BLynn Goodwin, a multiple book award winner, is our guest today. Her latest book, Disrupted, came out in late January and is doing wonderfully in sales. BLynn has also written a guest post for us about the difference between being a writer pantser and plotter with a quiz so we can easily tell what we are. I know for sure I'm a plotter but that doesn't mean it's the best choice. Here's BLynn with her pantser and plotter thoughts. Pantser or Plotter? Does It Matter? by BLynn Goodwin A professional writer I’ve worked with, a woman who’s published by the Big 4, posted that she was starting her ninth book and asking herself, “How do I do this?” She even googled How to Plot a Book. If she’s having problems and you are too, you are in good company. The experts say to write what you know, but they don’t tell you the best approach to take. It depends on who you are, how your brain works, and what kind of manuscript you’re working on. I found this wonderfully … [Read more...]
Why I became a writer
When my son Paul died in 1999 at age twenty-seven, I took the advice of several people to see a therapist. The one I chose to see led a survivors of suicide support group sponsored by the Didi Hirsch Mental Health center. The group met once a week for six weeks and consisted of people who had lost friends, loved ones, and acquaintances to suicide. There was one other mother in the group who also lost a son – she found his body hanging from their second floor stair well. She hated the group as much as I did and was brave enough to quit after two or three sessions. I lasted the whole six weeks. But after I went to a private session with the leader – who finally admitted to me that she didn’t lose anyone one she loved to suicide, I quit her too. I made up my mind not to see anyone who had not experienced the kind of loss I was going through. That’s when I turned to writing. Four months after Paul died I began going to Jack Grapes’ writing class. I went every Wednesday morning and … [Read more...]
Why I Write and What I Write
I wrote the article below for the Southern Writer’s Magazine’s Blog a few months ago. It is still very relevant now. Why I Write and What I Write At this point in my life by all rights I should be retired. I’ve just turned seventy-nine, and no where does it say I need to keep sitting at my computer every day and write. But I do sit there – usually from ten in the morning until about two in the afternoon. Sometimes I’ll even go back for more later in the day. I got into this habit in the early 2000s when I started writing my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On (Dream of Things). That expanded to writing poetry, essays for my blog and other people’s websites, and journaling. By the time my memoir was published in 2011, I was already working on my historical novel, Papa’s Shoes, which has just been released by Aberdeen Bay publishers. And that’s not the end of it. I still write poetry – I write at least one poem a week except in November and April when I write a poem a day to … [Read more...]
What do you think about these quotes about writing?
One of my friends collects interesting quotes about writing. He sent me these the other day. He must have known I collect writing quotes as well. Though I don't agree with all of them, I'd love to hear your reactions. Please comment below. “It’s a lousy, stupid thing to do. You start out thinking people are going to admire you and love you and respect you, but really, nobody gives a shit. It’s a terrible life.” ~Nelson Algren “Writing is like prostitution. First, you do it for the love of it, then you do it for a few friends, and finally, you do it for money.” ~Moliere “If you can’t annoy somebody there is little point in writing.” ~Kingsley Amis "In him [and I'm sure today he would have added "and her"] no simple feeling exists anymore. All that he sees, his joys, his pleasures, his sufferings, his despairs, become instantaneously subjects of observation. He analyzes in spite of everything, in spite of himself, without end, hearts, faces, gestures, intonations . . … [Read more...]
I’m proud to say, “I am a writer.”
I subscribe to Joe Bunting's The Write Practice. He sends me an email everyday on some facet of writing. Today's was particularly relevant to me since he encouraged his readers to: Be brave. Be bold. Claim your title. Say it with me: ˜I am a writer.' That's what I did yesterday while Stewart at the Apple store was helping me set up my new iPhone. When Stewart asked what I did, without hesitation I told him, I am a writer. And he wanted to know immediately what I write. It turns out that I'm still in my poetry practice phase, so I told him I've been getting back on my writing feet by writing two or three poems a day using prompts I get online. However, I also shared that I have a published memoir out, Leaving the Hall Light On, and I'm working on a novel. At that point I gave him my author business card. With that he shared with me that he has a degree in creative writing from a local university. And you guessed it. We were off and running. Within our twenty-thirty minute … [Read more...]
Joe Bunting’s favorite writing quotes
I love Joe Bunting's blog The Write Practice. I read it everyday and I save every post in their own folder with my other saved emails. I also love to collect quotes myself, so Joe's piece on December 19, 2014 absolutely resonated with me. Please note that I attribute the following quotes about writing to Joe's blog The Write Practice. Joe says: "Some of these quotes, I've been collecting for years, others I found only recently, but all of them speak to universal truths about why people become writers and how to become a writer. I hope you enjoy the quotes as much as I enjoyed discovering them. I hope you'll find some value in them as I did." Please click on his blog to read more of his thoughts about writing and what these quotes mean for writers. And finally a quote by Joe Bunting: … [Read more...]
More writing quotes
I've said before that I collect quotes, and I've posted writing quotes on Choices many times. Well, I just came across a list of seventy-two more that I have saved in my Documents Folder for the last couple of years. I'll share some with you now and more later in the year. I don't want to bore you if you're not into this as much as I am. By the way, some of these authors are unknown to me. I think it might be a good idea to get to know about them, so I've marked those with an asterisk (*). I'd love to know what you know about them. The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress. Philip Roth The road to hell is paved with adverbs. Stephen King Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it's the answer to everything. ¦ It's the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it's a … [Read more...]
Five reasons to be in a writing group
I joined a writing group a couple of years ago. It's called The Last Sunday Writers because we usually meet the last Sunday of the month. Today's meeting was cancelled because of lack of a quorum. Only two of us plus our leader planned to attend, and we weren't prepared to read this month. So what's the point? I usually want to read at the meetings, but I'm still a little traumatized from the feedback from my novel beta readers. I need to give putting myself out there a rest for a while. However, I'm very glad I was invited to join. I had known several people in the group because we attended workshops together. Or if we hadn't met before we had worked with the some of the same writing instructors in the past. So we are a well-knit group with similar goals: continue to write, get feedback from our fellow writers, and network. Five things I like about being in a writing group are: It encourages me to prepare a piece for review once a month: this can be a new essay, story, poem, … [Read more...]
How to survive a relationship with a writer
The singer and writer Janis Ian, famous when I was a teenager for her song, "At Seventeen," posted these top ten tips, and my friend Marla Miller shared them with her Facebook friends. I had to share as well. Actually, my husband seems to be surviving very well. He's gotten used to me going into my office and spending most of the day there. However, once in a while he'll stand quietly at my door - I usually leave it open, rap lightly with his knuckles and say, "Knock,knock." Sure it's disturbing - I'm probably in mid sentence, it gets me out of my zone, but it usually happens just at the time I need to take a break. Plus it's nice to see him once in a while during the day. Here's the Top Ten Tips … [Read more...]
Introducing my new writing friend, Deborah Kalan
Deborah and I met in Pilates class. We never said more than hello for about six months until one day I mentioned I had to rush away after class because I had a lot of work to do. She asked what I did, and when I said I am a writer, her eyes lit up. She said, I'm a writer too. And our friendship was off and running. I've read a lot of her stories, and I totally agree. She is a writer. I'm so happy to introduce her work to you. My Writing Life By Deborah Kalan I have been writing seriously since my eleventh birthday when I received a leatherette diary the color of blue Irises. The diary was secured with a little strap that had a gold lock and two gold keys. On the front of it were the words Dear Diary. Each page was divided into five sections of about five lines, which in my 11-year-old mind, restricted me to extremely brief entries. In those days, I mostly wrote about boys. The cute ones, the creepy ones, the ones that liked me, the ones that I liked who didn't like me. … [Read more...]
Ruby Sparks, a writer’s film
Zoe Kazan's script for the new film Ruby Sparks touches on subjects I as a writer think a lot about writer's block and the power of artistic creation. Although I haven't had a real bout of writer's block, I wonder when and if it will hit. And now that I'm writing my first novel, I marvel at how my characters seem to take over the page that my fingers are just vehicles for the words that come out of their mouths. Kazan's take is different. Her main character in the film, a once very successful writer, ends his writer's block by creating a character that comes to him in his dream. He falls in love with her and then wakes up one morning and finds her real, in his house, making breakfast for him. I won't spoil what's to come, but I highly recommend my writer friends especially see this film. Kazan also plays the main character, Ruby, along side, Paul Dano's portrayal of the writer, Calvin. Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, and Elliott Gould are also memorable. Here's the … [Read more...]
Introducing Daisy Hickman of SunnyRoomStudio
It's gray outside and just beginning to drizzle - wouldn't you know I just had my car washed? So it is a perfect day to have Daisy Hickman and her sunny spirit as guest here on Choices. She has brought along a beautiful bouquet of peonies to illustrate her words. How does she know peonies were my favorite flowers as I was growing up in the midwest? Unfortunately they are unable to grow where I live now in Southern California. This summer Daisy has concentrated her blog posts at SunnyRoomStudio on ways to slow down during our year's warmest months. Here are just a few that she listed last week: Nurture your creative side. Read some poetry. Write a letter. Take a walk. Create a new recipe. Read a short story. Allow yourself time to connect with nature. Call an old friend. Sleep in. Create spiritual space with time for silence. Couldn't we all participate in those not only during the summer but as a lifetime habit? I'm pleased to introduce Daisy and her … [Read more...]
The women in my life (and a few good men) – Part 6
Teachers, Writing Coaches, Mentors I must first mention a few school teachers. They are: Mr. E. who made me love writing so much that right there in his 7th grade class I decided I wanted to study journalism (and I actually did); Mrs. R. who instilled in me the importance of reading and looking deep within the words for their meaning; and of course Dr. RRB, my high school journalism teacher and our high school newspaper advisor, who is still in my life today. He taught me to ask the hard questions and to be persistent in getting the answers. He also was a stickler for accuracy and meticulousness traits very much within me now. Those people were the precursors. Now for those who have had the most influence on my present-day writing. Ellen I don't know what initially drew me to Ellen in the mid 90s. Perhaps it was the title of her workshop, Writing About Our Lives, and that she was holding that workshop at Esalen in Big Sur one of my favorite places on earth. But, as soon as … [Read more...]
UCLA Writers’ Workshop
No, I haven't been slacking off. I've been writing, writing, writing all this past weekend -- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday -- at the UCLA Extension Writers' Workshop. It was exhausting but worth it. I got a lot of good feedback on my memoir and my pitch letter, and I met some wonderful and talented writers in the process. Barbara Abercrombie, the instructor, asked us to do several 5-minute writing exercises. Here are a few samples. The titles in bold were the assigned topics. Habit Okay, maybe it's a habit or maybe an obsession. But, it doesn't matter. I do it. I do it everyday. When the radio alarm starts playing some piece of classical music I get up in the dark not even stopping to think maybe I'll sleep in this morning and turn off the alarm, go into the bathroom, turn on the light, and begin to get ready to go to the gym. I never lay out my gym clothes the night before. No. I move back into the bedroom and slowly open the armoire doors and pull open the drawers … [Read more...]
Book report
Well, I finally finished reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and was I disappointed! It's a story about a boy and a dog actually a lot of dogs that has an ending that absolutely doesn't make sense. Someone mentioned it was a takeoff on Hamlet in a review. Okay, that must be why so many folks died in the end both good and bad except the poor mother. One has to believe that she couldn't have survived past the last page anyway, so she might as well have been killed off before the end too. There was real evil in that book along with supernatural beings and ghosts. The human characters were less developed than the dog characters, and the reason for the murders was never really explained. I guess one brother was out to get the other and anything that came between him and his brother's wife and business like the son and the friendly old vet were targets as well. I just smacked that book on the table when I finished it angry at myself for wasting so much time reading it. It's … [Read more...]