Posts Tagged ‘writing workshops’
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Heads down in a three-quarters completed draft, I’m also coaching an author preparing for the same creative battle: making story and characters come alive by force of will and your imagination alone. My first comment to her–it’s going to get crunchy. Don’t expect a cake walk. In fact if it’s not an all-out battle, you’re not challenging yourself enough.
That’s right. We write uneven and clunky and, yes, crunchy stuff when we’re slogging through the draft. And for most of us, even those of us who’ve published novels into the double digits, it gets harder the more stories we challenge, not easier. That’s the way it works. The more you learn about story, the more you decide to do with it, the less intuitive it can sometimes be to create what appears to be an effortless journey to the reader.
Several things cause the anxiety and mind-numbing tangents we encounter when we draft: (more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, brainstorming, character arc, creativity & inspiration, digital publishing, Elements of Fiction Writing, fantasy author, fiction, fiction writer, plotting, publishing, writer, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write | 6 Comments »
Friday, February 17th, 2012
In addition to editing/reading other author’s manuscripts this month, I’m in the throws of drafting a new book of my own. Eeek! Writing into the ether isn’t my happy place. So I free-write with a plan. Huh? you say. Yep, I plan my characters and as many plot turning points as possible before I start. How? I’m so glad you asked…
My half-day workshops focus on my theory that if you know what you intend to accomplish with a character and/or story arc BEFORE you write a scene, you’ve got a much better chance of actually producing a successful experience for the reader once you’re done. And if you know what you want the reader to feel and take away from an entire chapter or a whole section of your novel, before you begin stringing scenes together, you’ll be aware of that plan as you write and your subconscious and instincts will help you not write yourself or your characters into corners you can’t plot out of once you’re there.
Having a goal in mind doesn’t mean you’re forcing yourself to follow only one path to your story goal, (more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, brainstorming, character arc, creativity & inspiration, digital publishing, Elements of Fiction Writing, fantasy author, fiction, fiction writer, plotting, publishing, writer, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write | No Comments »
Monday, February 13th, 2012
I’m an author, always writing and pitching my work to publishers and (hopefully) reaching readers with ever-new titles. Now I’m also an acquiring editor, too, officially reading other writer’s submissions, searching for the perfect new story for Entangled Publishing’s soon-to-debut Dead Sexy suspense line. Which for some has become a, “Houston. We have a problem,” moment.
“What are you thinking?” a few have asked. Let me ‘Splain.
For me, I’m seeing more options than problems these days. And where I see and understand options that are in my best interest, I act.
I’ve freelanced edited for fiction writers for years–private work stemming from the countless workshops and weekend retreats I teach about writing craft and the romance publishing industry. Before that I was an professional editor, in my senior tech writing gig. Before that…well, we won’t get into (again) how my IT training and project management experience prepared me for the type of analysis needed to break story down, understand its parts, and help people learn how to knit it all back together in their own unique way.
Because that’s all backstory. And as I tell authors, backstory is only a place to begin. Me being qualified for the gig isn’t really the point–without primo qualifications, the savvy team at Entangled wouldn’t have hired me in the first place. The real issue I had to face as I decided whether or not to take their job offer, was what did it mean, me officially moving over to the business side of this journey, at least as I work to help other authors achieve their publishing dreams.
And that, that being a conduit for another writers’ hard work transforming into a dream-come-true, IS what matters to me and the other editors at Dead Sexy. (more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, Dead Sexy Books, digital promotion, digital publishing, Entangled Publishing, ePublishing, fiction, fiction writer, indie publishing, publishing, traditional publishing alternatives, writing coach, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in Publishing Isn't for Sissies | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Most every writer’s heard of scene and sequel. Jack Bickham’s Elements of Fiction Writing is some of the best instruction on novel structure out there. But he, and I today, aren’t merely talking about plot. The key is to apply structure principles to your characters every step of the way. Because, as Robert McKee tells us, plot IS character.
I’ve studied with both these masters. Bickham, in addition to devouring his books, I bought a workshop series from and wish I’d had the chance to hear him in person before his death. McKee, who isn’t dead but some who attended the three-day scriptwriting seminar attended most likely wished him so, was worth the money and travel expense ten times over, given what I walked away from his course better understanding about the real source of good writing.
It’s character.All the plot rules, setting rules, structure rules, symbol rules, and any other thing that someone’s tried to make you think is most important to story, is actually about CHARACTER. Because your story is about character. Each scene and its sequel, each element and act and conflict and motivation… It’s all about character.
Readers want the journey. (more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, brainstorming, character arc, creativity & inspiration, digital publishing, Elements of Fiction Writing, fantasy author, fiction, fiction writer, Jack Bickham, plotting, publishing, Robert McKee, scene and sequel, writer, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
If you want to write, write. If you want to publish, prepare to work your ass off getting very, very good at your writing. This business is all about soul. And I’m not just talking about your unique, creative voice–though that’s incredibly important, too. Today, I’m talking about grit. Stick it out, find your own way, stop waiting for everyone else to make this crazy business sensible and welcoming and easy, G-R-I-T.
I write my books; I edit for other authors. I’m close to offering my first two book contracts for Entangled Publishing. After publishing 16 novels of my own and reading countless propsals others have written over the years, all I know for sure is, this is all about soul.
- Have you been rejected (like me)? Figure out if you have what it takes to get up the next morning and start over from nothing–because every published author must do that each and every time they meet a deadline.
- Do you have a day job (like me)? Buckle down and accept that your personal life off the clock belongs first to the book you need to finish, not your hobbies and social (media) life–because the majority of published authors don’t make enough off their writing to support their families, so we’re all hoofing it to make ends meet while trying to stay creative in the dark hours of early morning.
- Do you have a busy family (like me)? Love them and care for them, the tell them your entire life doesn’t revolve around them and they’re going to have to take care of themselves the 1,2,3 hours a day that you devote to your writing. Otherwise, they’ll consume you (and maybe that’s what you want, if family is the excuse you’re making daily for not creating new words).
- Have you been dealing with an illness (like me)? Deal with it, by all means, your health is everything. But for Dog’s sake, knock off saying your illness is responsible for you not moving forward in your writing. I don’t mean to be insensitive or unkind, but whatever your condition is, I assure you I can find others who’ve managed to succeed battling far worse circumstances–because they refused to quit.
Soul is the thing that lives and breathes inside us, regardless of the piles of s**t raining down on our worst days. (more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, anna's world, creativity & inspiration, Entangled Publishing, fiction, indie publishing, novel, publishing, Soul, writer, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in Anna's "Soul of the Matter", How We Write | 5 Comments »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
What challenges us emotionally in life, challenges our novel writing. What we’re best at in life, becomes what we look forward to most in our writing process. I teach this dynamic all the time–and I live it. If you’re a seat-of-the-pants writer, it wouldn’t be a coincidence if you’re not a list maker or a planner in the “real” world.” If you LOVE to revise (like me), it’s likely that analyzing things and breaking them into their orderly parts is you everyday zen (at least it’s something that doesnt’ drive you nuts the way it seems to for everybody else).
Flip that around. If the unknown scares you, and you tend to plan for likely outcomes before you embark on a journey, drafting a new novel won’t make you warm and fuzzy (I tend to call the feeling a blank Page 1 invokes in me abject terror, but that might be a bit extreme for the rest of you.)
But if you’re the wanderer, dreaming of a backpacking trip through Europe where you merely have a start point and a destination and you’ll figure out pesky details like lodging and food and transpo along the way, well…you’re nuts! Eh-hem. What I meant to say is that I suspect writing blind into a new story is a mighty lovely place for you. Until you hit The End, and have to go back and break things down into their parts, rework your rough draft pieces into a better whole, then knit everything back together (which anal retentive, geeky analytical girls like me tend to think of as Nirvana ;o).
My point to my students is never that either one or the other of these approahces is bad, in either life or writing. But that it’s best to know your strengths and weaknesses and to play one up, while compensating for the other. If it takes you forever to write a draft (to the point that you revise and revise and revise your first 100 pages while never writing the rest of the novel), take a look at why. If you can’t “make” yourself go back and revise a first draft because all the fun’s gone out of the story for you now that you know how it ends, and the idea of working with it anymore makes you nauseous, take a look at why.
(more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, publishing, writer, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write | 4 Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
What new facet of the publishing business will you conquer this year? With all the changes rushing at us, what’s your greatest fear? How can you turn that perceived weakness into an asset? Small press or indie digital publishing has long been my wishy-washy place.
Yes, I can publishing solo, but do I want to? Yes, there are small indie digital presses out there, but do I trust their ever-evolving business models. In the end, I realized the real question was: Do I trust myself, without the umbrella of a large, established publisher propping up both me and my work?
I love my traditional publishers and hope to always have a home in print. I respect most of the inroads these huge corporations are making into digital media, too, though the changes they’re enacting have been slow to come and even slower to implement. Which has left a huge opportunity open for me to make a digital impact with my writing without them… But until lately I’ve been too hesitant to investigate those options on my own.
- Where will I be without a major press behind me?
- Will anyone notice if I go out on my own?
- Will my publisher/agent be less enthusiastic about my work, if I’m also self/indie publishing in the digital market?
- Will I be wasting a lot of time I should be spending writing, by taking on even more “other” business beyond the hours I need to focus each day on my creative pursuits?
Hard questions, all of them. And each question sprung from a core fear of the change happening all around me. Because the reality is, the playing field of publshing that I thought I’d conquered when I signed my first traditional book contract is gone. A new world with exciting new opportunities and scary pitfalls has arrived. I can’t fly beneath the radar and expect folks to find me, because I have THIS publisher or THAT one backing me.
In this publishing world, a writer is either a brand/entity unto herself, or she won’t be found, period.
- Traditional publishers expect us to do all the things we have to do to be successful as self/indie published authors.
- Branding is essential to a book’s success now, regardless of how it was published.
(more…)
Tags: Anna DeStefano, digital promotion, digital publishing, indie publishing, promotion, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing workshops
Posted in Publishing Isn't for Sissies | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
I wanted this Wednesdays writing blog is your one-stop INSPIRATION destination for your 2012 creativity and publishing dreams. How will you excel? How will you write every day, even amidst conflict, chaos and adversity? How will you create that which you alone were put on this earth to bring to life through story? After all, isn’t 2012 supposed to be the end of the world… In that case, we better get a move on. We’re running out of time ;o)
Despite 2011’s challenges (on top of 2010’s ;o), both with my personal health and the industry upheaval happening around all of us, I find myself giddy at the thought of what this newest year in our lives will bring. More ownership of our destinies and the fruits of our writing labors. More opportunity than ever before to reach readers clamoring for the escape that you bring them. More ways to engage your soul in your work, and take every chance that could lead you forward.
Move. That’s my overall goal, my “How” for 2012.
- I will move forward.
- I will take initiative and take chances and take opportunity and run with them all.
- I will ask the right questions and listen to those I trust to share their insight and choose, without fear, what my next course of action will be. Then the next.
- I will role with the punches and move forward despite obstacles and setbacks.
- I will believe that there is success awaiting me around every corner, and I will work my ass off to claim those victories.
What are yours?
2012 is shaping up as a year where we can very much shape our reality simply by the viewpoint and perspective in which we choose to see our world.
- Do you see exciting opportunity or scary change?
- Are you ready to dive in and work hard, or too tired to start over yet again?
- Do you learn from past mistakes and roads not taken, or do you use failure as an excuse to stop trying?
(more…)
Tags: 2012, Anna DeStefano, anna's world, creativity & inspiration, Goals, New Years Resolutions, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write, Publishing Isn't for Sissies | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
I received editorial revisions the other day. I’m a multi-published author. So, no big deal, right? WRONG. Revisions are hard. They’re built that way. If they were easy, everyone would be published traditionally and selling millions. And any working writer that tells you differently is just plain fibbing.This post is for everyone who wants to see their words in print, the published and the unpublished and the newly “WINNING” nanowrimo masses and those who think it’s always easier in someone else’s writing reality.
The reality is, the better you revise, the better your book will typically read for your reader. The more push it will have from your imprint. The more established you will find yourself within the very small world of publishing. Those who’re self-publishing without the benefit of a third-party editor, you’re in the same boat, except that you have to see the holes in your story that are more and more difficult to see the deeper you get into creating it. So we all schedule and accept it into our process the way you do everything else right?
Yeah. No.
Why is it so hard?
Two reasons, one that veers toward mechanics and one that takes a head trip inward to the heart of all that we do for our creative dreams. (more…)
Tags: editorial revision, revision, writer, writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing resources, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
There’s a startling trend I notice each December: how few NANO participants create consistantly AFTER their November, head-bashing-against-the-wall, word count deadline. I’m not talking about less writing the month after the challenge. What’s too common is that there will be NO writing in December at all. Which breeds no forward momentum of any consequence in January, February, etc…
Because we’re burned out after such a grueling sprint? 50,000 words in a month leading up to a major holiday showdown with our sanity? Perhaps. Which begs the question, why do we systematically degrade that balance by throwing everything we can to the wolves while we focus on the very thing we don’t want to be the enemy when we’re done with our challenge: creatively writing toward a deadline every day. Why do we set ourselves up to fail, come December 1st?
Because we need a break to recoup our energy and muse? Yes. That’s pretty obvious. NANO tends to throw any number any number of other things out of balance as we gorge ourselves on the exhaustion that is producing story. Relationships. Friendships. Family obligations. Other responsibilities. All of which we try to keep up with as much as needed while we burn out on our “craft.” To the point that everything suffers by the end of the month (you know, right around the time that insignificant national holiday happens), including said story. (more…)
Tags: writer resource, writing, writing articles, writing coach, writing craft, writing workshops
Posted in How We Write | 2 Comments »
