Blog Chain: Household Memories

It's blog chain time again. I have to say, every time I think I'm just not organized enough to be a part of this thing anymore, someone comes up with such a compelling topic, I simply can't bow out.

This month, it's Jon. Yes, Jon Arntson, a good friend of mine, a great Words with Friends player, and my favorite Michigan writer. He gifted us with the dopest prompt:

Imagine the home(s) where you grew up, and start drawing a floor plan. As you draw, memories will surface. Grab onto one of those memories and tell us a story.

It's a little hard for me to talk about how much this brings up for me, because my childhood, and my childhood home ... let's just say I have all the ghosts in my pasts we all have. But Jon's presentation intrigued me especially, because while I'm not architect, I've always been fascinated by blueprints, and when I pretended to write comic books as a kid, I drew way more scenes from a birds-eye view than any comic book publisher would have accepted, I assume.

I don't have one specific memory that could be stretched into a whole post, at least not one I'm comfortable sharing, but I love what Abby did, when she shared a bunch of snippets, as her mind flitted from room to room.

This is my maddened version of her (and Jon's) genius.

• The swingset in our front yard, which more often than not became the setting for one of my games of fantasy. Like the Sail Barge from the beginning of Return of the Jedi.

• Our front porch. Where one of my favorite childhood photos ended up being taken - my sister and I, our faces stained with purple juice after collecting bucketfuls of blackberries from the backyard.

• Our living room, where the fireplace was, and where my dad would blast his Steppenwolf records at full volume.

• Our kitchen, where my mom and dad allowed a family friend to remodel in the 80s. It's still the same kind of ugly.

• Our family room. Where my dad and I would watch Seahawk games. He recorded every one on Betamax in the beginning, and we had a remote contol - one that had a cord.

• Our deck, where we did our barbecueing, and could see all the way to the Olympic Mountains, on a clear day.

• The basement. Where the furnace was, and where I got so jealous when we furnished a room and mom let my big sister move her bedroom down there.

• The upstairs bathroom. Where I would perform in front of the mirror - when I was supposed to be taking a bath - pretending I was the host of a variety show, for sometimes as long as 15 minutes.

• My room, where Legos, and GI Joes, and Star Wars men dominated the floor space, and where the closet had a window out through which I could climb onto the roof, and escape from everything.

There are probably hundreds more memories I could share, but this is a blog chain, so you should check Sandra's post, who came before me, and Kate's post, who will actually go up today, because mine was supposed to be yesterday. Someday I'll get it right.

Blog Chain: Writing Desk

Apparently this is the last blog chain of the year. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Anyway, this chain's topic was decided on by Tere, who asked us:

What conditions do you need to get your best writing done? Closed door, crowded coffee house? Computer or notebook? Can you just sit down to write, or do you need to wait for the time to be right?

Before you read my response, go visit Sandra, whose link in the chain comes before mine. Tomorrow, you can visit Kate, whose link comes after.

So, now to my answer, if you can call it that.

I've only been writing seriously for a few years, well, depending on what you consider serious. Seeking publication, I suppose. When I first started, I was very uptight about where and when I wrote. I had to have a desktop computer, with two monitors (one for research, one for drafting) and it had to have a big, clicky keyboard. I always did my best writing first thing in the morning, and tended to have more success revising in the afternoon.

Since then, I've come to realize that writing is a lot like time. You can't always find it, so you have to make it. I'm not sure that analogy makes much sense written down like this, but my point is, you're not always going to be able to find the perfect circumstance, so you have to just make do. I've got two kids and a rowdy dog, so writing at home is difficult, but I do it, when I can, because I have to, even though I can't stand writing on a laptop. I also have an annoying, soul-sucking day job, but I get some writing done there as well, even with phones ringing all over the room, managers walking around pretending they matter, and people talking at me all day long.

All that being said, I would kill for a cabin in the mountains, with a window on the world, and a nice old typewriter on a roll top desk. Oh, that, and the time to enjoy it.

Where do you get your best writing done?

Blog Chain: Greatest Accomplishment

Today is my turn in the blog chain.

Michelle started this one, with the topic:

This is the month in creating writing goals and making big accomplishments. What is your greatest accomplishment -- in writing, your life or perhaps something incidental that had a big effect on you?

Be sure to check out Sandra's post, who is the link in the chain before me, and Kate, whose post will come tomorrow.

Now, to my greatest accomplishment. Others have written about real life things, like parenthood or marriage, and those are certainly worthwhile accomplishments, but I'm going to keep my post writing related, although I am proud to be a father, and to have somehow survived my teenage years.

I think my greatest accomplishment when it comes to writing, is simply getting to type "the end." At least so far. Hopefully in the long run that won't seem like such a big deal, but for now, just finishing a novel, even a horrible, convoluted first draft of a novel, seems like a pretty big deal. It took a lot of patience and perseverance to get there, and it's something most people will never be able to say they've done.

Writers are a unique breed of individual, and even if you never get published, finishing a novel is no small task.

What's your greatest accomplishment?

Blog Chain: What's Your Favorite Monster

I just joined the blog chain a month or two ago, and already it's mine turn to host. On a Saturday, no less. I swear these people are trying to do me in.

Anyway, since it's my turn to come up with a topic, I thought I would go with something random, fun, and informative.

It also ties in to my plans for blogging this week, and a flash fiction piece I recently wrote. So here's the prompt for this blog chain:

What is your all-time favorite monster? You can take this in any direction you'd like. For example: my most bad-ass monster would easily be a dragon, and it is my favorite in some ways, but you don't have to go with that kind of measurement. Like me, you could go with the most ridiculously hilarious monster you ever heard of, or, like Stephanie Meyer, you could go with the most romantic creature to ever grace the pages of mythology. Or like Carrie Ryan, you could choose the old standby: Zombies. One alone might not be much to handle, but the horde is probably the single most powerful monster force ever invented in gaming, film, literature, or legend. It's up to you: what's your favorite monster?

So I pass this topic along to my blog chain comrades, and instead of writing my own post, I'll send you to a piece of flash fiction that I recently wrote: Cubic. This piece was inspired by Gary Gygax's most ludicrous monster invention: The Gelatinous Cube. Please visit, comment, and let me know what you think, but be aware, the piece was written in a tongue-in-cheek attempt at hyper-camp, because a Gelatinous Cube deserves no less.

Please be sure to visit the next link in the chain: Kate.

Blog Chain: How I Work with Critique Partners

This blog chain was started by Sarah, who asked:

Do you work with critique partners? How did you find your crit pals, and what influence have they had on your work?

So I thought I'd tell you all a bit about my history with critique groups and critique partners.

Before I started blogging, I was all alone. At least as a writer. I didn't know a single other serious writer in my "real" life. After I (thought I had) finished a novel, I started querying it way too early.

The inevitable rejections came. And came. I got a bit of interest here and there, but my book was clearly not ready. After several months I was ready to give up.

But then I got lucky.

The inspiration hit me to start blogging. Even if I could never get published I figured I could help other novice writers avoid the mistakes I made while querying (and deciding whether my novel was even ready to query).

Thus was born this silly blog with the ridiculous title. But that's enough about that.

A few months into blogging, after I had begun to build some great relationships, I realized that to fix my book, it was going to take more than just two eyes. A lot more.

I came up with the idea of starting a critique group. A formal one, with hard and fast rules. I reached out to some bloggers I knew who were also pursuing publication as novelists, and we started a group. We lost a few members here and there, and gained some others along the way. We were very organized for a few months, and exchanged simultaneous chapters (or sections for those of us who unlike me did not write massive chapters), every few weeks. It worked well for certain things like line editing and suggestions for style and other little-picture stuff, but it was impossible to get the full scope of big-picture things like character arc, plot twists, and so forth.

So we decided to change tactics. First the group disbanded, because of time constraints of some of the members, but then the rest of us decided to keep it going, on a less formal level, and just exchange work when the need arose, and with whom the need arose.

Now instead of a formal group, I have lose connections with several writer and editor friends who help me with my work. They've made a huge difference in my writing.

Simon C. Larter is the master of the big picture. He makes the best suggestions about how the plot can be re-arranged to maximize twists and surprises.

Ted Cross has the best balance. He is great at spotting "out of voice" instances, and is good at both big and little picture things.

Bryan Russell is critiquing my novel now, and I his. It's the first time we've worked together so I can't tell you what his strengths are yet.

Both Leigh T. Moore and Sarah (Falen) Ahiers are critiquing it as well, but they did not have anything ready to send to me. I hope to repay the favor someday.

So that's it. Great idea for a topic, Sarah! The post that came before mine was Kate's, and the one that comes after will be Sandra's.

Blog Chain - Keeping the Faith

It's Blog Chain time again. Okay, technically yesterday was blog chain time again, but I didn't realize we did this thing on weekends, too. I don't blog on weekends. Hell, if it doesn't involve my daughter's soccer game or getting drunk and watching football, I don't do much on weekends.

Anyway, back to the business at hand. This chain topic was selected by Shaun, whose first post you can find: here.

Here is how he introduced it:

In writing, we talk a lot about grabbing the reader from page 1. From the first paragraph, the first sentence. I spend a lot of time working on my first paragraphs because I know that agents and editors are pretty much going to decide whether they want to keep reading based on that. It's the first impression. A crappy first page is like walking into an interview in your underwear. So it's important to grab your reader right away.

But what about those books that don't?

What are three books you would tell people that they need to keep reading even if they aren't immediately sucked in by the first page?

Before I share my three, I just want to point out that I'm a very patient reader. I don't have a problem with books whose stories take time to build. I've only ever given up on two books in my life, and it was never within the first five pages. Do people really do that? Give up on a book that quickly? Or is that only when industry professionals are considering work?

Right. So here's my three:

1) The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm listing this one, because it's basically famous for starting slow. Now that I'm a (somewhat) professional writer, I can see the point people are making when they make this argument, because the plot does take some time to get going, but in my opinion, it starts out just right. It's a vast world Tolkien was building, and it took time to get a feel for it. Personally I love every minute of it.

2) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. This is one I'm a bit ashamed to admit. But it's an interesting story. I first bought this book for my daughter when she was about 6. I had seen Good Morning America talking about the lines outside of bookstores when The Chamber of Secrets was released, and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. So I bought her the book. I read the first two or three chapters myself, and being the fool I was at the time, I scoffed. "This is a children's book!" I said to myself. "Clearly it's beneath me," was my second sentiment. So I'm sad to say that I gave her the book and it took another 4 years or more before she finally convinced me to give them another chance. I think she was on Goblet of Fire at the time. Well, this is going to sound cliche, and it probably is, but reading those books changed my life. I realized that great writing could be meant for any audience, and I've been reading, and loving, and writing, and toiling over, "YA" and "MG" books ever since.

3) The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner. This one I was reminded of by the blog chain member who came before me, Sandra. I'll link to her post at the end. This is a perfect example of this topic for me, because honestly? I still don't fully understand this book. I've read it three times. The whole stream of consciousness style is one I always struggle with. The first time I read this book it made no sense to me. But I came back a few years later, and read it again. Okay, admittedly, there are still parts that don't make sense, but it also contains some of the most powerful writing I've seen, and I've come to love it in spite of my ignorance.

So there you go. A day late and a few dollars short, that's my take on the topic. Be sure to visit Sandra's post, that came before me, and Kate's post, which will probably go up today (sorry, Kate)!

Blog Chain: Writing Time

It's blog chain time again already!

This round started just the other day, with Christine.

Since we are all writers, I thought it was about time for us to stretch our creative muscles and do a little writing. So, take the following topic and go crazy! Show us what you've got. Your story can be as long or as short as you choose.

The topic: A dark and stormy night.

Here's my entry:

The night's darkness enveloped him like a shroud, the air full of pressure that stabbed him gently in the ears. Clutching, it choked his ragged breath away with groping claws of unchecked desperation. He could smell the charge of electricity, feel it tingle the tiny hairs inside his nostrils.

He stumbled through sheets of hail that defied all laws of physics and petty concepts such as gravity. They seemed to be coming up from the earth, to tear at his embattled face. The trail before him stood clogged with leaves and branches torn from bush and tree and flung into his path with curious frequency.

The lightning was his only beacon.

Flash!

So sudden and so near it lit the cliffside up like a thousands suns, and for a moment all was illuminated. A sandy footpath. Tufts of yellow grass. Reaching brambles. Swaying tree limbs overhead.

Just a camera click of his surroundings before he was plunged back into the depths utter blindness.

Boom!

The storm was right above him. The thunder followed the flash of light like a boxer's combination and the bass of it's crash almost threw him to the ground and nearly moved his bowels.

But he had to keep moving.

It was coming.

The presence was upon him.

There you go.

Not great, but not bad, for off the top of the dome status. Probably could use some edits.

Now, don't forget to visit yesterday's post: Sandra, and tomorrow will be Kate. Thanks, have a great night!

Blog Chain: The Brave New Publishing World

So here I am, at work at 7 PM, the first shift in my new schedule, the DuPont schedule, which is a behemoth you can read more about, here.

Anyway, partly because of this new schedule, and partly because I just suck at organization, I missed the first post I was supposed to put up yesterday for this new blog chain I've joined. The topic for today, in fact for the entire chain, is this:

Have the recent changes in the publishing industry affected your writing plans/career? If so, how?

Before I get to answering that, I want to explain how the blog chain works, and introduce you to the other members of the group. It works by one member picking a topic, and then writing about it on the first day. What makes it a chain is that each subsequent blogger then covers the same topic, also linking to both the previous, and the next blog.

I screwed all that up, so I'm going to link to all the blogs.

First, let me introduce you to the other new members of the chain, most of whom you may already know. Amparo, Tere, PK, Katrina, and Jon. The already existing members of the chain, some of whom I already knew, but others whom I just met, are: Christine, Sarah, Michelle M., Shaun, Cole, Kate, Sandra, Eric, Margie, Michelle H., and Abby.

Now I realize that's a lot of blogs, but you don't have to read them all right now. Just go follow them, and I promise you won't be disappointed. For now just read the post that came before mine, Sandra's, and then go read the one that comes tomorrow (which by the way is actually today since I screwed all this up), Kate's.

Now that we've gotten all that housekeeping out of the way, let's get down to the topic.

My opinion, and please take this with a grain of salt as I am a completely amateur and unpublished writer, is that it is both an exciting and a terrifying time to be (or be attempting to be) in the publishing industry. I say that in all my comments whenever the topic comes up, and I mean it.

I used to own a small, independent record label in Minneapolis. My partner had all the musical talent, and I (supposedly) had all the business acumen. We didn't get rich, but we had a lot of fun.

You can't compare the music industry to publishing with a one to one correlation, because they're very different, but I can make an analogy that I hope will make my opinion about the state of publishing more clear.

When a record gets put out (for us it was usually 12 inch singles, which is actually just 2 songs, an A side, and a B side, and then possibly an instrumental and an acapella version of each) the record label generally recoups all costs before any artists get paid, which can be quite substantial depending on the scope and quality of the production. In general, independently produced music allows for better art to get from the artist to the fan (or listener) for a lower cost, and with more of the fair share of profits actually making it into the artist's hand (or bank account).

It seems to me that the same will eventually be true of publishing, but I don't think we're there yet, not even close. So far, self and e-publishing (or even vanity, which is NOT the same thing) has always had a very negative stigma attached to it. In the sense that self-published books are of lower quality, because the author simply got impatient about trying to get published traditionally. I can't personally tell you whether or not that was ever true, because I haven't read a lot of self-published books, but I can tell you the stigma was there.

I think all of that's changing, and fast. My friend PJ Hoover has already shown that you can write a great book, one good enough to get an agent, and then still choose to publish it outside of the traditional channels. I haven't read the whole thing, yet, but I've read an excerpt of Solstice, and I can tell you that PJ is a damn fine writer.

For my own career, I still intend to get published traditionally, at least once, if only to prove that I can do it. After that, who knows? All I really care about is telling great stories and having them reach as many readers who will love them as much as I do, as possible.

I could go on, but I've probably already said too much. Please bear with me as I try to wrap my head around this crazy thing that is my life.