Writers in the Storm

Susan Donovan

Do you think I’m sexy?

Well? Do you? This is not some rhetorical Rod Stewart question. I’m totally serious.

Do you think I’m sexy?

Perhaps not. So let’s move on to the next question.

Do you think I’m funny?

See where I’m going with this? The truth is, “funny” is a lot like “sexy.” Both are in the eye of the beholder.  This is depressing news for those of us who attempt to write fiction with a comedic twist, because it means that despite our skill and effort, the reader gets to make the call (Yet another part of this business beyond the author’s control…). Of course, there are things we can do to increase our chances of hitting a reader’s funny bone, and I’ll mention a few of them, but humor writing is never a sure thing.

Here's what I mean: meet Woman A and Woman B. Both want as much “sexy” in their lives as possible. Woman A thinks nothing’s hotter than when her lover laves her earlobe – she can’t get enough of that oral-aural action!

The exact same move sends Woman B racing to the bathroom for Q-Tips and isopropyl alcohol.

That's humor writing.

In addition to being an author, I’m a writing coach.  Clients often ask me to help them understand the nuances of writing humor, but before I share what I’ve learned over my long career, I tell them this true story.

My second novel – Take A Chance on Me – was released in 2003. The romantic comedy/suspense was about a pitiful, hairless dog who witnesses a murder and the cop and animal behaviorist who must solve the case. Since this was before Goodreads became the go-to outlet for snarky, soul-crushing reader commentary, I got a lot of emails from people who’d purchased my book. 

One day, a reader wrote, "I laughed so hard I tinkled myself. You're the funniest author I've ever read." Later that day, another reader had this to say about the very same novel: "I feel embarrassed for you. There's nothing that makes me cringe more than a joke that misses the mark. I know some people think you're funny. I'm not one of them."

And that, right there, is why humor writing ain’t for sissies. We authors can study the art form and hone our skills, but what makes one reader laugh until she wets herself is simply cringe-inducing for another. Same book. Same day. Opposite reactions – and it’s all out of our control.

If you’d like to incorporate comedy in your women's fiction, I recommend you writing for yourself – write what makes you laugh.  Read the your WIP  and circle anything YOU find funny. Even better, if you find yourself chortling while you’re writing, you’ve got something. Mark it. Later, go back and analyze why, exactly, you find it funny. It could be because the writing veered off in a surprising direction. It could be because you used exaggeration, or a joltingly unexpected descriptive phrase. Or maybe you wrote a line of inner dialogue that perfectly encapsulated a character’s eccentricities.

This might be obvious, but keep in mind that women’s fiction readers tend to enjoy gentle humor  -- such as the self-deprecating inner dialogue of the main character – instead of stinging Don Rickles stuff. All forms of humor share a common structure, however. For a great roundup of humor principles, see the decidedly NSFW http://theweek.com/articles/449236/how-funny-6-essential-ingredients-humor.)

 In my experience, a funny novels do two things:

1. Provide a mix of physical comedy (action), humorous dialogue, and funny character-specific POV narrative;
2. Elicit a wide range of reactions, such as a quick chuckle, the wry smile, the silent “okay-now-that's-funny" nod, and, if you’re lucky, one put-down-the-book and howl moment. 

Remember, if you can laugh at your own writing, then your work has the potential to be funny to someone else – not everyone else, mind you, but someone out there will enjoy it. So take heart. Listen to beta-reader feedback, but stay true to your own compass. And rewrite and rewrite until you’ve made that humorous bit as shiny and perfect as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to read my little blog post. I know some of you may not find me funny. That’s okay.

Because I’m sexy, right?

Hello?

What do you think, WITS readers? Do you have any tips to add to Susan's? What author do YOU think is funny?

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Susan Donovan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-seven novels and novellas published by St. Martin’s Press, Penguin USA/Berkeley Books, HQN, Amazon, and Hachette. She’s a former newspaper reporter with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Northwestern University. Susan provides one-on-one author coaching via phone, Skype, or FaceTime. She and New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones are coaches-in-residence at the Adobe Cottage Writer’s Retreat in Placitas, New Mexico, a private space for peace, beauty, and word count.

For information about the writer’s cottage and personalized coaching, please visit www.adobecottageretreat.com and www.susandonovan.com.

 

Jamie Raintree

Chances are, if you've spent any amount of time around other writers, you've heard of National Novel Writing Month, an online writing event that attracts hundreds of thousands of writers from all over the world each year. The event takes place in November and each participant pledges to write 50,000 words of new fiction in 30 days. I, myself, have participated in the event eight times and have become addicted to the rush of immersing myself so deeply into my story, the sense of community, and accomplishing so much in such a short amount of time.

But what if November isn't a good month for you to throw all real-life commitments to the wind?

A common complaint I hear amongst writer friends is that November is an impossible (or near impossible) month for them to focus on their works-in-progress, with Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping and travel. Seemingly in response to these complaints, in 2011, the NaNo team introduced a new event called Camp NaNoWriMo, a similar challenge that takes place in two different months each summer.

As popular as NaNoWriMo proper is, I find that many writers still haven't heard of Camp so today, I'd like to tell you more about it, the differences between the November event and the summer events, and why it might be the perfect way to make substantial progress on your work-in-progress this summer.

1. It happens in April and July.

If you are one of those people who have very busy Novembers, you have two new opportunities to make the most of this energizing online challenge. July, in particular, is perfect for teachers and students who have more free time outside of the school year. Plus July gives you the added benefit of an extra day in the month. If you're a mom, though, summer might not be much better for you, with the kids home from school, which brings me to my next point...

2. You can set your own goal.

Unlike the November event, which has a pre-determined word count and pre-determined writing form, Camp NaNoWriMo frees you up to work on any project and set any goal. You can write non-fiction, short stories, or poetry. Or if you've already completed your first draft, you can set a revision goal instead. Track your progress by words, hours, minutes, lines, or pages, with a goal of anywhere between 20 and a million (I wish!). So if you've ever wanted to participate in the November event but have been too intimidated by the idea of 50,000 words, Camp might be the perfect challenge for you.

(Be sure to check out my Writing & Revision Tracker if you want to set and track your goals on your desktop during Camp or any month of the year!)

3. Connect with a tighter-knit community.

My favorite thing about any NaNo event is the connection to a community with a common goal. During November, though, some might find it difficult to navigate and keep up with the many forums available and the hundreds of thousands of people chiming in. But during Camp, you are placed into a "Cabin," which is a private forum that holds no more than 20 participants and creates a much more intimate experience. You can even create a private cabin with your friends!

(If you decide to participate and would like to join me and my group of private cabins, come on over to our Facebook group, The Motivated Writer!)

I don't know about you, but we're definitely hitting that point in my house when summer is proving to be less productive than I hoped it would be, and the kids and I are all getting a little antsy. If you're ready to shake things up a bit and get back on track with your writing, check out Camp NaNoWriMo, and see if it's a good fit for you!

FIND OUT MORE, OR SIGN UP HERE!

Are you participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this July? What are you working on and what is your goal?

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About Jamie

Jamie Raintree is an author and a writing business teacher. She is also a mother of two girls, a wife, a businesswoman, a nature-lover, and a wannabe yogi. Her debut novel, PERFECTLY UNDONE, will be released on October 3, 2017 by Graydon House. Subscribe to her newsletter for more writing tips, workshops, and book news. To find out more, visit her website.

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Kathryn Craft

Turning Whine Into Gold

Our society as a whole, and publishing as a subculture, rewards action and achievement. The Holy Grail seems to be a book a year, and you can’t pull that off while sitting on your hands.

Yet I would maintain there are at least four times in your writing career when sitting on your hands might be the most effective strategy.

1. When you are coming up with a new story.

One of my favorite definitions of story is, “internal conflict made external”: an author sets in motion a cast of characters that has been carefully orchestrated to bring to life principles that are at war within the protagonist. Your story will be more powerful—and I maintain, your book club discussions more interesting—if you are conflicted over these issues as well.

Identifying them might take some soul-searching, especially if you’re beyond your first two or three novels. What else do you care about? Why are you conflicted about it? If you’ve settled on a personal stance—say, you want to write about abortion and are pro-life—what are the ways in which you empathize with other points of view? What are the challenges in doing so?

What moves you to tears? What situations make you burning mad? What seems unfair? This wellspring of emotion can drive your novel, but it needs a quiet stage and an attentive audience to deliver its gifts.

2. After you receive a tough critique.

Whether the criticism came from your mom, a critique partner, a developmental editor, a publishing professional, or a reviewer, a wound to the ego needs to heal just like any other wound. That takes rest, good nutrition, a break from additional stressors—and time.

As a developmental editor and author, I know from experience on both sides of the fence that the unwritten message we’ll see as “you’re an unworthy hack” will fade, and in time, the mist of negativity will settle out into what feels true, what was misunderstood, and what was informed by personal opinion.

You might be so desperate to hear a compliment that you phone a friend and tear the critique to pieces, writing it off entirely. That might feel good at first, but to do so is to miss an important opportunity.

Your inner Supreme Court will determine whether to capitalize on your reader’s perspective or gently set it aside, but can only do so when our inner lawyers stop prosecuting and defending, and you give the court enough quiet time to deliberate.

3. When life throws you a curve ball.

Many authors have learned the hard way that they need to build some “s**t happens” time into their deadline-driven word count goals. You may have hunkered down in your writing cave with laser focus, all systems go, but that doesn’t mean life stops around you. Storms rage, bodies break down, lives end and begin, financial setbacks occur, mental health wobbles. Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and surrender.

Now maybe you have a protective barrier in place, like a husband who will hold your mom’s hand while she’s dying and let you write. Personally, I think allowing this protection is to miss the point of our work entirely. Authors are revered for their ability to reflect upon and process the human condition in a way from which readers can benefit. That requires that we take the time to reflect and process.

4. When you’re feeling whiny.

In her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Marianne Williamson posits that every positive emotion is rooted in love, and every negative emotion is rooted in fear. I have yet to think of an example where this isn’t true.

If your loved ones get off on hearing you whine, have at it. But here’s another option: when you’re tempted to whine, take a few quiet moments to ask yourself what it is you’re really afraid of. Is it that you don’t feel equal to the task before you? That your loved ones will forget you as you pursue this time-gobbling, all-consuming goal? That your publisher will blow their promo budget on someone else’s title?

Those are just a few from my own life—go ahead and fill in your own questions. Giving our emotions due consideration will point us right towards what is important in our lives, and our readers depend upon the fruits of this contemplation. The quicker we can dig beneath the whine and uncover our real concerns, the faster we can get back to writing stories that matter.

How do moments of quiet contemplation fit into your writing life? Have you learned to allow it? Do you allow yourself the grace to call such contemplation “writing,” or is writing to you only word count?

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About Kathryn

Kathryn Craft  is the award-winning author of two novels from Sourcebooks, The Art of Falling and The Far End of Happy, and a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com, specializing in storytelling structure and writing craft. Her chapter “A Drop of Imitation: Learn from the Masters” was included in the writing guide Author in Progress, from Writers Digest Books. Janice Gable Bashman’s interview with her, “How Structure Supports Meaning,” originally published in the 2017 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, has been reprinted in The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, both from Writer’s Digest Books.