Originality in the Writing World

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.
C. S. Lewis

Probably one of my biggest pet peeves is a beginning writer telling me they're afraid to join a critique group or even send out their work because someone could steal their unpublished ideas or words (I guess they think it's that brilliant). These are the same people who mail themselves a copy, write copyright and the year on every page and are generally paranoid. This includes almost every writing conference I've attended where someone gets up and rails about their work being stolen by some large entity, a major magazine, a film studio, Steven Spielberg. Please. I can't recall the quote but every story has been told before, it's your unique slant that makes it original work.

This is not to say your published work can't be stolen, or used on another website as content. A good article that addresses website piracy. And yes some authors have had chunks of their work stolen completely, remember Opal Mehta?
Does it happen, yes, should you be obsessed that it could happen to you? I don't think so. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Why Isn't Everyone Creative?

The key question isn't "What fosters creativity?" But it is why in God's name isn't everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything.Abraham Maslow

I've been thinking a lot about this concept lately, with Eric Maisel soon to be visiting my blog (mid-February) I've been reading a lot about the creative person and the creative life. In his interview below, he talks about creative people needing to find meaning with their work...I have that feeling quite often with poetry. My negative voices say is it really necessary to write another poem, does anyone care that you experienced that? or that you think those words sound really good together, but I can usually talk myself out of such negativity because I love to read poetry and surely there's one other person in the world who would like to read what I have to say. On that note here is the link to the Artella poetry contest I placed in. Winter Storm at Manzanita.

Today, think about what fosters your creative side and what derails it? Is it really outside influences or is it you? How do you deal with the true outside influences who don't think it's necessary to be creative? Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Eric Maisel Interview on Van Gogh Blues

Learning to Write...do you need a degree?

"It's none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way." -Ernest Hemingway

There are mixed messages in the writing community about getting a degree in Creative Writing, many professional writers think it's unnecessary and you're either born a writer or not, in other words you can't be taught how to write. I do think there are gifted, talented natural writers in the world and then there's those of us who work at it everyday. Do I think I will be a better writer when I have a degree in writing...hmmm. I think I will be more aware of my strengths as a writer and will be able to use those strengths to my advantage. Surrounding yourself with teachers and other students who share your passion for any subject can't be a bad thing. When I worked for a local newspaper I worked with some wonderful editors and they had the ability to take my rough work and make it sound...well, professional. I also think there's a time when you have to take everything you've learned and just throw yourself out there. You also learn by your mistakes, so every query, every rejection, every comment by a helpful editor or fellow writer is all part of the process. You can make the mistake of being a student forever and never putting your work on the line. What do you think?
Today, list all of your writing strengths and then list some things you need to work on. And for a fun diversion, check out this writing contest at Cool Stuff 4 Writers. Contest deadline is January 31. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Talking without being interrupted

Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted. ~Jules Renard, Journal, 10 April 1895

I managed to leave the antiques fair yesterday only spending $5.00, and $2.00 of that was admission. As my friend Rhonda pointed out buying postcards and paper doesn't take up a lot of room or if you're lucky that much money. Rhonda, a writer and an amazing photographer, also makes cards with vintage images and incredibly beautiful quilted art pieces. She also introduced me to a craft magazine that has been on the market for about a year, Cloth Paper Scissors, January/February 2008 Issue. This one and Somerset Studio, January/February 2008 Issue highlight altered art, craft and assemblage artists, and many writers/poets who have found a new way to combine their love of words with art. I'm sure I will find a way to use my poetry with my growing collection of ephemera in the near future. My poem Relics was written because I found my Nana's religious relics in a box of papers she had given me.

Today, what "relics" can you find that could spark a poem or a story. Pull out the junk drawer, clean out your purse or briefcase or go through a box of old photos. Pretend that you are discovering these items and they're not yours. What could you write about this person, use one item or a collection of items. Talk without being interrupted. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Never Stop Fighting

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings, 1955

Today just a quote, my words seem stuck today. A hike did little to stimulate my brain and I just spent a few wonderful hours wandering around a local antiques fair and trying hard not to purchase more ephemera. Happy Sunday!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

The World is a book...are you reading?

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine

When I was in eighth grade our big school trip for the year was to New York City. I had been there many times before, it wasn't too far, but this trip was different; I would be with my classmates and our tour leader, a nun who grew up in the city was directing the tour. New York City in the early '80's wasn't the shiny cleaned up city it is today, it was gritty, tough, dirty and a little bit scary for a 12-year old girl. A tough-talking nun in a habit led a group of eighth-graders through Battery Park, Harlem, and the Financial District but it's the trip to the top of the World Trade Center that is etched into my mind. I wonder how many of my fellow classmates remember that day as clearly as I do, the speed at which the shiny brass elevator took us up, the uniform of the tour guide, the girls clutching each other as we dared each other to stand closer to the edge and then picking out a souvenir of the special day in the gift shop. My favorite book at the time was Harriet the Spy, that day I felt like I was living in Harriet's world and it was pretty amazing. Subsequent trips to New York felt different, the city was changing and I was growing up. Each time I went there I had a unique experience that I added to my memory box.
Those moments in a big city are what memories are made of, it's those details you can't get when you're watching a movie about a city or most times when you're reading a book. But it's those details that are going to draw your reader in.When traveling make sure you bring a journal to jot them down, adding a little sketch to your words can spark your memory when you're trying to remember the details.

Trusted Tours & Attractions is now having a special promotion, just by signing up for their newsletter you're in the drawing for a handheld GPS.
Today, write about your travels, try to remember the details about places you have visited that can add a dimension to your characters lives and sign up for that travel newsletter. You may just win a GPS or find more great cities to explore on sightseeing tours. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing and Wishing She Was Sightseeing Nag

How to generate ideas?

But how shall I get ideas? Keep your wits open! Observe! Observe! Study! Study! But above all, Think! Think! And when a noble image is indelibly impressed upon the mind --Act!--Orison Swett Marden

I think the most important word in this idea quote is ACT. So many ideas are lost because the writer doesn't act upon them. Ways to control your ideas...the most obvious carry a notebook where ever you go. Jot down words, phrases, conversations, sentences that can inspire you when the writing gets tough. I also keep a bulletin board next to my desk with images, ephemera, quotes. Reading in a different genre can also spark ideas. Take a walk in another neighborhood, eat at a restaurant you normally wouldn't choose, look for opportunities for new adventures.

Creative prompts can be found in most writing-craft books and also online. Some of my favorites:

Creative Writing Prompts
Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain
Jump Start Your Brain
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]
Now get back to work with your new ideas!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Surround Yourself with Support

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
-- Mark Twain


I received the phone call yesterday morning, acceptance into college. I'll be attending the first residency at Goddard the end of March. The next step in my journey towards my MFA. And of course I'll be blogging my journey through the program here.
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Gary Gnu exclusively for Kathleen

8 Rules for Writing Fiction

“One writes to make a home for oneself, on paper, in time and in others' minds.”
Alfred Kazin

When I first started writing fiction I felt powerful...I had the ability to create characters, fill their mouths with my words, give them problems, ways to overcome those problems and maybe in the end a happy ending...or not.The way your characters interact is up to you, in the end it's your life experiences plus your imaginations that make your fiction unique.

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing Fiction
My writing world is cozy, settled in...but constantly evolving, yes, the floors creak and the doors are crooked but it's my home, and my readers are welcome to it or they can choose to visit someone else. No hard feelings. I'm still happily typing my thoughts and creating a home for myself. How does your writing home look? Today, write about the house you have created so far. Would friends stay or would they move quickly on, are you engaging your readers to visit? Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

catching the last bus of the night...

Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night. ~Glade Byron Addams

Over lunch the other day a friend and I discussed our waxing and waning passion for our writing work. I lamented that I sometimes wished I didn't have to write. Imagine just working a 40-hour work week, watching a movie, playing games, and reading. Sometimes that sounds nice to me, instead I work a full-time plus job, write every morning, most evenings and every day off. I volunteer 30 plus hours a month for my local writing organization and spend at least that many hours editing and submitting. My friend does that and more, because she's the mom of three boys. Yes, the passion for writing can be tiring. But like any relationship you have to work on it.

Now I do feel the urgency of catching the last bus of the night. My age perhaps? When I think I should take a break I do but the breaks are shorter and I fight my procrastination a little harder. Now when I think that would make a good poem I write it and then submit it. An article idea, it becomes a query instead of sitting in my notebook. A small goal of a page a day...couldn't I really write two? How can you push yourself a little more? Do you feel the urgency or is the bus still waiting for you?
Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Just six sentences...

It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what other men say in whole books - what other men do not say in whole books. ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

More on brevity so I'll be brief. How seriously do you take your editing? Is your work lean and polished or do you tend to ramble? You can be the best writer but if you don't know when your brilliant words need to go you fail as an editor.

Today think you can write a whole story it six sentences? give it a try. Complete details for submitting. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Words on Brevity

If you bring that sentence in for a fitting, I can have it shortened by Wednesday. ~M*A*S*H, Hawkeye, "The Gun"

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. ~Thomas Jefferson


A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. ~William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style, 1918

Especially when blogging brevity is key. Because we are an instant gratification society we want information immediately. Short and to the point. That's why the best bloggers write short, concise posts with good information.

Being brief with your fiction is known as flash fiction.
How to write flash fiction.
If you're good at writing micro-fiction consider entering Women On Writing's Quarterly Flash Fiction contest. It is definitely a skill. Today practice by writing 2-3 flash fiction pieces 250-500 words. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

What's Your Focus for 2008?

“Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.”
Anthony Robbins

On Tuesday night Pikes Peak Writers held its Write Brain series and I went to hear Cynthia Morris, a Boulder, CO writing coach speak. Her company's tagline is Life As A Creative Adventure and includes creativity tours through France. Instead of general goal setting Cynthia talked about focus, an important lesson for writers to learn, I want to do everything and often settle for doing nothing. Writing can be overwhelming when you want to dabble in everything. It wasn't until I focused on poetry last year that things started happening. My focus for 2008 is education and I'm sure that will bring great rewards. I found out yesterday my poem won Fourth Place in Artella's monthly contest, it's not online yet but I'll be posting it here as soon as it is. Another important lesson I learned from Cynthia's talk was to celebrate your accomplishments at the end of the year, something I've been doing the last 5 years with my critique group. We met last night to share a meal and review our achievements and our rejections. It is inspiring to hear what fellow writers have accomplished in the last twelve months with each others support. Very important part of goal setting for me. Today decide what your focus will be for 2008. It doesn't have to interfere with your goals you already set, it should support them.Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Mark Twain on Adjective Use

I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English - it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them - then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.
Mark Twain
- Letter to D. W. Bowser, 3/20/1880

Music and Writing

“Without music, life would be an error.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

Hans Christian Andersen

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent”

Victor Hugo

I posted the Smiths video as a mantra for this week, but also for my sister.

If you haven't seen the movie Juno, I highly recommend it but without the fantastic soundtrack it would miss so much. Garden State was like that and many of the movies I grew up with were enhanced by the soundtrack. The music was an essential character in the movie. In my writing notebook I jot down favorite songs that I would use if I ever wrote a screenplay. Or maybe if I had creative power when my book is made into a movie. Dreams...Of course, the big MUSIC movie of last year, Once, wouldn't exist without music. Another great flick to add to your list if you haven't seen it.

What songs or bands inspire your writing? Today find a song or band that could take you in a different direction with your writing. Maybe you listen to music as you write? Or you also write songs?
Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

Ray Bradbury on Writing

How the Nag Came to be

Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.
- Les Brown

Today is my seven-month blogiversary. According to an article I read most blogs have a six-month life span and there's more than 7,000,000 blogs out there. I'm not ready to give up my blog just yet. Although I could see where daily blogging could burn you out quickly. Yesterday Jim's post got me thinking...what do I have to say that hasn't been said before?

My blog evolved out of my nagging emails to my fellow writing buddies. It wasn't enough that I was in a critique group that was only 2 days a month, what about the rest of the time who would keep me accountable? I thought a daily blog would at least put me in front of the keys everyday and so far, it's worked. I completed all of my 2007 writing goals and surpassed my submission goals. And what do I have to say that hasn't been said before? Probably not much, it has all been said before but I hope that something I write someday could spark someone to achieve their writing dreams. Gentle nagging, stop surfing the net, set your goals, take small steps, you can do it, I'm looking forward to hearing about your successes, now get back to work!


Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Rules for Writing a Novel

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
William Somerset Maugham

For me, writing a short story is much, much harder than writing a novel.
Lynn Abbey


My Rules:

1. Plan it.
2. Write it.
3. Edit it.* (see comment)
4. Submit it.

Sounds too simplistic doesn't it? Except many, many writers get hung up on number 1 and never make it to number 2. I'm sure you've encountered many writers who say "I want to write a novel about x but I don't know where to start." Unfortunately there's no magic starting place except for the place where you write or type the first word. My manuscript hasn't followed any pattern. I started by writing the last chapter or so I think. By the time it's done it may not be. But I know if I don't write it it will always be in the planning stage. Some books that have helped me:
This Year You Write Your Novel
Writing the Breakout Novel
On Writing
The Weekend Novelist
See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide to Writing Chick Lit
Some links I discovered on my 6 a.m. internet browsing:

The Snowflake Method of Writing a Novel

How Not to Write a Novel

A good blog I discovered through Blog Catalog is David B. Dale's Very Short Novels. Todays assignment if you choose to accept it- write a novel in 299 words. Not too scary, it's about a page and a half. Read several of David's before you start. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

The Way You Look at the World

Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

The first time I seriously thought about writing I was in Cancun, Mexico with my cousin on a college trip. We had just toured the ruins at Tulum and we made our way down to the inlet of water that surrounded the town.
Sitting in the cove as the ruins loomed above us I felt I was in the most idyllic part of the world.The Caribbean water had the most amazing jewel tones of blue and green I had ever seen.I couldn't believe such beauty existed, I was so moved I thought I need to become a writer or a photographer. Although I struggled with how to put the beauty into words. I never became a travel writer but I often use my travels to inspire my writing. My reason for writing to expose readers to other worlds they didn't know existed. Maybe it's just a glimpse into the life of a waitress, or a trip to New York City at Christmas time, maybe you can take your readers into a place they never knew existed.

Today write about the first trip you took that really changed the way you looked at the world. Could this trip serve as a backdrop for a short story or a poem? Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Saturday Inspiration

Please write again soon...

Please write again soon. Though my own life is filled with activity, letters encourage momentary escape into others lives and I come back to my own with greater contentment.

Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, 'A Woman of Independent Means'

I love giving and receiving letters and cards. For someone that spends so much time online and reads more than 100 emails a day, there is something so special about getting a real life paper card or letter. Yesterday, I received a New Year's letter from some old friends they had moved across the country and I often wondered what they were up to. I suppose they could have just hastily sent me an email, but they took the time to write a letter, enclosed photos, and made my day. I also keep almost every card and letter I receive, it's fun to read them and think about what was going on in my life at the time the card was written. A personal history in greeting cards. That's another reason I like to collect vintage postcards, many are little glimpses into the world at that time. The penny postcard revolutionized sending greetings in the mail. One I bought at a garage sale even had a marriage proposal on it, that one was never mailed. I wonder if the marriage ever happened.
Today, write a letter or a card to someone special...as Elizabeth Hailey says it could just bring you back to your life with greater contentment.Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Personal Notes: How to Write from the Heart for Any Occasion

Imagine pizza waffles...

There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've always been a fan of Artella, so last month I ordered a hard copy of their creative word and art magazine. Each issue contains a CD and a pack of ephemera so you can create an art piece of your own. I was delighted to find a 1970's recipe card for pizza waffles. As a chef and a pizza fiend I was very amused and nostalgic that this was cuisine in the '70's. But I do seem to recall eating toast-R pizza around the same time so I guess the next natural step would be pizza waffles? A google search revealed there are still recipes out there for this delicacy who knew? That's where the inspiration came in...one of my favorite books growing up was Me and Fat Glenda because the characters ate a different burger daily using the alphabet as inspiration. Avocado Burgers, Beet Burgers, Cheese Burgers, etc. Even as a ten-year-old I knew that the mix of words and food was pure magic.

Today,think of how you could use food as inspiration in a short story or poem. But don't think ordinary food. Feel free to use pizza waffles or Fluffy Mackerel Pudding.

Lovingly mixing the batter for a batch of pizza waffles,
The Writing Nag

What You Might Have Been...

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
George Elliot

You've heard them, the people who say "I could have been a ________ but I fill in excuses here". Or maybe it's you. I have a bad habit of reading other people's bio's and thinking wow, I could have done that, I should have done that. For example, a fellow women chef very close to my age went to the same culinary school I went to but then went to work in some very prestigious east coast restaurants with some very well known celebrity chefs, she then went on to fame and fortune with cookbooks, her own restaurant, endorsements...you get the picture. I am not a celebrity chef, but I might have been. Do I still want that? No. I don't think going down the path of what you might have been is a positive step. I'm choosing to work towards new places of what I might be.

I am working on my poetry packet for the writers workshop I'll be attending at the end of February and HUGE amounts of self-doubt are creeping in. My inner negative mantra starts "These people are professional poets with books and writing careers." "who do you think you are showing them your work" But if I'm working on what I might be, I have to let it go. I have to find positive statements to replace the negative. Today, think about what steps you could take to be the person you might have been. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

The Perfect Office Chair

Right now I share my office with the guest bedroom, but I have great plans of what my office would look like if I had a big advance check. First all my books which now occupy a cardboard box would find a home on built-in bookcases, I would have a comfy reading area with good lighting and a place for my magazines and of course in front of my state of the art media area would be a Massage Chair At one of my last jobs my boss had one of these in his office and I would seize every opportunity to settle in for an afternoon massage. When massage chairs first hit the market they were anything but realistic but now with advanced robotics you can close your eyes and imagine your personal massage professional just stopped by for your weekly appointment. This one has the ability to program a customized massage, think rolling, kneading, compression from neck to foot with intuitive controls. So whatever massage style you like the chair can do it. I think I would use my massage chair as a reward system. If you just finish ten pages you can have a full-body massage. That might just be the motivation I need to finish my manuscript.

A Poem Should Just Be

"A poem should not mean but be.
Archibald MacLeish
American Poet (1892-1982)

A good example of this quote is Maria Mazziotti Gillan's poem today on The Writer's Almanac, I have been reading a lot of her work lately and loving it. Although she writes a lot about growing up in New Jersey, many of her poems remind me of my childhood growing up in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Italian Women in Black Dresses (Essential Poets Series 116)
I read more of The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person's Path Through Depression, Maisel writes of meaningful creating. How creative people struggle with finding meaning in their work. I can relate to this with my poetry. Not with meaning in the poem but why I need to write poetry...

More snow last night. I closed the restaurant early and came home to find the newest copy of the Writer.I was excited to see an article about writing/publishing online. The article written by the editor of failbetter.com addresses the growing markets of online literary magazines. It confirmed what I had been thinking, if you're looking just to get your name out, what better audience than the Internet.

some of the markets listed:


The Adirondack Review
Jacket
La Petite Zine
Slope
Identity Theory



Today, take a look at some of these websites. If you have work ready for publication, submit. Many of these literary magazines encourage email submissions.

Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Nana's Raisin Bread

Even though this has been online for awhile I just realized I never posted it here. Enjoy!
Nana's Raisin Bread

What Works For Me...May Not Work For You

A creative block is the wall we erect to ward off the anxiety we suppose we'll experience if we sit down to work. Eric Maisel


I wanted to address a comment Jim made yesterday about my sculpting post...
In reference to one writers way of writing.

"I'm sure that's the case for some but writing is exactly like that for me. I write a basic story and then graft on bits here and there until the work is ready. I've written four novels that way and the fifth is shaping up exactly the same."

My posts are just meant to be exercises to prompt you to write. I find inspiration in quotes from other writers, poets, artists, creative folk etc. Some writers find they need to wait for inspiration I have found I need to hit the keys daily. This may not work for you. And many of the quotes may not emulate your writing life. Don't be discouraged if that's the case. Keep searching, keep learning, keep writing. It took me many years to figure out what works for me, during this time I read everything I could on creativity, writing, inspiration and became a fan of the expert on creativity, Dr. Eric Maisel. Some of his books for writers include:
Deep Writing: 7 Principles That Bring Ideas to Life
Living the Writer's Life
Write Mind: 299 Things Writers Should Never Say to Themselves (And What They Should Say Instead)

At the end of February I will be interviewing Eric on The Writing Nag as part of his blog tour to promote the paperback release of The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person's Path Through Depression I look forward to his visit and I hope you will stop back to read the interview. He has really tapped into an important piece of the creative soul.
Tomorrow, I will post more information about Eric Maisel's work. Today, spend some time writing your goals but this time write ones that you would think impossible and then enter them in this contest. You might want to read the guidelines first. January Contest. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Winter Garden

Sculpting Your Work

Writing is not like painting where you add. It is not what you put on the canvas that the reader sees. Writing is more like a sculpture where you remove, you eliminate in order to make the work visible. Even those pages you remove somehow remain.Elie Wiesel

I woke up to snow this morning after a week of warmer temperatures. I might venture out for a walk or stay inside with the wonderful excuse it's snowing outside.

Today, considering the quote freewrite about Sundays. Set the timer for thirty minutes, then with the precision of a sculptor remove the extra words. Even with the words removed did your general theme remain? Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

7 De-cluttering tips for writers

I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.
Beryl Pfizer

If I get into college my life will change considerably, I will have to find 20 extra hours a week working college into my schedule. As he looked around my office yesterday, my husband commented that I will have to work on my time-management skills. Even though I regularly show him pictures of writers offices that are cluttered with paper, files, and stuff I know that a unorganized work space makes me less productive. So my 7 rules of de-cluttering will have to kick in.

1. Take a look at flylady. My cousin introduced me to this site and it's full of great information on how to start the de-cluttering process and keep at it fifteen minutes everyday. Warning this information can make you more productive and organized.

2. Don't take any more misc. papers. Sure, you need information you're a writer but if you still haven't accessed the info in the last five years, you're unlikely to still be interested in writing an article about it. Plus, the internet is your paper-free info zone.

3. Attack your file cabinet. Take everything out, place in large box, now only put back information you truly need to keep. You might want to talk to your accountant first when dealing with financial stuff.

4. Scan your writing clips and throw out the original.Make a back up file.

5. Organize your virtual desktop. Make folders for your work and back up the files to a CD. For example I put all my poetry ready for publication in one folder, short stories in another, submission tracker in another, you get the idea so when I'm looking for files they are easy to access.

6. Purchase a shredder and use it. If the junk mail is taking over. Make a habit of dealing with your mail on a daily basis.

7. Donate books, software, magazines you no longer need or haven't used in the past year.

Today, take a look around your work space...are they any clean surfaces or is your desk full of distractions? Spend fifteen minutes today getting rid of your distractions and make a plan for a clutter-free office for 2008. I'd love to know your de-cluttering secrets to add to my list.Now get back to work!


Lovingly de-cluttering,
The Writing Nag

The Never-Ending Short

I asked Ring Lardner the other day how he writes his short stories, and he said he wrote a few widely separated words or phrases on a piece of paper and then went back and filled in the spaces. ~Harold Ross

Yesterday, during my interview I was talking about my love of short stories and my somewhat new love of poetry. Since I started writing poetry with intent to publish, I rarely if ever write short stories anymore. The interviewer asked if I might want to explore that, why do I find poetry so much easier? Well for one there's a definite ending in my mind. My short story that has been published is still not finished. I think about editing it, rewriting it, changing the characters and the ending often. When I finish a poem it's done. There is a finality about poetry that I haven't found with shorts. Many shorts seem to linger on indefinitely, or at least mine do.

I don't know if this quote is "tongue-in-cheek" but it would make a good writing exercise so today maybe give it a try. Pick your favorite words or phrases and scatter them in no particular order on the page. Then go back and fill in the spaces. Aim for 250-300 words. If that sounds too daunting try it with poetry. Fill in the blanks. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Scratch Any Way You Can

When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen. But if you have not a pen, I suppose you must scratch any way you can. ~Samuel Lover, Handy Andy, 1842

My interview went well, one step closer to going back to school after a LONG absence. Kind of scary, but mostly exciting. I'm still reading Carolyn See's book and loving it. She has a warm, conversational style and it's very funny. So if you haven't read it it's worth a read. In the book she talks about keeping your writing life secret because no one wants to hear about your life as a writer. I could really relate to this, I think that's why I like blogging, I can write about my favorite topic and only the people who are interested in writing are reading it. I don't have to worry about boring my friends and family as I drone on about how much I love writing.

How do you scratch your writing itch?


Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

College Interview

My phone interview is in 10 minutes, I'm so nervous I can't blog.

Pretending You're A Writer

"1. A thousand words a day--or two hours of revision--five days a week for the rest of your life". Carolyn See


It's time to come clean, I love writing craft books I have a lot of them...so many that at least fifty are boxed up in the cellar because I don't have room in my office for any more. So when I told my husband I was going to Barnes and Noble for a art magazine, that wasn't the whole truth... I had to go check the writing/publishing section. Yes, it's a bit of an addiction but when I saw that Anne Lamott blurbed the cover of this book Making a Literary Life I had to get it. It's not a new book, it was published in 2002 but it's FULL of practical, inspirational words.

The quote at the top is rule #1 in Carolyn See's book. She has 9. Another rule is Pretend you're a writer. Maybe you already think you are, but a lot of beginning writers don't. If you were a writer where would you go, what would you do everyday. In others words "fake it until you make it". Good advice. When I was starting out in the chef world (self-taught) I had a lot of opportunity to test this theory. I couldn't let my fellow chefs see that I had a lot less experience than they did. So I did what I thought chefs did. I hung out with chefs after work, I watched them work, I took classes, I practiced every day and I read, read and read about chefs, cooking and restaurants. And it worked, I became the chef that the newbies came to for help. I'm proud to say that many of these newbies became quite successful chefs. I pretended I was an experienced chef and by doing so I became an experienced chef. Voila!

Seems easy, doesn't it.

Today, think about what a writer would do on a given day. Well # 1 they would write, because if you are a writer and you don't write, I got nothing for you. Remember 2008, is no excuses. That means I spend 2 hours a night watching bad t.v. because I'm procrastinating writing doesn't work. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

New Years Day-U2

7 Reasons 2008 Will Be Different

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce



I stayed up just long enough to see the fireworks at midnight. This year it was clear and cold and simultaneously I could see fireworks from Pikes Peak and the Broadmoor. Beautiful.

Why will 2008 be different for you as a writer?

1. I will write every day.
2. I will take myself seriously as a writer by improving my craft.
3. I will see rejections as stepping stones to publications.
4. I will submit work only when it is ready for publication and be professional.
5. I will not take criticism personally but use it for improvement.
6. I will look for opportunities by continuing my education as a writer.
7. I will finish writing projects I start.

No more excuses. 2008, The Year of the published, paid writer.

Happy New Year! Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

Lentils are traditionally eaten on New Year's Day because they resemble little coins. Wishing you health, prosperity and peace in 2008.