Category: Thoughts and Ramblings

Surprise Book Feelings!

Hello again, friends!

Today, I’m gonna talk a little about reading. Shouldn’t be surprising on a writing blog that I do enjoy the occasional book with a mug of tea, but I feel like I don’t really talk about it enough. I’d like to talk about a very specific experience I had recently, as well as give a little reading recommendation while I’m at it.

I recently encountered the book Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I’d heard of it from several people and decided to check it out for the first time! The basic premise is “What happens to all those kids who go through portal fantasies and have to come back to the ‘real’ world?” Think of Alice from Alice in Wonderland coming back from her adventures, then running into the Pevensie children from Narnia and forming a little support group. This book has lots of great things: a killer premise, likable characters, and an engaging plot! Aside from all this, there is a trans character and an actual asexual character! Not in the wishy-washy ‘Head Canon’ kind of way, but the character describes herself and her asexuality on the page for everyone to see. I don’t get to enjoy that very often, so it was a real delight to have that come up! But what really hit me was the ending. I won’t spoil things because I think everyone should read this book right away, but it ended very quickly and I sat up and said “No! I’m not ready to go!”

And what struck me as funny was that feeling was a huge point of the character’s struggle. They weren’t ready to leave their worlds behind, but they were booted back to reality. I’m not sure if this was by design, but in that moment of reading the last words, I finally understood what the characters were grappling with. I wanted nothing more than to go back into the world I’d just been dropped from and continue the adventures.

Luckily for me, I don’t have to wait for a magic door to take me back. McGuire has several more books in this series and I look forward to reading those as soon as I can.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you want to see more book reviews like this? Let me know!

Table Tops for Writers

Hello everyone! For those of you participating, I hope you’re doing well with your word counts! I’ve always said that Nanowrimo is the best experience to tell a story to yourself so you can prepare to write your next draft! Even if you don’t make it to the very end, you can at least say that you tried! And you’ll have more words written than 0 and that’s the real goal!

This month, I’ve started working with a new group of people to start an RPG group. It got me thinking about my experience with previous table top games in the past and thought I would share some of my thoughts about my relationship with role playing games as a writer!

A good portion of my experience comes from playing Dungeons and Dragons. Surprisingly, I didn’t get into D&D until I was in my late twenties. I got really interested in the game through Critical Role and decided to finally give the game a try. I’ve had a few people lead games for me and I’ve even run a few myself! The more I play these kinds of games, the more I realize how crucial they are for writers.

Firstly, games like D&D, Monster of the Week, Pathfinder and others are all about storytelling. Whether it’s a quick jaunt into the haunted library or an epic adventure across the lands, your adventuring parting is going to be telling a story together. From your introduction, there’s a call to action (usually a monster of some kind), which leads to finding more adventures, meeting mentors and questing together. Sometimes, subplots will arise and take you in directions you didn’t expect. As the GM, as much as a player, you have to learn to operate both as a planner and pantser when organizing your next move. The game constantly changes and you need to be prepared for unexpected changes.

You need to keep your characters goals in mind when playing and writing. Whatever whacky antics you get up to, wherever you send your character in the story, the most important thing is that you’re keeping your character’s goals in mind. Whenever I run a game, I always ask my players “What does your character want?” No one is going to give up a comfy life on the couch to go hunting dragons, but if a dragon burned down their house, they have much more reason. Like writing, TTRPGs are based on character decisions and interactions. While the plot may be about your characters fighting a dragon, the story is about your characters’ trials to facing that dragon.

Another thing I love about RPGs is how many different ways it can go. One decision, one mistake, one choice can change the outcome. As a player, it’s thrilling! As a GM, it’s mind boggling that a single role cant take away months of campaign prep in a single blow. Like writing, you may start off in one direction, but find a different thread to tug on that you find more interesting. The rest is finding how all of those ideas work together.

I almost always will find ways to test things. When I get an idea, I’ll trying writing it out as a scene or play with a character’s voice by speaking things I’d want them to say (my neighbors must think I’m a delight, I’m sure). My other favorite thing is to incorporate the ideas into games that I play. If I don’t introduce something as a new writing, people are more likely to tell me the honest opinion. If a character sucks or something doesn’t make sense, I trust my friends to tell me the truth about it. There’s a certain amount of trust that is between GM and players: the players trust the GM not to try and kill them outright and the GM expects the players to play true to their character (not as a gamer). It’s not unlike the relationship between writer and audience.

If you game, what do you like most about it? How do you use it to improve your writing?

After The Submission Scramble and Looking Forward

It has been a busy month! I recently moved and have been working a fair bit. Some of you may remember that I also undertook a project I was calling “The September Submission Scramble”. I’m proud to say that I finished and succeeded! Many magazine submissions, agent queries and contest entries later, I feel like I finished a lot over the course of the past month. I also feel like I was much more active.

The easiest way to win a card game is by holding most of the deck, right? Yes, technically, that’s not how you play cards, but you see my point? I feel like with submissions, you need to jump in if you want to play. I’ve always known that writing takes a surprising amount of luck, but the odds are better when you have a bigger sample size. The work I’ve been putting into this past month has been rewarding. It only takes ten minutes to get a query sent out, so I’ll probably be sending out a lot more of them. I highly recommend every writer try this. Pick a month and commit to submitting your poems, short fiction, novels, everything to anyone you think might publish it. The biggest problem is the fear of rejection, but I’m bracing myself for it.

That being said, I’m working on trying to figure out what the next month holds. Maybe some new short fiction to submit around or some more editing of older pieces. I’m half tempted to do Nanowrimo this year just to get the draft of something new out. Either way, I feel like I’m being a lot more active. Even if the choices I made this month were bad choices, at least I made them. I’m looking forward for what’s to come!

The Superb September Submission Scramble!

Be honest, you really opened this one for the alliteration, didn’t you?

Yes, friends, believe it or not, we have made it to September. The slow drudge of March 2020 has finally made it to September of 2021. I regret to say that my writing has had to take a back seat to a few things: a new job, finding a new apartment, and working on my mental and physical health. It’s been a busy time these past few months and my writing has suffered because of that. Not that I haven’t been writing or editing–I’ve been doing that almost daily since we were first told to stay home to help other people. But the work you never share never sees the light of day. Yes, I’m talking about submitting.

Whether your submitting a short story, flash fiction, or a novel, the process of submitting your work is daunting. It’s one thing to post my short little fiction pieces here so that people can get a taste of my writing, but presenting my work to an agent or editor with the sole purpose of them deciding if the piece’s worth? It’s terrifying! That being said, the easiest way to win at poker is to hold as many cards as you can. I know that’s against the rules, but that’s the thought behind the September Submission Scramble.

Every day this month, I will submit one thing to an agent, magazine or contest. I have a long backlog of things that have been rejected and edited, but I so rarely send them out for round two. Why? Fear, maybe. But that’s the point of the Scramble: submit with reckless abandon. If you get a rejection, I tell myself, you’re no worse off than if you don’t submit. If someone bites, you put your effort into it. So, I’m in the act of submitting as much as I can over the next month. Rejections, Acceptance, or Non-Responses: when there’s only three options? It doesn’t feel so bad. Try, Fail, Try Again, and Fail Better.

If you write, how are your submissions going? We’re entering magazine season again, so if anyone wants to join on, let me know! Part of the Scramble is to encourage each other to try.

The Editing Game

Earlier this month, I decided I wanted to take another crack at submitting my novel to agents and publishers, which means I’m back at editing again! With that in mind, I decided I wanted to share a few of my usual editing tricks for anyone who is working on Self-Editing their current projects!

  1. Read to an Audience:
    This is probably my favorite recent editing trick I’ve had the chance to use. Reading out loud makes sure you read and hear every word in a sentence just a first time reader will interpret it. It can also be a good time to get some positive reinforcement. We aren’t all lucky enough to have a captivated audience on hand, so feel free to use whatever is available. Do you have a pet? They’ll love the attention. A plant? Plants do grow better when you talk to them. Rubber Duck? Well, at least it won’t tell you that you’re a hack! (Though it might say you’re a quack.) Currently, I’m using my owl egg-timer that doubles as my Writing-Spring timer (his name is Ap-owl-o…I’m not taking notes).
  2. Highlight the Lines You Like, Not Just the Errors:
    It’s good to have some positive notes when going through your manuscript. Whenever I’m in a workshop, I’ll point out the lines of dialogue or prose that I really like so the notes I give aren’t just critiques. The same has since been applied to my own editing to give Future-Nick something to look forward to. It also helps remind me that there is a reason I love the story so much.
  3. Editing Somewhere Other Than Where You Write:
    A change in scenery can often be great for writing, but it’s also really good for editing. I write at the same spot every day, but editing requires a different mindset in order to do it effectively. I will edit on the couch, so that I can have a different set of eyes while editing. It’s almost like going to a different office to work out a problem rather than looking at the same four walls. Granted, I have a view of my editing space from my writing space, but it’s different enough that I’ll be able to put myself in a better mindset.
  4. Give Yourself A Deadline:
    Like any sort of “Working From Home” experience, it can be easy to give yourself abstract deadlines and set things aside for too long. Procrastination, after all, is a form of perfectionism and that’s what writing is all about. Instead, I make sure a date to have my editing done by so that I can be ready when it comes. More often than not, giving myself a deadline encourages me to finish a project early rather than stretch it out until the last minute. It’s easier to finish things if you plan things in advance.

What are some of your favorite self-editing tricks and tips?

Reset

Every so often, I fall into a bit of a funk. Sometimes, it’s depression or anxiety, but sometimes it’s more about things that are happening in my life that are beyond my control. My anxious brain hates losing control, so it often decides to lock up rather than face things I can control. I’ve gotten better at seeing these funks in advance, but they still sneak up on me every so often. When I get stuck, it can be hard to get out. So, for the sake of anyone who gets stuck, here are a few things I do to reset my brain in an attempt to get some control back. (Obviously, I encourage therapy for anyone who thinks they need it and know that these are only quick fixes that help get through the tougher spots)

  1. Go for a Hike:
    This one is probably my favorite and usually my default. There’s nothing like going deep into the woods and shedding the worries of the human world into the boughs of the tall trees. It gets harder when you need to think about the weather, but getting out of the same routine/place can be really invigorating to me.
  2. Bake:
    This one is probably more people’s cup of tea for the rewards built into it! There’s something about the methodicalness of baking that I find very relaxing. You find a recipe, collect the ingredients, mix them together as instructed, and pop them in the oven. Plus, a nice, warm baked good can be good for the soul.
  3. Photography:
    Taking pictures is another one of my passions. There’s something about focusing through the lens of a camera (pun intended, of course) and blocking out the rest of the world. Whether it’s something indoors or nature photography, I find that shifting my creative gears with no expectations can be really good for my brain.
  4. Reading:
    This one can really depend on the funk or the book, to be honest, but it can work really well in the right circumstances. There’s a comfort in a story, particularly one that you know really well. The words are welcoming and kinder. When everything outside is out of control, knowing that things will work out in the right book is a small glimmer of hope that the outside will work out as well.
  5. Meditate to Music:
    This is better when I’m wrestling anxiety because it gives me a chance to work exactly what I’m feeling and how. It’s hard to embrace the feelings without judging them, but taking time to really sit with some music to help focus my thoughts can give me a chance to really zero in on what’s bothering me and what I can do to fix it.

If you find yourself in a funk, what do you like to do? Do you turn to your passions and push through or do you try to enter the things you love without bringing negative emotions into it?

Lunch Time Novelist

Let’s be honest. Having a writing success land into your lap is unlikely. It takes effort, luck, and time, which are resources few people have in spades when it comes to starting their writing careers. So, the solution is to work while writing and hope for the big break to come along. I’ve often called myself a “lunch break novelist”, taking time on paid breaks to sneak in a little bit of creative time to up my word count (even if it’s a few frantically written ideas on a scrap paper that I’ll have to decode later). With all of the jobs I’ve worked, I’ve decided to go through them all and list the pros and cons of each of the jobs I’ve worked and determine which is the best for burning the Creative Oil.

  1. Library Assistant – Where better to work on writing than in a building surrounded by books! The quiet atmosphere, the literary osmosis from having so many books pass through your hands and a first person perspective on what people are checking in and out on a regular basis! Learn from the best and find new books to read regularly.
    Pros: Quiet space, lots of inspiration, people to talk books with, and access to just about research material you could need! And, unlike a bookstore, there’s very rarely an exchange of currency for people to get upset over.
    Cons: Breaks are often short, hours can be erratic, and weekends are often spent in the stacks. The timing isn’t ideal, but if you can start and stop the writing process easily, it’s not a bad fit. Keep a notebook on your person for ideas and new authors to read!
  2. Office Work/Data Entry – The truly romantic story of an artist wading their way through the corporate swamps is the classic tale for every new writer. The hours are pretty regular and you can plan your time accordingly. Most offices have a break room as well, which can give you a small space to work over the course of a lunch break.
    Pros: Regular Schedule that’s easy to plan around. Nights and weekends can be committed to creative endeavors. If you can find an isolated spot with your laptop, you can get a good chunk of writing done without distractions like internet or minor household chores.
    Cons: Soul sucking work that can be creatively stifling. Mindlessly pushing numbers around or doing basic procedural work can make the creative part of your brain lethargic and tired. Make sure it’s an office where you can leave the work at work and preserve the writing time for writing. Nothing worse than saying “Someday” over and over again until someday becomes yesterday.
  3. Dishwasher/Restaurant Worker – I’ve worked in quite a few restaurants and it’s always come with it’s fair share of characters! Customers and coworkers alike can make for some interesting character fodder.
    Pros: Easily separate work and creative time, lots of time to think about stories and get inspired, lots of social interaction for dialogue study.
    Cons: No real ‘Break Room’ (usually an over turned bucket in the back), hard to stop work to scribble down ideas, mostly working nights/weekends can be overwhelming very quickly when the dinner rush hits, physically exhausting.

So, while I don’t think there’s a “Best Job” for writers, I think that each job has its pros and cons. Personally, I can’t see myself working anywhere other than a library and I think that it’s the best fit. There might be some writers who prefer having the consistent schedule of a desk job or the fast-paced environment of a restaurant. Any number of jobs have factors that can make them good or bad, but since no two writers are the same, there is no perfect job for all writers.

If you’re a writer, what parts of your job encourage or encumber your creative process?

Marking the Way

I love a good map. I like looking at older maps or fantasy maps, working to understand the old roads, territories, and what was considered important to the cartographers of the day. How a place is illustrated and navigated can be as telling as any other artifact. When forests, roads, and cities can be so easily simplified, these places’ stories beg to be told. How did this town come to be? Why did they avoid this forest? What made this road necessary?

I know authors who will start their stories with a map. Sometimes it’s a map of a town or city, sometimes the entire world. Maps of real and fantastic places at the beginning of a book always make me a little bit giddy because that’s the first indicator that the writer has put time into their worldbuilding, which is a sign of a good story. Having a good map can really immerse your readers into a fantasy world as an artifact they can refer to.

I love starting with a map. I feel like just knowing the geography can help create the story. Are the characters sea-side folk, used to a cool breeze over sandy beaches? Are they from the far northern mountains, dressed in thick clothing to keep the chill and the cold away? Or are they from the far inland desert, forged in scorching sands and treating water as more precious than their gold? Here are a few of my thoughts on some of my favorite fantasy maps.

  1. Narnia – The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis: From the humble Lamp Post to Cair Paravail, Narnia is rife with adventure. The major landmarks that will become familiar are easy to see and the locations are easy to find. Reading these a child, one can hop quickly from place to place, even recognizing the familiarity after thousands of years (or 20 if you pick up the books again after a very long time).

2. The Stillness – The Broken Earth Series, N.K. Jemisin: The first thing that really struck me about this map was the marking of plates. Knowing what little I did stepping in, it makes perfect sense that the maps of this world would care about the location of tectonic plates. It’s a simple thing, but it tells so much about the story. There are a few important cities marked, but most of the story takes place on the road, so knowing the major areas take precedence (and even then, more for understanding where people are from rather than where they are). As we learn where the characters are in relation to one another, the scale of the map really makes the journey that much more incredible.

3. Earthsea, The Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin: Even in a land predominantly made of water, maps are crucial aspects of storytelling. When hopping from island to island, knowing the relative location can tell a reader so much about the area, the alliances, and distances between areas. Especially when you consider that clashing wind and water currents make for storms, all these islands can make for death traps when they constantly break against the islands.

4. Middle Earth, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien: I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say that this probably inspired my love of maps. Like Narnia, it’s easy to track the journey of our heroic hobbits. Being able to see not only the kingdoms, but towns and cities within the kingdoms makes the battles easier to track. It’s east to feel the fear as the forces of Mordor press further into Gondor and threaten the Shire. And with so many adventures going on, it helps to see where all our heroes are throughout the series.

Maps are a powerful tool for enriching the story for readers. Maps add an element of reality that can bring the story to life and–quite literally–put you alongside the heroes in the tale. Knowing how close they are to danger can make the risk that much greater and seeing how close they are to their goals really makes the anticipation for success (and fear of failure) that much greater.

What’s your favorite fantasy map?

Creative Combat

Every so often, when the stars align and timezones aren’t an encumbrance, I like to do creative things with other creative people. Whether it’s a battle for word count, a goal setting challenge or just doing something creative with someone to keep you accountable, I have a few friends I know I can count on for Creative Combat! If you want to feel motivated, here’s how you can do your own!

Everyone has their own project and they don’t always line up. Everyone has a project they’re working on: writing, editing, drawing, knitting, whatever! Everyone sets a goal, either as a time goal or something more specific like word count or pages edited. One friend and I like to add stakes to our little combat sessions (nothing serious beyond having to make our loss public on Facebook or Twitter). Then, the work begins. It’s best to set a timeframe, if only to check in with each other at a certain point.

I’m not a normally competitive person. I’m usually a fan of collaboration which makes writing an interesting choice, due to its solitary nature. However, having motivation with another person–even without stakes–is such a huge factor in my productivity sometimes. It can be hard when you’re working alone, so having someone else to work with is important. Accountability can be so hard (it’s half the reason I started working on this blog), but having someone you promised to work with can make that work more valuable. Even if it just means you have someone to consistently work with and share your struggles with, it beats sitting alone at the computer trying to will the words onto the screen.

Just Finish!

I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this before, but I am a firm believer in finishing projects. Recently, I’ve been struggling to finish a project I started working on earlier this year. There’ve been a few natural hiccups (including getting all four wisdom teeth out), but I feel like my writing has been something I’ve had to wrestle every morning to get it going. I don’t think it’s burn out, but let’s be honest, I think everyone is a little burnt out more these days considering it’s been over a year since March 2020 started and it still feels like we haven’t gotten into April yet.

Still, I’ve been doing my best to write something every day. I’ve been tempted to put it away and start something, but I really enjoy the characters I’m working with and want to give them justice. The easiest way to keep writing is to just finish a draft and remember that you’re going to fix the parts you don’t like later. I feel like my first draft is really an opportunity to explore the characters in a situation and figure out what they should do or want to do. My current problem is pacing, so I have plans to work with that frame of mind and try to fix it all later. If I only ever wrote when I knew I what I was doing? I doubt I’d ever truly get the the work done.

There’s a saying about “You can’t polish crap”. The problem with that is that it’s easier to polish crap than it is to polish nothing.

What do you think? Agree or Disagree? If a project isn’t working for you do you still try to finish it or do you find it better to shelve things and let them stew a little?