without her good friend.

“She has been a huge influence,” shared Davidson. “ Just knowing that she was there as a friend and a supporter, really made a difference in my life. I feel very blessed and grateful.”

The main thing she learned from Diadon about writing is that anything can be fixed.

“If you keep going in day after day if you keep putting yourself in the writing place and put in your hours every day, something will come through,” said Davidson. “At this point in my life I now trust that. I am not anxious in the way I used to be. I learned by experience that if I just keep at it and keep turning out pages I don’t particularly like, when I go back through them, they will get better.”

Clearly this has worked for Davidson and has allowed her to make a living doing what she loves doing. This latest book, Joan, is Davidson’s first venture into the world of digital publishing and she likes the idea of putting her work on the Internet and have it available to her readers for a long time. She hopes to have some of here earlier books available in digital format soon.

When asked what advice she has for new writers, Davidson said, “Write what you are called to write and don’t let anyone tell you it won’t sell or there is no market for it or it’s already been done… everything’s been done. It is all about the way it's done. Nobody has done it the way you will do it.”

*****
Further Reading:
A Visit With Joan Diadon
Between Magazines and Books, E-Publishing Platforms for Long-Form Journalism
Other Articles by Sara Davidson
*****
Kerrie Flanagan is a freelance writer and director of Northern Colorado Writers.

Last Monday Book: No Plot? No Problem!

Post by Jenny

It’s the last Monday of November, which means the end is in sight for you NaNo writers! Whether you finish the month with 50,000 words or 500, I hope the experience rewards your efforts with good momentum that lasts through the holidays and into the new year. After a nice rest break, of course.

This month’s book is for anyone who, like me, didn’t commit to NaNo this year but hopes to someday in the near (or frightfully distant) future. And it’s also for anyone who totally rocked NaNo and wants to do it three times a year instead of just once. The reason No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing A Novel in 30 Days is so helpful for NaNo participants is because it is written by Chris Baty, the founder of National Novel Writer’s Month.

I was surprised to learn that NaNo was not the brainchild of a grizzled literature professor at an obscure private college. Au contraire. In 1999, Chris and the other twenty who signed on for the first NaNo were in their mid-twenties, had “no idea what (they) were doing,” and their “combined post-elementary-school fiction output would have fit comfortably on a Post-it Note.” They knew only that they loved books and wanted to write them.

Section One of the book is devoted to laying the groundwork for the writing marathon to come. This includes scheduling writing time, rallying a support team, planning for meals, and preparing for the physical challenges to come. (NaNo is tough enough without carpal tunnel syndrome or a metabolic issue brought on by a diet of coffee and Cheetos.) And because it’s probably a good idea to begin with an idea that does not burn out its short half-life in four days, Section One also addresses planning—but not over-planning—the novel’s general plot, setting, and characters.

Section Two is broken into four chapters, each meant to be read at the beginning of its corresponding week. Without giving away too much, I’ll just say that every chapter deals with the elations and tribulations that typically arise as the month progresses. And at the end of it all comes the chapter entitled “I Wrote a Novel. Now What?”

I found Baty’s tips and strategies to be practical, funny, and wise. Should I ever decide to jump into NaNo, I’ll want to have a copy of No Plot? by my side. Has Baty’s book helped you with NaNo?

Lifting the Stones

Post by Jenny

I’m fortunate that my city participates in an annual community-wide reading event. In spring, a committee chooses the year’s book. Any interested persons have about six months to read it, and in the fall, the event culminates in a talk by the author. This year, our book was March, by Geraldine Brooks. I actually read it—instead of just meaning to (yay, me)—and I recently had the pleasure of hearing Geraldine speak. (I’ve not sat in on a speech by any other Pulitzer Prize winner, but I’m pretty sure they don’t all have as good of a sense of humor or a charmingly understated Australian accent.)

Geraldine came from a family that was not wealthy but could often find a way to reconcile a tight budget and a love for books. A trip to the library was a Saturday ritual, and it was there that she fell head-over-heels for the Enid Blyton Adventure Series. Her article, The Writing Life, is an interesting look at how she grew up living in Australia, but with her imagination firmly planted in England.

Having read March, I was interested to hear how the author was inspired by both her husband’s love of all things related to the Civil War and a Union belt buckle found on her property. But I was also hoping for some great advice about writing, and I didn’t come away disappointed. Before she turned to fiction, Geraldine was a journalist. From that career, she learned the importance of getting the right word, the lack of room for “preciousness” in good writing, and how writing must start as craft. Journalists have deadlines, of course, and that culture of “file or fail” does not allow for writer’s block, which Geraldine doesn’t believe in any more than she would believe in “radiologist’s block or hairdresser’s block.”

But one of the best take-aways for me was hearing Geraldine compare the craft of writing to that of building a stone wall. The stones are selected, arranged, and placed one-by-one. Some days, the process goes smoothly, and the wall is beautiful and sturdy. On other days, the stones do not fit together despite all efforts, and the wall must be torn down and built again. Every writer will build both good and bad walls, but not a day should pass without lifting the stones. And with practice and diligence, the end result might last a hundred years.

Have you read Geraldine Brooks? What is your favorite of her books?

From the Page to the Screen

Post by Laney

Think about your favorite book. Whether its a romance or a mystery, have you ever thought about how it would look on the big screen? What would happen if you favorite book was turned into a movie? When I finish reading a book I enjoy, I often think of how awesome it would be as a movie. Then I start to think about books where this was already done. Now, some are fantastic. But some are so far off from the book, the fans threaten the movie company with torches and pitch forks.

One of favorite books, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, was one of those pitch fork kind of movies. First, the main character, who is twelve in the book is sixteen in the film version. I didn't mind that too much, considering they chose a hot actor to play Percy. But the thing that really got under my skin was that they changed a lot of the story line. It became almost irrelevant to the book. Now, the movie did has some redeeming qualities, like awesome special effects and good acting. But I had high hopes, only to have them squashed by the movie makers.

But of course not all movies based on books are flubs. Coming from the perspective of a screenplay writer, I understand it's hard to transfer the story from the page to the screen. Cutting down a three hundred page book to a ninety page screenplay is difficult. But if you follow the general story line, cast the right people, and include epic special effects, the movie might just turn out to be good. One example, is Secret Life of Bees. I had read the book, then, soon after, watched the movie, crossing my fingers that it would be good. It turned out to be fantastic. It barely strayed from the story line, and I thought the casting was beyond perfect. Some other great movies based on books are Water for Elephants and The Help.

Last Monday, the official trailer for Hunger Games premiered. The Hunger Games is by far one of the best books I have ever read. When I started reading it I thought about the brilliant movie it would make, and to my luck, filming had already started. I found out about the movie trailer at school, and it was the first thing I watched when I got home. And let me tell you, I almost screamed. I think it will be a great, thanks to Suzanne Collins, the author, who helped with the movie making process. It doesn't come out until March but until then, I'm okay watching the trailer a few times a day.

Here is the Hunger Games trailer if your curious why I'm so excited.


What are some movies based on books you enjoyed?
What is one you think totally missed the mark?


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Book Review: Sea Change

Post By Kerrie

Sea Change, written by Jeremy Page, is perfect book for those who enjoy a slower-paced story and wrapping themselves up in beautiful prose. The thoughtful rhythm and cadence carry the reader along, following the main character Guy through a journey of tragedy, grief, denial, acceptance, love and finally surrender.

After tragedy strikes Guys heads out to sea, to live on his barge, the Flood, to search for what is missing in his life. To help himself cope with his lonliness and loss, he starts a diary, not as place to record his current thoughts, but as a place to write a fictionalized account of what his life could have been like. So as Guys real life story unfolds, so does the diary story. The author masterfully weaves the two stories together, slowly building the tension in each.

I typically read more plot driven books; one’s that pull me along with a fast-moving and sometimes intense storyline. Sea Change is more character driven and I have to admit, one I might have put down about a quarter of the way into it if I had not been assigned to review it. But I am glad I hung in there and read the whole thing. If nothing else, to get lost in Jeremy Page’s beautiful writing.

Here are couple examples of what I am talking about:

“Writing calmed him last night, but what can save you at night can destroy your day.”

“He thinks about the journey that’s arrives at this point. Of all the water that’s passed, the waves he’s seen, the tides that have come and gone, and the nightly reinvention of a life he lost and has wanted to recreate. Unpacking the daily miracle of ordinary life, albeit a remembered or an imaginary one. He thinks about the wake of the Flood, erasing all that time. All you leave behind is a path that can’t be followed.”

This is a book I will remember and one I recommend. Be patient with it as you read it. Let the story slowly unwrap itself and you will be glad you did.


If you would like to join the BlogHer Book Club conversation about Sea Change you can do so here. 


Note: I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

A One-derful Day

Post by Jenny

Unless you indulged in a series of prolonged naps on Friday, you probably realized at one point or another that the date was November 11, 2011, or, more popularly, 11-11-11. The hype was hard to miss—and yet the prior week’s palindromic date of 11-02-2011 somehow slid by greatly unnoticed. The early years of a century naturally give us more of these kinds of dates, but 11-11-11 stands out because it is a repunit number and reads the same forwards, backwards, and upside down.

Wedding chapels were booked solid on Friday, stores planned grand openings at exactly 11:11, and the internet offered no shortage of numerological explanations and predictions—both hopeful and dire—for this noteworthy date. I didn’t buy into any of that, but I do confess to having a bit of number superstition. Where my writing is concerned, I prefer it if a manuscript’s word count is a nice round “lucky-looking” number, and I will usually do my final tweaking with that in mind.

Additionally, I’ve long had an affinity for the time of 11:11—on a digital clock, it’s just so darn symmetrical—and having it occur on 11-11-11 was too much for me to ignore. So I gave some thought as to what I wanted to be doing when the potentially-auspicious time rolled around. Standing in the checkout line at Target? Uh, no. Exercising? Always a healthy choice, but, again, no. Having been inspired by Dylan’s Writing Bug post to increase my productivity in November, I knew I wanted to be writing. I set my most accurate clock on my desk, opened a pristine Word document, and, when 11:11 arrived, I wrote the first sentence of a new project that has been rolling around in my head for a while.

My attention to 11:11 11-11-11 was merely a symbolic gesture. I don’t really believe that the confluence of all those number ones will change my luck, because the act of writing isn’t about luck. (Some might say other facets of the business are, but that’s a topic for another time.) Writing is work, and it requires commitment, diligence, and effort. Any time of any day.

Friday was also Veteran’s Day, and I’d like to extend my gratitude to the brave men and women who have served, are serving, or will someday serve this country.

Do you have writing superstitions, numerical or otherwise?

The NaNoWriMo Spirit

**The Writing Bug would like to welcome our new Friday bloggers, Laney Flanagan (she did the Snowboarding post last week) and Dylan Larkin. They will be sharing the Friday spot.  Both are high school students and fabulous writers. I am excited to have them as part of The Writing Bug team**


Post by Dylan Larkin

We are now into the second week of November and in the writing community this means NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in the month of November.

 It seems that every year that I have known about NaNoWriMo I have been right in the middle of a novel and have dismissed it. But not this year. Even though, I am yet again in the middle of a novel I have decided to at least try to up my writing output in honor of NaNo.

I believe that NaNo can motivate both aspiring and established authors by forcing them to look past the bad writing so they can get their creative ideas out on paper. I think every writer who can should try and join NaNoWriMo, whether officially or unofficially. It is a great way to learn how to pump out the first drafts. Now, the first draft may not be as polished as it would be if you spent more time on it, but the point is to get the idea out while it is fresh.

Even though it is already two weeks in to it, take up your pens, or keyboards, and devote yourself to your writing and see where it goes until the end of November. Makes some goals for yourself. Where do you want to be at the end of this month? 5,000 words, 10,000 or the full 50,000 words; it doesn’t matter the amount as long as it gets you up and writing so that you can make it a habit. That’s what I feel the true spirit of NaNoWriMo is about, making writing an integral part of your everyday life.

Are you participating in NaNo this year? 

Dylan Larkin is a sophomore at Erie High School in Erie, Colorado.  He had been writing ever since he’s been able to form words and hold a pencil in his hand.  He started getting serious about his future writing career in 2009 with the completion of his first novel and joined Northern Colorado Writers.  Ever since, he has been going to classes and became a member of the teen critique group at NCW, along with fellow blogger Laney Flanagan. 

Perseverance: The Key to Publishing

Post by Kerrie
*Book giveaway info at the end of the post*

Perseverance can pay off. Twenty years ago, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen set out to publish their book; a collection of short personal essays meant to encourage and inspire readers. After securing an agent they all went to New York to personally pitch the book idea to the major publishing houses. More than 30 publishers said, "no," and their agent let them go. But instead of giving up, Canfield and Hansen said, "next."

A few months later they attended the American Booksellsers Association convention in California. They walked from booth to booth, talking to any publisher who would listen. At the end of the first day not one publisher showed any interest. They did the same thing the next day and after hours of pitching their book, still no luck.

There last hope was Heath Communications Inc., a struggling publisher specializing in addiction and recovery books. Canfield and Hansen talked with the co-presidents who agreed to look over the first 30 stories in the book. A week later they got a call and HCI became the official publisher of the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book. That first book went on to sell over 8 million copies and now there are over 200 Chicken Soup for Soul titles and they are still going strong.

I think the lesson here is crystal clear: perseverance pays off. Many writers would have given up after an agent handed them back their manuscript and said I can't help you. But Canfield and Hansen believed in their book and were not ready to file it away.

I think we sometimes forget that ALL authors have been rejected by publishers and agents. Before Stephen King was "Stephen King," all his rejections hung on his wall on a big nail spike. The first book Dr. Seuss wrote, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times, Madeline L'Engle's masterpiece A Wrinkle in Time faced rejection 26 times and more recently Kathryn Stockett, author of the best-selling book, The Help, received 60 no's before she finally got a yes.

The bottom line is you can't give up! If you believe in your book or your article or short story...or whatever it is you are writing and you want to see it published, then you are going to have to persevere in order to see it in print.

Jack Canfield in his book, The Success Principles (one of my all time favorite books), says it best.
"Get used to the idea that there is going to be a lot of rejection along the way to the gold ring. The secret to success is to not give up. When someone says no, you say, "Next!"... Remember, there are over 5 billion people on the planet! Someone, somewhere, sometime will say yes. Don't get stuck in your fear or resentment. Move on to the next person. It is a numbers game. Someone is waiting to say yes."

How are you persevering with your writing? 

**I am giving away copy of the newly released, Chicken Soup for the Soul Answered Prayers, co-authored by my good friend and NCW member, LeAnn Thieman. Leave a comment if you want to be entered into the drawing on Saturday at noon (MST).** Congratulations to Jerry Eckert who won the drawing. 

A Writer's Vision

Post by Jenny

I’m one of those lucky people who have needed to wear glasses since…well, conception, considering my genes. Growing up, my annual eye exam invariably resulted in thicker lenses, which is why I dread the eye doctor the way some people dread the dentist. And now that I’m reaching a certain age, I’m having more trouble seeing up close. Truly, we life-long myopes—who squint at the swimming pool, battle with foreign matter under our contacts, and have had a lens restriction on every one of our driver’s licenses—should be spared the additional hassle of presbyopia.

(And yes, I know about Lasik, but I’m a total chicken.)

But as anyone with more significant visual impairments than mine could attest to, vision is not always synonymous with eyesight. Dictionary.com defines vision as “the act or power of sensing with the eyes,” “the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be,” and “a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.” That last one is my favorite.

I know that painters, photographers, and the like depend heavily on eyesight. And I find it interesting that many famous visual artists endured eye troubles. Claude Monet and Mary Cassatt had cataracts. Camille Pissarro had a malfunctioning tear duct. Edgar Degas suffered from what was probably macular degeneration. These artists continued to paint as long as they were able, and consequently their work reflects both their eyesight and their creative vision. In Monet’s case, some of his most famous works were painted when his cataracts were at their worst.

Many writers, especially those of us who can barely draw a bath, primarily use words as our medium. Without a single brushstroke or click of the shutter, we are often able to visualize an entire WIP from beginning to end. Additionally, we writers, from the most minimalist poet to the most epic fantasy author, must keep an eye on our writer’s journey—where we’ve been, where we are, where we’re headed.

I’ve recently been to the eye doctor, so I know how my eyesight is doing. (MOTS, but thanks for asking.) But it has been quite a while since I’ve examined my writer’s vision. Am I proceeding from a place of “a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation?” Or am I becoming increasingly short-sighted? Maybe it’s time I tweaked that prescription, too.

How’s your writer’s vision doing these days?

The Ups and Downs of Snowboarding and Writing

Post by Laney Flanagan

The snow this week made me excited for the snowboarding season to start. For the first time in my snowboarding career I bought a season pass, which arrived in the mail a few days ago. Holding that pass in my hand, and watching the snow fall onto the made me want to get in my car and go up to the resorts and not come back for days.

The anticipation got me wondering what it was about snowboarding that had this pull on me. I knew I loved it, but why? As I stared at the snow outside, the answers became clear.

Snowboarding is my freedom. When I have my board clipped to my boots, my goggles snug on my head, and the snow falling around me, my problems seem to disappear. The world becomes just as it is, nothing more, nothing less. It's just me and my board against that mountain. And that is an amazing feeling.

When I'm standing at the top of the mountain, the world spread beneath me, I feel strong. I feel like I can do anything; everything becomes possible. Then when I start down that hill and my carving is perfect, and I'm just rolling without a care in the world, I feel like nothing can take me down.

The same can be true with writing. There are times when you are typing at your computer or writing in your notebook and suddenly, the world slips away and when you come back you realize just how much you had written. You look at all those words and feel like everything is falling into place and nothing can stop you. Like with snowboarding, there is also a freedom with writing. It can take you to places out of this world. And it lets you be yourself through and through.

But both can also have their challenges. I remember last year on a snowboarding trip, I had just started going to the terrain parks. The jumps were huge, and the railings were slick with ice. Honestly, it freaked me out. The sun had been out making the snow icy, but I didn't realize this. I sped up to a huge jump and flew through the air. For that one moment I was airborne. It was awesome! But then I hit the ground completely wrong. My board slipped and twisted me in a weird direction, pulling me into a cartwheel before I landed back in the snow. The pain was instant. My back hurt, my wrist hurt, and I couldn't breathe too well. I wanted to lie there all day. I did not, under any circumstances want to move. But I stood up, shook it off because I had to, and I kept boarding until the sun set.

Writing has the exact same sensation. Your sitting in front of that blank screen, the cursor blinking in front of you, and your mind refuses to work. But sometimes you have to shut out that inner critic, like I had to shut out the pain, and just start. It's painful and slow, but in the end you just have to. And when you do the words start to flow and before you know it you've written a novel.

I'm going snowboarding November 13th for the first time this season, and I cannot wait. And I'm going to try to have that outlook on writing too. I want to be just as excited to write as I am to snowboard. Because in the end, no matter the pain or the struggle, it will all be worth it.


Laney Flanagan is High School Junior from Polaris Expeditionary Learning School who loves snowboarding, writing and reading. 

A Chat With YA Authors Amy Kathleen Ryan and Laura Resau

Post by Kerrie

Last night at the Northern Colorado Writers studio, YA authors Amy Kathleen Ryan and Laura Resau were hear talking about their books and their writing journeys. Amy is the author of four books, with her latest book Glow creating quite a buzz. Laura has seven books under her writer's belt and has made a positive impact in the school and library markets.

I have known both of these wonderful authors for a few years and I was surprised to learn that they both went to college to study anthropology. After receiving her Bachelors in this field, Amy wanted a change (plus she realized the jobs in this field required lots of camping time and a shortage showers) plus, she always wanted to be writer. She went on to get her masters in literature and eventually a MFA.

Red Glass by Laura Resau

Laura continued down the anthropology road (because she liked the idea of camping and not having to shower frequently :-)  ) and graduated with a Masters Degree. She traveled the world and taught ESL before settling down to have a family and begin her writing career. For her, writing is way she makes sense of her world. All of her books on based on places she has lived or visited.

They both talked about their writing routines and the trance-like state they have to get in to write. Amy said before kids, she would write for about five hours a day. Now she writes at least five pages a day.  The hardest part of writing for her is going from reality to the fiction world she has created. It takes her anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to get in that head space and it is during these times when doubt and the urge to quit are strongest. She has to push through this in order to get in the writing zone where the rest of the world disappears.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

For Laura, her best writing time is in the morning and she tries to get in several hours each day. She is very protective of this time and works hard to honor it. Like Amy, Laura's most challenging time is when she first sits down to write. She struggles for about 10 minutes before her stream of consciousness writing kicks in and she gets in her writing trance.

Laura shared about a tool she uses to help stay focused called Freedom. This program restricts your access to the Internet for an amount of time that you decide. Once that time is up, you can then access the Internet. For Laura, this gets rid of the temptation to check email during writing time (especially during that time before she gets in her writing zone).

One way Amy keeps her document organized in Microsoft Word is by using the Document Map feature. This allows her to create different header that enable her to navigate her document more easily.

In the end, even with the challenges of writing and the ups and downs of the publishing world, both women love what they do and are extremely grateful to be making their livings as professional authors.

Have you read any or Amy's or Laura's books?

Past Posts about Amy and Laura:

Glow--A Must Read For YA Fans

Guest Blogger: Laura Resau

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