Let’s talk about the inner critic.

  • Let’s talk about the inner critic.

    It’s difficult to shake off judging ourselves and our writing. Our inner critic is a hard one to let go — it’s been with us for so long.

    What I especially like about freewrites is that since they are very rough first drafts, they can be just awful and no one should care because, after all, they are just first drafts.

    The beauty of freewrites is getting Self out of the way and going with the flow. Let your writing flow with no judging. When you are in the zone and writing. . . time flies. There is no space for the inner critic to hang out. It’s just you and your creative mind playing with words.

    Let go of your worries about your writing.

    Lola

    Choose a prompt from The Write Spot Blog. Set your timer for 12 minutes and Just Write.

    Marlene C

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  • What is the worst thing that could be taken from you? Prompt #76

    What is the worst thing that could be taken from you?

    Set your time for 12 minutes. Write. No thinking. Just write.

    pathandtreesJanePost your freewrite here on The Write Spot Blog.

     

     

    Photo by Jane Person

    Marlene C

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  • Do you have a funny story? Submit!

    The Funny Times is a monthly forum for humor and satire in a world gone totally insane. Here’s what they have to say about submitting:

    We read thousands of stories and cartoons in order to find and collect the “best of the best” each month.

    So they tell you you’re funny, huh? Great! That’s exactly what we’re looking for!

    Here are a few things you should know to submit your funny cartoons and stories to Funny Times:

    Our print publication pokes fun at politics, news, relationships, food, technology, pets, work, death, environmental issues, business, religion (yes, even religion) and the human condition in general. Not much is off limits, so do your best to make us laugh.

    Stories — the funniest you have ever written — should be about 500-700 words. Don’t send us things that aren’t funny. We won’t publish them.

    There is a lead-time of several months because of our editorial calendar, meaning, i.e., December holiday material should be mailed for consideration in September. Please include a SASE for return of your material and/or our response. We do not accept electronic submissions of any type, nor can we reply to you in any way other than your SASE. We’re old school and unapologetic about it. We buy one-time reproduction rights and do not require exclusives; your work is ultimately yours to keep. We pay upon publication, not acceptance, and the rates are $25-$40 per cartoon based on reproduction size and $60 each for story. You’ll even get a complimentary subscription to Funny Times and some serious bragging rights.

    Funny Times

     

    Click here for Submission Guidelines.

     

    Submissions should be mailed to:

    The Funny Times
    C/O The Editors
    P.O. BOX 18530
    Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

    Marlene C

  • Guest Blogger Jared Gulian never gave up.

    Guest blogger Jared Gulian wrote a fun story about his dream of being published. I love publishing stories that are inspiring and enjoy stories that take place in San Francisco, my home town.

    “I’m giving up,” I said. “‘Moon over Martinborough’ is never going to be a book.”

    Ever since I’d started this blog I’d wanted to turn it into a book, but I was losing hope.

    “Maybe you shouldn’t give up just yet,” Uncle Oscar replied.

    Uncle Oscar was here on his annual visit from New York, and we were sitting at the Gamekeeper, the restaurant at Alana Estate vineyard just down the road. CJ and I were having lunch with Uncle Oscar and our friends Leelee and the Wolf.

    “Uncle Oscar’s right,” Leelee said. “Don’t give up.

    Although the blog had gained some recognition, after 3 years of hard slog I still felt no closer to my book goal. It didn’t matter that I already had a first draft of the book manuscript put together, or that my stories were appearing regularly in Wairarapa Lifestyle Magazine. I was ready to throw my hands in the air.

    “Why don’t you write a book proposal and send it to publishers?” Leelee said. “I have a great book which tells you how to write a book proposal. You can borrow it.”

    CJ and the Wolf joined in, and the group’s gentle cajoling continued until I finally agreed to write a proper book proposal.

    Writing a book proposal

    Leelee’s copy of ‘How to get published and make a lot of money!’ by Susan Page was my guide. The title is a bit embarrassing, but it has a very good chapter on how to write a book proposal. It explains how to write sections on the author, the audience, the marketing plan, analysis of the ‘competition’, and chapter-by-chapter outline.

    I spent almost two months working on that proposal. I honed and crafted and redrafted. On 16 May 2012 I sent that proposal – printed handsomely and filled with gorgeous photographs – to four publishers. I figured it would sit for months in their ‘slush piles’ of unsolicited material, and I’d be lucky if I ever got a response.

    Well, blow me down if I didn’t get a response less than two weeks later. It was from Nicola Legat, Publishing Director at Random House New Zealand. She said, “Many thanks for sending in your overview of Moon Over Martinborough. I am impressed by and grateful for the very detailed analysis it contains. I’d very much like to see the first draft.”

    Huh? Was this possible? I quickly sent her my manuscript.

    HourglassWaiting for the decision

    Then the painful waiting began. Each day was sheer torture. What was Nicola thinking? Would she hate my manuscript? Would she love it?

    After a week that felt like an eternity, Nicola emailed saying, “Just a quick note to say that I am halfway though, and I am loving it! I’ll be back to you next week.”

    Yeah! But it wasn’t final yet. Maybe the second half of my manuscript was horrible. Maybe she would change her mind.

    Finally Nicola’s response came. “I’ve now finished my read and I am going to propose to the Publishing Committee at our Wednesday meeting that we accept this book for publication early next year. I will let you know that afternoon what their decision is.”

    What?! OMG! I was thrilled. But Wednesday was four whole days away! How on earth was I going to survive the wait?

    SF waterfrontIn San Francisco

    As it turned out, that four-day wait coincided with my and CJ’s big plane trip back to the States for a long-overdue visit with friends and family. Our first stop was San Francisco, where we stayed with our old Tokyo friends Josh and Tina. At their house I checked my email, and sure enough there was an email from Nicola.

    “Can you give a number where it’s convenient to call you later on this afternoon?” Nicola wrote.

    I responded that I was in San Francisco, and I sent Josh and Tina’s home phone number. Literally moments later the phone rang.

    Tina answered in her best I’m-a-corporate-lawyer voice. “Yes, Jared is here. May I ask who’s speaking?”

    I felt like screaming, “Just give me the damn phone!”

    “Thank you, Nicola,” Tina said calmly. “I’ll get Jared.”

    Tina handed me the phone with a huge smile on her face. “Jared, it’s Random House calling for you.”

    What hopeful writer doesn’t want to hear those words?

    I took the phone and walked out onto Tina and Josh’s back deck, which overlooks an amazingly beautiful canyon. I can barely remember the details of the conversation. My head was spinning. I have a piece of paper I scribbled notes on, and it hardly makes any sense at all.

    But the most important thing I heard in that conversation was this. The Publishing Director of Random House New Zealand said very clearly, “We are really keen and would love to publish your book with you.”

    It was a yes.

    I feel like I’ve stepped into some bizarre parallel universe where all of my dreams come true. Thank God my friends and loved ones intervened just as I was ready to give up. Thank God.

    Click here for information about purchasing print and ebook:  Moon Over Martinborough: From Michigan to the Wairarapa… How an American city boy became a Kiwi farmer.

    Reposted with Jared’s permission.  You can stay in touch with Jared’s adventures as told on Jared’s Facebook Page, Moon Over Martinborough.

    I originally learned about Jared and his blog-to-book story on Nina Amir’s post.

    Marlene C

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  • When one is freshly informed. . . . Joan Anderson

    When one is freshly informed, has a serendipitous experience, one’s mood is changed, one’s heart is changed. That is why taking the time to see, hear, be present to images and language that arise from new experiences have the power to change one from one way to another. — A Year by the Sea, by Joan Anderson.

    A Year by the Sea

    Marlene C

  • What doesn’t tickle your fancy? Prompt #75

    What is your pet peeve? You know, those little, or big, things that drive you up the wall. What makes your hair stand on end? What ruffles your feathers?

    Bird by Breana

    Prompt: Write about what doesn’t tickle your fancy!

     

    Photo by Breana Marie

    Marlene C

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  • . . . . so we can have an ordinary life.

    In honor of Memorial Day, Sharon Hamilton sent the following to be included in our tribute to military personnel.

    Sharon shares these photos and thoughts:  We owe a lot to the men and women who have fought on our behalf, so we can have an ordinary life. Memorial is just one day we remember and vow to always remember all of our military personnel.

    General Daniel CameronPhoto of Sharon Hamilton’s Great-Great-Grandfather’s brother, who served in the Civil War, like her Great-Great-Grandfather. General Daniel Cameron gained his citizenship by fighting for the North.

                                                     Navy Seal Uniform

    SEAL Uniform.185

    Cover of Sharon Hamilton’s latest book, SEAL My Destiny.

    Seal My DestinySharon Hamilton writes Navy SEAL romance, about military heroes who thrill strong women, who are lucky to love them back.

     

    Sharon began her serious writing with freewriting exercises, using prompts to inspire her writing. You, too, can jumpstart your writing. Choose prompts from The Write Spot Blog  or from The Write Spot Writing Prompts and just write.

    Marlene C

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  • Write about someone in the military. Prompt #74

    Write about someone you know who is currently serving in the military or who has served. What branch of the military? What country? What would you like us to know about this person?

    Is there an author who writes about the armed services or books you like with a military theme? Tell us, we want to know.

    MedalJane

    Photo of Purple Heart Medal taken by Jane Person. Her father, First Lt. John Person, was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart following his combat in World War II, April 1943.
    The Purple Heart is one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. Military armed forces. Introduced as the “Badge of Military Merit” by General George Washing in 1782, the Purple Heart is also the nation’s oldest military award.

    Prompt: Write about someone in the military.

    Marlene C

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  • Threepenny Review reading period January 1- June 30

    “The Threepenny Review is a quarterly literary and arts magazine that publishes criticism, memoir, fiction and poetry as well as review of the performing and visual arts.” —May/June 2014 Writes Digest magazine

    Reading period is January 1 — June 30.

    Three PenniesClick here for submission guidelines.

    From Marlene, here’s an idea: Always have writing ready, so when you hear about submissions that match your writing. . . you’re ready to submit!

    Marlene C

  • Guest Blogger Arlene Mandell: Write Quirky, Break Free

    Guest Blogger Arlene Mandell writes:

    “Found tiny brown frog in bathroom sink.” Both the frog and the notation in my journal made me smile. This reminded me that not all entries must be “worthwhile” in the service of self-analysis or material for lofty literary purposes.

    I’m seventy-three, have been writing for most of my life, and have cabinets, folders and computer files filled with work. Quite a bit has been published. And there’s plenty that hasn’t been. Recently I’ve been giving myself permission to snip, toss and DELETE anything that hasn’t worked thus far and may not be worth expending any more energy on.

    For example, there was the stack of dusty manuscript copies of Slow Kissing, my first novel which I shipped from Closter, New Jersey, to Santa Rosa, California, fourteen years ago. No matter how many times I revised it, it just wasn’t very good. One rainy morning I hauled the copies to my recycling bin. Then I took the ultimate action and deleted Slow Kissing from my computer’s memory with only a twinge of nostalgia for Claudia, my protagonist.

    This brave action inspires me to urge other writers to at least contemplate the unthinkable. Have you been slogging through a multi-year project that has squeezed the happiness from your writing self? But you don’t yet have the courage to toss it out? Do consider putting it aside and writing something funny, silly, and/or inappropriate.

    Or borrow a tactic from Lynda Davis, a Man-Booker-prize-winning writer who sometimes pens a one-sentence story. For example, Tropical Storm: “Like a tropical storm, I, too, may one day become better organized.” After writing a sentence like that, you should reward yourself with a cappuccino or a walk in the woods.

    Another way to brighten your writing life is to take a piece of work that has been rejected many times and ruthlessly edit it, keeping only the liveliest bits. Then send out the shortened version. My “Kaleidoscope” poem, written in 1989, was just published in the April 2014 issue of Waterways: Poetry in the Mainstream. (The poem had been reduced from 67 to 23 words.)

    Perhaps you write about serious ecology-related subjects, like global warming or endangered species. Consider detouring to another nature-related topic, such as those tiny odoriferous black ants that swarmed over your kitchen counter after you set down a single piece of unwrapped fudge. According to the extermination company that charges $160 a visit, these ants are invading the nation. Once you admit to hosting this horde, others will want to share their own ant horror stories. You might even end up with an ant anthology.

    Another tactic is to pick a subject that no one, to your knowledge, has ever written about before, such as an ailing hot water heater with an ominous Tick Tick Tick that reverberates through the pipes, as though counting down the seconds of your life. Then describe its replacement, a shiny new hot water heater with a little white light that goes blink, blink, blink.

    The lyrics to a song from the 40s just popped into my head:

    “Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink. The years go by as quickly as a wink. . . .”

    Obviously if your main focus is on the Holocaust or memory loss, it can be difficult to switch to fluffy stuff for an hour or two, but good for your mental health.

    Should you share any of these suggestions with your writing group? Only with extreme tact. For months I’ve held my tongue as a fellow writer reworks a piece that just isn’t very interesting. I’ve wanted to offer my Thai mantra, mai pen lai (which means let it go) but wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.

    One of the poets writes verses that make no sense at all. I tried, “Um, those blueberries rolling through the courthouse?” But she feels no need to explain. This may be her unique quirkiness or a profound symbolism I’m too dense to comprehend.

    Might you consider deep-sixing an ending? Some of us (probably not you) have a tendency to add a summary paragraph or a cute little coda to every piece of writing, just in case the reader may not get the point. A cigar-puffing city editor once gave me a gruff piece of advice as he slashed my copy: “When you’re finished, STOP!”

    Arlene Mandell Arlene Mandell, a retired English professor who lives in Santa Rosa, CA, was formerly on the staff of Good Housekeeping magazine. She has published more than 600 poems, essays and short stories in newspapers and literary journals. Her work has also appeared in 24 anthologies.

     

    Marlene C