Lamenting the (temporary?) lack of reading

Who here has kids? *raises hand*

Who here has kids who are readers? *raises hand halfway*

I have a fourteen-year-old son who was once an avid reader. He struggled as a developing reader and we enrolled him in Kumon, which is a global company and it was AMAZING. It wasn't his favorite thing to do when he was seven by any stretch of the imagination, but even he credits Kumon with his reading abilities today.

That is...his reading abilities when he chooses to use them. Unlike his eight-year-old self who was never without a book, the fourteen-year-old has become a reluctant reader. I'm pretty sure if it were up to him, he'd never read at all for "pleasure", preferring SnapChat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, PlayStation. Basically, <insert social media platform here> and it supersedes reading.

Thank goodness it's not up to him. A condition of living in our house is that he reads, and it is a habit for him. (I mean, I'm not sure we'd really make him move out, but I tell him all the time that reading is too important a thing to just drop.)He takes his Kindle upstairs to read before bed every night (while all other electronics stay downstairs) and brings it down every morning to read with breakfast. But, the only other time he'll pick up his Kindle "willingly" if he's been rude and had all other electronic devices taken away from him. I guess then reading doesn't seem so bad? Also, he's not stupid. He knows it warms my cold hard heart to see him reading, so it's not a bad way to get back on my good side!

I did an informal poll among my friends and acquaintances about their own teens' reading habits and many had similar stories - their child stopped reading somewhere between ages 12 and 14. If they didn't stop altogether, reading declined significantly. Yes, there are a few whose teens avidly devour book after book, but they were the exception, not the norm. There also didn't seem to be any difference between boys and girls. All were fairly disinterested.

It makes me wonder why, especially with the plethora of YA books these days. I remember being 14 and reading Victoria Holt, with a sneaky side of Jackie Collins. (Um, 14-year-old girls, Jackie Collins' books still exist! Just saying.) Is it the pervasiveness of other forms of entertainment? I absolutely think this is a factor. Or is it the medium?

The Boy doesn't read print books anymore and he hasn't in a couple of years at least. We originally loaded up an old Kindle for him when we were going on holiday rather than carry several paperbacks, but now the Kindle is his preference, hands down. Is it because it's another screen? Maybe? Or is it because of the immediate gratification? That's why I love ebooks so much. I'm sure there's an element of that with him, as well.

My husband thinks The Boy is learning a habit in reading at bedtime and at breakfast and that this will be his habit out of choice when he's older, too. The Boy, of course, says once he moves out he'll never read another book again. I think he says this to wind me up, but I'm not really sure. I hope not because I can't imagine a life without the comfort and company of books. But am I just being old-fashioned? What about your kids, if you have them? Do they still read? And if they stopped, did they come back to it?

How to Write a Story in One Day

A post by Mary Fan

Step One: Commit to something you totally don't have time for.

When YA author Gabriela Martins approached me mid-July to contribute to a charity anthology about queerness and faith, I couldn't say no. Not only was it a wonderful and profound theme, but the proceeds would be going directly into the hands of someone in need. Every instinct was like "YES I WILL CONTRIBUTE." Thing was, it's no secret that I've been tragically behind on all my writing projects for almost a year now. My brain's been floating around in outer space since before the last Christmas season, and I've been spent the better part of 2019 slogging through edits that were supposed to take a few weeks. And because the anthology needed to be out as soon as possible to start helping out the person we were supporting, we had about three weeks to write and submit. The deadline fell the weekend right after Gen Con.

I said yes anyway after finagling a one week extension. I was finally hitting a groove with my WIP edits and didn't want to pause just yet, and also Gen Con preparations plus the con itself took up a whole week by itself. Also, Gen Con always sucks the living Force out of me, and I knew I'd be useless for several days after. But that would still give me a whole week to work on it, I thought.

Cover by Kess Costales
Find it on Gumroad

Step Two: Clear your schedule for one day.

My summer schedule was completely whackadoo. There was a whole monthlong period when I didn't spent a single weekend in my own apartment because I was so busy with trips (all good stuff, but exhausting by the end). Gen Con was the cherry on top of all that. So I blocked out a weekend after (not the one immediately after, but the one after that). No matter what, I told myself, I would make zero plans for that weekend. It was to be my sanity recovery weekend.

Or, as it turned out, my panic-writing weekend.

Step Three: Brainstorm any chance you get.

Even though I knew I wouldn't be sitting down to write my story for a few weeks, I started jotting down ideas whenever they came to me. I was briefly worried I wouldn't be able to come up with something, so I started scribbling EVERYTHING that popped into my head. And it wasn't in a nice brainstorming notebook or anything either. No, it was in emails to myself, random notes on my phone, and haphazardly typed word docs. Often just a fragment here and there.

It would all come together eventually, I told myself. Somehow, it would...

Step Four: Mull.

As the days went by, the guilt started building up. I'd committed to a deadline -- and even received an extension -- but still hadn't written a single word. Gen Con came and went, and I told myself now was the time to hunker down. But I was even more brain-drained than expected and couldn't bring myself to write a single sentence.

A quote from my story.
Graphic by Kess Costales.

Maybe it was because of that guilt that I found myself thinking about my story all the time when I
wasn't actually at a computer. When I was walking down the street, on the subway, in the shower -- even waiting for my turn on the flying trapeze -- I had mental discussions with myself about what I wanted the story to be. I'd settled on a premise at least: A woman uploads her mind into a probe to explore the multiverse, encounters a pre-industrial alternate Earth, is mistaken for a miracle, and faces a moral quandary when she falls in love with a local girl.

While grocery shopping, going to the gym, and commuting, I worked out the overall arc of the story and, perhaps more importantly, the tone I wanted to take. It would be different from my usual explosive action/adventure tales. It would be quiet as a whisper, pensive and blurred around the edges. Somehow, just thinking about it that way helped me develop the voice even though I had no idea what that voice would say

Step Five: Run out of time and write until your fingers fall off.

The deadline was a Saturday. Almost all the other invited authors had already sent in their stories, and following along in the group chat made my guilt grow and grow and grow. Yet somehow I still didn't manage to sit my butt down and write. I blame Gen Con brain (hey, it's a long and taxing con!).

Saturday morning came. This was it -- I was going to open my laptop and not close it again until I had a friggin' story. But even though I'd promised myself no plans, I'd still agreed to go to the farmer's market with a friend. Then even after I got back from that, I just faffed around for no reason.

Procrastination on top of procrastination. By mid afternoon, all I had was a vague outline and the characters' names.

Finally, it hit. When I finally started typing, the story seemed to write itself. I credit all that mulling. 5,000 words made it into the Scrivener document before midnight -- I made my promised deadline. I'll admit, I didn't do as much editing as I would have under ordinary circumstances (I did one quick pass but only tweaked a few grammar things). But I think I'd spent so much time shaping it in my head that by the time it made it onto the page, it felt complete.

The KEEP FAITH e-book was released on September 1, and it's been pretty well received so far! Here's the link, in case anyone's interested: https://gumroad.com/l/keepfaith. You can also see what readers are saying about it on Goodreads.

We're currently working on the paperback version, and I volunteered to do the formatting because I'm a book interior nerd ;-). Here's a sneak peak...

Writing the Goddamn Screenplay Already

Hellooooo, Readers!

And helloooo, Autumn. NEPA winters are long so I don't mind when summer ingratiates itself well into October and November. On the other hand, who doesn't relish the break in humidity? Last night, it was a sauna in my house. This weekend, it might only be in the 60s. The pendulum of air pressure can wreak havoc on a girl's sinuses, but who doesn't love changing leaves and apple picking?

And now all my kids are in school. That's right. It's just me and my dog from 9 to 4. I've been working on a little porch decor project, finishing my outline for a detective fic, scouring the job listings, AND finally writing that screenplay.

For years I have been wanting to write a television show, which probably sounds impractical. I'm a mom of three who lives in the Poconos. I'm not getting staffed on a Netflix series. But it is a dream. I think I'm well-suited for TV writing, I just realized it too late. And, sadly, there is such a thing as missing the moment when you have three kids. And yet, screw it.


I asked for Syd Field screenplay books for the holidays. I studied the pilot scripts of my favorite programs. I would listen to film and TV podcasts. But I never got the courage to start my own script. I kept thinking I should just focus on my novel writing. And only novel writing.

But the lure kept tugging.

I deliberated taking a screenwriting workshop, but couldn't justify the expense.

I was afraid it would all be too hard. That I'd get bogged down by the formatting, overwhelmed with camera directions. That I would struggle to describe what was in my head because I would have to write it all from the viewpoint of a camera lens.

I thought, I know I can write, but can I write this?

But I have spent so much time analyzing and examining television. Trying to figure out exactly how a scene I am watching might look on paper. And then I googled screenwriting software and found Writer Solo (shout-out!), a free cloud-based screenwriting program. It's dummy proof. I'm the proof.

Two weeks ago, I opened up the app and set to work adapting my latest novel. After all, I am very familiar with the source material. I know the heroes and the villains. I know what it all looks like. I know the murderer and the string of events to get there.

Do I know how to turn a novel into an eight-episode season? No. 
Have I constructed subplots to round out the story? Not yet.
Am I overwriting? Probably.
Will this ever get picked up? Not in a million years.
Am I having fun? Yes.
Do I want to keep doing it? Yes.

As of now, I have drafted 47 pages of a roughly 60-page script. That's a one-hour show!
It's a draft. I have to go back and see how it compares to proper, finished scripts. I have to have a screenwriter read it, tell me if it's amateurish (which I'm sure it is) and where I should revise.

But the point is, I freaking did it. The thing that scared me is no longer scary.

I seized an opportunity (free software + chunks of uninterrupted time) and did the thing I wanted to do.

I am incredibly proud of myself.

There are lots of writers who work in various mediums--novels, screenplays, journalism. Maybe I can be one of those people.

Because scouring the job ads when you've been out of work for a decade is demoralizing. Because living in a rural area where there isn't a lot of job opportunities for over-educated moms means I need to think bigger than I used to.

It means I need to do the shit that scares me. Now. And not later.

Zodiac Profiles for Writers - Part 1

I’m one of those people who enjoys reading my horoscope. Do I believe it in? To an extent. I do believe in cosmic connections and that we can adapt and grow based on the energy surrounding us, but I don’t necessarily buy into the theory that the stars rule our every movement.

I also think most of the zodiac profiles and character trait descriptions are pretty accurate most of the time. As a result, I thought it’d be fun to look at the zodiac profiles for each of the signs and interpret them for the writers of the world. 

Genre: An Aries writer would stand out in the post-apocalyptic genre. These fearless leaders are used to forging the path for others, and that’s the primary expectation of the hero/heroine in a world desecrated by an unknown or unexplained event.

Writing Habits: An Aries writer wants to get the job done in a quick and effective manner, preferring to be the first to market. Details are not important as long as they can pull the reader along with their captivating, and often terrifying, story-line. Once a project is complete they may look back and notice holes that should have been patched, but there are no regrets. Just deflection and possible lessons learned that will feed into the next project.

Rules: Aries writers set the tone and foundation for which all rules are based upon.

Ideal Writing Location: The Aries writer should be in a central office, surrounded by intimidating artifacts. Bookshelves line the walls with reference materials. Even though they may be coated in dust from lack of use, they are necessary as they convey a sense of authority.

Genre: The steady and reliable Taurus is the ideal series writer. The topic can vary depending on specific interests, but they have the make-up to remain steadfast to their characters/stories across numerous volumes. 

Writing Habits: The Taurus writer knows which topic will be their cash cow, and they will remain dedicated to that endeavor until they’ve milked it for all its worth. They will utilize every rule and formula to their advantage, helping them crank out their work at a speed envied by most other writers. They are likely to be ‘that author’ that readers know they can turn to when they need a book they can count on.

Rules: They want someone to explain the rules to them, and help them ensure they have delivered appropriately.

Ideal Writing Location: A cozy cafe where the aromas and ambiance can help channel their focus onto their craft.

Genre: The Gemini writer finds it difficult to stick to just one genre or type of writing project. They may also find happiness in blending multiple genres into one project. The key is to find a topic where they can channel their energy and emotions.

Writing Habits: They are constantly working on a larger project, such as a novel, while juggling a few smaller ones at the same time, such as blog posts. A scan of their computer might reveal several stalled projects that were abandoned when a new idea took hold. It may also reveal several versions of each project as they changed their mind multiple times on how to write it. Their web browser is likely to have a minimum of 20 tabs open at once as they multitask their way through the day. 

Rules: The Gemini writer will research all the rules, but only follow a few.

Ideal Writing Location: While a Gemini can write in just about any environment that promotes positive energy, they need to be cautious of writing in public locations — their social butterfly tendencies will need to be reigned in if they desire to get any work done.

Genre: A Cancer writer is likely to gravitate towards non-fiction. Whether a financial guide, a lifestyle blog, or a self-help book, these writers are often the experts in their field and have a lot of knowledge to share.

Writing Habits: Focus, focus, focus - that’s the Cancer writer’s mantra. Every topic is researched to the nth degree and efficiency is often sacrificed for accuracy. Nothing will be published until they can feel confident that 99.9999% of all errors are eradicated. 

Rules: The Cancer writer knows that rules are in place for a reason. And they know every single one of them.

Ideal Writing Location: A Cancer writer craves the comfort of their home, and they will be able to perform to their best ability by carving out a dedicated writing space that is neat and organized.

Genre: A Leo writer will flourish in the romance genre. Their heroes are likely to be strong and loyal to their fierce and feisty heroines. 

Writing Habits: They are driven to complete projects and jump right into the next one. If someone were to tell them they couldn’t write about something, they would do it anyway just to prove them wrong. The independent nature of the Leo writer would make a self-published venture a successful endeavor. 

Rules: Rules do not apply to these regal writers.

Ideal Writing Location: A Leo writer will feel most at home writing in public locations where they can be in the spotlight. Knowing people are watching them create greatness is all the fuel they need to drive a WIP to completion.

Genre: The Virgo writer’s desire to process information with meticulous detail would make for a powerful combination in the historical fiction genre. 

Writing Habits: No detail is too daunting in the life of a Virgo writer. They will take all the time necessary to get all the facts straight. They are content to take their time in completing a WIP to ensure it’s as accurate as possible. They are driven to help other writers and are often looked to for advice within the writing community.

Rules: Virgo writers not only know all the rules — across every genre and region, not just the ones that pertain to their topic — they also know how to interpret and process the rules better than anyone around them.

Ideal Writing Location: The most efficient place for Virgos to write is the library where they have access to research, research, and more research.



I’m a Gemini and I totally relate to the description above. (Let’s just ignore the fact that I wrote it for the moment…) Case in point - while writing this post I was also doing laundry, the dishes, researching for my next project, and shopping for supplies for the jewelry my daughter now has me making. And I definitely have more than 20 tabs open in my browser. That’s also why this post will be in two parts. With all my distractions, I only had time to profile half the signs. 

If you’re a writer with any of these signs, let me know in the comments how well I captured your writer persona!

~ Carrie

This is What My Midlife Crisis Looks Like

www.karissalaurel.com

In this day of Instagram Influencer mania, when youth is worshiped and celebrated like a massive cult, it's a little hard to admit I'm "Over the Hill".  In my head, I'm still in my twenties, and when I have to give my age, I have to stop and think really hard about it. By the way, it's 41. There, I admitted it out-loud. I'm 41 years old.

I've written a couple of things here in this space and deleted them because they were such cliches about age: the aches that didn't exist before, comfortable shoes, wrinkles and gray hair. But I don't want to go there with this post. "Old" is a universal state with common experiences shared by us all--no need to rehash.  What I'd rather do is reflect on how my awareness of my "progressing maturity" has manifested in ways that might not be so common and familiar and cliche. I think I am experiencing a sort of mid-life crisis (I'd rather call it a renaissance, though) and this is what it looks like:

It started with a trip to the Outer Banks for my 40th birthday. I've pretty much lived in central North

Carolina my whole life. I grew up going to the southern beaches like Emerald Isle, Wrightsville Beach, and Myrtle Beach. I had grandparents who lived on the Bogue Sound at Cape Carteret, and after college, I lived briefly at Carolina Beach and in Wilmington. Although it's only 3 hours away, I never had a reason to visit the northern beaches known nationally as the "Outer Banks," composed mostly of the shoreline from Ocracoke to Corolla along Highway 19. But for my 40th birthday I wanted to celebrate by doing something I'd never done before, so I booked a stay for my family in Nags Head. We did all the obligatory tourist stuff like visiting Jockey's Ridge, the Wright Brother's Memorial, and, of course, Cape Hatteras lighthouse.

That trip was like the first domino sending me tumbling down a path of new experiences. My family is passionate about water sports. My husband and son love to fish. I like to bask in the sun, read books in the shade, or splash around in the water. My son is getting older and we wanted to invest in something that we all loved doing together while we still have him at home with us, so we broke down and got a boat. Some folks get sports cars in their middle-age; we got a pontoon. The dogs possibly enjoy it more than we do.

As fall crept in and the cooler weather put a damper on our outdoor activities, I started planning

In Times Square with Mary

events more compatible with the season, which ended up including a trip to Jersey City and New York City to visit fellow ATB blogger, Mary Fan. If you need inspiration for how to go out and experience life in unique and exciting ways, spend a few days with Mary. We did the New York things like eating, shopping, and Broadway, but I also let her talk me into trying something completely new: aerial silk acrobatics:

If you know Mary, you probably know she's taken the aerial silks to a much higher level, literally and figuratively. She's also becoming super proficient on the trapeze, and I keep waiting for her to announce she's running away with the circus. Spending that weekend with her, hiking all over New York, inspired me even more to not let "old age" hold me back. I used to be very athletic and fit, but busy schedules that come with advancing careers, marriage, and having a kid had sidelined much of that for me. But when I got home from New York I was determined to get back in shape and start pursuing new interests of my own.

In November of 2018, I signed up for the February 2019 Krispy Kreme Challenge: "an annual charity event in which participants run a 5 miles (8.0 km) road course leading to a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop, eat one dozen doughnuts (totaling 2,400 calories and 144 grams of fat), and run back to the finish line in under 1 hour." 

 

I didn't eat all of the donuts and I didn't run the whole time--I have a bad knee that won't accommodate extensive running anymore--but I had spent close to three months training for it and was in much better shape than I had been in a long time. In an effort to continue with my fitness progress, I signed up my son and I for a gym membership, and we actually go on a regular basis. There's this treadmill/stair-climber machine that is both my greatest love and greatest nemesis all in one--it calls to me when I'm away too long.

We went back to the Outer Banks and saw some different lighthouses and looked for wild ponies. I took my son to see a stage performance of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief at the local theater. We renovated our living room, turned our back porch into a laundry room, and opened up the kitchen so we have more space to sit down and have a family meal together. As it turned to summer, we spent more time on the water, and I pursued my newly developed passion for paddling.

You may remembered my post about discovering Hindi cinema (aka "Bollywood". Here's the link to that: Escapism, Bollywood, and the Shirley Temple Effect) and that new, uh, obsession opened me up to even more unique experiences. I signed up for a Bollywood dance class. Talk about getting out of my comfort zone! Feel free to laugh at me. I sure laughed at myself a lot but I had so much fun.

My interest in Indian cinema inspired me to study Hindi language and learn more about the history of south Asia. I finally got an Audible account (after years of making excuses about not having time for audio books) so that I could spend more time on non-fiction--I prefer to listen to non-fiction rather than read it. I've learned about the history of India, have listened to historical Indian mythology epics like the Ramayana and I have started teaching myself Hindi. So far I've managed to learn the Hindi syllabary, and I'm working on vocabulary and grammar now. They say learning a new language is a great way to work out an aging brain and stave off dementia and Alzheimer's. Who knows, but it's worth a try.

Next week, I'm anticipating the start of a new "Fitness Paddle-Boarding" class through my local parks and rec system. It's supposed to be yoga and Pilates. On a paddle board. I wonder how that will go (I typed that with some sarcasm). I'm sure there will be pictures. Probably embarrassing ones.

This has been the year (and a half) of a new kind of self discovery, and I'm having a blast. The last 40 years went by so fast, it makes me a little afraid of how fast the next 40 will go. I don't want to waste that precious time. There's still so much out there to see, do, experience, and learn! Remember that slogan from the old hair-dye commercial? I don't want to grow old gracefully. I'm going to fight it all the way. For me that's not about denying my gray hairs and wrinkles and aches and pains but about making the most of the years yet to come, so that when the end days of my life are upon me, I hopefully will have something to look back on and be proud of. I'll be so epic my kid will tell stories about me. Or, in the least, maybe he'll show his grandchildren embarrassing pictures of their great grandmother dancing and falling off paddle-boards.

KillerCon 2019 Autopsy

Another quality post brought to you by Steve!

Hey, everybody!  Sorry if you're hating these posts, but 'tis the season.  Convention season, that is!  I recently got back from KillerCon in Austin, TX, and it was a blast.  My only scheduled performance was a panel at 11:00 am on Friday, and my plane arrived at 10:00 am.  I was right on the edge of worrying about whether I would make it.  Fortunately, I came walking into the hotel right around 10:45, so instead of checking in, I headed straight for the panel.

Myself, Kelli Owen, Jeff Strand, Rose O'Keefe.  (Not pictured: David Barnett.)

Our discussion was "How Not to be an Asshole in Publishing" and my fellow panelists were David Barnett, Rose O'Keefe, Jeff Strand, and Kelli Owen.  The panel went swimmingly.  We talked about when to respond to negative reviews (spoiler alert: never), how to deal with rejection, and the like.  For the record, I did not spend the entire panel on my phone.  This was just me checking the time.

Friday I got to have a long overdue lunch with Lucas Mangum and we went to a taco place near Round Rock.  Then that evening I had some authentic Texas barbecue with Wile E. Young, Wesley Southard, and their spouses.

Friday night was the launch party for my good friend Christine Morgan's DAWN OF THE LIVING IMPAIRED AND OTHER MESSED UP STORIES.  I actually liked this collection so much I blurbed it, so make sure you check it out if you have even a passing interest in zombies.

I wasn't selling books at a table for this con, so I got to relax and take in a lot of the programming.  The only selling I did was at the mass signing on Saturday morning.  I also got to see a couple of Texan fans there, including the incomparable Mike and Ana Rankin (more on them in a minute.)

Myself and Ana Rankin.

Myself and Mike Rankin.

Ana for some reason was wearing a Jonathan Janz t-shirt, but I convinced her to get a Kozeniewski t-shirt for next year, so I'm looking forward to that.

Saturday was the centerpiece of the con.  I got to have lunch with Jeff Strand, Wes and Wile E. again, and a long overdue meeting with Gabrielle Faust.  There was great programming all day, culminating in the second annual Splatterpunk Awards, where David Barnett, who I was on the panel with on Friday, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Congrats to all the winners, and nominees as well.

The Splatterpunks were followed by the Gross-Out Contest, which I've had the great honor to win twice.  However, I knew almost immediately that this year was not going to be a threepeat.  I had a fairly respectable story, but as soon as Jay Wilburn stepped up and began telling the true life story of his kidney operation (catheter insertion and all) I knew it was over before I was doubled over in laughter, which wasn't very long.

And after the Gross-Out contest came the wedding reception.  Well, vow renewal.  Our good friends who I mentioned earlier, Mike and Ana, wore Poe and Lovecraft shirts, respectively, and renewed their vows in the style of their favorite horror authors.  Brian Keene walked Ana down the aisle, John Wayne Communale played "I Walked With a Zombie" as the wedding march, and the godfather of splatterpunk, Ed Lee, stood as best man.  It was lovely overall.  I was surprisingly touched.

Finally, Saturday night was the Eraserhead Press/Section 31 Press party, and much fun was had by all.  I may even have pitched the greatest followup to the classic CLICKERS muncher horror series ever conceived.  Sadly, it was too good to ever see the light of day.

Myself, John Skipp, and Wesley Southard.  (Photo by Edward Lee.)

Wesley Southard, Edward Lee, and myself.  (Photo by John Skipp.)

Whelp, here's to KillerCon.  Hope to see you there next year!

Writers Need To...

By Cheryl Oreglia

So you want to be a great writer?

I did a google search on what writers need to be successful?

If the objective is to publish a radical best seller, one you find in the hands of total strangers, bent and borrowed, passed from neighbor to neighbor, entertaining commuters on buses, planes, and trains then do read on. 

Or to post blogs that go viral, change lives, maybe change the way people view this crazy world.

What we need is an express lane, something that takes you from blank page to a terrific manuscript, in zero to ten.

If you're like me you've taken some writing courses, attended writing conferences, joined a writing group, listened to all the classic advice about "shitty first drafts," and "sitting down at the keyboard and bleeding onto the page."

Forget all that.

According to google great writers need to do some very specific things:

One source claimed the key to writing well isn't to focus on writing at all but on writing systems? Yes, this intrigued me so I read the whole article. According to Sarah Cy good writers like Hemingway, King, Rowling have one thing in common - a well honed writing system. 

Cy says, "Hemingway, King, Rowling didn't just throw words on paper whenever they felt like it...Hemingway wrote in the morning, as soon as the sun rose. King writes 2.000 words a day, rain or shine." And Rowling implements a helpful color-coding system: on a table of suspects, notes in blue ink are representative of clues, while red ones symbolize "red herrings" meant to mislead readers.

Under my first search I learned there are three parts to a writing system: Gathering materials, writing, and honing your craft. She says they are interlinked, but also separate, like a three legged stool. You need all three to create a solid system from which to perch yourself while writing. 

Gathering Material:

• Consider your personal experience, successes and flops, usually there is a lesson or two embedded, and this is how your life becomes a valuable medium for your writing.
• Notice your daily rituals, what do you do that others might benefit from knowing, better yet, what should they avoid.
• Mercilessly use your more interesting relationships, as Anne Lamott says, "You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better."
• Listen more than you talk.
• Read, read, read.
• Follow other blogs, find out what's trending, jump on the bandwagon. 
• Research your audience, figure out what they are interested in reading, and use this to guide your writing, remember it's not biblical it's just wise. 
• Join a writing group for advice and feedback. They usually meet at places with coffee so win, win.
• Keep a journal! This is your best source for material and they come in leather. Oh and buy a good pen, you're a writer, it justifies the expense.
• A notebook by your bed with that pricy pen is good for late night insights!
• Have a place where you keep your shitty first drafts, then edit, edit, edit. 
• Organize your notes, quotes, topics, blackmail worthy materials in one place so you can access what you need without scrounging through your IPhone and index cards. 

Write:

• You have to sit your butt in a chair and write. Seems obvious but hunger, housework, and husbands can be a distraction. Don't get up unless something is on fire. Writers write. 
• Create the perfect environment. Make coffee if that's your thing, open a bottle of wine, wear comfortable clothing, have a snack ready, and for the love of God limit the annoying distractions - turn off your cell phone, the television, shut the window if the gardeners blowing, don't answer the door for the fuller brush man - you have a hair brush. 
• Set goals for not only word count but finishing posts, chapters, and query letters. Stephen King claims 2,000 words per day. Clearly he doesn't have a day job!
• Figure out when you are most productive - morning, midday, or night? Then set aside time to write at that time! 
• Set limits or you'll end up filing your nails, dusting the keyboard, and sipping cold coffee! People who have deadlines and limits time are always more productive. 

Developing your skills:

• Good writing doesn't just happen, well for most of us anyway, it's a skill and you can develop your craft. 
• Read as much as you write, if not more, and soak up a diversity of genre. Expose yourself to as many styles as possible. This allows you to expand your range, like voice lessons, you hit those difficult octaves with a lot of practice. 
• Hire a writing coach.
• Join a writing group.
• Go back to school and get your Masters in Creative Writing (you can do this on-line but you have to actually do the work to improve.)
• Attend a writing conference or workshop.
• Find a good editor and learn from there feedback.

Stephen king says if you don't have time to read you don't have time to write. Hey, if none of this appeals to you, I just heard Denny's is looking for a hostess. Writers write and that's all there is to it. “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though,” says J.D. Salinger. If today was hellacious, but you had a good writing day, nothing else matters. Write on! 

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”― Ray Bradbury

What are your writing secrets? 

Asking for an author review quote

Search through any author group on Facebook or publishing-centric threads on Twitter and eventually the topic of author review quotes comes up. As in: what are they? Do they help? Do you need one? And - arguably the most important question of all - how do you ask for one???

What are author review quotes?
Short answer: They're nice things other authors say about your book.

Long answer: They're nice things other authors say about your book that you can use for marketing purposes, editorial reviews on Amazon, even your front cover. They're pithy, smart and quotable, and ALWAYS positive.

Do they help?
Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Still yes. An author review quote from an author with whom you share a potential audience is ideal - although maybe it would be cool for marketing purposes if I got a quotable quote from Stephen (a horror writer) for one of my romances? Will think on that one. An author review quote from an author with name recognition in your genre is helpful, too, especially if you're putting his/her quote on your cover.

Do you need an author review quote?
Short answer: No.

Long answer: That space on Amazon for editorial reviews looks awfully empty without any editorial reviews. You can wait until reader reviews come in - and it's great to have a few of those, as well, but an author endorsement or two definitely helps. You can also use author reviews in your pre-publication marketing.

How do you ask for an author review quote?
Short answer: Nicely.

Long answer: This is actually a pretty long answer.

1. Do your homework!
1. You've read some books by the author you're asking to review your book, right? If not, get on that.
2. Check out her website and look at recent/upcoming releases. If she's got a book coming out next week, you might want to hold off on your email.
3. Check out his social media. Is his Twitter feed filled with deadline stress? Or maybe his Instagram shows that he's spending the month at the lake with his family. Either way, it might not be the best time to ask this particular author for a review.
4. Look at her website again and click on CONTACT. How does she want to be contacted for review requests? Via her agent? A PA? A form on the website? An email address?
2. Once you know the preferred method of contact for submitting your request, use that. For most authors, it is NOT Twitter DM, Facebook Messenger or Snapchat. Email is the most likely scenario.
3. Think about the tone of your email before you start writing it. On the one hand, your review request is kind of like a business letter. On the other hand, it's...not. To some extent, it could/should reflect you, the writer. 
4. If you know from doing your homework that there's something you and the author have in common, or something you think they'll really connect with in your book, mention it. E.g., I saw on Instagram recently that you were in London.It looks like you had an amazing time! My book is actually set in London, and I lived there for five years before trading in city life for a tiny English village.
5. Indicate how you'll use the review. Will you use the author quote on your print cover? In pre-publication marketing? In release week marketing and on Amazon?
6. Set a date!!! This is especially important if you're going to use the quote on your cover or pre-publication, but it's also important for your sanity. Something as simple as: My book releases September 27, and I need all author reviews completed by August 27.
7. But give them an out. Something like: If you can't make that date, I totally understand, but I'd love if you could let me know so I won't be stalking my email inbox.
8. Offer a full manuscript and a sample. Some authors will eagerly read the whole thing. Some might prefer the first six chapters, but can still provide you with a great review quote.
9. Include your blurb, cover, social media links, website, etc. You can cram a lot of this into your email signature and some people might argue that it should be there already anyway.
10. Spell check, proofread, send.
11. Obsessively check inbox for a reply, despite said date conversation. :) 

It also doesn't hurt to google "Asking for author blurbs" and reading through some sample emails. I did that, in addition to the above, when I was asking for author review quotes for my last book and, well, it worked for me!

The Life-Changing Magic of Procrastination

A post by Mary Fan

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a writer who is voluntarily tidying up must be in the throes of procrastination.

I’m currently on the hook for about five writing projects – meaning they’re attached to deadlines and promised release dates. Which of course is why I decided that now is the perfect time to attempt to de-disaster-ify my apartment, which had reached landfill levels of entropy. I’m pretty sure the last time I saw the floor of my closet was sometime in 2017. Meanwhile, I’d overloaded my bookshelf to such an extent that I was pretty sure that any day, it would collapse on top of me, leading to my untimely demise (which I can’t have… with all these projects, I don’t have time to perish!).

As a small press/indie author who often goes on the road to promote books at conventions and such, I’ve always kept copious copies of my own books. This matter compounded when I decided to self-publish Starswept as a custom-printed hardback with silver foil lettering… meaning I had to order in bulk (WORTH IT). Being a city dweller, I don’t have a whole lot of space. And paying for a storage unit seems both extravagant and inconvenient (let’s face it, even if I were willing to spring for one, I’d be too lazy to actually get my butt over there to grab books every time I had a show). My solution? Stack everything in a corner. Which worked well on a practical level, but also invited mess because, I mean, it was just a bunch of boxes in the corner. Of course that meant it was also a dumping ground for all the random crap I couldn’t be bothered with finding a spot for, right? The results:

Now, I’m notoriously oblivious to my surroundings. Comes with being the kind of person who usually lives in her own head (I also have comically low levels of body awareness… who knows what any limb is doing at any given time). So I allowed the entropy to grow and grow, hardly noticing it was there at all.

Until one day it hit me that I was basically living in a warehouse, and that this was not ideal. I’m not sure what exactly triggered this revelation. Probably procrastination, to be honest… I become far more aware of what’s going on around me when I’m trying to get out of my head and away from my writing projects (usually because they’re due soon but I don’t want to deal with them). And also because I didn’t wish to perish in a tragic book-related accident when my overloaded shelves gave up on me.

So I decided that instead of keeping stacks of cardboard boxes in a corner, I’d put my stock on bookshelves and use plastic storage containers to tote them to and from shows. I’d already planning on getting clear plastic boxes for Gen Con anyway, since we always have to bring so many books, and figuring out what’s in every opaque cardboard box is a nightmare. Also, cardboard likes to slide around, meaning when you try to stack said boxes on a cart, they have the nasty habit of slipping off and spilling your poor, vulnerable paperbacks all over the exhibit hall floor (despite the most heroic efforts of your bungee cords).

Anyway, this may all have remained a fanciful idea if a local friend hadn’t decided to relocate across the country – meaning she was about to pack up her entire life. She asked if anyone had extra boxes, and I was like, “Oh, honey, I have all the boxes you’ll ever need.” I just had to get the books out of them first.

So I went to the IKEA website and ordered the biggest bookshelf that would fit in my apartment (which was actually two tall bookshelves smashed together). The original plan was to stick them in the box corner to carry book stock and then order another shelf for my extra reading books. But I had the sneaking suspicion that things wouldn’t go quite according to plan, so I held off on the latter part of that… Plan B was to put the giant shelf in my bedroom (where my bookcase was), move the bookcase to the box corner, and then figure out what to do from there. Good thing I had Plan B, because the giant shelf was ONE MEASLY INCH too wide to fit between the wall and the low-ish lighting fixture.

Taking all the books off my shelf, unboxing all those copies of my own books, dragging 4 heavy bookshelves around my apartment, and then moving literally a thousand pounds worth of tomes around was no fun at all. But I’m rather pleased with how it all turned out:

View this post on Instagram

Was tired of feeling like I lived in a warehouse, so I spent the past week and a half rearranging all my books and shelves (which involved buying three new bookcases and moving literally every book in my apartment). 📚 #bookish #bookshelves #shelfie #shelfiesunday #bookstagram #bookaholic #bookshelves #booksbooksbooks #bookshelf

A post shared by Mary Fan 🐲 范诗蓉 (@astralcolt) on Aug 17, 2019 at 2:30pm PDT

Of course, now that I’ve run out of books to rearrange, I need to find a new way to procrastinate. I’d still like to see my closet floor…

I'm not that good a writer...on social media

Hellloooo friends. I woke up this morning with a vacation hangover. You know that feeling. When you've been away for a week and you finally get home and you're exhausted, disoriented, and suffering from a headache. Honestly it wasn't a vacation, so much as a trip. My son played in a soccer tournament in Hershey. Then we decided to tack on extra days to do the amusement park and Washington DC and let's just cliche...I need a vacation from my vacation. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk.

And while on vacation, I posted photos of my kids to social media with cute captions like We're at Hershey! And Smithsonian Day with a healthy dose of whine. Then, later that day, I wrote the same thing while on the beach with a cup of merlot and punned a healthy dose of wine. And you know what I realized? I am terrible at composing pithy captions on social media. In fact, I am a crappy writer all together on social media. Which wouldn't be a thing if I wasn't a goddamn author.

My friend Dave was a writer for Mad Magazine. He is the funniest dude on the planet and his one-line Facebook updates are Pulitzer worthy. Another friend is a copy writer and her Instagram posts about ballet and coffee are eloquent and artsy. Meanwhile, I'm on Twitter trying to blog about my favorite television shows because I don't often know how to relate to people other than to talk about what Netflix shows I'm bingeing. I am literally that person at parties. Because it's not cool to discuss politics and religion and those are my two favorite topics of conversations, I'm the one who asks, "So whatcha all binge watching?" And then I get the response, "I don't really watch TV." Or they respond with, "I'm into the Real Housewives."

My last Tweet that got traction was me asking the Twitterverse if anyone found the exhaust fan above the stove as annoying as I do. And it turns out, lots of people do.

I marvel at how sassy and clever people can be on Twitter. Especially about mundane things. And there's me over here revising the same sentence ten times just to vary my word usage. Half the time, I don't add commentary because my brain is fried from trying to simply write a novel that I have nothing left to devote to cleverness. I have to work at being smart while others simply do it on instinct.

Do you ever cringe at your Facebook post memories? I do. I'm like, "I wrote that trite piece of crap observation?" Ugh. Thanks Facebook for reminding me that I'm a hack.


Please don't judge me by my tweets and status updates. And why is there no edit button on Twitter?

My Author-self is Actually a 13-year-old Drama Queen

In 7 short days I will have a teenager in the house. I’ve only got the one kid, and she only becomes a teenager once in her life, so we’re letting her have a ‘party’ party. I’m talking nearly 40 thirteen and fourteen year olds. Girls AND boys. So, yeah, I’m in the middle of party planning hell. My mind is consumed with all things teenagers. 

Which is why, yet again, my post is inspired by my kid. In the midst of all this party planning, I somehow came to the conclusion that my author personality is basically a 13-year-old girl. How? Well, I’ll give you 13 reasons . . .

My author-self:

1. Always makes the same mistakes over and over and over . . .
2. Never cleans up her messes without being told.
3. Is only productive when she wants to be, not when I need her to be.
4. Rolls her eyes whenever I think I have control of the situation.
5. Is insecure and into self-deprecation.
6. Is hormonal with mood swings from one extreme to the other.
7. Tries to sleep most of the day.
8. Thinks she will go viral overnight. Because, you know, that other author did.
9. Pays too much attention to what people are saying (or not saying) on social media.
10. Thinks listening to music and dancing around the house is the same as being productive.
11. Is hungry ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME.
12. Is more comfortable talking to people electronically than in person.
13. Is easily distracted.

Who else has a 13-year-old drama queen/king as an author personality?

~ Carrie

Alternatives to Hereditary Magic Systems

www.karissalaurel.com

If you at all participate in the the Star Wars fandom, then you're probably aware of the controversy that erupted last year. "Which controversy," you ask? "There were so many!" Well, in particular, I'm talking about the one that arose in response to Star Wars: The Last Jedi's seeming attempt at subverting the force-sensitive "legacies" that had existed in the canon for decades.

It's been well established, basically since Star Wars's inception, that force sensitivity--the ability interact with and manipulate the "Force"--was an inherited trait, one that could be passed down from parent to child, generation after generation. Arguably, this established an aristocratic system--power by inheritance rather than merit (which, possibly, was one of the issues the Jedi were trying to mitigate with their marriage prohibition). The Skywalkers were the prime example--Anakin, Luke and Leia, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo... and Rey, too, perhaps?

That was the imperative, over-arching question everyone was eager for this movie to answer. Who were Rey's parents?! What was her legacy?! ...But then this scene happened:

Kylo: It's time to let old things die. Snoke. Skywalker. The Sith. The Jedi. The Rebels. Let it all die... You're still holding on! Let it go. Do you want to know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known? You've just hidden it away. You know the truth. Say it. Say it.
Rey: They were nobody.
Kylo: They were filthy junk traders, who sold you out for drinking money.They're dead in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert. You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing.

And just like that, Star Wars's force-sensitive legacies went down in flames... or did they?

I'm not here to argue whether Kylo is gaslighting Rey, manipulating her sympathies to work in his favor; or whether Rian Johnson truly meant to subvert aristocratic themes in the Star Wars canon (or if Abrams is going to subvert Johnson's subversions in The Rise of Skywalker); or give you my thoughts and feelings on this issue as a loooong-time Star Wars fan. I'm here to tell you this scene sparked an idea that became one of the cornerstones of my current Work-in-Progress.

The idea was this: Could I write a story with a magic system where legacy does not

Harry Potter:The Blue Blood Prince

exist? Where inherited abilities do not factor in? Also, could I make magic inherently egalitarian? Take the social hierarchies in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and throw them right out the window! (Sorry, not sorry, Harry Potter fans). What does that leave you? A hell of a lot of possibilities on a wide and complex spectrum. And let me tell you, disposing of those old-guard magic structures is hard. Even if I did away with genetics, I've found it's extremely difficult to abolish magical hierarchies. Universal magical egalitarianism might be impossible--either that or I'm simply not clever enough to figure out how to build that kind of world and make it compelling or believable.

Here are some ideas that I've thought of (and obviously a lot of other people have thought of too) for Alternatives to Hereditary Magic, as well as some of the questions they present:

1. Magic is a readily available resource, rather like air or sunshine, and anyone can access it regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, physical ability, or class.

• Does everyone inherently know how to use the magic, or does it require some training and education for effective application?
• Are certain people born with a superior aptitude that gives them an advantage? Fore example: everyone with a voice can sing, but only some of us can be truly good at it.
• Who has access to the training and education? Everyone (like a magic public school system) or only those with the ability/privilege to seek and/or hire a tutor or teacher?
• What do those who can't afford or access that education do? (One possibility is underground layman training schools. What happens in Magic Fight Club stays in Magic Fight Club!  Lev Grossman addressed this issue in a fascinating way through his Julia character in his Magicians trilogy.)
• Is there regulation of magic, and if so, who wields this regulatory authority? Who abuses it?

2. Magic is readily available but access to it requires a certain special "sensitivity" or ability (i.e., the Jedi and the Force). That ability, however, is a random trait not limited to or by any social, physiological, or biological factor including genetics (Pretty much the opposite of the Skywalker scenario).

• The same questions I had above apply to this situation as well.
• It's inherently not egalitarian for those who don't have the ability or sensitivity to access magic.
• Maybe family aristocracies don't exist, but what if some magic users work together to increase their power through cooperative efforts--the many against the one, the oligarchy against the lone practitioner?

3. Magic is contained in objects rather than people or the environment. Anyone who possesses the object can wield its magic.

• This is a lot like any limited resource. Those who are already rich and powerful are the ones most likely to control the objects. (Oh, but how cool would it be to do a story about a gang of magical thieves who steal and trade these on a magical black market? I'm sure that story already exists, right? But still...*stashes idea in mental filing folder for later*).
• The haves inherently oppress the have-nots, whether they mean to or not.
• Where the heck does the magic in these objects come from in the first place? Maybe they are gifts from a divine entity and are therefore limited. Or could an ambitious person find the magic source and make *more* magical objects, thereby leveling the magic "playing field".

4. Magic bestowed by an environmental factor: i.e., the radioactive spider-bite. AKA the Superhero Scenario. This is a slight variation on #2, above.

• While it avoids the legacy/inheritance factor, it's still inherently not egalitarian because only those who encounter the environmental factor (and survive it!) benefit from the "magic".
• Could the environmental factor be reproduced so that more than one person could benefit from it?

5. Magic bestowed by a divine being.

• Sort of like the super-hero scenario, but instead of a radio-active spider, or gamma rays, or military experimentation, power is bestowed by another being of power. (see Shazam/Captain Marvel as an example)
• Inherently not egalitarian for those who aren't "chosen" to receive this blessing.

See Also: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

6. Magic places.

• Magic is confined to a certain area but is available to anyone who can reach that place. Ex: the standing stones in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (In those books, the ability to use the stone circles' magic, however, was an inherited trait ((although, in some cases, the application of sorcery or "spells" overcame genetic limitations)).
• Limits magic use to only those who can physically access these places.

If you're curious to know, my Work-In-Progress is utilizing the scenario in example number two above. Alternatives to aristocracy was a theme I really wanted to explore--not so much in the dialogue or narrative but more in the worldbuilding--a magical world fundamentally lacking a hierarchy and the ways people (particularly the antagonists) try to overcome that limitation. The way I'm attempting to address that issue is with complete randomness--those with the ability to manipulate magic are extremely rare, and the trait appears arbitrarily with no known genetic factor that can be replicated or bred. It's not a perfect system and some inequality inevitably exists--without social conflict or a break in the status quo, the characters have little impetus to act. The villains hunger for more power and the heroes fight to keep that from happening--not a new idea but hopefully, at least, a fresh interpretation. In a few more months I expect to have a finished product to show you, and hopefully a real title for it too.