Inspiring the Writer's Mind

After a submersion writer’s conference weekend (in this case Desert Nights Rising Stars at ASU), I never know what bit of information will become part of my internal life. In this case, it was Daniel Bosch’s short lyric poetry book entitled Octaves bound in three sections that are separated by three spines. Remember those thin magic wooden pieces tied with ribbons that you flip one end and the entire thing reverses itself? This doesn’t reverse itself with clever ribbons, but reading it is accomplished in a variety of ways reminiscent of it.

Out of these lovely to touch and interesting to turn pages, several poems teased and pulled my muse out of hiding. One line haunts me. It is now four days later and this line never leaves my thoughts.

The past is present now. And now. And now.

That pinpoint of time he isolates like a stop motion photo from the stream of life. I love the ticking of the life clock with ‘…now. And now. And now.’ We are reminded that we are always on the precipice of the present and of the past. Both reside within us in the space of a second, the beating of a butterfly’s wings, or the blink of an eye. In the last line, I've not remembered exactly, he reverses it.

The present is past and is now. And now.

What draws my muse, however, is the continuance of the assumed:

And the future is the present now. And now. And now.

There is comfort in that present moment filled with breathless anticipation and also sweet memory of what has passed. My basic premise in life has been: “The future enters into us long before it arrives.” What comes to us on the rebus strip of life has been a part of us unrealized until the present reveals the past and the future connections. This says it in a far more memorable and haunting way.

Thank you, Daniel Bosch, for inspiring my muse.

I fear that I’ve not gotten his words perfectly. I left the work in my Arizona writing studio, never imagining that I would live with this particular line etched in my mind. I will correct when I’m back in there.

Another Writing Goal for 2013

How often in editing do we revise the sentences, the grammar and the flow of our story? This is important, but perhaps we overlook the obvious.

How often do we read our work to find those segments that are truly beautiful and worthy? How often do we simply toss away those that are not? In the process of revision we can overlook the most crucial portion that makes us better writers. That part is the beauty and worth of our words and sentences.

Hand in hand with that concept, we must become better readers. I will immerse myself in their work and set goals for reading that match or exceed my word count or editing goals.

In 2013, I vow to seek the beauty and worth. I vow to remove the mundane and, as always, I vow to excel at my writer's craft.

Crafting the Perfect Ending & Writing Goals for 2013

I was probably the last person with media access that hadn't seen the final episodes of the wonderful and brilliant television series House. Strange, I know, but I save endings to great shows and books like fine wines. I held one for over ten years! It is hard to avoid the spoilers in tweets, blogs and forum posts, but I manage.

Tonight, I watched them. I can only say, "In order to see the last two episodes you must close your eyes and listen to them." The music and interplay of the creative sound contributors was stunning. The overplay of the cafeteria normalcy sounds, the crackle and threat of the fire in the burning building, the scrape of chairs & fading footsteps along the halls and the haunting fading in and out of the background music added a texture few consciously realize.

In the best work a good ending plays on in echoes within the reader's mind for days and even years. I haven't studied endings, but I believe it is time to do so. I am making it my writing goal for 2013. By the end of a full year, I will have dissected, decoded, analyzed, agonized and hopefully found a source to provide me with a set of guidelines or rules on good endings. I hope that I can find some quality classes or lectures to take. I can't wait to begin.

In another example of a perfect ending, I want to thank SCBWI-IA for a wonderful and inspiring writing conference. It echoes on in my mind as well. My output and the quality of that work has been incredible as a result.

Nebraska Novel Retreats & the SCBWI

Even the most solitary of writers need renewal, but where to go can be perplexing. Here is one amazing Midwest destination. Please contact me if you would like additional information. The website is at http://nebraskanovelretreats.com/upcoming-retreats/


I attended Nancy's 2nd retreat with Jill Santopolo - editor and Stephen Barbara - agent. The workshop was amazing with lots of useful information coming from people in the business who know the business.

The site is a fantastic and beautiful modern monastery where you can write in solitude, laugh with good company, learn with intensity, and center your writing muse for the upcoming year by sitting near or walking around the calming lake. Did I mention that the food was excellent? It is!


It was through this retreat that I discovered the membership joys gained through the SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Book Illustrators.)  This organization's website is http://www.scbwi.org/. Great information and retreats/workshops from fellow writers, editors, and agents who offer support, knowledge and encouragement. 


Feed the muse!

What Not to Say to a Children's Book Writer on a 1st Date!

Mish, Mash, & Late Night Musings

Notification of great offer!

 http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ (July 2nd) has a 24 hour offer for finding critique dating partners. Check it out. I hope she does this again. Right now, I'm in the great swampy middle of my current WiP. Anyone who hopes to tread with me would surely die from sucking in mud.

Pursuing the Writer's Craft:

Love those little sections called: "Tell us who you are." Yes, immediate gag reflex. So, who am I and what is my learning goal for my recent online class?

I'm a successful business owner in the Midwest, but I have given into my passion for writing. As Noel Coward wrote in Waiting in the Wings, "My mind is a sieve." My goal is to keep those sieve holes as tiny as possible as I pursue the writer's craft. I work with young adult.


I seek confidence, consistency, and competence—all of which seem too often in short supply. I promise to keep my Collins COBUILD English Grammar close to hand; unfortunately, it is falling apart and I still don’t have this down. I blame it on President Kennedy. He called for us to learn science and, thereafter, grammar teachers became unimportant apparently and I ended up with a useless chemistry minor in college. I especially look forward to proofreading tips and have a great fear of lie, lay, lain, lying (see my assignment 1), lay, laid, laid, laying, and collective noun/verb agreement gives me nightmares.  Also, I am not a purist—where the *#%^* is spell check?

My profile was woefully outdated. Here is my update. 

Greetings from the heartland.  I'm a successful business owner, but have given into my passion of writing the last six years. I am presently writing for young adults. I'm 58, but was thrilled when several fellow online students assumed that I was in my twenties.

I've taken several classes through mediabistro, through University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and once though the Piper Center in Tempe, AZ. I've had opportunities to travel for research and to meet some great editors and authors. My last jaunt was a trip to North Carolina for the Writer's Police Academy. It was a blast, although I happily skipped the murder crime scene when one sweet lady offered to let me dab some of her crest tooth paste up my nose to cover the smell. That night, I sat at a large banquet table with a huge grin, amazed that all these dressed up people were actually discussing how far the body liquids would travel over different lengths of times!  Yes, I'm going to write about that one day...

I religiously write from six to eight every morning, but rarely on my blog. I'm not sure what would frighten me more--being offered a publishing contract or no one wanting to read my work again! Thankfully, people have been kind and gracious.

This pursuit of the writer's craft is a marvelous journey.

If anyone is out there that actually reads this? Feed my fish? They have been zombies now for months and need love-- As you can tell from my infrequent posts, I ain't giving it to them.

Short Version on Characters

On characters, short version

Give them motivation that arrives from backstory.
Give them a secret.
Give them connections with as many of the other characters as possible.

Read jim-butcher.com's blog about writing. It's one of the tabs.
Visit writingexcuses.com.
Take a course on creating characters on line or in person.

Top down or Down up development--the end result is the same. Think of a coloring book--they are boring as hell for an adult. Now, take that and put it into an artist's hands and it turns 3D and beautiful or terrifying or compelling--just maybe all three. You want to make sure that your end result has maximum impact on your reader. You can't end up with your first thoughts and motivations for these characters; they have to be ten steps beyond your first ideas. Strive for depth, but always logical, realistic and often simple characteristics. If your character isn't speaking to your heart, then she will not speak to the reader. If she can't make you cry, the reader won't either.