Things that inspire me to keep writing

cj Sez: There many things that inspire me to keep writing. One of the main ones is the wonderful critique group to which I belong. Each of them brings a special writing/reading strength to the process of critiquing, and I've benefited immensely from their contributions to my WIP. Ergo, I have to submit at least a few pages for every meeting. I'll admit that it's hard to find a compatible group of writers knowledgeable in the genre in which you write, but I highly recommend trying. The input can be invaluable and the camaraderie priceless.

The following piece of writerly info really makes me happy:

James Lee Burke was born in 1936. (I’m not that old, but it tells me I don’t have to be a twenty- or thirty-something to succeed. Granted, I should have started earlier. sigh)  In the back of his latest novel, Wayfaring Stranger, on the “About the Author” page, I found this:  “His novel, The Lost Get-Back Boogie, was rejected 111 times over a period of nine years and, upon its publication by Louisiana State University Press, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.” 

 

And this from author Chris Bradford: "There is no failure except in no longer trying."

You get the idea . . .  Keep on Keeping On.

Need another reason to make your writing the best it can be? (This comes from C. Hope Clark’s fantastically informative newsletter, FundsforWriters http://www.fundsforwriters.com ): 

Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.

                                          ~Mickey Spillane

Yesterday, I got asked this question: “If you've published a novel (or, lucky you, more than one novel), could you tell me whether or not the internal dialogue is italicized?”

My answer: I’ve seen it in print both ways. When you self-publish, the choice is pretty much yours. When you have an editor and a publisher, not so much.  At one point, I read that if you use "he/she thought," you didn't italize the thoughts. But when Crimson Romance published my novel, DEADLY STAR, their editor required italics on all internal thoughts, no matter what. My guess is that “the rule” depends on who’s in charge of the final product.

Finally, a reflection:

It occurs to me that I tend to happily share what I can with charities during the annual season of giving—the Christmas Holidays. I drop the change in my pockets into the Salvation Army kettles. I donate food to food banks. I give toys to toy drives, usually at every place I visit that has a toy box. I send money to animal rescues like the Mobile SPCA and Good Fortune Farm Rescue ( http://goodfortunefarmrefuge.org ). I also write out checks to organizations whose pleas arrive in snail mail, but (qualifier) only to those I’ve checked out and trust to give more than five percent to the charity they are alleged to represent. But what do I do during the rest of the year? Of course, I tithe, but there are few instances, other than in November and December, where I run into a need. And that’s my problem: I seem to have to “run into” a need rather than seeking one out.

After I “ran into” McKemie Place at a Mobile fundraising event in December, I made a New Year’s resolution to seek out a charity and share what I can. I decided McKemie Place would be where I focus my year-round giving this year. McKemie Place ( www.mckemieplace.org ) is a haven for single, homeless women in the Mobile, Washington, and Baldwin counties of Alabama. I’ve been blessed to never have been homeless, though there was a time when I thought I could be.

If you’re not already doing something like this, I encourage you to search your heart; and if you’re able, look for an agency or cause that’s worthy. Local or national, whichever you prefer. I think each of us can help in some way to make another person’s life a little better.

 Okay, off my soapbox, but let me know what you think about the idea. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same.

cj

Writing Wisdom

A collector of sayings and quotes, I find many of the following inspiring, some hilarious, and all,  regardless of the year written, to have kernels of truth that hold true. Neither genres nor authors are factors. Neither traditional nor self-publishing are factors. Neither genders nor ages of the authors are factors. It's  comforting to know that these talented writers are kindred souls. These make nice treats to send to your writing friends who are struggling, who have just hit the pinnacle of success, or who have deleted their latest manuscript in unadulterated disgust. We all need good friends on our journey.

“Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there’s an explosion—that’s Plot.” ~Leigh Brackett, July 1943

“If you have a story that seems worth telling, and you think you can tell it worthily, then the thing for you to do is to tell it, regardless of whether it has to do with sex, sailors, or mounted policemen.”

~Dashiell Hammett, June 1924

 “The writing of a novel is taking life as it already exists, not to report it but to make an object, toward the end that the finished work might contain this life inside it and offer it to the reader. The essence will not be, of course, the same thing as the raw material; it is not even of the same family of things. The novel is something that never was before and will not be again.”   ~Eudora Welty, February 1970

“Authors of so-called ‘literary’ fiction insist that action, like plot, is vulgar and unworthy of a true artist. Don’t pay any attention to misguided advice of that sort. If you do, you will very likely starve trying to live on your writing income. Besides, the only writers who survive the ages are those who understand the need for action in a novel.”   ~Dean R. Koontz, August 1981

 

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.”     ~Stephen King, November 1973

 “Genius gives birth, talent delivers.”  ~Jack Kerouac, January 1962

“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”   ~Harper Lee

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”   ~Jack London

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."  ~ Anton Chekhov

And one of my all time favorites, which should be hanging over every writer’s desk.

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

~ W. Somerset Maugham

Go Forth and Write.  ~Mahala