tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140162382024-03-12T22:53:23.362-05:00C. Hope ClarkFrom the author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series and editor of FundsforWriters.com. <br>
Writing can be such a sweet life, once we decide to make it so.Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.comBlogger620125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-91569265342659784922014-04-25T12:55:00.002-05:002014-04-25T12:55:55.630-05:00The Awecome Cape of Authorpreneurship (Podcast #13)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/146437477&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
-or-
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/the-awesome-cape-of">https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/the-awesome-cape-of</a>
<br />
<br />
After a hectic two weeks of two conferences, 2500 miles of car travel, and intense demand to be on my game in crowds, I sat down to decompress, review my notes, digest the business cards collected, and write about the new revelations I've had about being an authorpreneur. <br />
<br />
Authorpreneurship was the title of my panel at <a href="http://www.pubsmartcon.com/" target="_blank"><strong>PubSmart Con</strong></a> in Charleston, South Carolina. Cute name, and there was a degree of humor cast about regarding the made-up moniker for a writer earning a living, but I rather liked it. As a preacher of common sense, let's-earn-money-at-this-stuff, and a bootstrap mentality, I thought they pegged me pretty close to right in terms of what I could contribute to the conference. The panel went fabulously well for my having only about 15 minutes of talk time. <br />
<br />
But something happened by the last night of the event I never expected. <br />
<br />
Almost like a revival moment. Amazingly coincidental for Easter week. <br />
<br />
I had a complete cathartic awareness about my abilities as an author and my capability to make a dollar using those abilities. In fact, I've never been as excited about being a writer in my entire writing life. I get a chill as I write this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c9Aujt1NiMk/U1qJ1nNY_YI/AAAAAAAABBI/8sfntIipEsk/s1600/PubSmart_150x300.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c9Aujt1NiMk/U1qJ1nNY_YI/AAAAAAAABBI/8sfntIipEsk/s1600/PubSmart_150x300.gif" /></a></div>
The conference addressed self-publishing in a professional manner unlike anything I'd ever seen , and nailed its credibility by bringing in names like <strong><a href="http://www.hughhowey.com/" target="_blank">Hugh Howey</a></strong>, <a href="http://janefriedman.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Jane Friedman</strong></a>, <strong><a href="http://cjlyons.net/" target="_blank">CJ Lyons</a></strong>, and <a href="http://porteranderson.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Porter Anderson</strong></a>. They cracked that self-pub egg wide open, letting it run into every session, allowing freedom of speech about how self-publishing isn't what you settle for, but instead, insert proactively into your writing toolbox. After all, who can't stand in awe of the self-publishing prowess of Hugh Howey and CJ Lyons? I came away with a much higher respect for self-publishing, but more importantly, I came away with an urgent sense of motivation.<br />
<br />
We all know that writing a good story is key. That's why I tire of conferences that focus on craft and gloss over the business when it takes way more than a weekend conference to improve your writing talent. Writing well is a given. It takes discipline and investment of time. But marketing, organization and branding isn't as organic, and they are faster paced lessons than learning how to master POV or character development. <br />
<br />
<em>Ok, ok, but what did you learn, Hope</em>?<br />
<br />
1) Focus. <br />
<br />
The Internet screams with options, and all too often we freeze with indecision because of too many choices. We have to learn focus, to tune out the noise of this best practice, or that best practice. Too many writers read and read and read about what's the best way to write, publish and promote in hope that they'll have a lightning moment that clearly points them to what's right for their situation. And they read for months, if not years, when they ought to decide what the heck it is they want to write. Life is too precious to stumble around indefinitely, as we wait for someone else to tell us what to do.<br />
<br />
2) Dedication.<br />
<br />
The very successful authors make life changes. Hugh Howey downsized his life and committed to two years of writing to see if he could cut it. He immersed himself in the effort. CJ Lyons decided writers wanted more stories from her than social media chatter. She wrote 8 books before she earned enough to call it making a living so she's learned that every spare moment of hers must be spent on writing a story. Since traditional publishing moved too slowly for their tastes, they self-pubbed. Their goals were to write more and promote less, remaining dedicated to their craft. Note, however, that writing also meant publishing. They are prolific as a result of this dedication, writing more books than you or I probably think we can handle. Why can't we handle it, though?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af318/BuildingEngines/Blog/Checklist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/af318/BuildingEngines/Blog/Checklist.jpg" height="200" width="115" /></a></div>
3) Simplification.<br />
<br />
With dedication and focus comes a massive degree of simplification. Streamlining. We tend to get strung out in all directions, and in that tug-of-war, we lose sight of our focus, and our dedication slips out of our grasp. Say no to requests. Say no to what's not important. Even say no to some important things because your writing goal is <em>more</em> important. But simplification allows you keep your eye on the ball. For instance, I'm looking at altering my blogging to something simpler. I intend to keep just two newsletters from now on: FundsforWriters and TOTAL FundsforWriters. Small Markets and WritingKid are being moth-balled. I'll focus on Facebook and Twitter, but back off of Pinterest. I'll reign in my freelancing. All of these changes are in the name of simplification, and commitment to more time writing chapters.<br />
<br />
4) Daily Commitment. <br />
<br />
I've never been a NaNoWriMo fan because I felt I was too overwhelmed in multiple directions to write that fast. However, what NaNoWriMo does do is make you commit to daily writing to reach 50,000 words in a month. In hindsight, when I'm under deadline, I can write as many words as I need to write. I heard Southern novelist <strong><a href="http://karen-white.com/" target="_blank">Karen White</a></strong> speak a few weeks ago, and someone in the audience asked her how long it takes to write a book. Her answer: "Depends on when my next deadline is." She's cranked out a book in four months. How? She relocated to the beach, or another room, or another town, and she wrote hard sun-up to sundown, even forgetting to bathe or eat. <br />
<br />
At dinner in Charleston, a professional in the business asked me how many words per day I could write. I reached back to when I had deadlines and realized the number was 2,500 to 3,000 words. I've done it innumerable times without much sacrifice. My answer surprised myself. Why did I wait until deadlines to write such a word count? What's wrong with making it routine, like Howey and Lyons?<br />
<br />
Throughout the conference, I stepped outside of myself, analyzing what might be considered wasted effort, studying what could change in my routine to improve my writing prolificness (yes, that's a word - I looked it up). As a hybrid author already, I pondered all my writing and publishing options. As an authorpreneur, I sifted through my day-to-day accomplishments and began culling.<br />
<br />
As if Fate were guiding my hand, when I arrived home on Friday, I had <strong><a href="http://goinswriter.com/feeling-failure/" target="_blank">Jeff Goins' blog</a></strong> in my inbox. <a href="http://goinswriter.com/feeling-failure/" target="_blank"><strong>Three Keys to Keep You From Feeling Like a Failure at the End of the Day</strong></a>. While I don't feel like a failure, I wanted to feel like more of a success, so I read the post with eagerness. As a minimum, I wanted to see if my readers could glean motivation from it. <br />
<br />
OMG. As if a higher power wanted to endorse my thought processes, the piece did nothing but anchor my thoughts as being spot-on in the right direction. <br />
<br />
1) You have to be definitive. <br />
<br />
Busy work might feel good for a while, but when you have nothing to show for it in the end, you eventually feel despondent. It's why so many writers quit. Define your goal(s). What do you hope to accomplish? It's not just the outcome that matters, either. It's the process in getting there.<br />
<br />
2) You have to be specific.<br />
<br />
If you don't pinpoint what success is for you, you'll never feel satisfied or productive. If your goal is to write more, you can't tell what success is since there's no measure assigned to it. This type goal will make you dissatisfied with your writing journey. A first draft in three months? Two thousand words a day? That's more like it. Just saying you'll write a book this year without the details of when, why and how means you're probably sabotaging yourself because you can't sense your progress until you've reached December 31 and see you've failed. <br />
<br />
3) You have to be realistic. <br />
<br />
If you can write 2,000 words a day under a deadline, why can't you write that five days a week? That's 10,000 words a week, which means you can't skip days then play catch-up. If five days are impossible, set four. We feel energized at the beginning of our new-found plan but that enthusiasm will wane. It's human nature. That's why your goals must be realistic. Challenging, but realistic. Stretch . . . don't break.<br />
<br />
Now maybe you see why I felt simplification was a necessary part of my plan. If we have three key missions in our day, we have a keen understanding of our obligation. Instead of having a to-do list of twelve items, keep it at three. With too many, we tend to lapse into doing some of the smaller, easier tasks to feel more accomplished as we check off more items. Then before we know it, the day is gone and we've piddled it away. Trust me, I can preach this sermon. <br />
<br />
I'm streamlining. I'm defining. I'm simplifying. <br />
<br />
And it has me giddy with what I see as potential to step up my game. My husband listened to me prattle on over the phone while I was still out of town. "I wish I was twenty years younger," I said. "So I could have more time to do everything I want to do."<br />
<br />
He chuckled. "The point is to have fun and enjoy yourself," he said. "And it sounds like you're doing that."<br />
<br />
Yes, I'm already having fun. What I want, and what you probably want, is to enjoy being acutely aware of your potential . . . then modify your life to enable you to graze your maximum potential . . . and see just what it is you are really capable of. Now that's really fun.<br />
<br />
<em>(If you are reading this on Blogger, this is the last post on Blogger as I streamline. I'm moving all my blogging to my website at </em><a href="http://www.chopeclark.com/"><em>www.chopeclark.com</em></a><em>. Come on over and sign up. I want to keep you on board.)</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-3827014423016368282014-03-14T13:06:00.001-05:002014-03-14T13:07:39.276-05:00"Trying" to Self-Publish (Podcast #12)<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/139577140&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
OR<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/trying-to-self-publish">https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/trying-to-self-publish</a><br />
<br />
Saw this phrase twice recently, on two different blogs. "<em>Trying to self publish</em>."<br />
<br />
Those words irritate me like fingernails on a chalk board, fork tines on china, grinding teeth. You get the point. But probably not in the manner I mean . . . the manner I want to hammer home. And I love to hammer home points. <br />
<br />
People are entitled to self-publish. Of course they are. I've self-published. I'm a hybrid with my nonfiction being self-published (<a href="http://chopeclark.com/shy-writer-reborn/" target="_blank"><strong>The Shy Writer Reborn</strong></a>) and my fiction traditionally published (<a href="http://www.chopeclark.com/" target="_blank"><strong>The Carolina Slade Mystery Series</strong></a>), and if Carolina Slade ever gets dropped by my publisher, I'll self-publish her. It's nice to know I have that option.<br />
<br />
But I'll tell you one thing . . . I won't TRY to self-publish her. I'll go out there, jump in with both feet and damn well DO it. What's with this<em> trying</em> business?<br />
<br />
I grasp TRYING to traditionally publish, because there are so many gatekeepers who have to give you that magical nod for it to happen. You TRY because someone else opens the door for you. If they don't open the door, you don't publish, at least with them. Okay, makes sense.<br />
<br />
But you don't TRY to self publish. I didn't TRY squat when I self-published. I made up my mind to self-pub and did it. It's like being pregnant. You are or you aren't. You self-pub or you don't. <br />
<br />
I think because we have options with self-publishing, you know, without all the gatekeepers telling us what we can do, we call it trying. But when I looked up TRYING in the dictionary, the crankier I got at those who say they TRY to self-publish.<br />
<br />
TRY:<br />
1) to make an effort to do something : to attempt to accomplish or complete something.<br />
2) to do or use (something) in order to see if it works or will be successful.<br />
3) to do or use (something) in order to find out if you like it.<br />
That's straight out of Merriam-Webster, honey. <br />
<br />
In <a href="http://www.chopeclark.com/the-shy-writer-reborn" target="_blank"><strong>The Shy Writer Reborn</strong></a>, I harp on removing words like BUT, ONLY, NOT, NEVER and JUST from your vocabulary when speaking of your writing abilities and efforts. It's self-deprecating.<br />
<br />
From The Shy Writer Reborn, page 41:<br />
<br />
"<em>Ever catch yourself studying someone successful, not necessarily rich and powerful, but someone maybe only a few notches above your common quest. In seconds, you allow a sense of discouragement to drape over your shoulders, oppressing you with the idea you can't be that good.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>You see a family's portrait, love their captured laughter, then hate the fact you are no longer close to your sister. You bite into a cake made in heaven and kick yourself for stopping at the bakery instead of making your pie from scratch. You read a published book in your genre, in a setting you've used, possibly centered around a character not too far distant from your own, and you curse about being too inept a writer to do as well as that author.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>We hobble ourselves so that others can't point fingers first. If we know we are less than stellar, nobody can surprise us with accusations. It's a way of protecting ourselves from rejection</em>." <br />
<br />
I'd like to add the word TRY to that list of words that hold us back. Avoid disclaimer words. <br />
<br />
People gravitate to confident people. They don't want to be around people who are TRYING to be good. They want to be around good people. They don't want to read books from people who TRIED self-publishing. They want to be around those who confidently published their book.<br />
<br />
A favorite saying of mine is simply this: OWN WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO. Pick your path then strike out without looking back. Stomp that trail. March to your drummer. Sling your writing into the bright sunshine using all the power and talent you have. Sling it hard. You want the world to read every word. This work is your legacy.<br />
<br />
You don't try to publish...you publish. <br />
You don't try to write well...you write well.<br />
You don't try to promote your work...you promote your work.<br />
<br />
If you think you've written and edited something worth publishing . . . <br />
If you think you're ready to see your work in print . . . <br />
If you think you're ready to sell your work with confidence, then do it.<br />
<br />
Do it loud, hard, with passion. Be not afraid to let the human race know what you've done. <br />
<br />
The minute you say you are TRYING to do something, I hear hesitation and self-doubt as do agents, readers, publishers, editors, and more. I'm telling you, owning who you are and what you do is powerful, and more than a few people will look twice at you, wanting a taste of that you're drinking, because whatever it is, it makes you appear more alive than they are.<br />
<br />
You can TRY or you can DO. Readers can tell the difference.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-88621650715912171322014-01-25T15:46:00.001-05:002014-01-25T15:46:05.398-05:00How the Shy Writer Copes When She Hits a Wall (Podcast #11)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F131354042&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
OR
<br />
<a href="http://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/how-the-shy-writer-copes-when">http://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/how-the-shy-writer-copes-when</a>
<br />
<br />
When I speak at events, people tell me they can't believe I'm an introverted person. That's not to say I can't become a Mama Tiger when it comes to my family, or a real BE-ATCH when someone's wronged me or mine. But for the most part, I avoid throngs of people. Throngs meaning as few as four, sometimes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd473/LilyLeSangFleur/images5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd473/LilyLeSangFleur/images5.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
I also avoid events that require interaction as in role playing. Oh my gosh, if I see anything that requires me to step up and adlib, or pretend, or act a character, I might have nightmares before and after. I'm a grown up now, and grown ups can pick and choose their activities. I WILL NOT ROLE PLAY. That's almost throwing up time. I've done it, and felt too damn miserable before, during and after.<br />
<br />
That also includes those situations where an audience of writers may be asked to write for ten minutes then share their work with the class. Say what? My first drafts suck like buttermilk through a straw--that means<em> really</em> sucks in Southernese. And then you want me to stand there and take criticism for it? Like, what planet are you on?<br />
<br />
Or those moments where the instructor or moderator sets the group into teams. Don't ask me why, but team building exercises make me awkward as heck, too.<br />
<br />
I can speak, when the need arises. I can adlib, if I'm backed into a corner. I can even be funny sometimes, but trust me, that's the nerves talking. But my point is I want to pick and choose the situations I enter. I've reached that stage in my life where I don't want to be embarrassed or awkward or uncomfortable--not without entering the situation completely prepared, in which case, I lesson my chances of being embarrassed, awkward or uncomfortable. <br />
<br />
I've been speaking for over a decade now to writers. I spoke at government functions before that. Not a single one came easy. Yes, I am introverted, and I don't see me losing that character trait any time soon. No more than I'll change my eye color or the size of my feet. It's in our genes. We can shift with it, around it, and tend to it, but it does not disappear. Because just when we think we've "got this," a situation will come along and remind us that we are introverted. <br />
<br />
I promise there is a point here. Today was one of those days that made me ponder: do I compromise my desire to avoid a throng, or do I sign up and barge into it because the results may be worth the discomfort. God, this type of decision makes me feel like I'm thirteen all over again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/wp-content/themes/wpa-2012/images/WPA_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/wp-content/themes/wpa-2012/images/WPA_Logo.png" /></a></div>
Nothing makes me cozier than staying home. Just writing, or feeding chickens, or watching <em>Elementary </em>or <em>Blacklist</em> with hubby over a cup of coffee and doxies in my fleece-covered lap. Then today, as I read over my obscene daily list of emails, the announcement came that the <strong><a href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/" target="_blank">Writers Police Academy</a></strong> was opening up to signees on Sunday, January 26, at noon. <br />
<br />
So what, right?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/SINC-round-member-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/SINC-round-member-2013.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>Well, first, they fill up fast, and mystery writers think this three-day event is nothing short of phenomenal. My author peers, and my fellow <a href="http://www.sistersincrime.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Sisters in Crime</strong></a>, have either gone, plan to go, or hope to go next year. It's like a right of passage to many to be able to write a technically-sound mystery or suspense story. For three years I've watched the sign-up open....then close. Each time deciding not to attend. I went to the website, read the proposed schedule for this year's event, and told myself I'd think about it. <br />
<br />
No doubt about it, the classes are intriguing. There are police ride-alongs, jail tours, and a tad of firearms handling. Cyber crime, dead body disposal, undercover facts, evidence handling, microbial forensics, fingerprinting, special ops, exotic crimes, why good cops go bad, romance in the cop environment, and on and on. A groupie's dream. A mystery author's treasure trove of information. <br />
<br />
Then I decided not to go.<br />
<br />
The event features every aspect of law enforcement. Michael Connelly and Lisa Gardner are guests of honor. Seriously! That's like crack for someone who loves mystery and suspense like I do. <br />
<br />
But I'm still not going. <br />
<br />
You extroverts out there are probably going: <em>What? Why? What's holding you back? Look at what you're missing!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
You introverts out there are probably thinking you understand where I'm coming from. <br />
<br />
I'm lucky enough to be married to a federal agent, retired. He has friends still in law enforcement. I have two stepsons in law enforcement and a son with US Coast Guard enforcement. I'm having lunch with a state law enforcement forensics agent this week, and we'll swap books and knowledge. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgI90pDJFZM/UYWpcZlKQLI/AAAAAAAAAdo/ZWZBf-dbWI0/s1600/ShyWriter-bookcvr-mdm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgI90pDJFZM/UYWpcZlKQLI/AAAAAAAAAdo/ZWZBf-dbWI0/s1600/ShyWriter-bookcvr-mdm.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
I'm more comfortable one-on-one, maybe having a drink, chatting up people without having to be ill at ease. This is what I talk about in <em><strong><a href="http://chopeclark.com/shy-writer-reborn/" target="_blank">The Shy Writer Reborn</a></strong></em>. We can still be writers, in my case a mystery author, and still be accomplished without serious compromise of who we are. <br />
<br />
Reading about the <strong><a href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/" target="_blank">Writers Police Academy</a></strong> (I spent a long time studying the site in contemplation) made me test myself. I almost decided to sign up. Then I asked myself if there was a way I could obtain my information without the stress. So I decided to make contact with individuals with specific information I needed (or use hubby to make the connection) and take a more low-key approach to doing my research. <br />
<br />
That's how you stay true to who you are as an introvert. You find alternatives if the one before you will disturb you. <br />
<br />
Now, I could've also considered other choices. I could've looked for a writing friend willing to attend with me. I could go and avoid the classes that involve teams and active participation or role playing. I could take an online class, or sign up for classes at my local community college. Being in the state capital, I could interview officers at the local, county, state and federal levels, even creating a few freelance articles from the effort. <br />
<br />
Guess this is a long message for such a short lesson. If, when presented with an awkward situation, you feel uncomfortable as a shy individual, rather than freeze or run away . . . consider your options. There are always options. And you are not right or wrong in making the choice you make. <br />
<br />
With <a href="http://chopeclark.com/shy-writer-reborn/" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Shy Writer Reborn</em></strong></a>, I try to tell people they are writers to sell their words, not their souls. The best writers in the world, those who readers appreciate the most, are usually the most genuine. Life is short. Travel the route that makes you a better person who enjoys living his or her life. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg195/ThePhantomMan/All-Thumbs-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg195/ThePhantomMan/All-Thumbs-Up.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></div>
Now . . . before I sign off here, I want to leave you with the most positive of positive kudos for this event. I can honestly tell you that the <a data-mce-href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/" href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Writers Police Academy</strong></a> is awesome per the people I know who've attended. How can it not be? The instructors presenting are off-the-chart impressive. They limit attendance to 200 people, and if you are a member of <a data-mce-href="http://www.sistersincrime.org/" href="http://www.sistersincrime.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Sisters in Crime</strong></a>, you get in for a reduced fee of $135. That's insanely reasonable for three whole days (two half days and two whole days). It takes place in Jamestown, NC, September 4-7, 2014. As I stated, sign-up starts Sunday at noon Eastern Time and the slots will go fast. Founder Lee Lofland, with tremendous credentials of his own, has outdone himself with this event, and it improves each and every year. A hundred percent thumbs up.<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-29198947548693240232013-12-31T01:00:00.000-05:002013-12-31T01:00:08.804-05:00Keep the Fire Burning (Guest Post by Laura Lee Perkins)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<i>NOTE: I'm starting the brand new year with a post that warmed my heart. Laura Lee Perkins sent this to me during her recent writing retreat that she won after finding it in FundsforWriters. We struck up a conversation, with me congratulating her big time, she commenced to telling me what FundsforWriters has done for her. I was in awe of this woman. As a result, I asked her to pen her thoughts into a piece for my blog. THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT! Bless you all, and </i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><i>I hope this piece lights a fire under you for 2014. </i></b><span style="color: black;">I know it made me awful thankful.</span><b><i> </i></b></span><span style="color: black;"><b><i>~HOPE</i></b></span><br />
<i></i><br />
<i><b>In Gratitude -</b></i><br />
<i><b>by Laura Lee Perkins</b></i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/L/A/H/w/I/X/fire-md.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/L/A/H/w/I/X/fire-md.png" width="183" /></a></div>
<b>Keep the Fire Burning</b><br />
<b></b><br />
I love to write. Whenever life gets really good or really bad, I have to write. Writing is how I deal with joy and with sorrow. I imagine that many of you are the same: the highs and lows of life are processed through written words.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it is a long time between the burning desire to see my work in print and having that actually happen. Sometimes, with some pieces, it never happens. Some days I feel filled with hope and anticipation, maybe after entering a lucrative contest with what I think is one of my very best pieces. And then I wait and wait and wait, while I continue writing. The silence can feel deafening as it smothers me with nothing „Ÿ much like a mistress waiting for the phone to ring to inform her that her lover's wife has died! It just isn't going to happen.<br />
<br />
C. Hope Clark entered my life just when I had decided to make a 10-year commitment to improving my writing output by entering even more contests, applying for more grants and submitting more applications for artist-in-residencies. That was more than 10 years ago, but C. Hope Clark still sits on my desktop every single day. Whenever I need to remember that I am not alone in this writing struggle, when I feel like bursting into tears after another rejection, or when I simply cannot stand my office space and feel like I'm going to scream, I open the 25-30 page document that I have created titled "HOPE" and my world is transformed from despair into opportunity with one simple click. <br />
<br />
Here I find every snippet of fodder that I have carefully cut and pasted from C. Hope Clark's weekly Funds for Writers email to feed my hunger for publication. After doing this for several years, adding on each announcement that looked appealing, this document was pretty messy. <br />
<br />
One day when I needed encouragement, I thought that I would divide the many opportunities into categories, which meant more cutting and pasting. Finally the document was organized into: Book Publishers, Magazines, Grants, Jobs, Artist-in-Residencies, Workshops/Classes and Wisdom perhaps the most important section because it included tips for remaining sane while striving for success. Within each category some items appealed to me more than others, so bold and italics and underline entered the document. Deadlines passed and things had to be deleted or "un-prioritized" until the next year's deadline was announced. I started sending out more of my writings, so I added a Submissions category where everything had to be carefully documented: fee paid, date, title and word count for each entry. Then I quickly discovered that I needed a Rejected category which would include any comments offered in the rejection email or letter (if there even was a notification). <br />
<br />
And then a hallelujiah light went on in my "HOPE" file, and I added a YES/Accepted category. I made a list of my successes, however small they might be. The list began to grow and I began to understand the aspect of practicing, practicing, practicing our craft...perhaps much longer than I wanted. Writing is not a goal„ writing is a process. It isn't like baking a loaf of bread which immediately rises, gets baked and brings joy through eating.<br />
<br />
Every week I carefully cut and pasted anything that looked like it might be a chance for me to be published or to grow professionally. I began to ask for opinions, joined a writer's group and began to speak in public more and more often. But I always kept the "HOPE" file updated every week. I never missed. I would sit at my computer late on Friday afternoon, waiting for the email to arrive. Anticipation was my middle name, and gradually I learned to keep that document open on other days besides just Friday. It added more kindling to my inner burning desire to write. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lauraleeperkinsauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Perkins_LightingPassion_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lauraleeperkinsauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Perkins_LightingPassion_lg.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
More than a decade has gone by and I have received ten grants. The first and second ones were $10,000 each and came just a year apart. Those jump-started my grant applications! I came in 3rd in the Writers' Digest Inspirational category, and I missed the deadline for collecting my prize check because I was off traveling in Europe and thought the announcement email was an "ad" and deleted it several times. That made me feel really stupid. I've self-published five books (with sales of 5,000) and had one published by Focus on Excellence. I've completed four Artist-in-Residencies for the U.S. National Parks and am just completing a fifth one for the <a href="http://turkeylandcovefoundation.com/" target="_blank"><b>Turkeyland Cove Foundation</b></a> on Martha's Vineyard, where I am writing this. I have published 150+ articles in my areas of specialization (music/education/spiritual development) and last month my book <i><a href="http://lauraleeperkinsauthor.com/" target="_blank"><b>Lighting Your Spiritual Passion</b></a></i> was published by <a href="http://www.maineauthorspublishing.com/" target="_blank"><b>Maine Authors Publishing</b></a>. When it appeared on Amazon in Kindle, then in paperback and finally on Smashwords sites, I cried for joy. Those 160 pages were edited and rewritten more times than I dare to admit, but I knew that the only way I could be sure of failure was if I stopped trying. The first newspaper article about the book's release ran yesterday in the <a href="http://www.sunjournal.com/news/encore/2013/12/18/maine-author-releases-lighting-your-spiritual-pass/1465587#" target="_blank"><b>Sun Journal</b></a> based in Lewiston, Maine (pop. 30,000) and 423 people "liked" it on Facebook the first day! <br />
<br />
Remain determined, committed, and willing to grow in ways that might feel horribly uncomfortable at times. Learn to be able to look at yourself with humor and understand that writers have to be passionate folks who are willing to make big sacrifices in order to keep on writing. The words flow in our veins and arteries...and the heart beats the "drum of life" to keep us dancing, moving forward. We always hear, "Don't take things personally." Writers have to take things personally if we are going to improve. Learn to take a deep breath and leap. It is worse to remain frozen in fear. Writing forces growth.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lauraleeperkinsauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/lauraperkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lauraleeperkinsauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/lauraperkins.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
I take Hope's email very seriously, every week. When it has been late arriving (a few times), dinner is delayed. It is that important. I reduce the font size down to 9 so that I can get more opportunities on one page and create a page view with the widest margins my computer will allow. And I have developed my own style of shorthand so that each opportunity can be reduced down to just two lines if at all possible. Why? Because I learned that once the document is over 25 pages long, it felt too cumbersome to peruse for the next opportunity. Some weeks I only do one category for the week, but about once a month I save an afternoon (usually Friday while I'm waiting for her newest email to arrive) and I read through the entire document, slowly and carefully. I use text colors to make things pop visually, and then, for the best opportunities, I add highlighting. Now I have bold, italics, bold-italics, colored text, underlines, a variety of font styles and highlighting. Then I am ready to choose what's next in my writer's "wish list".<br />
<br />
Every time I travel, I take along a double sided one page document that has the most appealing and/or impending deadlines. I carry it in my purse and I read and reread those little two-liner opportunities. On airplanes I have noticed seat mates glancing at my multi-colored two-sided page. These are times to dream, when I am on public transportation, out of my office and "in motion." I memorize the opportunities, wait until I am internally prompted and then I sketch out my thoughts about how to apply. I allow those thoughts to ferment in my mind and soul while I am out of my familiar office, and by the time I return home I am ready to begin the next application. Writers are never alone because we are always accompanied by the sacred feeling of choosing words to offer to the world. Writing takes courage and imagination, but marketing takes guts and stamina. Happy Writing!<br />
<br />
Laura Lee Perkins<br />
<a href="http://www.lauraleeperkinsauthor.com/" target="_blank">www.LauraLeePerkinsAuthor.com</a> <br />
<a href="mailto:spiritualquest@earthlink.net">spiritualquest@earthlink.net</a> </div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-74851601811160107212013-12-18T14:42:00.000-05:002013-12-27T20:26:47.668-05:00Why Writers Write - an end of the year message (Podcast #10)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/125462261&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
Or listen at: <b><a href="https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/why-writers-write-podcast-10">https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/why-writers-write-podcast-10</a></b>
<br />
<br />
After watching my daily dose of <b><a href="http://www.godvine.com/" target="_blank">Godvine</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.upworthy.com/" target="_blank">Upworthy</a></b>, uplifting quick videos of the good things about mankind, I suddenly felt the need to be expressive about the meaning of life . . . from the eyes of a writer. Especially at this time of year when we're all reflective and contemplative about our purpose on this earth.<br />
<br />
Voracious readers appreciate writers. Occasionally a writer publishes such a phenomenal tome that most people appreciate him, or at least his work. But I dare say that most readers do not understand writers.<br />
<br />
I have friends who love to read, and thank goodness they read my books, but they marvel at my putting that many words together in the right order to tell a good story.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/ae331/dsmeek36/writer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/ae331/dsmeek36/writer.jpg" /></a></div>
"How do you do it?"<br />
"I can't imagine thinking that hard."<br />
"The effort boggles my mind."<br />
"Where do you get your ideas?"<br />
<br />
I have no idea how I do it. I just do, because I want to. I love the satisfaction of thinking hard. The effort boggles my mind, too. And I have no idea where my ideas come from.<br />
<br />
I tell them it is NOT easy, and they nod, saying they completely understand, bless their hearts. But they don't.<br />
<br />
Because understanding why a writer writes is to get inside his head and set up camp, feed off his mind, drink from his heart, and thrive off his energy. Nobody can do that. <br />
<br />
I'm not here to bash people for being ignorant of the writer's plight. The world is full of plights. Every human being has plights, some of which I'll never grasp. Writing is one of mine, and frankly, it helps me weather the other plights on my list. If I didn't write, I would not cope as well with family, politics, crime, religion, friendship, or health. There's something about slowing down to dissect words on a page that makes me also slow down and dissect life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt132/Nuvolari_photos/sun9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt132/Nuvolari_photos/sun9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Writing gives me permission to appreciate myself.To understand myself.<br />
<br />
Writing gives me the means to become part of humanity, in a manner that nourishes me best.<br />
<br />
Writing is about connecting with the human condition, so that I better appreciate people.<br />
<br />
My favorite writing is mystery. Others write scifi, romance, plays, poetry, each and every one of them stories about the human condition (even if they are aliens). Writers want to be an intrinsic part of life, but they feel best empowered to step into the fray through written words. They communicate more deeply by analyzing which word comes first, then second, then last.<br />
<br />
Words are more than connecting the stereotypical puzzle pieces.<br />
<br />
<b>Words are cells. </b>Each one, no matter how tiny, is key in creating the whole. They are alive, and if one is not useful, it weakens the others.Writers are healers. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad188/KiteNamizake/stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad188/KiteNamizake/stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Words are stars.</b> If one goes missing from the bright night sky, we may not immediately notice. But if a corner of the Big Dipper disappears, we lose a constellation. Writers are stargazers. Writers are universe builders.<br />
<br />
<b>Words are pixels.</b> Omitting a pixel from a portrait may not matter. Omit several, or insert the wrong ones, and you have mars on a masterpiece. Writers are artists. Writers are painters of life. <br />
<br />
<b>Words are leaves. </b>Well tended flora soothes the eye. It's lush, green, the epitome of health and a connection with God and Mother Nature. A leaf falls, or never grows at all. That's fine. But a bare limb jutting from amidst a luxurious cloud of green begs for pruning. Writers are gardeners. Writers are nurturers.<br />
<br />
<b>Words are children. </b>Their manners, their appearance, their attitude, their happiness are contingent upon their upbringing and surroundings. Parents fight to offer their offspring all the options to feed their growth for a more successful life. Writers are parents. Writers are caregivers.<br />
<br />
<b>Words are more important to writers than readers can imagine.</b> Millions of Scrabble pieces for the choosing, to make the right word, to earn the most points, to best use the opportunity at our grasp. To turn those plain letters into beautiful phrases. <br />
<br />
I like to think writers take the time to think before they leap, in order to get the leap right. I know how long and hard I struggle over a sentence. Then my critique groups tell me I don't quite get it right, so I struggle again. But it's not the hours invested that matter. It's the perfect click of the best words to make a sentence appear simple and easy that makes all the difference. That gives me satisfaction.<br />
<br />
Writing takes time. In this world of lightning fast communication, texting, no caps and no punctuation on messages abbreviated without vowels, the human condition never appears. The abbreviation of communication abbreviates the message and abbreviates the depth of the story. Quick, easy and brief removes humanity from the equation.<br />
<br />
What about short stories, flash fiction, poetry? They are short. They are brief. Oh my, if only I could write those. The intensity of short storytelling is even more profound, with writers painstakingly selecting each word for its true worth. Short isn't simpler. Tight isn't easier. It's only more precise, like driving a car down an alley instead of on the Interstate in the middle of the night with no traffic. You still get there, just with more attention to the method.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/meastman54/winding-road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/meastman54/winding-road.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I'm wandering all over the place, using the hell out of metaphors, still searching for the best compilation of words to tell you that words are my life. I still don't feel I'm showing you what drives me as a writer. What drives most writers.<br />
<br />
Why do I write?<br />
<br />
1) Writing makes me whole.<br />
2) I communicate better with ink than my voice (I wrote this before vocalizing it).<br />
3) Writing gets all the confusion, the characters, the scenes, and the dialogue out of my head. <br />
4) Good writing makes me feel smart. Bad writing makes me feel like an idiot.<br />
<br />
Writing puts me on the map of creation, if that makes sense. It allows me to dip into my soul and extract a piece of it for posterity unlike my thoughts or my speech. My thoughts are mine, confined in my head. My speech is fleeting, however profound it may be. But my written word has the potential to live on, and like my children, leave a piece of my life behind when I move on to the next world.<br />
<br />
Writing is not what I do for a dollar. It isn't what I do for fame. It's what makes me feel worthy as a human being as I try to share with the world how I think I fit in. <br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
I still haven’t given the craft its due purpose. But throughout the world,
millions of people are happy that writers do what they do, for whatever reasons
they do it. And writers are glad to write.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-6793808148196317912013-12-08T16:12:00.005-05:002013-12-08T17:43:17.934-05:00What You Deserve (Podcast #9)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/123880315&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
Or go to <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/what-you-deserve-podcast-9">https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/what-you-deserve-podcast-9</a><br />
<br />
What do you deserve? What are your rights? What is your guaranteed return on your investment when you write a book . . . when you read a book . . . when you live?<br />
<br />
Absolutely nothing . . . nilch . . . zero.<br />
<br />
And the ones who embrace life understanding this fact, are usually the ones who succeed.<br />
<br />
As a child, I decided that the harder I worked, the more likely I would succeed. Most of my life that concept worked well for me. But there came a time when I thought I did right, gave it my all, made proper decisions based upon ample research, and followed through as instructed . . . yet still fell short of success. A few events could be interpreted as abject failure.<br />
<br />
<b>Any writer knows that characters not getting what they deserved is a rich well for storytelling.</b><br />
<br />
I see undeserved repercussions happening to people everywhere, in all professions, in family situations, in personal choices, in the smallest of issues, in the most major of decisions.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it's as simple as reading a book blurb, laying down your hard-earned $15 or $20 for the book, then realizing the characters are two-dimensional, the protagonist curses too much for your liking, or the story never fulfills your desire for an entertaining read. <b>Did you deserve to be entertained? </b><br />
<br />
Maybe you hired a turnkey press to self-publish your book for you, paying for the promotional plan, the top tier cover design, the broader distribution to a dozen ebook resources. But the book sells forty-seven copies in six months.<b> Did you deserve to sell thousands of books?</b><br />
<br />
You were lucky enough to acquire a traditional publisher. Congratulations. But they start deciding the cover, the release date, the places where it will be reviewed, and they do not listen to all your suggestions. <b>Do you deserve to be heard? </b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/depressed" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="depressed photo: Depressed depression1_zps10947200.jpeg" border="0" height="150" src="http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/NessaMunroe/depression1_zps10947200.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
You married your high school sweetheart. You knew each other for a decade before tying the knot. A decade later, you realize the mistake and go your separate ways. <b>Did you deserve to be happy?</b><br />
<br />
You had two children. You financially, emotionally, physically and socially supported them. Yet one never calls, and another contacts you only for money. Or they move cross-country for you to see them only every two or three years. Or they drop out of school, not listening to your lessons learned, to your advice on how to avoid your mistakes. <b>Did you deserve to have a better family?</b><br />
<br />
Success is not a guarantee. Nor is happiness. To say you deserve something intangible is just not so. Of course if you pay for a tasty, well-served dinner in a nice restaurant, and the fork is dirty, the meat undercooked, or a fly lies belly-up in your salad, you deserve a refund. But if you expect the best dinner in the world, better than anything your palate has experienced, then no, you do not deserve it.<br />
<br />
<b>When it comes to the intangible, understand that there are no guarantees.</b><br />
<br />
The most successful do NOT fuss about what they deserve. They do not fret on Facebook about what they didn't get out of something. The successful study what happened, why they did not win, did not get entertained, did not make a buck, or did not achieve number one, and they change their path accordingly. They learn from what they did or didn't do, they choose what not to do again, and they decide what else to try.<br />
<br />
<b>The successful do not waste their time discussing failure. </b><br />
<br />
Of course you want to identify why failure occurred. You need to understand failure to know how to change course. If you read a sci-fi book by Author Jane Doe and couldn't read past Chapter Five, what do you do?<br />
<br />
1. Leave a horrible one-star review on Amazon?<br />
2. Rant on Facebook about that horrible author? <br />
3. Decide not to read Jane Doe's work again?<br />
4. Decide not to read sci-fi again?<br />
5. Decide not to read again?<br />
6. Hate books?<br />
<br />
Jane Doe wrote the best book she could write. She doesn't know you, but she sincerely hoped you would enjoy her story. She did not publish a book to alienate anyone (sci-fi pun there). She did not point at you and say, "<i>I'm writing and publishing this just to irritate you. I want to suck your $15 away from your pocket, sell you a bad book, and walk away sneering at how I scammed you</i>."<br />
<br />
So, I suggest that to best capitalize on your time and energies, you choose to not read Jane Doe again, or decide to look harder at Jane's work before buying it next time. Why do anything more than that? Why waste your energy?<br />
<br />
<br />
Many of my readers are struggling, mid-list and successful scribes themselves. They have the right to attempt to create and sell their work. It doesn't always happen. In fact, the odds are against them being successful. Those who try harder have a higher success rate. There's no doubting that. Those who study failure and construct new ways around it, have a higher success rate. Those who spend more time moving forward, and less time wallowing in anger and depression about not getting what they deserve, have a higher success rate.<br />
<br />
<b>You do not deserve a one hundred percent chance for happiness, entertainment and success. Don't you feel great knowing that? You should!</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Going into any choice knowing that you have a likelihood of not being happy on the other end, removes the burden of achieving perfection, which nobody needs to bear anyway. Once you embrace that knowledge, you can fail with dignity . . . and waste less time feeling shortchanged! <br />
<br />
For my writing friends, view these controversies from the angle of NOT deserving them.<br />
<br />
1. <b>You pitch an agent and don't receive a reply. </b>That agent is swamped with keeping her current clients happy. Acquiring new clients is not a major part of her duties. She might have to choose between hiring someone to answering query letters or saving the cost of that employee and using it instead to aid her clients. It's just a quick answer, you may argue. Well, five hundred quick answers per week takes hours. Would you like to read and reply to five hundred emails when it helps you in no way achieve your goals? <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm109/LilBuyPage/LGB1Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm109/LilBuyPage/LGB1Button.jpg" /></a></div>
2. <b>You ask readers to read your story, and nobody seems to care. </b>A fast reader covers a book a week. He has millions of books to choose from, thousands bombarding him daily. He has to balance his work and family as well as read books. So when your book is thrown into that maelstrom that is Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the indie revolution, he might not find it, might not like the cover, might not like the genre, might not like the blurb, might not like reading new authors. <br />
<br />
3.<b> You query twenty magazines and receive five rejections, while fifteen do not respond. </b>The magazine has one person who reviews queries. Yours comes in. It doesn't jump off the page to him or he knows another writer who can write this same subject and be trusted to meet deadline. Or he just bought a similar subject. Or he knows the readership isn't fond of this subject. Or your credentials don't excite him. What's to get mad about on your end?<br />
<br />
4. <b>You start a blog to create a platform, and nobody comments. </b>Do you know how many blogs are out there? I go through blogs like candy, and when I tire of one, I unsubscribe and seek new ones. I have no sense of loyalty to one that does not enlighten me. That's the blogging world. Its readers are fickle. Serious bloggers work darn hard at staying fresh. <br />
<br />
You can grump about what didn't work, fussing about what level of success you deserved because of the work you put into it. Or you can remain calm, even attempt to be happy, and realize whatever you chose did not work. That would mean that now you have a better idea of what will work. Right?<br />
<br />
<b>Quit worrying about what you deserve</b>.<br />
<br />
Instead, study what did NOT happen per your expectations, and take off in another direction, with a fresh, crisp plan in mind. All that energy wasted complaining, fighting depression, or debasing yourself, could be spent achieving the success you now know more about achieving.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyB0ElDfBEk/UqTLzvsiOLI/AAAAAAAAA1s/EMnWqxIOtEg/s1600/Hope+Tidewater+Magnet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyB0ElDfBEk/UqTLzvsiOLI/AAAAAAAAA1s/EMnWqxIOtEg/s200/Hope+Tidewater+Magnet.JPG" width="193" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa75/thompang/P6050015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<b>Be happy. </b><br />
<br />
I want you to realize that life is trial and error, with a lot of that error not always avoidable. We don't deserve anything, except satisfaction in how we live our lives and achieve our goals. And even with dozens of failures in your past, you can be the happiest person on the block, because you love the journey of living.<br />
<br />
Rather than holding back, regretting what you've done or what's been done to you, love moving forward, finding new ways to enjoy life. Spending your days trying to constantly improve is much more fun than hollering about what you deserve.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-78647145314800127832013-12-05T01:00:00.000-05:002013-12-05T01:00:07.047-05:00Build-you-own-story-pizzaWelcome Raazia S. Ali as guest poster to my blog. Only 19 years of age, she enticed me with her visual metaphor for writing. I thoroughly enjoyed her submissions for my children's newsletter <a href="http://www.fundsforwriters.com/" target="_blank">WritingKid</a> and asked permission to include it on my blog. She sounds so wise, yet so cute, and her message on coming up with story ideas is a sound one that I never thought about before. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
~HOPE<br />
<br />
= = = <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Build-you-own-story-pizza</span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz192/denistephenson/aa%20UTHERVERSE/KITCHEN/kitchen_food/food_burgers-pizza-fast%20food/kitchr41PINKSpizza256_zps5fe4fffc.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz192/denistephenson/aa%20UTHERVERSE/KITCHEN/kitchen_food/food_burgers-pizza-fast%20food/kitchr41PINKSpizza256_zps5fe4fffc.png" /></a></div>
They say everyone has a story to tell. But not everyone suddenly discovers they’re related to a famous person. We live in the real world, where death by boredom is actually possible – especially halfway through that double-math period at school. (40 minutes left?!)<br />
<br />
So let’s say you’re yearning to be the next J K Rowling or Sarah Dessen but you just don’t have anything to write about! Your life is dull, you’ve never been kidnapped forced to come up with an ingenious escape plan; and as far as travelling goes you’re not even sure your passport exists. What do you do?<br />
<br />You steal.<br />
<br />
No, I’m not suggesting you write about a boy-wizard with a tricky destiny, then exclaim ‘but he has parents!’ and then get sued by the J K R fund. On the slim chance that you get away with this, you are still doomed to death by depression from mean forums by the fans you thought ‘would never notice’. What I’m suggesting is not only legal, but very effective.<br />
<br />
First, you read - like a maniac. Hopefully you like to, because I’m afraid there is no criminal shortcut for this one. Finish an entire novel in a night, and then do it again. And again.<br />
<br />
Once you’ve completed the pizza base, write down the plots (maximum half a page each) of three of your favorite books. Now, pretend you’re at a thrift store: Mix ‘n match. Take a separate sheet of paper and jot down the stuff that makes it through your ‘pizza filter’. You love how Holden’s little sister Phoebe (The Catcher in the Rye) is wise beyond her years? Write it on your sheet. The idea of a job that involves a lot of moving around sounds to you like an excellent enabler of denial? (What Happened to Goodbye) Put it down. A story told from a dog’s point of view spices up a book? (The Art of Racing in the Rain) Maybe you could use that.<br />
<br />
See what I mean? Now keep going. Take writing styles, book structures, characters’ quirks, themes, dialogs and even names. Just make sure to take a balanced bit of everything, because a pizza with too many olives is just that – an olive pizza. Increase the number of books you were using as reference. Make it five. Fifteen. Twenty. Why not?<br />
<br />The final stage would be to put the pizza in the oven, because you do NOT want raw tomatoes and cold, brittle cheese. Once you have the building blocks, your passion for writing should kick in as you sprinkle enough on the book to call it your own. Bake it well. Ensure it is done. Experiment, and your cooking skills will surprise you!<br />
<br />BIO: I'm Raazia S Ali, a nineteen year old sophomore at Arab Open University (Muscat, Oman) getting a BA in English Literature (and Language). When I'm not typing away on my laptop finishing assignments for my diploma in Comprehensive Writing, I can be found painting acrylics or experimenting to see just how short a short story I can write. I've been published in Thursday and Dawn's Young World. <div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-92221296225562436302013-11-19T01:00:00.000-05:002013-11-20T02:00:30.056-05:00Coming Soon to a Site Near You<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-15437159-5e30-dc98-bb8c-06cf9035cfa4" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Guest Post</strong> <span id="docs-internal-guid-15437159-5e36-96e9-ca24-0b4234407c7b" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">By</span> </span><a href="http://lynhawks.com/bio/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Lyn Fairchild Hawks</span></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s an honor to visit Hope Clark’s blog, a resource I’ve sought many times for inspiration and advice. Today I’m here to talk book trailers. Last Saturday, the trailer for my YA novel, </span><a href="http://lynhawks.com/how-wendy-redbird/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> premiered at </span><a href="http://www.flyleafbooks.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Flyleaf Books</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> of Chapel Hill, NC. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Check it out. <a href="http://lynhawks.com/video-gallery">http://lynhawks.com/video-gallery</a> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WZza3FDmSdU" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This mini-film deserved a live event because it was the fruit of much labor and many hands. It didn't have to include great teen and adult actors, an original soundtrack, or a dream-team director, crew, and cinematographer. (Thanks you, <a href="http://beerymedia.com/">Beery Media</a>!) It could have been 30 seconds instead of 2:40 and a DIY project on my computer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some could argue my efforts are better spent writing books. But when you self-publish, your books don't have legs like a trailer. How do you get your name out there?</span><br />
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A trailer is nimble. Mine now travels inboxes, blogs, and social media-the animated version of a business card passed hand to hand, generating energy-not my adrenaline needed for face-to-face networking. (Take note, introverts!) When Wendy Redbird Dancing foes on tour, her handler doesn't need a gas fund or a good night's sleep. She can keep things humming from a comfortable seat at home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A trailer link is an easy forward or share. It's not insistent like a message with links asking someone to buy, so it's easier to tell two friends who then tell two friends. . . You're asking they watc just a few images for a few moments-all the while consuming your book, your name, your brand. And if the trailer gets popular enough on YouTube, it will play like a billboard from outer space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-01jx-rYoJns/Uoa2u-Q4CEI/AAAAAAAAA0I/TSwcoXWcF_Y/s1600/How_Wendy_Redbird_Dancing+300x200.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-01jx-rYoJns/Uoa2u-Q4CEI/AAAAAAAAA0I/TSwcoXWcF_Y/s320/How_Wendy_Redbird_Dancing+300x200.jpg" style="border: 0px currentColor;" width="212" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Still, couldn't I have met my goals with something simpler? Absolutely. Many authors make magic with a flip cam, Animoto, or iMovie. I've always been a theater person so a mini-film made more sense, not to mention I reference Twelfth Night and A Raisin in the Sun in my novel. I thrive off the community energy to create something new and the crowd's energy when the show goes up. Now I'm connected to other artists who helped me make a work of art; they've invested. It pays for us writers to think beyond the box of our lone office and quiet heads. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s say you’re up for a DIY trailer. TV writer and novelist Lee Goldberg cautions you’d do better flushing money down the toilet than make an amateurish one. He cringes at “bad stock photos, too much text, and creepy music.” He chose a clever and inexpensive </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6FHVPUCjY4&feature=youtu.be" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">alternative</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: get his daughter filming, write some witty captions, and sell his identity as oddball, OCD writer—not unlike Monk, his famous character. Author Lauren Kate opted for simple shots of people holding posters, set to moving music—and voilà, a compelling </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRrZSnqtyjA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">trailer</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Meanwhile, author Maggie Stiefvater created her own stop-motion </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbcYV19hkLY" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">trailer</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> with a soundtrack of original music. Watch her animation of wolves and leaves dance along a shelf full of her books. What makes you unique, that might become a good home movie? Readers love to know the author behind the book. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Writers are good for great captions to walk readers through powerful imagery. Note how </span><a href="http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-trailer-for-tidewater-murder-grabs.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">C. Hope Clark’s trailers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> guide us with sharp sentences and deliver a short, gripping synopsis. </span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author and publicist </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arielle-ford/why-make-a-book-trailer-d_b_478924.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Arielle Ford recommends</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> your trailer be short with a soft-sell call to action. Keep a quick pace, add endorsements if you have them, and close with a strong finish. Though authors don’t have the iconic brand imagery like the Nike swoosh, you can find and finish with a compelling image and sound to play background to your website URL and contact information. The final image of my trailer is my writer’s dream—the cinematic version of Chapter Two where bullied Wendy tries to survive her high school hallways. Anyone who’s made it through school can relate to this image. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ford also recommends that you connect through humor or emotion and avoid a sales pitch. If your trailer has the right emotional appeal, it won’t feel like a sales pitch. Director Nic Beery, indie filmmaker who premieres at film festivals and also makes commercials for big companies, knows how to establish mood and evoke emotion. He captured the soul of Wendy. He also understood that my trailer is the classic elevator speech: a logline with its cliffhanger premise, leaving the viewer curious. My trailer makes you ask, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why is Michael Jackson fan Wendy Redbird Dancing on the run? </span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></em><br />
</div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Caity Brewer, Hannah Chapman, Hannah-Kathryn Wall, Susan Palm Siplon, Carol Palm, and Greg Wait are slam dunk actors, delivering what I’d imagined. When I posted pictures from the shoot, readers said it was eerie. </span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After the trailer takes a month-long blog tour, here’s what I hope to see: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Increased sales—new readers willing to take a risk on my book, and old readers buying again</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Increased interest—a spike in visits to my website and uptick in subscriptions to my newsletter</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Increased buzz—new blog comments and new reviews </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Increased opportunity—such as optioning the book for a film</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The numbers I gain from this promotional venture could be small but potent—a few true fans. You may have already heard the </span><a href="http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">concept of 1000 true fans</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: a group of people who will purchase whatever you produce and can’t wait till your next book releases. Hope Clark’s work has my true fandom.</span>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As <em>Wendy Redbird Dancing </em>makes her rounds of the web, I believe she’ll meet the right fans meant to know her. Art’s a risk, as is putting yourself out there is a risk, but what artist doesn’t walk the rails of risk every single day? It’s all part of the adventure. </span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Buy </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> at </span><a href="http://lynhawks.com/how-wendy-redbird/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ea3aa50/" target="_blank">Join the Giveaway</a> for a free copy of </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vptQ79U1Zl4/Uoa2wLGVWgI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/btI_JZcb9P8/s1600/Hawks_headshot_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vptQ79U1Zl4/Uoa2wLGVWgI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/btI_JZcb9P8/s200/Hawks_headshot_2.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Lyn Fairchild Hawks is the author of a YA novel, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought, and a collection of short stories, The Flat and Weightless Tang-Filled Future. She is also author of several works for educators. In the last few years, she has won a James Jones First Novel Fellowship prize and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. As Lyn is married to a musician, Greg Hawks, and stepmom to Henry, an aspiring filmmaker, their North Carolina home hums with the soundtracks of clawhammer banjo, classic films, and chattering computer keys.
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find Lyn on: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lyn-Fairchild-Hawks/351571321630475" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</span></a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/FairchildHawks" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Twitter</span></a> / <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4282707.Lyn_Fairchild_Hawks" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodreads</span></a></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-18522493470044713322013-10-29T12:50:00.000-05:002013-10-29T12:50:06.360-05:00What Makes You Come Alive? (Podcast #8)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117640673" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
or <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/what-makes-you-come-alive">https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/what-makes-you-come-alive</a><br />
<br />
Last week, a wee small voice emailed me saying she found herself to be scared of writing her first book. "I am afraid of failing," she said, "of people not liking my book, and of my story being too outrageous. How do I get myself out of this predicament?"
That was the entire email, and it made me wonder how many other people are out there feeling this way. <br />
<br />
We already know there are tons of folks slapping words on paper and publishing them, words that aren't ready for release. But what about those who are not that bold. Their stories are locked behind a fear that once those words are released, they'll be beaten up, bruised and run over. <br />
<br />
I jump into tough love on these types of questions. What you do is set a time each and every day and report to work. You write. Writers don't write thinking about what other people will say. They write because they have stories to tell. The more they write, the better they get. Each word is one word closer to being successful. But success is subjective, so what I think is successful isn't what you think is successful. <br />
<br />
Kurt Vonnegut, however, said it so well in a letter to Xavier High School in 2006. He was advising high schoolers in a letter after declining to come speak because of his age. In his brief but articulate and impacting letter, he said:
<br />
<br />
"Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow."<br />
<br />
It's exciting if you stop and think about it. Writing helps you discover yourself. Imagine what lies hidden deep inside because you are afraid to write? <br />
<br />
That's like being afraid to leave the house or try to sing a tune. Like not cooking a recipe or running a race. Not learning math or not trying to swim faster. All because you are afraid to see how well you can do.<br />
<br />
Don't you want to know who you are?<br />
<br />
Don't you want to know how broad your mind can reach?<br />
<br />
But by working diligently at something, digging inside yourself to "find out what's inside you", you wind up learning how to be unique. After all, nobody is like you. And when it comes to writing, in order to stand out from the crowd, your writing has to be unique. And being unique means that someone out there won't like what you produced, because it's not what they are accustomed to, or what they expected. <br />
<br />
You can't be good without being unique.
So...there you go. You ultimately have to be a failure in someone's eyes to be a success in someone else's because we sure don't all think alike! Gracious, look at all the opinions out there. It's impossible for all of us to be on the same wavelength. Therefore, being outrageous is often part of the package as you define yourself and grow.
<br />
<br />
Dare to be different...or don't bother. It's a black and white issue here. You write or you don't, and to determine what you write, you delve inside your soul.
<br />
<br />
Be grateful for the voices. Be happy when someone comments on your work. Whether it's good or bad is a plus for you. It's feedback, and from that feedback, you learn more about your own writing. You start "becoming."<br />
<br />
You also learn to take a stand once you recognize your writing strengths. You start sifting through the remarks, gleaning what you want from the criticism, not shying away from ALL criticism.
The worst thing for a writer is when nobody bothers to give you feedback.
<br />
<br />
Eventually, however, when you publish a story, or start a blog, or present to
a group, frankly anything you do in the public's eye, someone will walk away. Sometimes several will. Sometimes many.
For a second it will stun you, then sting a little bit. You'll wonder
what you did wrong, and rehash in your head what you could have done
differently.
<br />
<br />
Our natural instinct is to identify cause and effect. What happens to
cause a certain reaction? And when we are involved, we gravitate to what
WE did. Were WE the cause? <br />
<br />
We seek hard to see if we are involved for several
reasons:
<br />
<br />
1) We don't want to be the guilty party.
<br />
2) We want to be proactive in correcting whatever is amiss.
<br />
3) We want to prevent it from happening again.
<br />
4) We want to make others' lives better.
<br />
5) We want to be successful.
<br />
<br />
Some of us avoid publishing, blogging and presenting so we don't have to deal with the above. Why?<br />
<br />
1) We don't want to feel guilty.
<br />
2) We don't want to have to fix things.
<br />
3) We don't want it happening in the first place, much less a second time.
<br />
4) We don't want to get involved in strangers' lives.
<br />
5) We aren't sure what success is, much less how to handle it.
<br />
<br />
I think these reasons are why so many stop in place, frozen by what might happen,
or what they might <em>cause</em>.
<br />
<br />
Causing nothing always leads to affecting nothing.
If you do nothing, you cause nothing, and nothing happens. <br />
<br />
Then we
wonder why our stories don't sell.
That means that if you are writing stories and publishing (causing), and
putting them out there (still causing), you will create something
(success/ opinion/ reviews/ buzz). The reality of it is that somebody will not
like what you do. <br />
<br />
You want feedback. You lie if you say you don't. Who creates and never wonders if someone would like it? Writers are hungry for reaction to what they do. But that means negative reactions as
well as positive. <br />
<br />
Embrace the feedback, regardless its name. It means someone was touched enough to push back.
After one of my editorials about self-publishing via vanity presses, I
had a record number of unsubscribes in one day: 36. Not much, you might say, considering
thousands read the newsletter. But I watch such things, to keep a finder on the
pulse of what I'm doing. <br />
<br />
I rank that response as quite successful. My story mattered enough to entice a response.
I got feedback! Those folks read my point and it struck them hard enough to make them
leave. That means I made an impact. I hope they tell their friends,
and I can best hope that over time my words about vanity publishing will
sink in deep enough . . . and their writing lives will be much better.
I call that a very productive day.<br />
<br />
Dare to live. Writing might be what makes you come alive, what makes you <em>start becoming</em> as Mr. Vonnegut would say.<br />
<br />
I have the following quote over my computer, and I read it almost daily as a reminder of why I do what I do:<br />
<br />
<em>Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive.</em> ~Howard Thurman, African American author, philosopher, theologian, educator and leader.<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-56445648844613523292013-10-24T14:30:00.000-05:002013-10-24T23:19:52.630-05:00The Opposite of Living is, Guess What? (Podcast #7)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116891037" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Or <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/the-opposite-of-living-is">https://soundcloud.com/hopeclark/the-opposite-of-living-is</a>
<br />
<br />
Ever seen someone successful and caught yourself wishing your life had turned out like that? <em>What if's</em> play out in your head, as if someone controlled your life like a string puppet, and you just went along for the dance. I know you do. I do it all the time, then pinch myself for falling into that excuse- trap of thinking I have no control over how I turn out.<br />
<br />
I usually blog toward the interest of writers, but this message works for all parties. We all too often sabotage ourselves, thinking it's for our own good, when in actuality, we're making matters worse. Let's look at how to live.<br />
<br />
<strong>Face Your Fear</strong><br />
<br />
Name something you're afraid of, or a situation that makes you anxious. Your first instinct is to dodge the matter altogether and remain in your comfort zone. Instead, you are feeding your fear, giving it credence. You never overcome the issue, and it grows to even bigger proportions. <br />
<br />
For instance, when I'm invited to speak at a conference, my initial, gut reaction is to decline. That's because the idea of leaving my seclusion on the lake to dive into a sea of people, maybe hundreds of them, is like rubbing sandpaper on skin to me. But if the offer is a good one, compensating me appropriately or offering wonderful networking opportunity, I make myself accept. I'm better at these events than I used to be, and people scoff when they hear I'm introverted, but by facing my fear several times a year, I embrace it and become better at coping. Afterwards I'm on Cloud Nine, because I invariably walk away with a contact, a freelance offer, or new readers for my work. <br />
<br />
Embrace a fear. Dare yourself. You will come out on the other side so proud of how you did . . . and how you grew.<br />
<em></em><br />
<strong>Quit creating obstacles</strong><br />
<br />
We create most of the obstacles in our lives. We hate phone calls because they interrupt us. We hate social media because it erodes our day. We don't like exercising because it hurts, or it's inconvenient, or we have to look at the buff and steel-abs people working out beside us, making us depressed. We don't complete that novel because we're afraid of criticism.<br />
<br />
I can't, because...I hate it, because...I don't want to, because...<br />
<br />
You are giving names to obstacles, building mountains in your own way. I recently received a series of phone calls while in the midst of Chapter 24 of a WIP. The interruptions drove me to frustration, and I almost blamed people for calling when in reality they couldn't know that I was deep into an argument between two characters. Instead, I decided not to take calls for two hours. Obstacle gone. <br />
<br />
I make excuses for my backside spreading while I'm writing. Then I start justifying the hours at the keyboard, claiming it's part of the package of being a writer. Of course, my inner self knows better, and the cycle goes round and round. So instead, I pick up the dog's leash and go for a walk, using the time to massage a plot point or develop a character. Obstacle gone. Several obstacles, as a matter of fact.<br />
<br />
See how in avoiding the obstacle game we create opportunity and actually satisfy our desires?<br />
<br />
<strong>Embrace the uncomfortable</strong><br />
<br />
We all have comfort zones, and it's a matter of beating the laws of inertia to step outside of them. <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertia" target="_blank">Inertia </a></strong>is the resistance of an object to change in its motion, to include a change in direction. For instance, when we like Facebook one way, and they change the rules or design, we fuss about adapting. Just look at what happens with Windows puts out a new operating system. Have you embraced Windows 8? Not me, because I enjoy Windows 7. It's much easier to sit in a chair than jog a mile. The list goes on.<br />
<br />
David Krueger, MD is an Executive Mentor Coach, CEO of <a href="http://www.mentorpath.com/" target="_blank"><strong>MentorPath</strong></a> and well-published author guiding individuals in their goals to live life to its fullest. He states, <em>"Comfortable is not a place you begin, it’s a place at which you can arrive"</em> in his blog post <strong><a href="http://www.asja.org/theword/2013/10/23/inverse-wisdom-for-authors/" target="_blank">Invert Wisdom for Writers</a></strong>. Frankly, his advice prompted me to write this post. <br />
<br />
You know how we con ourselves into not trying hard? For instance, running. We walk slowly, maybe longer than we need to, saying we don't want to hurt something, or the track is uneven, or we are a certain age, or we don't want to get a shin-splint. So we just stroll. Each person has limitations, but all too often we justify stopping or slowing or not going running at all because of the discomfort we'll cause ourselves. But we don't improve without that discomfort. That uncomfortable feeling is a sign of improvement. <br />
<br />
Some people are afraid to cut their hair. Who has the guts to waltz in and ask a stylist to decide how their hair ought to be cut? The funny part of this fear is hair grows back. Even if you hate it, six weeks later, it's grown back. The new style might give you pep and enhance your image. But you never know until you dare to let somebody whack on it, trusting their judgment.<br />
<br />
Writing is the same. If it's easy, it's not good. I'm asked often in emails to review someone's writing and tell them if it's good or not. Many of them are writing down stories, usually avoiding the hard knocks path of being rejected, not studying how-to advice, not accepting criticism from a peer group, or not reading successfully published material to dissect it for its value. Instead, they want me to nicely tell them. It has to be painful to improve. We have to see where we fall short, no, we have to WANT to hunt for our writing flaws, because finding them puts us one step closer to being better. <br />
<br />
<strong>Embrace the unknown</strong><br />
<br />
I love this quote from Dr. Kueger's article: <em>"You can tiptoe through life very carefully and arrive safely at death."</em> <br />
<br />
<strong>What a wake-up quote!</strong><br />
<br />
Haven't traveled to a foreign country because you're afraid of the language and cultural differences? Do it, or you'll regret not having done it later. <br />
<br />
Haven't changed jobs for fear of leaving the one you are comfortable in . . . though you hate getting up and reporting to work? Think of how exciting it would be to try something new? How much happier would you be in a job you love? And if you don't like the new job? You keep looking. <br />
<br />
Haven't tried to traditionally publish because you're afraid of what publishers and agents will say about you? Give it a serious go. Frankly, I profess that most people self-publish due to a control issue. They fear not having all the say-so in their work, when in truth they don't have enough knowledge and experience in marketing, publishing, and design to be exercising all that say-so. It's why ninety percent of self-pubbed books languish in obscurity.<br />
<br />
Don't know how to do something? Go for the gusto and learn how. Whether it's sky-diving or fly-fishing, horseback riding or watercolor painting, baking a quiche or mastering crème brulee, study it intently and make it happen. <br />
<br />
Don't self-publish until you understand the breadth and depth of all types of publishing, so you can walk the walk and talk the talk. Only then can you make an informed decision. Voila, it's also less painful.<br />
<br />
<strong>You envy people who dare to reach out and grow.</strong> <br />
<br />
What do you know well? Then blog about it. Write about it. Or if you do not write, then capitalize on it, becoming good at it for your own personal satisfaction. If you want to learn something new, then accept it as a challenge, lower your shoulder, and plow into it, aiming to make yourself happy that you did. Now that's living.<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-10484093193085356782013-10-11T11:36:00.001-05:002013-10-11T14:17:18.189-05:00E-I-E-I-O Spells Dead (Podcast #6)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F114889141" width="100%"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
OR - <a href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114889141">http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114889141</a> <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>America was founded on agriculture.
Tending the land and livestock to put food on the table is so patriotic . . .
so laid back, hayseed, John Deere Americana. Farmsteads where the sun rises
over waves of wheat and seas of corn, where a man fights to work at an honest
living in tune with Mother Nature. A setting where chemicals dissolve your
lungs, invisible gases asphyxiate, tools disembowel, machinery rips off limbs,
and animals, given the right situation, eat you right down to the bone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Imagine all that opportunity in the
hands of a diabolical killer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most mystery readers imagine more
mayhem in urban areas. In the country, however, murder can be hidden in a hog
pen, under the lower forty acres, or amidst the livestock feed. So many natural
causes and accidents with easy cover up, and fewer people to notice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And the methods can creep you out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A simple manure pit seems no more than
a stinky collection of feces. You sure don’t want to know its many uses. It
takes a pump or auger to syphon the crap to a truck for transport, and often
these items clog or break. Someone tries to free up the flow. Fall into that
pit and the collection of methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and ammonia
will suck the life out of you in mere moments. Of course, if somebody pushes
you . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Or using another angle, an opportune spark
can make the fetid, slimy mess explode. What a shame how accidents can happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">You know the old cliché of suicide in a
closed garage with a car running? Same goes for any combustion engine in a barn
or storage area, from a tractor to a generator. A carbon monoxide death is
simple to accomplish, and easy to explain as a farming mishap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Also, there’s no better place than a
farm to find poisoning agents. Pesticides, fertilizer, fumigants, and chlorine.
Breast cancer, leukemia, Parkinson’s Disease and more occur from chemicals like
Atrazine. Benzene, a proven carcinogen, is readily found in many
pesticides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even metal fumes from
welding cause flu-like symptoms, with the more severe exposure to particular
types of metals causing </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">shock, collapse,
convulsions, shortness of breath, yellow eyes, rash, vomiting, watery or bloody
diarrhea or plummeting blood pressure. And these are symptoms related to
accidental exposure. An author could enjoy depicting the damage that done by a
deranged killer with such chemicals at his disposal, simply sitting in bags,
buckets or drums for the taking.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Some farms have silos, where chopped
silage (usually corn) is stored and fermented for livestock feed. Fermentation
results in the release of natural gases, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
They are odorless and colorless and replace the oxygen, killing you much like
the manure pits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">But in a particular type of conventional
silo, nitrogen dioxide forms, smelling like bleach. It builds then dissipates,
reaching its peak in three days, gone within two weeks. But the gas is heavier
than air, so it flows down chutes and collects in lower areas around farm
buildings, in corners, under feed bunks, even against the floor. What may seem
only like a nasal irritant can result in a person dying in his sleep hours
after exposure from fluid collection in his lungs. Your crazed antagonist can
lock up your hero and open a chute to expose him to the poison, then let him
loose to die hours later alone, the murderer nowhere around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And while we’re on silos, don’t forget
the old suffocation by grain routine. An auger can get clogged, a person walk
across a crusty bridge of grain in attempt to free the flow, and suddenly sink.
Submersion takes less than twenty seconds. How convenient to drop your
character into a pile of grain and watch him suffocate, telling authorities he
slipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Augers used in this farm work are
corkscrew, twirly pieces of equipment that carry grain, feed, manure, dirt, or
whatever is needed to be moved from one container to another. They can catch
your clothing and rip your fingers, arms or legs off in a most gruesome,
mangled manner. Some rate the auger as the most dangerous tool on a farm. A
slight nudge at the right time can eat up an arm to the shoulder, snapping and
grinding bone, ripping arteries, sending mutilated muscle along with the
red-stained grain up the line, leaving the innocent party to bleed out. Law
enforcement writes off the event as a horrendous abomination of fate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And for a most entertaining death, there’s
murder by hog. If a hog is hungry enough, easily accomplished by not feeding
him for a while, he becomes angry and aggressive. They are not sweet pink pigs.
Hogs raised for slaughter run 200 to 300 pounds at maturity. Brood animals,
particularly certain breeds, can reach 800 to 900 pounds. Make them cranky or
threaten one of their piglets, and a person learns just how deadly their bite
can be. Pigs are carnivores. They eat meat, regardless what bones it’s on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Old MacDonald might be quaint, but he
dabbles in danger daily. Toss in a bad guy on a mission, and E-I-E-I-O means
death in the most remarkable, despicable ways.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">NOTE:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Carolina Slade, the protagonist in C. Hope Clark's Lowcountry Bribe, Tidewater Murder, and the upcoming Palmetto Poison (early 2014), understands that farming can be deadly, because she's solving crime amidst it all. <a href="http://www.chopeclark.com/">www.chopeclark.com</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-70460084004881821162013-10-04T00:22:00.000-05:002013-10-11T14:18:28.928-05:00How Much of Your Story is Real? (Podcast #5)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F114896444" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
OR - <a data-mce-href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114896444" href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114896444">http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114896444</a><br />
<br />
As a guest in a podcast recently, I was asked these questions about my mysteries:<br />
<br />
1) Are you Carolina Slade?<br />
2) Is your husband Wayne Largo?<br />
3) Is there a real Savvy Conroy?<br />
4) How much of <em>Lowcountry Bribe</em> is real? (same for <em>Tidewater Murder</em>)<br />
5) Were you ever drawn into compromising situations like your protagonist?<br />
6) Are these real cases?<br />
7) Did you ever investigate real murders?<br />
<br />
For those of you who have not read my mysteries, Carolina Slade is the lady of the day in all the books, and she investigates criminal activity within the US Department of Agriculture's purview. Not your standard profession or setting. She has children, which makes her life even messier. Messy is good in a mystery. The more the better. <br />
<br />
But back to the interview. The host hit on many questions that attempted to delve into whether my books were nonfiction spun as fiction, and how much of my life was I entwining in these stories. She asked more than usual, as if trying to make me admit, "Yes, I'm Carolina Slade, and this is my life!"<br />
<br />
I. LOVE. THESE. QUESTIONS.<br />
<br />
Why? Because by people asking these questions, they've shown their hand. They are drawn into the details, setting, plot and characters. It all fit together well enough to feel realistic with the lines blurred between fact and fiction. They wonder how much I made up and how much I experienced, and they want to recognize the difference. When a line of questioning goes that far, I want to say, GOTCHA. <br />
<br />
This particular interviewer tried harder than most. This is how I answered the questions:<br />
<br />
1)<strong> Are you Carolina Slade?</strong> Carolina Slade and I have a lot in common and we've traveled similar paths. I was involved in a bribery investigation. It got a bit dangerous. It was stressful. It went awry. But there were no bodies.<br />
<br />
2) <strong>Is your husband Wayne Largo?</strong> My husband says he is NOT Wayne Largo, but I modeled a few traits after his, whether he admits it or not. We DID meet on a bribery investigation. Yes, it was crazy. And I still love it when someone asks HIM for an autograph. <br />
<br />
3) <strong>Is there a real Savvy Conroy?</strong> Savvy Conroy is alive and well, and this character is as close to being a real person than any of the characters in all the books. The real Savvy loves her character.<br />
<br />
4) <strong>How much of <em>Lowcountry Bribe</em> is real? (same for <em>Tidewater Murder</em>)</strong> Some of <em>Lowcountry Bribe</em> is real. The bribery was that catalyst for the tale, but of course, the book takes the facts and spins them into the gold and silver threads of fiction that make stories so rich. <em>Tidewater Murder</em>, however, is pure, unadulterated fiction from the recesses of my little brain.<br />
<br />
5) <strong>Were you ever drawn into compromising situations like your protagonist?</strong> I was faced with several bribes, but only reported one. Nope, I never accepted money, just sent them packing with a scolding . . . except for the one which pushed me to call in the badges, the Inspector General. Federal employees who deal with money, approvals and inspections of any kind will eventually be approached by both ill sorts and naïve individuals who don't realize they are crossing a line. We are taught when to say no, and when to call in the federal agents. Both can get messy. Nothing in life is black and white.<br />
<br />
6) <strong>Are these real cases?</strong> <em>Lowcountry Bribe</em> involves a bribe, but the cases evolved in different directions. I did not want to use the exact case, plus the fiction case was much more wild and fun. I worked several cases, and my husband worked many cases. Between the two of us, we use real situations to glean ideas from which I make up cases for my books. <br />
<br />
7) <strong>Did you ever investigate real murders? </strong>No, I did not. My position, like Slade's, involved administrative investigations. When I sensed cases crossed the line into criminal activity, my orders were to stop and call in the real badges and guns. Death is uncommon in the Department of Agriculture, at least amongst its employees, though there are odd situations with clients, livestock, politicians and more!<br />
<br />
When you can suspend people in your story, giving them enough realism to give them pause, give an arm-pumping YEAH and feel proud. You want that more than anything else in your efforts as a writer. So when someone asks you, "Where do you get your ideas," and you can find a way to say "I got the idea from something in my life," be prepared. If the line of questioning delves off on a tangent, with the questioner itching to know where the real and the fake meet, then you were successful. <br />
<br />
Regardless the genre (sci-fi, romance, mystery, fantasy, children's, thriller, literary) if you can insert your life in a part of it, the story not only becomes more alive to the reader, but to you as well. You feel woven more into the words, and that emotional connection comes across to the reader. <div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-33088106562300107202013-09-24T01:00:00.000-05:002013-10-11T14:18:59.174-05:00I Have a Life (Podcast #4)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F111506945" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
OR - <a data-mce-href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/111506945" href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/111506945">http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/111506945</a><br />
<br />
When writers complain about not having the time to promote, network, or write for several days in a row, the most common reason I hear is this:<br />
<br />
I have a life.<br />
<br />
I heard it again this week, from a writer I know. He was preparing a query letter for agents, and the last competition he'd placed in was in 2000. I told him to name the contest, but leave off the year, explaining that an agent might ask what the heck he'd been doing since then and now, and why it took him so long to start querying. He literally said, "I've been living my life." <br />
<br />
That bothers me. It's as if writing, promoting, querying and networking are not a part of our lives. <br />
<br />
We all have friends and/or family that consume much of our days. Many of us have jobs that suck up hours of our waking moments. We come home tired or we prefer the social exchange with our loved ones. Everybody gets that. That's a big fat DUH. All writers have that problem. . . that problem of finding the balance. <br />
<br />
We are all living our lives, whether we write or not.<br />
<br />
Your writing success, like any other success in your life, depends upon how much of your day you are willing to invest into it. That's not a good or bad thing. That's just pure, unadulterated fact. To be good at parenting, cooking, skydiving, weight-lifting or tennis you must put in the time. To be great you have to contribute a higher percentage of that time, in strategic directions.<br />
<br />
We know you have a life. All of us have lives. You aren't better than me, or the writer down the street, or the author you admire online, or the freelancer on Facebook. Every single one of them has a life, too. <br />
<br />
I often remind myself that Stephen King has a bad day. So do Nicholas Sparks, Grisham, Hocking, Rowling, Kingsolver and so on. They get colds. They have marital clashes. They get mad at their families. They want to chuck it all and do something else. They wish they didn't have to promote. <br />
<br />
They clean up the dog's pee on the carpet. They still have to meet their tax deadline on April 15. They eat something that sends them to a toilet all night. They get hate mail. They realize their favorite jeans fit too tight or their best yellow shirt was washed with something red.<br />
<br />
They are living their lives. We just don't see the minutiae. <br />
<br />
I'm often asked how I find the time to write, promote and travel. I never know how to answer. My days have 24 hours in them like anyone else's. My clock commences when I rise and stops when I shut my eyes at night. What's accomplished in between depends on what drives me, and what I choose to do...and choose NOT to do. Sometimes my choices work and sometimes they don't. <br />
<br />
There's nothing wrong with admitting:<br />
<br />
1) Being a huge writing success isn't a driving factor for you.<br />
<br />
2) You don't care to promote and you accept the fact you'll sell less.<br />
<br />
3) You prefer doing other things in lieu of writing and promoting.<br />
<br />
4) The fear of promotion ruins the joy of writing.<br />
<br />
I ate lunch with an intriguing attendee at the West Virginia Writer's Conference this year. She ran marathons. She was in her late-sixties. Her legs looked better than mine and she wore shorts without blushing. She oozed health. I told her how impressed I was with her achievements in that arena, and I was downright jealous. I build up to running one to three miles then get sidetracked, having to start over. Being on the road a lot this year, I was in one of those running slumps at the time, so my envy was running deep.<br />
<br />
She said that it's all in just wanting to do it. She didn't run her first marathon until she was fifty. Friggin' wow. I was stunned, and promptly picked my jaw up off the floor to ask how she achieved that level of running. <br />
<br />
She calmly replied: "When I come home from work, I can write, take a nap, or go for a run. I usually go for a run. It's really that simple."<br />
<br />
Amazed, I thought about that a second. Then I said: "I would choose to write."<br />
<br />
With an all-knowing grin, she said: "If I wrote like you, I'd choose writing, too."<br />
<br />
And at that moment I realized writing was my marathon running. <br />
<br />
What defines your life? Your days? What is your achievement? Whether it's running or writing or some other feat, own it. Don't make excuses for what you choose not to do. Enjoy to the fullest those things you choose to do. <br />
<br />
So the next time you think about saying, "But I have a life," try to realize that you are only making an excuse . . . because everybody has a life. It just may not be like yours.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-24172608180455813562013-09-19T01:00:00.000-05:002013-09-19T01:00:01.407-05:00Guest Post from Joanne Wiklund - On Tidewater Murder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSrN4OFrtSs/UZjaSgNBb6I/AAAAAAAAAeY/HSoLaTdpbvY/s1600/Tidewater+Murder+-+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSrN4OFrtSs/UZjaSgNBb6I/AAAAAAAAAeY/HSoLaTdpbvY/s320/Tidewater+Murder+-+screen.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
At the risk of singing my own praises, I wanted to post this review of <em><a href="http://chopeclark.com/tidewater-murder/" target="_blank"><strong>Tidewater Murder</strong></a></em> from a loyal follower of my <a href="http://www.fundsforwriters.com/" target="_blank"><strong>FundsforWriters</strong></a> work. She tells it like she sees it, in her own words, without trying to sound academic, profound or something other than genuine.</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
I'm an advocate for writing reviews, and when I read a book, especially from someone emerging or mid-list, I post a review. When I received this review, I thought it would be a great moment to emphasize book reviews. </div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
They are short and so simple to do, and telling others why a book touched you is remarkably rewarding: for the reviewer, the author and potential readers, maybe publishers and agents. Next time you love a book, let people know. Everyone benefits. ~HOPE</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<strong><a href="http://blogjoanneblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/five-sense-worth.html" target="_blank">FIVE SENSE WORTH</a></strong></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<strong>By Joanne Wiklund</strong></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<strong> </strong></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
Five senses: hearing, taste, vision, touch and smell make up our chances to appreciate, endure and experience our world around us. When we write, however, sometimes we forget to include them all. C. Hope Clark, in her new novel from the low country, <em>Tidewater Murder</em>, hits them all and keeps the reader awake and interested from her very first sentence.</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
Hope's characters are real, but she lets us as readers decide what they look like, from meager little tidbits and nuances as she introduces them. She lets us form our own opinions of each one who comes into the scenes. Her continuing character, Carolina Slade and her best friend Savvy draw us into the strings which tie their friendship together. In this novel, however, those friendship strings are stretched to the utmost. This story is a sit yourself down, hang on read, because each of those senses I spoke of are about to be assaulted.</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
Still, when the story's done, as a reader I was conscious of the whole thing neatly tied up, and I found it as good a read as the first of her novels, <em>Lowcountry Bribe.</em></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<em> </em></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
Having met Hope when she introduced her book at the library in Bettendorf, IA, her sense of humor gives readers a chance to catch their breath any number of times throughout the books also. With more books coming, C. Hope Clark will be as noticed in the novel world as she is in the writers helping writers world. </div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<em> </em></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; margin: 0px;">
<em></em> </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-2625441784145182902013-09-17T14:19:00.000-05:002013-10-11T14:19:25.141-05:00How Can You NOT Brand Yourself? (Podcast 3)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F114899782" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
OR - <a data-mce-href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114899782" href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114899782">http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114899782</a><br />
<br />
I was feeling particularly chatty online, after having been away for a couple weeks, and stopped off at <strong>A Writer's Bucket List</strong> on Facebook. A writer asked if anyone had a brand and why they cared to have one. In my skimming, I stopped in my tracks, fingers itching to answer. Branding. How can anyone NOT want to brand himself? My answer was this:<br />
<br />
<em>Branding is the manner in which people instantly recognize you (don't we all want that?) rather than us being lost in the frenzy of so many others. It's a way to be seen and heard without having to say "this is me, this is what I do, this is why I'm important." We should work hard to have a brand so that we are the ones that first come to mind when someone needs what we do...instead of our what our competition does. There are so many reasons for branding. Mine is </em><a href="http://www.fundsforwriters.com/" target="_blank"><strong><em>FundsforWriters</em></strong></a><em> on one hand, </em><a href="http://www.chopeclark.com/shy-writer-reborn" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Shy Writer</em></strong></a><em> on the other, and ultimately author of </em><a href="http://www.chopeclark.com/" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Carolina Slade Mystery Series</em></strong></a><em>. The last one is least known of the three, and I'm working on that. I started with a fantastic cover around a strong story. That cover is part of my brand as its format is used for all the books in the series. But as a freelance writer, pick how you'd like your name remembered, then put it on everything you do in a certain font, with a tagline behind it. Say it, type it, forward it, etc. so that it's you. There are just too many writers out there not to have a brand.</em><br />
<br />
We wear certain clothes, cut our hair a specific way, prefer particular make cars, eat some brand foods and not others. We're consistently identifying (branding) ourselves with our choices. How we write, who we are friends with, who we work for. There are so many sayings out there from sages going way back for centuries about how we are remembered by the company we keep or the character we develop. Yet when it comes to a writing brand, we get all deer-in-the-headlights, and because we aren't sure what that means or how to achieve it, we discount it. "Do we really need a brand?"<br />
<br />
Let's look at it in reverse. If you do NOT have a brand, what happens to you? <br />
<br />
Nobody sees you! Nobody knows who you are!<br />
<br />
When do people remember you? When they put you with a familiar item. Clothing, smile, joke-telling, beauty, height, high-pitched laugh, prowess in an activity, kindness, brashness, and even relationship. When people think of you, what do they think of? If they cannot think of anything to make you stand out in their mind, they easily forget your existence.<br />
<br />
So how in the world can you ever consider NOT having a brand?<br />
<br />
Let's paint you with a broad, <em>nobody</em> brush for a moment.<br />
<ul>
<li>You read everything and anything.</li>
<li>You eat everything and anything.</li>
<li>You don't like or hate anything.</li>
<li>You vote for anybody.</li>
<li>You avoid being good or bad, high or low, first or last.</li>
<li>You fight to remain anonymous.</li>
</ul>
Everybody has a brand of sorts. We already know what a brand means. It's a shortcut to be remembered. You already use branding in your everyday life. Why not use it in a manner that counts?<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-75147792248100868092013-09-13T00:09:00.000-05:002013-10-11T14:17:54.090-05:00Making Yourself Write (Podcast #2)<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F110163816" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
OR - <a data-mce-href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/110163816" href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/110163816">http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/110163816</a><br />
<br />
I received a lovely email from a gentleman who found FundsforWriters and fell in love with what it represents. Those emails make my day, I'm telling ya. But after he stroked me a bit and complimented the site, he dove into his concerns...concerns I hear often from readers. He wasn't alone though I imagine he felt he was.<br />
<br />
In general, he thinks about writing all the time. It even keeps him awake at night. But he dabbles, with no two days of writing alike. He sees the cursor, starts writing, then it never comes together like he likes. So he gets up and cleans the house. When he does go back, he researches how to write better, reading all sorts of advise, paralyzed by fear to actually write. Then he puts it off to another day. He edits as he writes, having spent six hours on a 500-word blog post. He's thinking of giving up writing altogether.<br />
<br />
We all have our problems with writing. I hate first drafts of anything, because editing is what breathes life into a piece, in my opinion. I hate anything pulling me from my daily routine, because then it's hard to get back into it. Every writer has negatives and aspects of the profession he hates. Following is my response to him. If you've felt frustration lately, I hope it resonates with you.<br />
<br />
<em>I hear you, fella. I hear this from lots of folks. But the power is simply in your hands, not on a website (even as much as I love you reading mine). I tell people at conferences to write daily, without fail, starting with 15 minutes each day. After 90 days, you'll be hooked. Do NOT let yourself venture online until you have performed your daily ritual. Soon you'll have an itch to write daily, and you won't want to stop at 15 minutes. That's how I started.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>And hey, I edit as I write. I don't care what others say about free-writing and not editing as you go. It's how I write. It's served me well. I adore editing. I profess that editing makes the story, creates the voice, makes the story pop. Of course I edit many times after the first draft, but I hate writing crap, so I edit somewhat as I go. Nothing wrong with that. However, you have to face the fact that if you write like that, you will write slower. It's simply a law of physics.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Nobody is going to save you from yourself. It has to be something you want. Try my above exercise daily and then decide at the end of 90 days whether it's what you want to do. There's nothing wrong with thinking about writing all the time. Heck, I do the same thing. But it does matter whether you sit before the computer and make it come to fruition. Publishing will not happen fast, and you cannot develop your voice "thinking" about writing. That comes with lots of practice and failure. So accept the fact your early writing will always need work and will read amateurish and raw. Time takes care of that, but only if you use it wisely and write. Thinking never replaces the doing.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>So go forth and write. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
There isn't a pill. There isn't a magic website or all-encompassing how-to book. It's a two-step forward and one step back process. If you don't like tripping over your feet for a while, often a long while, then don't write. But I can't begin to describe the joy of seeing all that work make it to print.<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-86013391643386239342013-08-25T20:20:00.001-05:002013-08-26T00:40:26.658-05:00Not What I Meant When I Wrote That, But Okay...We Can Go There<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad208/joshealine/FAQ1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad208/joshealine/FAQ1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Remember in English class when the teacher made you dissect a poem or story, teasing it apart word by word, digging deeply into the piece to truly understand where the author was coming from? <br />
<br />
As a youngster, I saw my teacher as all knowing, thinking that the smart educators could see inside the minds of authors. I was the novice, eager to learn how to become so wise as to speak the language of authors.
<br />
<br />
Then I matured. In college, teachers told students to come up with an interpretation of the piece. We didn't have to find a consensus. In a class of twenty, it was okay to have twenty answers. At first the thrill was being unique, showing I possessed an intelligence wise enough to see the world differently. We were all about being different when I was in college. Anything outside the mold was cool.
<br />
<br />
But in my search for the best interpretation of a piece, I began to wonder what the author would think about us and all our presumptions of what went through his mind as he penned his stories. Then I started seeing the exercise as pure crap, no longer fun. It was a game as to who could BS the best and make it sound savvy and smart on paper.
<br />
<br />
The author wrote what he thought at a point in his life. It's really that simple. He didn't ponder how many ways he could be understood. He didn't write his story to be picked apart into twenty different expositions. I wasn't sure authors like being placed under a microscope and diagnosed. I wanted to read the story to be entertained and enlightened. How the author achieved that end with me was between us. I didn't care what he meant, and he probably couldn't care less how I read it. Just as long as we both enjoyed our journey.
<br />
<br />
So . . . imagine how I reacted when I made appearances and people started dissecting my mysteries? Someone mentioned how the store keeper was a suspected nemesis of the antagonist. Oh my goodness, I never thought of that once as I wrote and edited that chapter. Readers told me their suspicions that never crossed my mind in the book's creation. But I saw one thing...readers had fun trying to identify the red herrings from the real clues. And as they explained their interpretations of what I meant, I smiled, wishing I'd thought of that. Maybe I had, subconsciously. Who knew?
<br />
<br />
I believe I've matured yet again, with a new understanding of the art of storytelling. It's not how exact we are in the understanding of an author's delivery. It's the fact the author gave us a tool to make us think. The more we feel the need to think about the true meaning of a story and its pieces, the more we own the story, the more we love the story, and the more we appreciate the author of that story. And the reality of what was meant by the author at a particular point in time means little in the grand yet simple scheme of telling a good story that a reader enjoys becoming a part of. <div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-13216376818162101152013-08-11T10:12:00.006-05:002013-08-11T10:14:00.913-05:00Book Trailer for Tidewater Murder - Grabs You!This trailer went around the world in its creation, but thanks to a
fantastic editor at Bell Bridge Books, all that creativity merged into
this . . . and I love it. See if it grabs you and drags you into wanting
to read the whole story.<br />
<br />
I adore book trailers. They snare me
every single time. And for those who haven't seen the trailer for
Lowcountry Bribe, scroll down. It follows this one.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r8BcYPfeaCQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rDvB1wZiNsE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-70877774042977750832013-07-31T13:42:00.000-05:002013-10-11T14:19:55.680-05:00Living in Fear (Podcast #1)<b><i>(NOTE: Welcome to my first attempt at podcasting alongside a blog post. The message is the same. Listen or read. Your choice. Since I cannot meet all of you, I wanted to connect in a more human manner. Let me know how you like it! Thanks everybody...Hope) </i></b><br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F103440643" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<h3>
OR - <a data-mce-href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103440643" href="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103440643">http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103440643</a><b></b></h3>
<h3>
<b>Living in Fear </b></h3>
<br />
Anybody who's followed me for long knows that I latch a hold of inspirational sayings. I assume that whatever motivates me, also has a strong chance of motivating you. I ran across this one today and that spark started smoking in my brain....the one that makes me flip into my blog and post an idea before it flits away. The saying goes like this:<br />
<br />
<i><b>Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. <br /><br /> ~Les Brown</b></i><br />
<br />
Few things sadden me more than seeing people not use their talent. Sometimes that talent is hidden behind a rusty lack of use, or it hasn't been unearthed for fear of where it would take the owner. Heck, someone may not know whether they have talent or not, because they haven't tried. Taking a detour from the life they already have in place is scary, or the person just doesn't have the nerve to turn the wheel onto a new road.<br />
<br />
Or somewhere along the way, in using our talent, we got shot down, and we are afraid of stepping back up to the task and making another attempt. Getting shot down stings. Sometimes we outright bleed from the damage. At that time, all we want to do is crawl home and forget about what happened.<br />
<br />
We don't like being criticized. Who likes being told he's wrong? So we dodge that criticism, and in doing so, we dodge the dream. We avoid using our talent. Actually....we are just living our fears.<br />
<br />
Life is full of ups and downs. We love the ups--hate the downs--and are satisfied finding a level middle ground where nothing unsettles us. <b>But avoiding the pain means avoiding the ecstasy. </b><br />
<br />
Why do you think you enjoy movies and books where the bad guy faces impossible odds, loses face, gets damaged, almost dies, then somehow climbs out of the hole, cobbles his life together and figures out how to come out on top?<br />
<br />
We want that! Or at least, we want the good part at the end. But we can't get that without taking the journey. <br />
<br />
Frankly, those stories are your temporary fix--your escape--your dose of what could be your life. But many of use leave the theatre or close the book, and remain planted where we are. Call it head-in-the-sand or call it wanting an easy life, but I know you. You are not much different than the rest of the world. <b>You want your life to be meaningful. </b>You'd like to stand for something or be remembered or build a legacy. You want to feel good that you lived.<br />
<br />
Avoiding your dreams, and the struggles that come with it, is choosing to live in fear. Choose to live happy. Choose to live with purpose. In that effort, you choose NOT to live in fear.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-75381656914927814262013-07-25T13:55:00.000-05:002013-07-25T13:55:29.540-05:00One Day I'll Write This Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq180/pixiface_photos/hairdresser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq180/pixiface_photos/hairdresser.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(NOTE: <em><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"I used Grammarly to <a href="http://www.grammarly.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">grammar check</a> this post because my right brain can't communicate with my left brain when I'm writing magic. Give it a test drive.)</span></em><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><em></em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em> </em></span> <br />
I got my hair cut today. My hairdresser Nicole is a sweet lady, and prettier than she thinks. Like a great bartender, she knows how to carry on with her clients. We chatter while she attempts to make my mane even, which isn't often easy. She thinks I need short, short hair. I love feeling the weight. Anyway, the visit is enjoyable.<br />
<br />
This time, she said THE words: <b>"<i>If I had time, I'd write this book I've had in my mind for a long time</i>."</b><br />
<br />
I smile and listen. She elaborates. It's a children's tale about Bomber Island in our local Lake Murray (my lake) where Purple Martins migrate each year. You can still find ammo shells on that island, that was used by the Doolittle Raiders in WWII. We have boat cruises as well as personal pontoon ventures each night during the month-long event, loaded with birdwatchers and locals who watch hundreds of thousands of these birds swoop and dance in sync as they settle for each night. It's gorgeous. I won't give her story away, but it's very smart. Also:<br />
<ul>
<li>My friend at Edisto Beach has a story to tell about marital trials, and they are definitely unique.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>My high school English teacher has a true crime story to tell that would chill your bones.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>A saleslady in Dillards went on about her legal battle, so anxious to tell others about loopholes in the system.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>My neighbor is 80, a self-made man who's quite accomplished. His biography is intriguing, and he's trying to find a way to write it.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The list is endless. So many people have remarkable stories, stories that stay in their heads and aren't getting on the paper. Some ask me to write them, the line normally: <b>"<i>When you finish your current book, I have the next one you need to write</i>."</b><br />
<br />
I do not discount their stories. Most are phenomenal, and to those people these stories are important. However, somewhere in their enthusiasm, when they've paused to take a breath, I say: <b>"<i>That's your story to tell, not mine</i>."</b><br />
<br />
That makes them pause. I've respected their story. They've respected my writing ability by asking me to take up their torch. We've made each other happy. <b>The truth is, however, they hold the passion, not me.</b><br />
<br />
A high percentage of these tales (I'd even venture to guess ninety-plus percent) will never be recorded. That saddens me. These stories don't have to be bestsellers. They don't even have to land on bookstore shelves, but these ideas and experiences evaporate as time creeps on, locked in one mind and gone as that life joins others past. Those ideas and experiences vanished for all time.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>If you have a story, write it. Leave your mark.</b> </h3>
<br />
Make copies and pass them around at Christmas. Post them on your blog. Self-publish if this is a story you want remembered as part your legacy. There's the traditional publishing path via agents and publishers if you're game to understanding the business.<br />
<br />
<br />
You can be a storyteller without becoming a professional writer. Sure, you can try to publish it for sales, and how glorious if you can sell it and earn a living, but do not lose the opportunity to record your story. Take the effort. Weave the words. Tell the tale.<br />
<br />
Frankly, only then will you be able to tell whether writing is your passion, or if this story just needed exorcizing from your mind. Either way, you'll have told the story.<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-41520335947740116202013-07-23T12:50:00.000-05:002013-07-24T10:42:00.828-05:00Chills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/succubus121/2127100787_3e2bd795c3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/succubus121/2127100787_3e2bd795c3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
If I asked you which author gave you chills, I bet you could rattle the name off without thinking. Mine is Pat Conroy. Second Jodi Picoult. Third Lisa Gardner. And I'm always open to some new name that can take any one of their place. I just want that feeling that snatches me out of this world and into another, riding on lyrical phrasing that steals my breath.<br />
<br />
<h3>
These are the books that you will pay full price for. . . </h3>
<br />
You know who the authors are because when you hear about their next release, you get primed, watching the news, anxiously waiting for the release date. These are the books that you will pay full price for, not wait until months later when the price drops to half thanks to some Amazon Daily Deal.<br />
<br />
You feel the same about musicians, I bet, buying anything a particular artist creates, because you know it'll touch you in some way. Scientists say that such music gives us chills. While that sounds like a cliche, it's not. There's a physiological response to the music that "gives you chills."<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/" target="_blank">Mental Floss</a></b> is an online publication I read, most often prompted by my MENSA online newsletter. Call me geeky, but I look forward to this publication, because it enlightens me to new discoveries and gives me AHA moments. Recently, Mental Floss published a piece by Lucas Reilly entitled <b><a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51745/why-does-music-give-us-chills" target="_blank">"Why Does Music Give Us Chills?"</a></b> <br />
<br />
<i>When your playlist strikes all the right chords, your body can go on a
physiological joyride. Your heart rate increases. Your pupils dilate.
Your body temperature rises. Blood redirects to your legs. Your
cerebellum—mission control for body movement—becomes more active. Your
brain flushes with dopamine and a tingly chill whisks down your back.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<h3>
I got chills reading that article about chills! </h3>
<h3>
</h3>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Readers crave, with a passion, those stories that give them chills. Think of the stories that stick with you. Then go back and dissect them, trying to understand what talent in those words resonate into physiological responses. Those stories are the best educational tool you could ever use in designing your own work. Not some how-to book. Not a conference. While those are good refreshers and reminders, they are not teaching by example. We all know that emulation, doing instead of reading someone's how-to-do lesson, sinks deeper into our minds.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<h3>
Dissect the stories that give you chills. </h3>
<h3>
</h3>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
And a series that gives you chills is a goldmine. Studies also show that-- </div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i>The most powerful chills may occur when you know what’s coming next.
When our expectations are being met, the nucleus accumbens becomes more
active. This ties back to that dopamine-inducing guessing game our brain
likes to play. As a result, being familiar can enhance the thrill of
the chill. </i><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
And finally, dare to break molds. Dare to be daring as you read, and as you write. Sticking to what's safe and comfortable can mute that chill-factor.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i>---r<a href="http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/%7Ecreel/COGS160/COGS160_files/GreweChillPhys07.pdf">esearchers in Germany</a> found that people who felt chills were less likely to be thrill seekers, but were more reward-driven</i>.<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Yes, I know this is about music. You may think music is different than writing. But is it? Music takes you away. It taps emotion. It attaches to memories. It defines you in special ways.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
So does remarkable writing.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-59523813460044104062013-07-21T11:10:00.000-05:002013-07-21T11:10:07.321-05:00Why Do You Read? (Sequel to Why Do You Write?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu145/JABpictures/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu145/JABpictures/images.jpg" /></a></div>
Not all of us write, but all of us read. Or should read. (Hands over my ears, singing NA-NA-NA-NA if you tell me you don't have time to read.)<br />
<br />
Just a quick side rant on why you SHOULD read, and read a lot!<br />
<br />
1) You get smarter. Yes indeedy, you do.<br />
2) You write better. Yep, it's osmosis of a sort.<br />
3) You relax.<br />
4) You escape from the rat race.<br />
5) You become enlightened on multiple plains.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to YOU. Why do YOU read. You might not be a writer. Just think about being one of the millions out there, seeking a book to read. What draws you to reading?<br />
<br />
I speak to many groups, from small book clubs, to library events, to bookstore signings, to writer conferences. Of course most (not all) of those people are avid readers, and you'd be surprised at their comments about what and why they read (or don't). Don't assume that everyone you see in this business is a serious reader. I've heard the following:<br />
<br />
1) I don't read anything with murder in it.<br />
2) I don't read anything with animals in it.<br />
3) I only read positive books.<br />
4) I only read nonfiction.<br />
5) I only read biographies.<br />
6) I read young adult, it's easier. <br />
7) I only read series.<br />
8) I love a good new author.<br />
9) I read to kill time during my commute.<br />
10) I read to go to sleep.<br />
11) I read to escape the day. <br />
12) I read when I'm caught up at work.<br />
13) I read in the summer when the kids are out of school.<br />
14) I don't have time to read and write, too, so I rarely read.<br />
15) I never buy books. I check them out at the library. <br />
16) Who has time to read?<br />
<br />
Why do you read? That usually drives what you read. (It often defines what you write.) You might not buy Dan Brown's complex mysteries if you only grab a chapter here and there while waiting in line at the bank. You might read cozy plots if on vacation at the beach. You might read romance on your e-reader so your husband doesn't know (love that one). You only read books that you want your children to be able to read. You only read mysteries because you love a challenge and guessing the end.<br />
<br />
Bottom line, the world is filled with any type book you need to read, and no two readers are alike in their quests. So . . . WHY DO YOU READ? And if you are a writer, WHAT DID YOU JUST LEARN ABOUT HOW TO TARGET READERS?<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-60992176069196187242013-07-16T10:00:00.000-05:002013-07-16T10:00:08.241-05:00Why Do You Write?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af360/arielle1233/Niall-writing-a-song-edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af360/arielle1233/Niall-writing-a-song-edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you want to hear a lot of cliches, ask a room full of writers why they write. For being people of words, they sure don't use too many original ones when they respond.<br />
<br />
"I can't NOT do it."<br />
"Writing is like breathing."<br />
"I have a story to tell."<br />
<br />
Frankly, I see it as raw talent completely within my control to screw up, polish, excel at and enjoy. It's empowerment. God (or the power you believe in) gave me a seed of desire to write, then cast me into the world to see what I'd do with it. If I lost everything in my life, I could still write. That makes it a friend, a close one. Yeah, I feel all those cliche sayings above, but writing is more than that. It's a huge guide through my life.<br />
<br />
Grant Snyder, <b><a href="http://www.incidentalcomics.com/">www.incidentalcomics.com</a></b> , addressed ambition in an<b><a href="http://www.dailygood.org/story/481/the-nature-of-ambition-grant-snider/" target="_blank"> infographic comic</a></b>. I easily equated it to why we write. To paraphrase: <br />
<br />
We love what we do. We work hard at it, growing it, becoming recognized for it. Competition challenges us, sometimes instilling self-doubt. We worry, we struggle, and if we're dedicated, we grow into a bigger force. And sometimes we lose control of it, or take the wrong path with it . . . and we crash. You're left with one thing . . . the ambition that started you going in the first place.<br />
<br />
Like that one friend that sticks by you through thick and thin . . . you always have writing. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Now . . . why do you write?</strong><br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
* * * * * * * * * * <br />
(For more on Grant Snyder:<br />
Twitter - @grantdraws<br />
Facebook - <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Incidental-Comics/143875519002831" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Incidental-Comics/143875519002831" target="_blank">Incidental Comics</a><br />
Tumblr -<a data-mce-href="http://incidentalcomics.tumblr.com/" href="http://incidentalcomics.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"> Incidental Comics )</a><br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-15888878331861276872013-07-05T16:50:00.000-05:002013-07-05T16:50:08.070-05:00In the Beginning...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m603/tlj515/Sunrise-Sunsets/Dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m603/tlj515/Sunrise-Sunsets/Dawn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Hi Hope,<br />I'd be interested in hearing about before you were published and any challenges or failures you may have encountered at that point of your writing journey. Like-- how did you navigate those rough waters? Did you ever think of giving up? You are hugely successful now, but what was the road like that got you there? Might be an interesting topic for your newsletter, as many of us readers are in the "struggling" category and could relate.</i><br /><br />~Sarah<br /><br />---<br /><br />Oh WOW. When I received this, I sat back in my chair, marveling. Rather than protest about the validity or realization about my "fame," I decided to answer her questions as written, thinking that my challenges might help her see that the uphill battle can be uplifting as well.<br /><br />First, the challenges never go away. They just change what they look like. In the beginning, I struggled to write any story with a beginning, middle and ending that didn't slump a third of the way in. Then I struggled to find a voice. That process took, like, forever. As a shy writer, I feared putting material out there that wasn't any good, but the pressure to publish was fierce, so of course I learned that through...failure. <br /><br />FAILURE: I jumped too soon and produced a self-pubbed book . . . through AuthorHouse, no less. And almost as soon as it was out, I regretted it. I immediately recognized its shortcomings, and my premature urge to hold a book in my hands. I worked hard to banish it from the planet. It's not to easy to obtain these days, thank goodness.<br /><br />There was the struggle to find magazine markets to earn some money while I struggled with the books. I got crazy trying to write "what I know" to every editor with an email address or post office box.<br /><br />FAILURE: I pitched feature stories to two competing magazines, on the same topic, but written differently from different angles. Both magazines took my pitches. And unfortunately, both articles came out in the same<br />month. One particular editor was NOT happy with me . . . for several years.<br /><br />Platform wasn't a buzzword when I started out. Branding was the term. To me, it was about getting published enough times online and in print to get noticed. I created a website and a newsletter.<br /><br />FAILURE: I used a free service to deliver my newsletters and learned you get what you pay for when the newsletters couldn't be delivered reliably. I used a free service for my website then learned that with FREE comes restrictions. <br /><br />Other lessons I learned along the way:<br /><br />1) Marketing takes at least 25% of your "writing" time or nobody ever hears of you, much less remembers you.<br /><br />2) Social networking is a Godsend in terms of name recognition . . .assuming you work it and don't let it work you. <br /><br />3) Don't work so hard to repurpose articles. In the time it takes for you to "disguise" it for another publisher, you could have written a new one and literally sounded fresher.<br /><br />4) The more you try to be like others, the less you are yourself. Editors, publishers and agents want something and someone new.<br /><br />5) I have to write ten times as many words as I keep. And of those, I'll probably sell ten percent. I accept the fact I have to write a lot of words that will never see the light of day, in order to learn how to write better.<br /><br />6) Because I wrote something doesn't mean it has to be published.<br /><br />7) About the time I think I don't need help writing better is when I need the most help.<br /><br />Note the frequent use of the word STRUGGLING. <br /><br />Change never stops.<br />We never arrive.<br />We can't rest on laurels.<br /><br />We operate in a profession that's fickle and ever-changing. And humility is one of the best tools we can include in our writer's toolbox, because trust me, you'll need to use it often.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-88396401109478193592013-06-21T11:54:00.001-05:002013-06-21T11:54:51.673-05:00Make Yourself Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lukeman.com/thefirstfivepages/first52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.lukeman.com/thefirstfivepages/first52.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<span><i>In order to even learn how to play his instrument, it takes the
guitarist weeks to build calluses on his fingertips; it takes the
saxophonist months to
strengthen her lip so that she might play her instrument for only a
five minute stretch; it can take the pianist years to develop dual hand
and multiple finger coordination. Why do writers assume they can just
"write" with no training whatsoever - and then
expect on their first attempt, to be published internationally! What
makes them think they're so much inherently greater, need so much less
training than any other artist?</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span>~<a href="http://www.noahlukeman.com/" target="_blank">Noah LukemanThe First Five Pages</a></span><br />
<br />
<span><br /></span>
<span> If you decide to write, decide with conviction. </span><span><span>Practice and study it until it's right. Why the practice and training matters: </span></span><span> </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span>You don't want to buy a house built by a contractor who hasn't been an intern under someone else's watchful eye.</span></li>
<li><span>You don't want surgery from a person with just a bachelor's degree in pre-med. </span></li>
<li><span>You don't want a shade-tree mechanic rebuilding your car engine.</span></li>
<li><span>You don't want someone with twenty hours flying time piloting your 747 to your destination.</span></li>
<li><span> You don't want a wedding dress prepared by home-economics students.</span></li>
</ul>
<span> </span><br /><span> Value comes with invested time and practice. Both convert into credibility. </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span>You don't pay $650 for a watercolor when the person just graduated high school and took two art classes for extra credit.</span></li>
<li><span>You don't pay $1,000 for a handcrafted bracelet . . . made by someone who just bought his tools two weeks ago and decided to get creative.</span></li>
<li><span>You don't fill an auditorium when you've just started your band.</span></li>
<li><span>You don't find the funding for your movie idea when you've never made a movie before.</span></li>
</ul>
<span></span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>Make yourself credible. Make yourself marketable. Make yourself respectable before you throw your name out there and prove that you are not. Make yourself a wonderful writer.</span><br />
<span><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com, selected
Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers every year since 2001.
She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by
Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com) and available on Amazon and
at any bookstore.
www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com</div>Hope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.com8