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Reading to become a better writer

I read. A lot.

Most writers tend to. For many, reading the works of others becomes more than an escape, diversion or pleasure trip. It becomes a study in the craft of writing. A process of learning by observing, then followed by doing. Nothing wrong with that approach.

I find remarkable not just what I learn from reading other works, but how I learn it. Sure if there are outright errors or grammar inconsistencies, I can't help but spot them and wonder how they got overlooked. Logic and plot problems tend to jump out at me too. Bad characterizations, factual mistakes, poor choice of wording, all of this becomes a lesson is what not to do. What to beware of.

When it comes to the positives, the things other writers do well, I seem to have two methods of learning. I think of those two ways as active and passive.

The active method is where I consciously pick up on what the writer is doing. In this case I tend to be more a student and learner than a casual reader. Which makes it a great way to absorb techniques, practices and skills but at the cost of really investing in and enjoying the story. Again, nothing really wrong with that. Though it can be frustrating at times if all I wanted was a good read, not a writing lesson.

I think the passive method of learning is, in the end, the more powerful and compelling of the two. The difference here is that I rarely find myself not being a casual reader. I let the story carry me from start to finish and just appreciate the journey. Only after I turn the final page do I really reflect on how the story was written. Quite often I'm amazed at the deft skills the writer exhibited. I find it thrilling to reflect on how they brought the story to life first. Afterward, I consider the methods, styles and tactics they used to execute the story to such great effect.

I suppose it comes down to experiencing a well written story versus an engrossing story that's written well. What writer wants to settle for just delivering the former?

A writer wraps up 2012

Just a quick reflection on the year that was. Being the primary breadwinner, I have to weave writing into the spaces between the day job, family time, domestic duties and assorted pursuits. I think I did a fair job this past year. Not great but not too shabby. I've got multiple short stories out for review. One that "sold" (a donation for a good cause, actually). Progress was made on my primary novel WIP. I'm happy with the story creation process for the most part.

E-publishing got a fair amount of love this year. I count efforts to complete and post e-books on Amazon and Smashwords as well as the outreach (read: marketing) to go with them all in my writer's yearly success column. Again, plenty more could have been done here but, all-in-all, I'm satisfied.

I think I grew as a writer in 2012. That's a big deal to me. Frankly, the better craftsman constantly learns more about their respective craft. That's an inescapable fact. It can come in many forms or via different methods as long as it does happen in some way. I'll take some points here while acknowledging there is always more that could, and possibly should, have been done.

I'll give myself a low score for blogging and other social media efforts across 2012. This is a tough area to find the right balance for. It could easily consume a significant amount of energy and attention and isn't a bad thing in isolation. But it does siphon off cycles from everything else, writing included. I'll wager the challenge for me will continue into the coming year on this.

So in closing I'll label 2012 another good year for my writing. Here's hoping I can keep my track record intact through 2013.

Stories Should Have a Killer Ending (or Die Trying)

Like most writers I tend to fret over nearly every aspect of the stories I write. It's natural to want them to be 'just so,' perfectly delivering on that impression we have in our heads. But since we can't jack our readers straight into our skulls yet, we're stuck using words. Not just any words either. We quest endlessly for that perfect set of words, or at least as close to ideal as we can make them.

Start to finish, a writer relies upon the right words to deliver the story as intended. Every word is vital, though the opening and closing ones do extra duty by drawing the reader in and then delivering the final payoff of the intended, overall impression.

Namely, hook 'em. Then leave 'em with the lasting thought and feeling.

Like most writers, I labor over my story openings. They're tough buggers to nail. Twiddling, tweaking and tuning can be, and often is, involved. Sometimes extensively. I think two things work here in the writer's favor though. One is the writer quite often has a good sense of how the story will begin. (Whether it's an appropriate or the best beginning is a subject for another time.) The second thing is, if the writer's first few words aren't supreme, there are a handful more that come right afterwards that can, hopefully, pick up the slack.

Wrong way to look at it? Point taken.

It certainly pays to make those first few words the perfect hook. But just in case the hook is slightly dull, the second sentence or paragraph might be sufficient to set the barb. As a reader, I have never bailed out on a story after sentence #1. Page #1, yes. In rare cases, perhaps paragraph #1 or #2 gave me enough to know the story wasn't for me.

This is not the case with the story's final words. Those sit there on the screen or page naked... alone... with no hope of reinforcement. They cannot be weak or inappropriate choices for the closing lest they compromise that all-important payoff. They must deliver.

So I, as the writer, must provide the perfect, final words. Those words must impart the final impression of the story, the last piece the reader requires to complete the experience.

These two burning needs often vex me. For me, it's mostly a problem of choice. As in, too many to pick from.

Some stories I write have what I'd call obvious endings. You know the ones. They practically write themselves. Done deal.

Some story endings gel only after the tenth, fiftieth, or one hundredth time reworking them. These elusive ones you know aren't quite right when you first write them. Try, try again ultimately prevails though and it's a small celebration the day your rewrite clicks. Whew.

Then, there are the bad boys. These tend to defy logic and threaten sanity. The problem is not rooted in the story. It's me. The writer.

I'm the problem because I quite often haven't resolved exactly, precisely what I want. Actually, that's a misleading statement. I want perfection. Perfection is a real bitch to pin down. In fact, it's near hopeless. But you still have to try because 'good enough' really isn't.

Good enough is compromised. Flawed. Left alone, you know the story requires more attention. It deserves a hundred or a thousand or a hundred thousand reworks to make it proper, whatever that ends up being. Whatever it takes.

Then, reality intrudes. At some point, the writer is forced to let it go and move on. I hate that point. Actually, I hate facing that point, but once you're past it, it's a huge relief. Talk about getting an 800 pound gorilla off your back.

Unfortunately, I don't have any particular brilliancies to share regarding these problem children. Except, like real children, the best you can do is to love and nurture them as much as possible to the point where they must fend for themselves, for better or for worse.

And that's OK to do, even if it's not guilt free.

Write what you want

I’ve never been one to chase fads. I shudder when I hear the expression “out of style.” Shortly after that particular expression surfaces there is often a figure quoted, which reflects the necessary coinage required to get back “in style.” Whereupon life is good again. All too briefly.

You know the expression: lather, rinse, repeat? Chasing trends feels that way to me, like some endless shampoo cycle. Only it’s your sanity and bank account that’s getting washed out.

Okay, so we’ve established that I’m a genuine stick-in-the-mud. This is the point where I draw a quick parallel to writing and wrap up the blog post, isn’t it?

Err... sort of.

I titled this post “Write what you want.” Underline and emphasize the word ‘you’ in that title. Because that’s not only where the writing comes from, it’s who the writing really targets at the end of the day. Strip away all the readers, fans, agents, editors, critics, et al., and you’re left with the one person who really defines success.

You, the author.

Obviously this implies you actually have a definition of success for your writing. While this could amount to anything under the sun, I would strongly encourage you to focus on factors that are more in your control. Completing your novel is one example. Selling 1,000 copies a month of it is not. Writing a story in a totally different genre is good. Getting it to the top 5 ranking on Amazon is not.

Equally bad is defining your success along the lines of: “being the next X, Y or Z.” That’s sure tempting, isn’t it, comparing your appeal or your book’s acceptance to some popular name or work.

Don’t.

Whoever it is, whatever they wrote, that’s their success. Not yours. Make your own, using your terms. Stay out of the chase and run your own race.

A writer’s sanity and psyche is usually under enough pressure as it is, so figure it out and write what you want.

You just might start your own trend. You never know.

Sale: Desperate Measures - also a donation

Ever donate a story to help a cause?

I just did.

I expect you’ve heard of Cystic Fibrosis. It’s a cruel, killer disease that afflicts about 70,000 people worldwide with 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. While advances in treatment have been made, the median age for survival of a CF sufferer is still only in the late 30s.

It’s less likely that you’ve heard of Erotic Anthology, which produces a grab-bag of themed story collections, all of which have an erotic tilt of some kind. Most of the collections are unified together under the main title of Coming Together, and each of the themes is then a subtitle within. The Coming Together anthologies are sold through the major digital outlets and in print format. All the profits from the sales are donated to various charitable causes. The motto of Erotic Anthology is: “doing good while being bad.”

Indeed.

Recently, a new science fiction theme was added to the Coming Together line called Off World. I happen to spot the call for submissions. While I can’t say I’m looking to branch out my writing generally into erotica, the mission of Coming Together appealed to me while also giving me a shot at writing outside of the box. It was something quite different.

Still, I dithered. Until a tragic, erotic, sci-fi story plot line smacked me between the eyes. Funny how that happens.

The result was a dark little tale called Desperate Measures, which is about what can happen between a woman and a man on a last-ditch, one-way mission that doesn’t quite go as planned. I’d classify the story as a sci-fi romance with an erotic thread. If you’re looking for something more gratuitous, titillating or explicit, this is not the story for you.

Here’s a teaser:

I dreamed.

Emma said I would. According to her, most people did though they didn't realize it.

She knew firsthand, having been a guinea pig for the initial suspension trials. Said she loved it, giddy and gushing like an eager teen in a clingy prom dress with grand expectations and even bigger desires. Said she couldn't wait for the real mission, the true motivation for suspension testing. The ultimate payoff.

Emma told me she'd dreamed of her first husband, Mack, and her second, Padraig, both killed in Zet raids not four months apart. Emma died too, weeks after Padraig, in another raid during our panicked retreat from Betelgeuse, our fleet hacked to one third the size of when we'd arrived.

Sorry, Emma. No mission for you. No prom. No climax in some glorious payoff that you ached for.

But I got to go. Emma had nailed it and more.

You can purchase Desperate Measures thusly (and it goes without saying that this is for adults only):

On Amazon

On Smashwords

On Omnilit

And here is the main page for Coming Together: Off World over on Erotic Anthology.

Your purchase results in a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. So you can have a guilty pleasure while helping a worthy cause.

Doing good while being bad.

I think I’m going to enjoy it.

Avoiding rejection dejection

Got my latest story rejection this morning. Consequently, I tweeted the following quip:

Rejections are like a gladiator’s scars. You need them to go on to your biggest killings.

The thing is I didn’t mean this to be just a trivial sound bite. I’ve always believed it to be true about writing, from day one.

When it comes down to it, my stack of rejection letters affirms two fundamental things about my writing. It means:

1. I am trying
2. I need to keep trying, only a little harder

Notice I didn’t say anything along the lines of: “I am failing” or “My writing stinks” or “Editors are idiots.” Instead, I view each rejection as measuring my forward progress. As long as they keep coming in, I keep moving ahead.

That means working harder, getting better, growing in my craft and improving my stories. That’s the path forward.

Oh sure, I’ve had moments of disappointment with some rejection letters, such as when I thought a story was an absolute perfect match with a particular market or editor. That, along with many factors regarding submission evaluation, is really beyond my control. I can control the fact that I keep writing stories and I keep polishing them to make them the finest I can deliver. Period.

Worry about what you can control. Don’t let the other control you. It’s the best a writer can hope for.

When I talk to people about my writing, it’s not uncommon for them to tell me they could never do it, often because of all the rejection they’ll experience. The thought really bothers them and turns them off. I usually smile at that point and talk proudly about my numerous battle scars.

With more to come, too. Ones that I plan to work hard to earn.