Magical Words

On Friday of this week we’ll be having another guest blogger.  Our friend Edmund Schubert who is not only a writer of both short stories and novels, but is also managing editor at a magazine called Diversity Woman and the fiction editor at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, an online sf/fantasy ‘zine.  Ed is one of my favorite people and I’m sure you’ll enjoy his post, so be sure to check it out.

Ed was at ConCarolinas a couple of weeks ago with Misty, Faith, and me, and during one of our many panels he asked a question about “voice”, a difficult concept for beginning writers, and one I’d like to write about a bit today.

When we talk about voice, we are referring to the way a book or story reads.  It’s a rather amorphous concept that takes into account tone, style, character, and a host of other elements of writing.  If you look up the word “voice” in the dictionary, you won’t find any reference to this among its several definitions.  It’s one of the those terms that is used by those of us in the field, sometimes in different ways by different people.  That’s one of the reasons it’s such a difficult concept for beginning writers to grasp; many of us who aren’t beginners are still trying to grasp it ourselves.

For my part, I like to think about voice at a number of levels.  There’s a basic level that I refer to as stylistic voice.  When we read high fantasy we generally expect it to sound a certain way.  We expect the descriptions to be somewhat rich, the language to be less colloquial, more formal.  On the other hand, if we read contemporary urban fantasy, we expect the opposite.  The style will usually be more clipped, succinct; there might be less emphasis on description and more on action.  Military SF might be different from both of these.  Whatever.  Point is, this is what I mean by stylistic voice. 

Obviously, these are not hard and fast rules.  One can write highly descriptive urban fantasy or high fantasy in a clipped style.  The point is, this is a conscious decision that we make as writers; a stylistic decision.  And in making that decision, we are starting to establish the voice of our work.

For me, the second level of voice is established by my worldbuilding.  And this I call ambient voice. When I begin my worldbuilding, I don’t just come up with maps and place names, histories and religions, I also come up with a tone for the world I’m creating.  In my LonTobyn books, Tobyn-Ser had a very pastoral feel — again, lots of description, and a feel almost like that of the Shire (at least that’s what I was striving for).  Lon-Ser, on the other hand, was modern, technologically advanced, and violent.  The way I wrote in that world reflected those qualities.  The Forelands weren’t modern, but there was a darkness to them, a forbidding, uncompromising quality.  With all of these places, I tried to match my use of metaphor and simile to the quality of the place.  In other words, I tried to establish a voice that would reflect those elements of the worldbuilding in the way my characters saw their worlds, felt about other people, and expressed their emotions.   The darkness of the Forelands would have seemed out of place in Tobyn-Ser.  The modern interactions of Lon-Ser would have been totally anachronistic in the Forelands.  I believe that worldbuilding has to be reinforced in my prose, in my imagery.  That is ambient voice.

And finally, there is character voice, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  I want all of my characters to sound unique.  When I begin writing a chapter or section from a different character’s point of view, I want my readers to sense that they are inside the mind of someone recognizably different from the last character whose mind they were in, and also from the next.  Ideally, I’d like my readers to know whose mind they’re in before I tell them.  That may be asking a lot, of them and of myself, but at least I want there to be variety in the tone of my different point of view characters.  That helps to make each character come to life for the reader.  If they all sound the same and look at the world the same way, I’ve failed to make them individuals.

Stylistic voice, ambient voice, character voice.  As with so many things (see my post from last Monday) this is my own way of thinking about voice.  It might not work for you.  And that’s fine.  But you should at least be thinking about the issues that I’ve raised here.  The way you write about your world should set a mood for your book.  Your characters should see the world and experience the events you describe in your narrative in ways that match their personalities and motivations.  That’s voice, and whether you like my categories or not, it is something you should consider as you write your story or book.

Tags: David B. Coe by DavidBCoe
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First, I’d like to thank all the wonderful Magical Words authors for inviting me into their house for my first ever guest blogging appearance. I’m honored to be in such good company.

Now, as to the madness that has consumed my life…

The journey to see CRIMSON SWAN published has been interesting and unusually short in terms of the publishing industry. I began writing the book as an undergraduate student at the University of South Alabama in the spring of 2006. Until that point, I’d written a few short stories but I knew my heart
lay in novels.

The concept behind CRIMSON SWAN had been bouncing around in my head for about a year before I actually began writing it but I was apprehensive about submitting it to my classmates for critique. I was writing about vampires, law enforcement, and forensic science. In comparison to the literary works most often associated with university creative writing programs, my writing is very different. I write genre fiction with lots of action and complex plots. For example, CRIMSON SWAN is a dark urban fantasy set in the small
fictitious southwestern Mississippi town of Jefferson. Alexandra Sabian, a vampire and Enforcer with the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation, moves to Jefferson from Louisville, Kentucky to escape the ghosts of her father’s murder and to put a violent past behind her.

The story begins with the discovery of the third dead vampire in two weeks. Alex, as the only FBPI Enforcer assigned to southwest Mississippi, is investigating the slayings but runs into opposition from the local human-run sheriff’s department and an anti-vampire group, the Human Separatist Movement. Further complicating matters are the omnipresent media and the arrival of a new Enforcer, Varik Baudelaire, who is also Alex’s former fiancé.

Tensions between Jefferson’s human and vampire populations mount, as the tensions between Alex and Varik also escalate. The stress of the investigation takes a toll on Alex and a latent psychic talent begins to
reassert itself. When the tensions in the town finally erupt into violence, Alex find herself at the center of a maelstrom that threatens to strip away everything she holds dear, including the one person she thought was safe from her past’s influence — her brother.

As you can see, CRIMSON SWAN isn’t the typical academic fare. However, the fiction workshop classes had (and still have) an outstanding and open-minded instructor: Carolyn Haines (author of the Sarah Boothe Delaney mystery series, REVENANT, MANY BLOODY RETURNS, FEVER MOON, and many more). Carolyn was (and continues to be) very supportive of my work, as were the other students. With their encouragement and Carolyn’s guidance, by the time I finished my undergraduate degree in fall 2006, I’d nearly completed the entire book. Even though I now had a degree, I wanted to learn more, to explore the voice I felt I was just beginning to find, and I’ll admit that the idea of having to find a “real job” and repay my student loans was something I loathed. So, I started graduate school, again at USA, in spring 2007 and continued studying with Carolyn.
In May 2007 when CRIMSON SWAN was down to its final chapters, Carolyn negotiated with her agent, Marian Young, to read a portion of my work. I’d attended a few conferences and had pitched CRIMSON SWAN to a couple of agents with no success. While there were no guarantees that Marian would offer to represent me, it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. I sent her manuscript and she guided me through a couple of editing rounds. Our personalities meshed well and after I made the final cuts, Marian loved the changes and took me on as a client. Needless to say, I was thrilled!
Marian started sending CRIMSON SWAN out to editors in June 2007 and continued to do so for months. Whenever she received a rejection, and there were many, she would forward them to me along with her words of encouragement. The rejections were all the same: “We agree Ms. Holmes has talent, but…” or “I really liked this book, but…” It’s very easy to become discouraged when faced with rejection after rejection, but Marian and Carolyn were both confident the book would sell, which gave me confidence if not patience. (More on this later.)
Finally, in late November 2007, Danielle Perez, a senior editor with Bantam Dell (Random House), gave us a rejection but, with some coaxing from Marian, also provided feedback on CRIMSON SWAN, laying out the areas she felt were in need of improvement and agreed to a second reading of the manuscript. For the next four months, I tore CRIMSON SWAN apart, restructured, re-plotted, re-wrote, and added nearly one hundred pages to its length. I stressed over it. I cursed over it. I forced myself to work through the writers’ block
that threatened to derail me and my academic studies. (Yes, I was still attending grad school full-time during all of this.) I sent it back to Marian in March and she forwarded it to Danielle.
Then, we waited. And waited. And waited some more. On May 27, 2008, Marian called with the news we’d been hoping to hear for nearly a year. We had an offer! Danielle wanted to buy CRIMSON SWAN as well
as a second book. Both would be released as mass market paperback originals, with CRIMSON SWAN being released in September 2009. We accepted the offer, and my life has exploded outward in so many directions and so quickly that it’s a little overwhelming at times. But, looking back on the past two years and the experiences I’ve had and the friendships I’ve created along the way, I know I have the support of some very talented people, and that support will make all the difference in the coming months as CRIMSON SWAN continues its journey to publication.
My experiences thus far have been charmed, but I’d like to pass along a few words of advice to other writers who are still waiting for the phone call that changes our lives. My advice is to be patient but persistent. I know my journey was shorter than some, it wasn’t without its challenges and frustrations, and, in all honesty, I’m one of the last people who should speak of patience. However, this experience has taught me that the publishing industry moves at its own pace and that pace is very often slower than we, as writers, would like for it to be. 

While you’re waiting for that life-altering phone call, and in addition to writing every day, network with other writers, whether in person at conferences or online in chat rooms, e-mail lists, or blogs. A strong
support system comprised of others who understand how you’re feeling makes the time between sending your manuscript off to an agent or editor and receiving that phone call pass quickly. Also, when  networking, ask questions. Learn from others who have traveled this road. I’m sure you’ll find that many are only too happy to share their stories.
I know I have been, and I wish the best of luck to published and unpublished writers alike. May your hard drives always have space, your ink cartridges always be full, your paper supply endless, and your phone call forthcoming. 

Thanks, again, to Faith, David, C. E., and Misty for inviting me to share my
story. It’s been a blast!

Tags: Special Guest Stars by faithhunter
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Sometimes you hear writers speak of their writing area as a sacred space, the place where all the cares of the day vanish and they are able to produce valuable, readable, entertaining and satisfying work. Most of the time, they’re talking about a corner of their bedroom or an office, the spot in their house that’s been designated for creative activity.

For me, it’s the beach. We come here once a year with my family for a week of rest and disconnection, and yet I find my mind whirling and creating with every minute I’m awake (and some while I’m sleeping - you should have SEEN the zombie dream I had last night! *shudder*) I have to carry a notebook out to the beach every day, because ideas flow like wine when I’m under the sun and listening to the surf. Not just piratey ideas, but all kinds. It’s as if an extra, unused portion of my brain has been switched on, and there’s just not enough time to write it all down. I managed two pages on Monday, nine on Tuesday, and three yesterday. That’s more than I even shoot for in a whole week during the school year!

This is my sacred space. And I really am not sure I want to come home. If I move to the beach, will y’all come visit me?

PS Don’t forget…we have a special guest here on Magical Words tomorrow - J K Holmes! And when you finish reading her fabulous interview, drop over to madkestrel.livejournal.com to see what’s going on with the zombie uprising!

Tags: Misty Massey by Misty Massey
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I’m starting a new book soon – soon being a time-issue that is relevant to a rewrite (Gwen’s Rapid Descent) that will take a month, the rewrite of my (Faith’s) Skinwalker, that will take a few weeks, and a short story rewrite that will take a day or so. But I am looking forward to starting a new book, with all its possibilities and potential, about a character that I am just starting to know. A character for whom research is taking me in new and exciting places.

What kind of new and exciting places, you may ask. Ahhh. I am taking cooking classes, dance classes, and learning a few other things…  Not because the character cooks—yet.  But because she will take some cooking classes with a witch-friend. And dancing? The character … um … let me put it this way.  Jane Yellowrock *smokes* on the dance floor.

Jane Yellowrock is a skinwalker. She would just as soon eat her dinner fresh, warm, raw and … well, still twitching. When in beast form, that is. In human form, in book two, she will get bored with her usual diet and take a class. Sushi – to satisfy her beastly and human selves. And maybe a ballroom dance class. Why the dance class? Because in book one, Skinwalker, she dances with a … well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

The point to all this? Two.  First –

It relates to believability, to the suspension of disbelief of the reader, and to the assurance of the writer. I am asking a reader to believe that skinwalkers exist. That vampires exist. That witches (a species biologically unique from humans) exist. If also ask them to believe that I know how to Rumba when I don’t, it may bring them totally out of the story. Besides. The lessons are tax deductible. So is the sushi. I like sushi. So does my character.

Which brings us to my second point – taxes.

A writer has to use all sorts of knowledge to bring the reader into her story, to make him believe it is all possible. In the US, anything that goes into a book, that is required to write the book, becomes tax deductible. And with taxes as they stand today, I need deductibility. So I take lessons. And deduct them.

A detailed and complete calendar, and receipt keeping, are part of a writer’s life. The IRS couldn’t care less that I needed a class. Unless I can prove that I needed it for a book. A book that was published. Writers have to be our own businessmen, even if we hire (which I do) a certified CPA at tax time. How is that different for a non-published writer? Every state is different. Check with a tax pro. With two. Because not all tax pros know about writing and how best to save us money.

Like writing, cooking, dancing, and stalking rogue vampires, taxes are an art form.

Enjoy!

Oh. Wait… There’s more!

On June, Friday 13^th, JK Holmes will share with us how she got published. Here’s her bio and blurb.

Bio:
Jeannie Holmes is a native of southwest Mississippi. Before receiving her
Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of South Alabama, she
worked in a variety of interesting jobs, including emergency rooms,
independent auction houses, and even a brief stint in a funeral home. Her
debut novel, CRIMSON SWAN, a dark urban fantasy set in a small Mississippi
town, is due for release in September 2009. In addition to working on the
sequel, she is finishing her Master of Arts degree in English at the
University of South Alabama. She lives in Mobile, AL with her husband and
four neurotic cats.

Blurb for CRIMSON SWAN:
Alexandra Sabian, a vampire and Enforcer with the Federal Bureau of
Preternatural Investigation, moved to Jefferson, Mississippi six years ago
to escape the ghosts of her father’s murder and a past filled with violence.
Now a killer stalks the vampires living in the small town and the deaths are
resurrecting the past she thought she left behind. Alex must fight bigotry,
the media, and herself, in order to stop the killings before her brother
becomes the next victim.

 Jeannie
J. K. Holmes
www.jkholmes.com

Faith

Tags: Faith Hunter by faithhunter
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I’d meant to really get started on my current book a week ago Monday, but with one thing and another it’s really only getting underway today. All I’ve managed in the last week is revising the 2.5 chapters I’d written as a proposal for this book.

Now, this is the fourth book in the Walker Papers series, and I wrote the proposal for it just a smidge under two years ago. Since then, I’ve written *well* over half a million words in five books and two major revisions. Going back is…somewhat painful. Not going back to Joanne, whose style of speech is easy to write, but going back to a proposal that I was (more than) a little brain-dead when I wrote in the first place, and which involves a character who’s grown up a lot more in the last two years since I’ve written her than she had in the couple weeks (at most) between finishing COYOTE DREAMS and writing this proposal.

I’d figured the break after COYOTE was as good a time as any to stop writing Jo for a while, ’cause there’s a certain amount of resolution to the end of book 3, and it would give me time to do something else and stretch my wings a bit, but I had *no idea* how good it would be for the character to give her some time to mature.

The problem with this, of course, is it means totally rewriting most of these first three chapters. I’ve gone over the first chapter more times than I can count now, tightening, editing, polishing–cat-waxing, perhaps, but on the other hand, it’s been *so long* since I’ve written her that I feel that doing this is good for me–and the second chapter did…all the wrong things, really. It always did (which is why it’s a 2.5 chapter proposal instead of a proper 3 chapter proposal), or at least mostly: the first scene in it is good, and the last sentence is good. The rest of it had to go, and the last sentence became a mid-chapter scene break or punctuation point instead of the end of the chapter. And the third chapter, well, pfft. All wrong. Out the window. Except the scene that’s good, of course, which ended up finishing the second chapter and leaving me with somewhere, I hope, to start with chapter three.

With this stuff resolved I’m hoping for a couple weeks of incredibly high wordcount; this is a 110K book due in mid-July, and I’m going to be busting my brain to get it done. Probably the next six weeks of blogging here for me will be more letters from the battlefield, just me and the headspace I’m in right at that moment while writing a book. I hope somebody’ll get something out of it.

Tags: C E Murphy by cemurphy
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Under the heading of “A Long Way to go to Make a Point”:  My wife is an academic — she teaches biology at the university here in town.  She’s tenured and was promoted to full professor a few years back.  She’s been at it for 16 years now, and is very good at what she does.  She’s had two sabbaticals so far — for one she spent a couple of months in Canada and the rest of the time here doing research; for the other we went to Australia as a family and lived there for a year.  A good friend of ours here in town says that coming back from sabbatical to teach is a little bit like pulling on a wet bathing suit.  It feels lousy, but after a little time you get used to it.

That’s where I am today.  (Told you it was a long way to go to make my point.)  We had a REALLY good vacation.  I blogged about it a bit on my personal site, so I won’t go into it here.  But I managed to go a week without thinking about work at all.  Now I HAVE to think about work again.  I need to get back to work on the current book so that I keep up with my schedule.  For me there’s nothing worse than falling behind on a project.  When I begin a book, I have in mind a monthly page/word goal, something that will keep me on pace to make my deadline.  If I fall behind, it messes up everything.  I start to rush through sections in my attempt to catch up, and my writing suffers for it.  I find that those passages I rush are the ones that need the most work when I go back through the manuscript for rewrites.  It makes sense, right? 

As I’ve written in past posts here and elsewhere, I’m a momentum writer.  I do best when I build up a head of steam.  Before we left for the beach, I was on a roll — 1500-2000 words a day, 30 pages a week.  I was making good progress.  Now that momentum is shot, and I have to generate new momentum.  I have to overcome the comfortable inertia of inaction in which I reveled all last week.  And I don’t want to.

That’s really what this post is about, when it comes right down to it.  This is one long whinge.  I was on vacation.  I had fun.  I was relaxed.  Now I have to work, and I don’t want to.  I.  DON’T.  WANT.  TO.  Yes, I love to write.  Writing is a great way to make a living.  Blah, blah, blah.  As all of us have said here before, writing is a job.  A great job?  Yeah, sure.  But a job nonetheless.  And I’m not above saying that a bad day on vacation is better than even the best day at work.  I don’t care who you are or what you do.  Vacations are good.

So what are my secrets for getting back into the swing of things, for finding that momentum again?  Well, I’ll go back and read through the stuff I wrote before we left for the coast.  I’ll immerse myself in the world again, rediscover the voices of my characters.  But when it comes right down to it, there is no secret.  I’ll overcome this vacation-induced inertia the same way I overcome all the other problems I encounter in the course of writing a book.  I’ll put my butt in the chair and write my book.

But for the record:  I don’t want to.

Tags: David B. Coe by DavidBCoe
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On June 13, 2007, the blogosphere was overrun with the walking dead. Brave souls from Blogspot to LiveJournal to Wordpress risked all to post their news about the horrible events of the day. Luckily, somewhere around midnight, the zombies mysteriously dropped dead (for real this time) and the world was saved.

Well folks, June 13 is looming, looks like there’s something to worry about again. Better stock up on the emergency water, board up those windows and have your shotguns and baseball bats ready. Be safe!

Just in case the message wasn’t clear, if you happen to see blog entries next Friday that sound alarming and apocalyptic, please remember, it’s a game. Don’t panic. It’s fun. It’s a great writing exercise. It’s entirely voluntary. I, Misty, will be blogging on my individual blog, NOT HERE. The others may play or may not, as they choose.

Tags: Misty Massey by Misty Massey
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It’s the last day of school.  I’ve been fielding phone calls all day from irritated mothers whose kids waited until last night to mention that “oh yeah, I can’t get my report card because I have an overdue library book I have to pay for.”  One even came in to scream at me personally.

Then there was the sixth grade mother I just got off the phone with.  Her son had lost three books back in October, to theft if one believes the boy.  (He may be telling the truth, he may not - I have no way of knowing.)  He’s known that we hold the book’s borrower responsible when books go missing, yet he’s spent most of this year denying his responsibility.  So now his mom comes along to tell me how her son is so wonderful (I’m sure he is!) and how he shouldn’t have to be held accountable, and if I continue being a wicked ogre to him, well, she just won’t let him check books out of any library ever again.

This kind of thing always throws me.  Who does the parent truly believe she is punishing?  Because it isn’t me.  Whether or not some child checks another book out of my library does not change my life at all.  His life, however, is now diminished.  He won’t be able to read anything he chooses.  He’ll be limited to reading only what his parents purchase for him.

My parents were considered somewhat progressive when I was growing up, because they never told me what I could or could not read.  They signed permission cards at the town library so that I could get books from the adult rooms.  I fell wildly in love with Poe when I was 9.  I dipped my toe into science fiction with Heinlein at 12.  I attempted to read classics like The Brothers Karamazov and Green Mansions, not that I necessarily understood them.  My parents let me choose for myself what was appropriate for me, but they also made me aware of my own responsibility in what I read and learned.

My life was enhanced by the reading I was allowed to do.  I couldn’t have asked for a more valuable gift than that.

Tags: Misty Massey by Misty Massey
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A lot of things happen at a conference, especially one with both a writing fan angle. Add in a gaming element and it takes on a totally different atmosphere and feel. My previous exposure to conferences has been through the mystery genre, and let me tell ya. Them babies is very different from ConCarolinas. At no mystery con, would one walk into the ladies room and see a bikini-leather-clad dominatrix putting the finishing touches on her makeup…and then, later, leading Little Bo Peep around by a neck collar, leash, and handcuffs. It was … interesting. Hubby enjoyed every minute of the event. But I have a feeling that David and Nancy kept the girls away. *grin*

At a mystery con, people are desperately trying to get on panels, meet new fans, dress for success, meet agents, corner editors. Never have I seen a writer in flip-flops or shorts or anything but business or formal clothes. This past weekend, I wore sandals and skirts and splangly shawls and was totally comfortable. (Thank you again, Misty for the loaner. I *love* it! You can borrow it back anytime. *cheeky grin*) And we writers were way more comfortable than the girls in chain mail bras, corsets, etc.

For all the debauchery, private parties, game-playing, over abundance of panels, and exhaustion, there was a strong writing and fan contingent. People came to see us, buy books, talk about writing, and learn. It was so wonderful to be there with friends (Misty, David, Gail Z Martin, Edmund Schubert) and work hard as a team, that I am still glowing today.

Not to say that it was totally peachy. There was one writer who pushed all my buttons, with whom I disagreed on every single subject from the nature of good and evil to what makes a writer. I pushed his buttons too, and we butted heads every single time our paths crossed. Not gonna give you a he-said, she-said. Not gonna tell you his name. What I am gonna do is tell you how he redeemed himself to me. Yeah, Misty and David, he did. This happened after you left. My hubby told me about it, and here it is, as much word for word as he could remember.

Next to the signing table where some of us hung out, was a self published writer. She sold over 40 books that weekend by being charming, reading the crowd, and having a ready and versatile shtick. I never looked at her work, though we worked near one another, and chatted several times. Frankly, it never occurred to me. *slaps own head*

This other writer, with whom I was having words often, (in my sweet, Southern way) told her she wasn’t really published because she was not commercially published. And she agreed, with a gentle kind spirit.

I think her reply must have surprised him, because when she wasn’t looking, he picked up her book and he read the first couple pages. Yeah. I know. *He* read her pages. I didn’t. I never offered. And I am supposed to the helpful one, the nice one. Hah! Difficult as he was, he picked up her book. Started reading. And kept reading. Blew me away when I heard it.

When she came back he slapped it in her hand. He said, “No reason in the world why this can’t be published. This is good. Really good. Here’s some names in the business you need to contact. Tell them I said you can write and they should take a look at your work. Tell them I’ll recommend you. Tell them to contact me about it. Good luck.”

Within ten minutes after this um…difficult…man left, the girl had an agent and a small press publisher (who had been considering this all weekend anyway) who said, “If New York doesn’t want you, I do.” And her world took off, at speed, on a totally different angle.

So. People are amazing. And redemption is still possible. And if all fantasy cons are this much fun, I will never attend another mystery conference again.

Faith – who is still smiling.

Tags: Faith Hunter by faithhunter
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To add to Faith’s post, which was dead on….

One of the things that came out of all the panels we did — from the serious discussions of the business of writing and various process issues, to the ridiculously silly panel on writing about “Rogues” — is that there is no right way to do any of this.  Let me repeat that.  There is no right way to do any of this.

Beware of people who tell you that there is only one way to write or one way to get published.  And I’m sometimes as guilty of this as anyone.  It is impossible to get published from the slush pile.  Except that Faith did it.  It is impossible to sell a first novel on a few chapters and an outline, as opposed to a completed manuscript.  Except that I did it.  You have to write to the market and expand upon things that are already selling.  Except that Misty came up with this amazingly original idea of a woman pirate who has magic.  And she sold it.  To Tor.  And it’s doing great.

People will tell you that you have to guide your characters; that you can’t let them get away from you and do the unexpected.  On the other hand I’ll tell you that if your characters aren’t getting away from you you’re doing something wrong.  Thing is, neither statement is true.  The only thing that matters is that the writing works for you.  That’s the one declaration that I believe is ironclad.  It has to work for you.  I think writers should be writing on a regular schedule.  Put butt in chair.  But if you thrive artistically by writing when the spirit moves you, then who am I to argue?

Write the way you are moved to write.  Beware of experts telling you what’s right and what’s not.  By all means seek out advice.  Listen to how others do it.  But when you finally decide on a path, make it your own.  Do whatever it is that makes your muse sing.

And with that, I’m done.  I’d go on, but the beach beckons and I’m on vacation.

Tags: David B. Coe by DavidBCoe
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