Writers in the Storm

Kennedy Ryan

I don’t garden. Not even a little bit. My thumbs are so black they are charred, but even I know weeds in a garden cannot be tolerated. This principle, this image of an overrun garden guides me as I think about my life. More specifically, as I manage my heart.

One definition of husbandry relates to managing plants, crops, gardens. I think of my heart as a garden. You could be tempted to assume this will be a fluffy, pastel Peptol-pink post that sprouts flowers and rots your teeth with its sweetness.

This is not that. This is the opposite of that.

This is about the discipline it takes to live a positive life. A life that is gracious when it wants to be selfish. Kind when it’s tempted to be cruel. Magnanimous when it would rather be small.

I’m relatively new to the writing game, but not to life. I have four decades under my belt now, thank God. I appreciate how every one of those years prepared me for being a published writer. Really, prepared me for a lot, but a few things that specifically translate to this still-new path of professional author.

One of my writer friends recently referred to me as “relentlessly positive.” She had no idea how accurate that statement is. Negativity is a constant temptation that I see people yield to all the time. It takes grit and intention to resist that temptation and to dig out your best and share it with those around you, even when you don’t feel like it.

If the heart is a garden, then we are constantly pulling weeds because we’re human. We are fallible. We are vulnerable to emotions and responses as old as time. To assume we are not, leaves us open for negativity to creep in and leak out. Here are just a few principles that help me remain positive even when the environment around me, when the culture around me, would tug me centrifugally into the negative.

1. “Rejoice with those who rejoice…”

This is actually taken from a passage of scripture. You don’t have to be “religious” to appreciate a good principle, though, right? There are days when I feel discouraged on this path. If you’re a writer, you know how solitary and isolating and sometimes melancholic this journey can be. Days when I ask myself is this really what I’m supposed to be doing? Days when the sales or reviews or whatever barometer of that moment cause me to question my direction. On those days, it can be tough to look to your left or your right and see others flourishing. To see them hitting all cylinders, and it’s those moments that leave the door ajar for one of the nastiest, most stubborn weeds that will literally choke the joy out of this journey.

2. Jealousy.

I know it sounds weird, but I don’t allow myself jealousy. I know what the beginnings of it feel like. I remember giving in to it, but the same way we form habits around our eating, fitness, time – we can form habits of our heart. Jealousy is a weed in this garden, and I will ruthlessly pull it from the root. One of the habits I am constantly cultivating to counter even the beginning of jealousy is celebrating with others.

No matter what.

Even if I feel that twitch, I will celebrate and congratulate and make that person feel the good will. Truly believe that I wish them only the best. And it’s not phony. Not inauthentic. It is following through on the vision I have of who I want to be. I want to be kind, so I don’t wait to feel kind. I am kind. I behave kindly. I want to be gracious, so I don’t wait to feel gracious. I behave graciously. When you want to be strong or fit, you don’t wait to feel strong or fit, you exercise those muscles. An action is required to reach your goal. This is an underused muscle for many of us, but if you exercise it on a consistent basis, you are soon not just celebrating for the sake of this habit. You ARE happy for others. And never is the opportunity more ripe than when someone else succeeds.

3. Push ahead. Pull up.

Promoting others, looking for ways to help others succeed is something I love to do. I don’t know when it shifted from this is something I’ll do because it uproots those weeds, to something I genuinely relish, but it did. When my friends, old and new, have books coming, they know I’m going to be shouting so loudly for them. I sign up for their cover reveals and release day blitzes. I look for ways to leverage any platform I have to promote other writers. I share their good news by twitter, Facebook , Instagram, and carrier pigeon.

I could look at someone more successful and say, they don’t need my help. Who am I? I could look at someone even newer to the game than I am, and think they can’t do anything for me, but I don’t live my life with that agenda-based crap thinking, and I’m certainly not going to manage my career that way. It really isn’t about that. I get so much from this. That habit of my heart that creates a positive force field around me.

Anyone who steps into my orbit long enough knows, if I can help them in any way, I will. Unequivocally. And this next nugget is for free. Positivity is its own reciprocity. I don’t pout when someone I promoted, doesn’t promote me. There is someone I want to be; a condition of my heart that I cultivate that has nothing to do with if the favor is returned. It is its own reward.

4. Your success is just that. Yours.

The success of someone else does not diminish your potential. It does not detract from your possibilities. There are enough readers to go around, and they are constantly looking for the next book to read. Focus less on envying someone else’s hard-won or even got-a-lucky-break success, and more on your path. On being the best you possible. Writing your best book. Doing your best work.

When you truly believe that your success is so much more about how you manage your lane, and so much less about what someone else is doing in theirs, it liberates you to do the first two things I mentioned. You can celebrate when they succeed because your success is this thing completely separate from theirs. You can push someone ahead of you and pull someone who is behind because you’re not afraid they’ll get too far ahead or they will pass you from the back. You have your lane. You have your path. And what is for you, is for you. That is bedrock to celebrating others’ success and to promoting those around you.

Insecurity is a nasty, aggressive weed. It will kill everything healthy that could grow for you. Jerk it out. Spray it with pesticide. Show it no mercy.

5. Not Pollyanna.

My commitment to a positive life could easily be mistaken for naiveté. Don’t confuse positivity with Pollyanaism. I’m not perfect. I might sometimes say something I regret. Do something I regret, but I try hard not to say anything behind someone’s back I don’t feel confident I could say to their faces. When I have a problem with someone, I want to take it up with them, not talk with a lot of others about it.

These are what I call Grown Folks rules. Just basic responsibility for your words and actions that every adult should assume. I know when I have violated one of these rules because I feel it. It feels slimy, and it’s not worth it. I may slip every once in a while, but I try to stick to them, and to surround myself with folks who share that commitment.

I will assume the best about a person until they show me the worst. Once you show me the worst, I believe in forgiveness, because bitterness is a nasty weed, too, that will poison your peace. I forgive other people just as much for my sake as for theirs! And you won’t find me badmouthing folks who have done me wrong, but they probably won’t be in my inner circle. As hard as you fight to keep your own garden clear of weeds, the last thing you want polluting the space around you is someone else’s negative habits and intentions. If you’re not willing to keep your space positive, I’ll like you from a distance. :-)

These are just a few things I do to manage my garden. I can’t cross over into your yard. Look over your fence and manage yours. I can only tell you what has helped me live a positive life and has made me, in the process, a ruthless gardener.

What are your tricks for staying positive? What do you struggle with the most?

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About Kennedy

Kennedy Ryan writes contemporary romance and women's fiction. Her Bennett Series books - When You Are Mine, Loving You Always and the newly released Be Mine Forever - are all available under the "Forever Yours" imprint of Hachette Books. Kennedy always gives her characters their happily ever after, but loves to make them work for it! It's a long road to love, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

In an alternative universe and under her government issue name, Tina Dula, she is a wife to the love of her life, mom to a special, beautiful son, and a friend to those living with autism through her foundation Myles-A-Part., serving Georgia families.

Her writings on Autism have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, and she has been featured on the Montel Williams Show, NPR, Headline News and others. Ryan is donating a portion of her proceeds to her own foundation and to her charitable partner, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA).

Her interview series MOMMIES DO THE MOST AMAZING THINGS is featured each month in Brooke Burke's online magazine Modern Mom.

Find Kennedy at http://kennedyryanwrites.com/ or on social media at Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube or Google+.

Top photo credit: Onions growing via photopin (license)

Densie Webb

I recently read a blog post titled something to the effect “You Don’t Need Support to Write.” I couldn’t disagree more. Writing in a vacuum, without someone to give you honest feedback, occasionally shake their pompoms in your face or send you emails with lots of exclamation points congratulating you on your latest achievements, is somehow less satisfying. It’s certainly less motivating. For me, anyway. However, the support may not come from the sources you expect.

Book dedications and acknowledgements often laud husbands or wives for their undying support and belief in the author’s talent and future as a writer. Other times it’s dedicated to parents or children who inspired the author to write.

My debut novel was released last month, and my support system included none of those. My parents are gone, so that’s out. I have a husband and I have kids, but here’s the deal: I write and edit for a living, but my husband doesn’t understand my need to write outside of my day job, with no guarantee of money landing in the bank. I feared he would burst my enthusiasm-filled writing balloon, so I decided early on to leave him out of the loop. My novel is out and he doesn’t have a clue.

Okay I see eyebrows raising, mouths agape.

You’re not alone. I was at the Writers Unboxed Unconference in Salem, MA in November and someone asked me what my husband thought of my impending book release. Was he excited for me? Proud? When I told her he didn’t know, she looked at me as if I had told her he beat me daily. She was feeling sorry for me, but she looked so aghast I think I felt worse for her.

I was recently at an author’s reading in Austin, Texas. Her husband attended and clapped the loudest. He even let out a “whoop” at one point. I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t ache with envy just a wee bit. But I know I made the right decision to keep my “other life,” my writing life, to myself.

I tried for over a year to get my 19-year old daughter to read one of my many drafts, but she always found an excuse. At first I was disappointed and hurt, but I came to the conclusion that she was afraid she wouldn’t like it. She’s a terrible liar and she didn’t want to hurt my feelings if it was a thumbs down. My book with its romantic story line wouldn't remotely interest my son. I didn’t even ask.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a pity party. I found an awesome support system in my local critique groups, close friends and online writers’ tribes like WriterUnboxed, Women’s Fiction Writers Association and SheWrites. They all offered advice and counsel and/or read countless drafts that helped me become a published author.

No, I’m not complaining. At all. This is me urging you to find your own support system, even if it’s not the one you wanted or expected. Here’s my take on where you can turn to for support, colored by my own experience.

Family

If you’re comfortable bringing your family into the fold, just know that any feedback or encouragement you receive may be colored by their love for you and concern for your feelings. Take whatever they say with the proverbial grain of salt. On the other hand, if you think they’ll offer up only nagging questions “When are you going to finish that book?” or discouragement “You’re not getting paid?” keep your writing endeavors to yourself as long as possible. Trust me on this one.

Friends

Your BFF may be more honest, especially if he or she is a writer or editor. But don’t let negative comments get in the way of friendships. It’s not worth it. Harsh feedback from your family may rankle you, but they’re still your family. Friendships can end over negative feedback of your (or their) writing. Before asking for feedback, be honest with yourself—are you expecting an honest critique or simply praise and kudos from a good friend?

Online Critiquers

All I can say about this option is “caveat emptor.” There are several online critiquing websites you can try. Some are writing organizations that offer critique matching in a 1 to 1 exchange. Others use a "credit system" that require you to critique others’ work before you earn the right to submit your own.

Here are some resources that worked well for me - I hope you'll add your own finds down in the comments. If you need even more resources, here's a great post by Cathy Yardley at The Write Life.

Critique Matching

• Women's Fiction Writers Association: their critique group program
• Writer Unboxed: there is critique matching via their private Facebook group
• SheWrites: http://www.shewrites.com/page/getting-started-2

Critiques with Credits

• Critique Circle: www.critiquecircle.com
• Faith Writers: http://www.faithwriters.com/critique-circle.php
• Critique.org: http://www.critique.org/

I’ve been burned twice. Once I spent hours editing, making comments on a full manuscript, expecting the same in return, but received almost nothing back. Another exchange ended with a note from the author that she couldn’t wait for me to get back to her. She had self-published, but didn’t tell me until after I had sent back the critiqued 300+page document. Advice: Try to know a bit about who’s on the other end and if they’re only interested in receiving feedback, not giving it.

Local Critique Groups

If you live in mid-size to large city, this is likely an option. You can typically attend a meeting or two to decide if the group is right for you and if you’re getting the kind of feedback and support you need. Meetup.com is a good source for local groups of all kinds. You can find groups for mystery writers, sci-fi writers, women writers, screenwriters and pretty much everything in between. Attending is often free or with a minimal fee.

If you can’t find what you want, you can organize your own group. Just know that it will be open to everyone and that it’s often a revolving door of attendees.

The Bottom Line

Don’t let disinterest, a lack of understanding or enthusiasm from those you care about bring you down or influence your desire/need to write. Be cautious and informed before entering into a give-and-take critiquing relationship, so that you don’t end up being the only one who’s giving.

I found and developed my own support system through trial and error—dear friends willing to give me honest feedback, my critique groups, and my online tribes who were genuinely thrilled for me when my book was published. Depend on each other - it's writing friends who help you get through. And here’s a heads up, guys: I’ll be leaning on you again for novel #2.

Some other posts at WITS that might help:

• 10 Power Tips for Building a Great Critique Group
• Critique Groups: How To Find Your Dream Team
• Critique Groups: Prepare for Change
• How To Build Your Writing Team

Do you belong to a critique group? How did you find them? What organization or group has helped you the most in your writing journey?

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About Densie

Densie Webb has spent a long career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor, specializing in health and nutrition, and has published several books and tons of articles on the topic over the years. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and SheWrites. Soul Mate Publishing released her debut novel titled, “You’ll Be Thinking of Me,” as an ebook in January. The audiobook and paperback will be released later this year.

Densie grew up in Louisiana, spent 13 years in New York, and settled in Austin, TX, where it’s summer nine months out of the year.  She is an avid walker (not of the dead variety, though she loves anything to do with zombies, vampires or post-apocalyptic worlds), drinks too much coffee and has a small “devil dog” that keeps her on her toes.

Hands photo credit: we are the world via photopin (license)

Susan Spann

As a publishing lawyer, I often get asked about copyright in scenes and settings, and how the law of infringement applies when stories are set in similar locations.

Like many other copyright questions, the answer depends on a number of factors. However, unlike many legal questions, the guidelines are straightforward and fairly easy to analyze.

The key to understanding how copyright (and infringement) relates to settings is remembering that copyright law protects an author’s unique expression, but does not protect either facts or the “building blocks” of expression.

A setting which is unique, or created entirely by the author, receives far more protection than one which is based on historical events or real places…but that’s not the end of the story. There’s a spectrum of creativity, and a setting (like a character or other elements of an author’s work) receives increasing protection as the author and the description moves along it.

Let’s take a closer look.

Copyright Law Does Not Protect Historical (or other) Facts.

If you write a historical novel based on the explosion of the Hindenburg, you can’t prevent other authors from using that topic. You cannot prevent them from using the Hindenburg as a setting, and you can’t claim infringement if the real historical figures who appear in your novel also appear in another author’s work.

Copyright Does Give (Limited) Protection to Unique Expressions of Historical Events.

You can protect the unique, creative way in which you describe and express the historical events, but the closer your expression comes to duplicating historical facts, the thinner the protection you receive. If your novel includes the actual newspaper headlines that appeared on the day the Hindenburg exploded, you can’t stop another author from using them also. However, if you create a fictitious newspaper for your novel, and write a fictitious headline, you can prevent other authors from using that portion of your work.

Fictitious Locations Based on Genuine Ones Receive More Copyright Protection Than Real-World Locations.

The layout, construction, and other facts relating to real world locations qualify as “facts” for which copyright protection is unavailable. If you set your novel in and around the Empire State Building, and use accurate descriptions of the location, you can’t prevent other authors from using that location (and describing it) also. You can prevent outright copying…unless the part of your work that’s copied is merely a fact (for example, the number of windows in the Empire State Building which face south, or the number that catch the sun at 4pm on a January afternoon).

However, the level of protection increases if you use a fictitious building based on—but different from—a real one. A good example of this is Nakatomi Plaza, the building which serves as the setting for the movie Die Hard. Nakatomi Plaza isn’t a real place, but the building the director used to represent it is real—it’s called Fox Plaza, and it’s located in Century City, California. By fictionalizing the building, the scriptwriters allowed themselves not only more leniency in “constructing” sets, but also ensured that no one could legally “lift” those descriptions and sets for use in another work.

Completely Fictitious Locations Receive the Highest Level of Copyright Protection.

J.K. Rowling’s wizard academy, Hogwarts, is located “in a castle” somewhere in England. Readers will notice that Rowling didn’t name the castle or its exact location, enabling her to construct a completely fictitious setting which would receive the highest possible level of copyright protection. It doesn’t matter whether or not she used a real-world castle to inspire Hogwarts, or even if she used some parts of that castle as the basis for Hogwarts’ rooms. By making Hogwarts a completely fictitious place, she ensured that it belonged to Harry Potter’s world—her world—alone. If you copy anything from Hogwarts (aside from the “basic building blocks” – for example, and no pun intended, the fact that the castle is made of stone), you’re probably infringing her copyright.

What is a “Basic Building Block” of Expression?

The answer is as simple as sandwich cookies and Oreos. The idea that a baker could take two cookies and put a filling between them, thereby creating some kind of “cookie sandwich,” is a basic building block of expression—a generic concept. Anyone can make a sandwich cookie, using any kind of cookie and any filling the creator desires. However, if you use a particular recipe of chocolate cookie, with designs on one side, and you fill it with a specific mixture of white, sugary filling, and if you have the courage to stamp the word “Oreo” on the side…you’ve copied enough of something that belongs to someone else that you’re probably going to get sued. In the baking world, the lawsuit would be for trademark infringement. If you duplicate an author’s wordsmithed Oreo, the result is copyright infringement.

The basic building blocks of expression are generic concepts, settings, and character archetypes: the whodunit mystery, the subway, and the cop.

The farther an author strays from those basic, generic archetypes, the higher the level of copyright protection his or her creation will receive.

Any author can write about “a cop” or use a policeman as a character. An ex-cop who has become a butcher receives a little more protection. But give that ex-cop butcher a love of tapioca pudding and a phobia of vacuums and you’re getting into the territory nobody else can copy without consequences.

The takeaway lesson? It’s fine to use fact-based settings (and most of us need to, when our works are based in the “ordinary world”) – but know that other authors can use those settings too, as long as they don’t copy your work. However, the more creative you can be, the more protection your work receives…so write the best, and most creative story you can, and when you do use facts, be sure to express them in your own unique voice and manner.

Do you have copyright questions for Susan? Have you used historical settings in your books? Share them all with us down in the comments!

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About Susan

Susan Spann writes the Shinobi Mysteries, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Her debut novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013), was a Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month and a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for Best First Novel. The second Shinobi Mystery, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI, released on July 15, 2014, and her third novel, FLASK OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER, releases in July 2015.

Susan is also a transactional attorney whose practice focuses on publishing law and business. When not writing or practicing law, she raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium. You can find her online at her website, http://www.SusanSpann.com, and on Twitter (@SusanSpann).