Word Warriors

cj Sez:  Hey, all you word warriors: You still have more than half a month to reach your NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words. Keep up the good work…you got this!

  As for my story: After years (true) of pecking away at it every time I think of a different direction, I’m re-editing, again, a story that will probably end at about 70 words. Obviously, I am not a candidate for the NaNoWriMo challenge, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that all you writing warriors will carry through to the finish!

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Writerly info

  Stephen King has published 65 novels/novellas, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five nonfiction books, as well as more than 200 short stories. All told, he has sold more than 400 million books, and many of them have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, and television series. Even some comic books. How does he do it? He has strategies for creating a story that people love to read. One of those is to write the truth.

“Now comes the big question: What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want. Anything at all... as long as you tell the truth... Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex, and work...What you know makes you unique in some other way. Be brave.”

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

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   On Jane Friedman’s blog: “A Writer’s Guide to Fair Use and Permissions” . . .     https://www.janefriedman.com/sample-permission-letter/

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you.

cj

Now a note from my sponsors:

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A fear if failure

cj Sez:  An excerpt from my archives: What was the first thing you wrote? A poem? A memoir? A little piece of fiction? Journaling in a diary? If you’re like me, you kept it and every once in a while, you resurrect it and wonder, “What was I thinking?” Or, and I applaud you if true, you think, “Did I really write this? It’s actually pretty good.”

  James Patterson once said that his first novel was rejected thirty-one times before it was published. Even after publication, it didn’t “do all that well.”* Failure didn’t discourage him; it encouraged him. He wanted to write.

 (* Not sure what he meant by that because when first published in 1976, THE THOMAS BERRYMAN NUMBER earned him the Edgar Award for “Best First Novel By An American Author.” He must have been referring to lower sales numbers.)

  So, where did his worldwide success come from, besides having a natural talent telling stories? He studied and analyzed the genre he wanted to write. Like many authors (I think the generalization is true), he started out writing part-time because he had a day job. Today, his books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide.

  From bios I’ve read, many, if not all, successful writers have some fear of failure, especially at the beginning of their careers. They have an idea they get excited to write about. The words flow from their minds and fingers like magic, but the farther they get into the story, the more they may second-guess their abilities. Doubts creep in: Someone’s already told this story, better. No one is going to read this drivel. It’ll never sell. (Sounds like me)

King on writing

  In his 2001 memoir, On Writing, Stephen King writes: “I had been playing with the 
idea of writing a little book about writing
for a year or more ///but had held back because I didn’t trust my own motivations—why did I want to write about writing? What made me think I had anything worth saying? The easy answer is that someone who has sold as many books of fiction as I have must have something worthwhile to say about writing it, but the easy answer isn’t always the truth.” 

(p.s. The book was reissued in 2012 and again in 2020.)

  Those possibilities exist for all authors, even Patterson and King, and every so often they do have a book that doesn’t “do all that well.” Fortunately for their millions of fans, they continue to write wonderful stories.

  Like Patterson and King, to reduce the chances of failure, writers who aspire to become published authors must take the time to study the craft. Participate in workshops, conferences, writers’ groups, read-read-read, and get their manuscripts professionally edited before being published.

  I suggest that you write for yourself first. When you’re the only one you have to please, it reduces the stress of arranging coherent sentences into a story arc on a blank page. Write something then put it away for a few weeks or months before reading it again. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

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Etcetera and P.S.A.

  Calling all mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime writers. Sisters-in-Crime is an international organization of several hundred authors ready and willing to encourage and applaud your work. And they do not hesitate to share their expertise. The next time you’re on Facebook, drop by their page and see what’s happening.

https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrime/

March 2022 Hallmark Publishing Open Submissions

  Hallmark Publishing will be open to unsolicited and unagented submissions of wholesome and uplifting adult romance and women’s fiction novels between the dates of Tuesday, March 1 (12 a.m. Pacific) and Thursday, March 31 (12 p.m. Pacific.) For this open call, see important guidelines here: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-publishing/were-taking-submissions?fbclid=IwAR3pA2fKBWDrl7WO2tZy1tKc9jdvq-5r8iA5-ru7J7MwrkNcIDcjfRm0xv8

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Reading Suggestions:

  Still sale priced at $1.99 at the time of this post, this Fat Tuesday anthology is chock full of short stories that are entertaining to read all year long:

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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.  

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed paperback copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

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Stephen King's 22 lessons

cj Sez: In his memoir, "On Writing," Stephen King shares some of his ideas on how to be a better writer.

It would be a rare day for any writer to agree with all of King’s advice while disregarding that offered by, say Kurt Vonnegut or Anne Lamont. Perhaps, though, there is one or two on the list that resonate and that you might want to adopt or adapt into your own writing process.

 1-STOP watching television. Instead, read as much as possible.

 2-PREPARE for more failure and criticism than you think you can deal with.

 3-DON’T waste time trying to please people.

 4-WRITE primarily for yourself.

 5-TACKLE the things that are hardest to write.

 6- WHEN writing, disconnect from the rest of the world.

 7-DON’T be pretentious.

 8-AVOID adverbs and long paragraphs.

 9-DON’T get overly caught up in grammar.

10-MASTER the art of description.

11-DON’T give too much background information.

12-TELL stories about what people actually do.

13-TAKE risks; don’t play it safe.

14-REALIZE that you don’t need drugs to be a good writer.

15-DON’T try to steal someone else’s voice.

16-UNDERSTAND that writing is a form of telepathy.

17-TAKE your writing seriously.

18-WRITE every single day.

19-FINISH your first draft in three months.

20-WHEN you’re finished writing, take a long step back.

21- HAVE the guts to cut.

22-STAY married, be healthy, and live a good life.

(Read more about each piece of his advice here:  “22 Lessons from Stephen King on How to be a Great Writer”  http://aol.it/1feJ1p8  )

cj Sez: There are a few of those that I absolutely agree with (especially number 1), but some of them not so much. How about you? Which would you adopt or adapt?

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Monday, January 21, 2019, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday honoring one of the most influential and iconic leaders of the civil rights movement. It is celebrated each year on the third Monday of January, near his birthday of January 15.

Reverend Doctor King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work in the civil rights movement to establish equal rights for African-Americans.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” 

 —Martin Luther King, Jr. 

He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, and Congress passed a bill establishing the holiday in honor of Dr. King in 1983.

In his proclamation speech, President Ronald Reagan said: “We rejoice because, in his short life, Dr. King, by his preaching, his example, and his leadership helped to move us closer to the ideals on which America was founded.”

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That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

Another 5-star review for DEADLY STAR: "Petterson's sharp style is perfect for international intrigue. She is spot-on with her research and fills what could be boring scientific information with a hefty dose of intrigue and romance that kept me reading. Mirabel's cryptic sense of humor is perfect for her bantering with the other characters and made me laugh aloud at times. Congratulations to Petterson for creating a smart, funny, and sexy protagonist that I would like to see again. With Mirabel and Sully's backgrounds, there is potential for many adventures and thrills for years to come. Petterson's excellent descriptive detail kept me on the edge of my seat in every one of the car scenes. The romantic tension is intensified from the first page to the last, yet never exaggerated."

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