Writers in the Storm

by Jenny Hansen

In case no one ever told you this... You are a writer, and you are also a badass. Yes, you. The hard-working, dream-chasing reader of this writing blog.

You have a dream, and you care enough about that dream to chase it down. Enough to get up early or stay up late to write, to put your butt in that chair day after day. Enough to take the time to learn what you need to know to write the best stories you can.

You are the brave soul who is mastering the writing equation:

Dream Chasing + Hard Work = Writer + Badass

The Writing Equation in Action

These last few years, I've entered the NYC Midnight Short Story Competition. Partly for the usual reasons -- it's fun, it makes me stretch as a wrier, etc. -- and partly because it makes me feel like a badass.

Here's how the contest works:

• Each round, you receive a genre, a story element and a character
• The word count and timeframe are set
• The title and 1-2 sentence synopsis aren't included in the wordcount
• Only 5 people from each "heat" move on.
• Round 1: 8 days to write 2,500 words

This round, I was assigned the following story elements:

• Genre - SciFi
• Story element - a career
• Character - a tracker

Every year it is a slap-dash careening ride to The End but the big-picture story requirements are familiar.

• You must follow the genre rules.
• It must be an engaging read.
• The majority of loose ends must be tied up.
• You have to finish.

Every year when I do this competition, I think of what Neil Gaiman says about writing.

(Gaiman urges you to think of your writing like dandelion seeds.)

"Dozens will go out into the world, but for every five failures that float on the wind, perhaps one will find some success. The more you send out, the more success you will have. The more types of things you try, the greater the chance of finding that success."

I think of the NYC contest as a way of floating my dandelion seeds and expanding my craft, all at the same time. Plus, even if I don't win the money, I have the work.

Every year when I see the thousands of writers who show up for this competition, I'm amazed at their fortitude, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. A bunch of badasses hang out in those forums.

How To Get Through the Maze of Your Story

Plotter, pantser, plantser, story quilter, or outliner...none of that really matters as long as you get a story done. I am a firm believer that even though no two writers have the same process, we all have the power to get to The End.

There are four qualities possessed by almost every writer that are, in my humble opinion, more important than good writing craft.

1. Hope
2. Courage
3. Perseverance
4. Blind faith

The Big Four

It's nearly impossible to be a successful writer without the qualities above. Let's break them down...

1. Hope

We hope our story comes out great.
We hope someone will buy it.
We hope readers will like it.

The writing craft and our own discipline to get the story down are the only things we can control in this crazy writing life. Everything except the work is beyond our control.

And yet we sit down to write. We submit our writing to agents and editors who often reject us. We keep going in the face of rejection.

Hope is hard. Hope is brave. Writers who hang onto their hope long enough to achieve their dreams are badasses.

I encourage you to stockpile your stores of hope, so you have plenty available when you need it.

2. Courage

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.”

— Raymond Lindquist

Every writer must have the courage to embrace the unknown. Story after story, we jump in and stumble our way through the maze of a story. We meet new characters, try new genres, embark on a whole new research journey.

That's a lot of unknowns we face. Some of my writer friends see that quality as insanity or stupidity. I see it as flat out guts and courage.

We face the blank page, the unknown, and the fear that we suck. Then we send our work to others for honest feedback.

We are astonishing.

3. Perseverance

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

— Mary Anne Radmacher

Call of the Wild author, Jack London, received 950 rejections before someone bought the book. Our own Laura Drake has 400+ rejections under her belt. Bestselling author Debbie Macomber had an agent stand in front of her, tap the manuscript Debbie had submitted for her to critique and advise that she "throw it away."

These are three writers that we've heard of because they didn't give up in the face of adversity. Plus they did the work, and learned how to write a great story.

I always try to remember: it only takes one 'yes' to open the door to opportunity wide enough for me to squeeze on through.

4. Blind Faith

This last one is the real reason I think writers are the bravest superheroes on the planet. The sheer courage of diving into the unknown with every new story, and persevering until that story is told? Of believing that story will be told? That takes a massive amount of hope, discipline, and blind faith.

Especially for the pantsers. They sit down knowing a character or two, possibly a setting or a few plot points. Then they spin a story, line by line and chapter by chapter. At least the plotters get the chance to mentally immerse themselves in their story before they get started.

Final Thoughts

If you haven't congratulated yourself for your badassery lately, I hope you take a moment now.

You. Rock.

Seriously, y'all. I've said it before, the sheer act of taking that leap of blind faith and showing up for your writing, day after day, year after year, is an incredible act of courage and will.

These four qualities that save us -- hope, courage, perseverance and blind faith -- are also often a heavy burden to bear. To me, this is why writing stories is so damn exciting, and so damn scary. You just never know how long it's going to take or how it's going to turn out...and you do it anyway.

You wonderful badass, you.

Do you agree or disagree? What part of the writing scares you the most, or requires more blind faith. Please share with us down in the comments!

About Jenny

By day, Jenny provides corporate communications and LinkedIn advice for professional services firms. By night she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 18 years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

When she’s not at her personal blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Facebook at JennyHansenAuthor or at Writers In The Storm.

by Kris Maze

My last post at WITS went in-depth on the aspects of Flow and how to use the psychology of writing to get into the Creative Zone.  How does that apply to our misconceptions about getting into the mood for writing?

Here are a few scenarios common to writers.  What do you think? Do you agree?

Take a look at this video, if you want a quick refresher on How to Enter the Flow State . If you are ready for a mini quiz, see how Getting Into Flow can get you past these common writing issues.

Pop Quiz Time!  Let’s see what your opinions are on these typical writer ideals about getting into the Flow Zone.  Fact or Fiction?

1. Writer’s Block doesn’t really exist.  It’s only in your mind.

FACT

The parts of the brain that use to function daily can trip up our flow in many ways.  Research shows that we override our self-consciousness, worry and anxiety, and social expectations, we are more likely to experience Flow than when we sit at our desks with those thoughts competing for our mental bandwidth

2. Writers are creatures of habit and need a perfect writing space for optimal flow.

FICTION

According to the studies on Flow, it turns out that having the perfect setup isn’t as important as we may think. The way to get into Flow is to understand what makes your mind relax, focus, and find a balance between the task at hand and the skills you apply to it.

Some authors are very successful at catching a creative wave spontaneously and can tease out the words on the spot. But when a creative burst doesn’t drop out of the sky into our literary laps, we can and should intervene to create those circumstances. 

We all relate to when the words are just not flowing.  Consider this mini-checklist of common factors writers can use to optimize their chances of Getting into the Flow:

____ Healthy Snacks on hand

____ Warm or cold beverages near by

____ Slight caffeine boost

____ Ambient music or white noise

____ Sound cancelling headphones (a new favorite of mine)

____ A ‘do not disturb’ sign on the literal and digital door

3. When writers stick to one genre or type of writing, they experience more flow.

FACTION Yes, both. Let me explain! This can depend on a few factors.

FACT

There is a reason genre fiction writers seem more prolific than their literary counterparts.  Writing within the constraints, tropes, and requirements for the genre can free the writer's mind of some of the heavy decision making.  The framework has been largely created for them and they are carefully constructing new stories from those rules.

Literary novelists, who by contrast may take years to produce works have more pieces of the creative puzzle to solve in order to create something new and palatable to readers.

In an article on Creative Blockages, assistant professor of Psychology, Baptiste Bardot, describes well-known authors and how prolific they are.  For example, horror writers like Stephen King and Anne Rice have limited choices as to themes, setting, and plot.  Their literary counterparts have fewer formatting constraints leading to more solutions to resolve in their novels.

FICTION

Creativity by definition is not just creating new ideas, but the novel creation of ideas that make sense. Creativity requires lateral thinking and when writers tackle new types of writing they approach the new rules and constructs in ways that expand their thinking.

This study by Arne Dietrich, dives into the types of thinking writers use.  They may be deliberate and follow prescribed steps or follow decisions made in a more spontaneous way. This may sound more familiar to those who consider themselves Plotters of Pantsers, since those preferences demonstrate a writer's favored type of thinking.

The key to using flow to be more creative is to understand that writing lots of words does not equate creative output.  There are several computerized idea generators available to writers, but these apps cannot craft best sellers without the gifter authors who knit plots and characters into meaningful works of art.

4. Writers should feel the emotions in order to write a convincing emotional work.

FICTION

According to the research on Flow, emotions can block a writer's access to Flow since emotions are one of the cognitive processes that can detract from unfettered thinking that characterizes freedom of thought.  

Other ways emotion blocks our writing are due to possible affliction from one's inner critic. It can also project one’s self more onto the page, which has an adverse effect on using Flow.

Channeled emotional energy can help a writer if they are able to “make sense” of the words and build up the rest of their work. If it does, add that spice and make it naughty or nice.

How did you do? Did you agree with all of these?  I hope your writing life is productive and fulfilling, but if not I hope you find ways to get back into your writing groove soon!  What hacks and helps do you have for our writing community today?

About Kris

Kris Maze is an author, freelance writer, and teacher. She enjoys writing twisty, speculative fiction with character driven plots.  After years of reading classic literature, mysteries, and thrillers, she began to write and publish her own  books. She also writes for various publications including a regular post at the award winning Writers in the  Storm Blog. 

When she isn’t spending time with her favorite people and pets, Kris Maze is taking pictures, hiking, or pondering the wisdom of Bob Ross. You can follow her author journey at her website at KrisMazeAuthor.com

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My Free short story, The Detour, has had a makeover! Not only has the text version been updated and beautified, there is now an audio edition.

Many of you have joined the newsletter to try out the audio version. If you prefer the PDF and haven’t gotten it yet, this link will take you to your free PDF download.

A few times a year we throw open the virtual doors of WITS and offer up the comments section for your shameless self-promotion. This delightful takeover usually doubles the size of our to-be-read piles with all the great books we find in the comments section. With this pandemic, more reading material is a great bonus.

Many years ago, we borrowed the name of this event from the glorious Chuck Wendig. Here's how it works:

• Pimp out somebody else’s work – this can be a favorite author, blogger, post or book you’ve read, a wonderful teacher or just someone who had profound influence on you as a writer or a person. Please limit your comments to one work.
  AND
• Promote one of your projects that you’re excited about – a hobby, a blog, a book, or a new direction your writing is taking you. You decide. Just tell us about it in the comments! (Please restrain your enthusiasm to just one of your WIPs.) The rest of us will jump in and “ooooh and ahh” at you, and likely promote your project even further because we’re just so darn excited today.

We'll start you off with some P&P from the WITS Team

From Ellen

Pimp: If you enjoy YA speculative fiction, I recommend checking out WITS team member, Kris Maze, who enjoys writing twisty, speculative fiction with character-driven plots.

Her short story, The Detour, is available for free in text or audiobook.

Promote:

I continue to work on my website: http://ellenbuikema.com/. A sample chapter, Lost in the Museum, awaits you on the Books for Children, Teachers, and Parents page.

My site’s topics focus on family well-being and writing projects. One of the pages on my site is named Ask Frankie. Frankie the Fish, a character in The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon series, is full of snark. People ask Frankie questions and he responds in character. Stop by and subscribe!

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From John

Pimp: I'm excited about this book from L'oste Vineyard Press, releasing in April.

The Blurb:

Stephanie knew she was different from the time she was little. She struggled through multiple failed marriages, and living a secret life. It wasn’t until she was a manager for New York Life, that she decided that it was time to transition into the person she was always meant to be: a woman.

After living life as a male with the privileges of that role, she stepped into her new life and discovered the glass ceiling women experience in corporate America. In Reflections from Both Sides of the Glass Ceiling: Finding My True Self in Corporate America, Stephanie shares her journey. You can download a free sample of her book here.

Promote:

My book, Max and the Spice Thieves, is releasing on April 20 and is currently on sale (20% off!).

Critically acclaimed, the book reviewers have called it “the best middle-grade fantasy novel they have read in a long time.”

More information and the blog, "Tales from the Saucy Pig," can be found here.

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From Kris (KMaze)

I'm promoting the novels of Jessica Brody (also known for Save the Cat! Writes a Novel) and Joanne Rendell's, Sky Without Stars, The co-authored novel is a retelling of Les Miserables, set in a futuristic far away planet. 

As we discover our ruffian disguised girl stealing from the upper class to feed herself, she encounters a mysterious benefactor... or foe. The writing is quick-paced and detailed and I enjoy reading it as a writer for style.

As a speculative fiction writer and fan of YA Sci-fi, this Young Adult novel is perfect for anyone who likes a dark and twisty tale with echoes of Victor Hugo's great classic.  

Happy Reading and Stay healthy, y'all...
Ellen, Jenny, John and Kris