Writing

Writing Referee?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I need a referee for my writing time. Someone in a striped get-up with a whistle to blow every time someone, steps out of  bounds into my writing arena. I can see it now, the shrill scream of the whistle as the referee throws his arm out, screaming, “Out of bounds! You’re outta here!”

But, I haven’t been very lucky persuading my husband the need for another man around the house. Go figure. With that option off the table, I’m left having to re-evaluate my time management. Or, better yet find a balance.

80/20

The 80/20 Rule, also known as the  Pareto Principle, states that 20 percent of our efforts produce 80 percent of your results.  Boy, I’ve been working too hard! Perhaps, I’ve simply worked poorly. Trying to juggle family, friends, and trying to find time for writing. I can tell you, it hasn’t been working well. My output and creativity have suffered. I’ve been sidelined the last few weeks. On the bench, and out of the game. Why?

Sidetracked: 

  1. Distractions:  The everyday kind. The phone. You know the thing that never leaves our hands or        hips. The email or tweets that beep and chirp constantly. The house that needs attending. Grocery Shopping. Life. The unexpected.
  2. Family and friends: Including the four legged kind. We love them, but family activities can be demanding on our time. Whether it is the child/grandchild, your spouse, the aged parent needing attention, or the dog who needs walking, there are only so many hours in the day. At times, it seems, everyone is pulling on our apron strings (so to speak).
  3.  And then there is work: I’m fortunate enough to be retired, thank God, but I understand the demands of a full time job. They can be exhausting. Add all the rest, and finding time for writing takes a lot of planning.

What to Do:

  1. Be realistic and change your expectations. Otherwise you’ll lose the joy, passion and desire you had to begin writing.
  2. Set a schedule. Work it into your day-to-day, but build in some flexibility for those unforeseen situations that will always arise.
  3. Set Priorities. I know all about the hype on social networking. Tweet, LinkedIn, Pin interest, Facebook and the zillion other sites on the net. They are intoxicating, captivating and additive. They also can rob you of value time.
  4. Focus: What is it you want to accomplish? A novel? Anthology of short stories, Self-publish an Ebook? Short fiction guru? Competition? Publication in literary magazines? All are great goals, and I believe one can do some of those things simultaneously. However, when time is an issue, can one do them well?
  5. Re-evaluate your goals. When things are hectic it might be time to look over your goals. Are they too lofty, for right now? Too much? Too soon? Can you accomplish your project in smaller sections? In other words, take smaller bites.
  6.  Re-evaluate your time: Put your life  and writing in perspective. 80/20 it.
  7. Change it up. Do something different. Take a break. Breathe. Whether it’s reading a good book, different from your favorite genre, trying your hand at poetry or painting, make a change. Give yourself permission to relax.
  8. I don’t need a referee and neither do you. We need perspective. Writing is about inspiration, fun and passion. Our words aren’t going anywhere, but family and friends do. Our kids grow up, move away, friends drift into their own lives, and parents grow old, forgetful and leave us. A little balance sounds good to me.

Emotional Nuance

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

One of the most difficult things for me, as a new writer, is to put feelings and emotions down on paper.  I started paying attention to other author’s and the way they described emotions. I started out believing emotions were easy to write, they aren’t. Many nuance’s of expression bring emotion to life and make it real. I was missing that subtle difference in shade of meaning, expression or sound.

Most of the time our emotions are reactions. Flares of intense moments. Some are more subtle than others, but how often do you stop to think about what you’re doing, how you’re moving,  the tone in your voice, the look in your eye, the strength in your touch, or your stance? We don’t. We simply do what we do in the moment.

Try writing a scene without thinking about  all of those things, and you’ll have a boring, stilted, emotional scene. I know, because I’ve written quite a few along the way. However, there are resources for us newbies, and I’ve found a great one! The book shelf muse. This is a wonderful blog offering a slew of  resources for writers on character traits,  emotional thesaurus, and others. Check them out. Their hard copy book and ebook will be coming out May 14th.

So, the next time you sit down to write and you can’t get the emotion right, well…. I hope you’ll take a closer look. Break it down. As for me, I have a big Easter weekend with my family planned. So, I’ve been busy, cleaning, cooking, and right now I’m drumming my fingers on the table as I run through my to-do-list, focusing on our family event (anticipation).

Happy Easter  to every one! Happy Emotional Writing!

Improve with Flash Fiction

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 5 Comments

Flash Fiction seems to be all the craze right now with a story  between 1000 – 500 words. The shorter the story, the better.  I began reading the stories, paying attention. Flash fiction intrigued me. The stories were tight. I wanted to write like that.

I began combing through every self-help book and blog I could find looking for ways to improve my writing skills and tighten my writing. Practice makes perfect. So, I started experimenting by writing short stories. It paid off. My first flash fiction short story (480 words) was published recently in Every Writer’s Resource.

Writing short stories will help you improve your writing skills in a number of ways. It will help tighten your writing,  help you free think more, increase your creative thinking and you will learning more about the skill of writing.  In addition, short stories may be better for you, in the long run. That remains to be seen. Anne Allen discusses why-you-should-be-writing-short-fiction on her blog. Check it out.

Also check out some of the sites I use to practice and improve writing skills. One of the things I do on a daily basis is one word. This exercise sends one word, every day to your email. You have 60 seconds to free write. It is a great way to open your mind, let your imagination roam and if by chance you suffer from writer’s block, this will help.

Other sites like five-sentence-fiction  offer a single word as a prompt to write a five sentence story. But, probably one of my favorites is dailyfig.figment.com. This site is offers a daily writing prompt and so much more. It is a great resource for writing advice. I’m sure there are others.

The resources available are many to help all of us succeed as writers. Go for it! I’m pulling for you!

Online Legacy

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

This newbie published her first short story. This wasn’t my first publication. In 1989, working as a transplant coordinator for the American Red Cross, I published a professional article, “How Do I Ask?” in Nursing ’89.  It was on the serious and touchy topic of  tissue and organ donation.  (You can read the full article in my pages section).

I remember flipping through the pages of the January issue looking for my article and the excitement of seeing my words and name in print for the first time. The feeling was the same this week whenEvery Writer’s Resource featured my short story, The Rusted Swing Set.

As a writer, I’ve  gotten off to a late start. I wrote that first article some twenty-three years ago and  knew nothing about submitting articles or stories. I simply had a compelling story to tell. Naive in submission guidelines and formatting of manuscripts, without any hesitation or self-doubt about my abilities, I submitted the article. Perhaps, the reason they accepted my article was timing, the topic or my professional experience as an RN, in the field. I’d like to think my voice, as a writer, also came through, giving the topic a personal touch.

Today, getting a magazine or journal to publish your work is harder. You can’t take a shot in the dark as I did in 1989. Following the guidelines, honing in on your genre and understanding what editors want and expect is part of the equation, along with hard work.

I’ve learned a lot since 1989 about submitting and formatting manuscripts, but not enough by a long shot. My work may never reach the New York Times best seller list, but all I can do is try, improve were I can, and push the send button. Here’s a few things I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been writing.

  • Check your ego at the door or when you hit the send button.
  • Understand the rights you’re giving up once your work leaves your hands. If you’re unsure, ask.
  • Research the best place to submit. Zillions of opportunities for regular updates on contests and feeds from magazines seeking submissions are available. A great place to start would be the Writer’s Resource, Top 50 Literary Magazines.
  • Educate yourself. READ, READ, READ.
    Don’t take rejections personally. Learn from them.
    Keep on writing and submitting. Practice makes perfect.

Who knows what life holds in store for us. I won’t always get things right, I’m sure, but perhaps,  I’ll live long enough to leave a legacy of published works to make my children and grandchildren proud. I hope so.

The article I wrote twenty-three years ago is still being used as a resource,incorporated into training manuals all the way to California, cited by authors, and in, at least, one legal case. Imagine my surprise.

This week my short story hit the Internet highway. Who is to say what the next twenty-three years will bring, where my stories will be or who they may touch.Writing is a journey for this newbie. My final legacy is in God’s hands, but it’s comforting to realize, after all this time, my words were not forgotten. They touched people’s lives and long after I’m gone they’ll be there for someone to read. I think my kids will be proud.

Keep writing. Our words are our legacy.