Rochester Writers Association

It happens to the best of us. You're happy, enthralled with the genius of your ingenuity, and writing as fast as possible. The ideas are flowing like the Mississippi during the rainy season. Then out of nowhere, WHAM! All the beavers in America decide to dam your creativity. You shake your head to clear your mind, unsure of what just happened.

And then you stare numbly at your computer screen. Your mind freaks out as you realize that the villainous writer's block has struck. That thought leaves you debating whether or not you should whack your head into the keyboard. Or maybe you feel like the ink in your pen has dried, there's lead missing in your mechanical pencil or the lead in your normal pencil is so brittle nothing happens but breaking as you try to write and your fifty miles from the nearest office supply store.

What's a writer to do? The only thing we can. Crawl into a ball, roll around on the floor, and then moan, groan and whine to anyone who will listen. Down fifty cups of coffee, blame your sister, mother, brother, father, best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, and/or children and then get over it.

GET OVER IT?!?! You would at this point scream at me for not sympathizing. But, I can't. The only thing that can cure writer's block is to WRITE.

Before you ask, no I haven't lost my mind. But, I have learned (strictly through trial and error) that you have to FORCE the creativity. Find writing prompts. Literally type "writing prompts" into your search engine and just wait to be bombarded as the results fly in. Then pick one that doesn't want to make you hurl obscenities at the author (i.e. What did you do for summer vacation?) and pound out the words. If that doesn't work, flip through a magazine, newspaper, old book and write down any words that "jump out" at you and merge them until you can write a sentence. If that doesn't work, just write over and over and over again "I do not know what to write." or "This is stupid, why do I ever listen to Susan." and you could even try, "I will write today." The point is, you are telling your spoiled, always gets its way, 2 year old mind who is boss. It says you can't write, you say you can. Let's see who wins.

After a few hours, days, or even weeks you will BREAK out of the trap of writer's block. You will be able to stand on your desk chair, recliner, kitchen chair, or even coffee table and give out a massive war cry as you pound the writer's block to the ground. Showing that you have taken over the world and you are no longer afraid of the blank page, the empty screen or the pen with dried out ink!

It is highly important that every writer has their own space. It can be as simple as a t.v. table faced away from the t.v. to as elaborate ensemble that is feng-shui accurate. The defining aspect that all writing spaces must share is what the writer gains from it. Peace and a work space. 

I believe that the best possible space would have items that inspire and calm. Some examples would be, if you are working on a poem that is centered around nature (besides taking a walk in the woods) you could have nature scene photos/images on the wall above your work area. Images of nature can be both inspiring and calming.

Currently, I have an old desk, reminds me of high school biology. In front of the desk on the wall is a little plaque that reminds me to believe in my dreams. To the left, on the wall is a calendar with a degree hanging over it. On the desk itself, are little figurines that remind me of my current work.

In fact, right now, there is a statue of Ganesha, miniature island statues, and a sunken ship. All of which tie into what I am currently working on.

The most important part of the space is that it has given my mind an area that it has associated with writing. It is the one place that when I sit down to write I don't become distracted. A cup of coffee, pen and paper and I'm on my way. If you haven't created your space yet, I highly recommend it.

Writing Exercises:  Complication versus Situation: novel excerpt focusing on a complication (during a situation the control is taken away from the character, i.e. an outside force entering the situation.)

from my work in progess--Your feed back is welcome!  D

Warraine’s drawbridge stretched between the castle and the bailey. The portcullis lay open in welcome as our advance force pounded into the yard their blood running hot. Tradesmen and peasants scattered to their workshops, sensing the angry mood which curled around them like a dragon waiting to strike as our knights dispersed to take the guards at sword point. Seeing Sir William’s banners, Warraine’s men at arms had thought this was a visit not a chevauche. That saved their lives, but handed the Castle straight to us. If they were my guards, I’d have them flayed for dereliction. I felt Ivo’s derisive laugh well up inside. The fools! Sir William’s Guard of which we were a part clattered across the bridge and collected in the courtyard below the tower inside the second palisade.

“Warraine de Lancaster! Brother! Come and greet your betters who have ridden in and taken your bailey without a stroke or arrow. Attend me, knave and hear your fate!”

Sir William, astride his grey charger, bellowed in a mighty voice. The horse danced below the tower. Even Warraine could not pretend he had not heard. The Keep doors in the great tower opened and three guards preceded their lord, swords drawn and faces grim. Warraine swaggered out alone behind them confident and hateful. He spat on the flat threshold before he spoke with an oily unpleasant tone.

“You wished to see me, dear brother? I would not have thought it likely you would trouble so many of your vassals to pay your respects in Tibbay.”

Before William could respond another man appeared behind Sir Warraine—Lord Ranulf de Glanville, Justiciar of the King and holder of the Castle Lancaster which both Warraine and his brother coveted. His eyes looked black with rage and his face ruddy.

“Sir William. An unexpected pleasure, I am sure.” He surveyed the yard and battlement. “Tell your men to stand down, in the name of the King. Select six men to attend you and proceed inside with me. You have my surety of safety. There will be no war this day. I seek agreement between you at the command of Henry II. Include a man to keep account for your records as Warraine has for his. Come. There is no point in delaying what must be done.” The Justiciar turned on his heel and returned to the Hall. His blue cape swirled behind him, showing a fine fur lining. Warraine laughed without amusement.

“Your face, dear brother, speaks heart to heart with mine. It seems we both are trapped by a King who is more fox than man. It is almost worth this argument with the Crown to see you humbled. Don’t keep De Glanville waiting. He doesn’t like it.” Warraine left followed by his men-at-arms. From places unseen the Justiciar’s Guards emerged behind the Tibbay wards, their blue surcoats flapping in the wind revealed Glanville’s Crest. His archers stood on the palisade cat walks of both Keep and bailey their bows drawn on us. Every eye watched Sir William who sheathed his sword and signaled we do likewise. Astride his horse, back straight and hand clenched about his sword hilt, he spoke with dark, calculated fury.

“Sir Galeran, Sir Pierre, Sir Ralph de Talibois, Sir Alec, Sir Meldred, Sir Justin de Pennington I have need of you.”

I bought a self published e-book on agents Agent: De-Mystified Lifting the Veil on the Secret Wolrd of Literary Agents by Authoress, writer of the blog Miss Snark's First Victim (www.misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com ). Through this I found www.agentquery.com complete with search and drop downs to assist us in identifying agents appropriate for our work if we are following a traditional publish path. I found both of these resources helpful.

When Dylan inherited Lester?s ministerial title, several reprobate parishioners vanished.

Ah! An English Country House murder mystery coulb be lurking in this one! Is there a place we can share our writing samples from the exercises?  Or would people rather keep them private?  I am always amused by the results I get.  Hope you are too.

Because so many of us love to write stories, I'd like to share an article I posted recently on Helium:

Fiction writing: The importance of creating multidimensional characters

Stories are not about plots or places. They are about people. Your readers don't actually care about that spooky old house on the hill until you put the mysterious Mrs. Fillibuster on the front porch every evening precisely at seven pm. The writer's development of memorable characters is crucial to the success of every story an author tells.What eventually happens to those characters is secondary.

As writers, we've heard that most great stories are about "ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances." There's one more critical element to that observation: our readers MUST care about those 'ordinary people, or they won't bother reading to the final page. We can argue the merits of various plot devices all day long, but a stellar plot can be destroyed by poorly-drawn protagonists. On the other hand, a spectacular character can shoulder a shallow plot with aplomb.

How can you make your readers care about your characters?

Blood and conflicts:

One common prescription is to "make your characters bleed." This need not be taken literally. There are many ways your characters can shed blood metaphorically. However, it's worth noting how often successful authors place their protagonists in serious jeopardy, physically or emotionally. This directive is often also stated as, "good stories =characters + conflict," for those who like equations.

Don't confuse individual conflict with overall plot. Many conflicts are internal, as in: "man, that guy is really conflicted!" Recurring examples include characters who suffer alcoholism, fear of aging; or were spurned by love, smothered by momma, abused by daddy, ignored by a lover, unappreciated by the boss, dismissed by society, motivated by greed or lust, and many more. A popular "conflicted" character in many murder mysteries is the sociopathic antagonist -- a "bad guy" who feels no conflicts overtly: no guilt, no moral quandaries, no remorse.

Each of us, as readers, finds ourselves able to identify with characters who experience emotional difficulties that are familiar from our own lives.

A pound of flesh:

The other critical key is to "lift your characters off the page." Two-dimensional characters are for comic strips, not for powerful stories. You may have heard this described as 'fleshing out' your characters. Inexperienced writers often try to provide detailed descriptions of each person introduced in a tale. We've all seen something like this:

"She was a tall, willowy blond, wearing a skin-tight satin sheath. Under a broad forehead, her green eyes dominated a regal nose, over pouting plum-colored lips..." You get the drift.

Better writers dribble out details about appearance on a need-to-know basis...

Read the rest of this article, as it appears on Helium.com.

THE POWER OF PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

Host: GRC NAWBO

Location: Bonadio Lower Level Conference Room

171 Sullys Trail

Pittsford, NY 14534 US

When: Thursday, July 16, 5:30PM

Phone: 585 319-0004

The Power of Professional Image

Thursday, July 16th

Bonadio Lower Level Conference Room, 171 Sully's Trail, Pittsford

5:30PM - 7:00PM

Have you ever wondered why some people get the job, obtain the promotion, close the deal or just generally seem to have an easier time getting ahead? Professional image is a powerful tool and it includes so much more than the way we dress. Politicians and CEOs hire consultants to provide them with this information to present themselves in the best way possible - so, why not take advantage of this opportunity to learn the tools used by the people at the very top? The environment today is more competitive than ever and this is your opportunity to gain that competitive edge!!

Jonna L. Martin, Past-President of GRC-NAWBO and President of AdvanceMe Associates is our seminar speaker. She travels nationally, providing seminars and workshops about professional image, business etiquette and dining etiquette to companies such as PriceWaterhouse Coopers, KMPG, Unilever, Xerox, Bayer and Heinz. She has also been a featured speaker at the NJ Society of CPAs Scholars Institute and the PA Society of CPAs Emerging Leaders Conference. To find out more about Jonna Martin and AdvanceMe Associates, go to www.powerofimage.co.

This session is $5 for NAWBO members and $10 for non-members. Registration is not required and walk-ins are welcome!

When is the last time you dusted off your bookshelf to look at the dates on your reference books? If you are a poet seeking magazine or electronic publication, Poets Market is one resource that you really should keep current. The 2010 Poets Market will be available July 29. Copies can be preordered through Borders and Barnes & Noble's Web sites and probably through Amazon's. You can also ask a store clerk to preorder a copy.

Another good resource that I just discovered is the 11th edition of Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. I have always loved the Collegiate edition of this dictionary. So easy to use and understand. The 11th  version comes with a CD-Rom too and promises to include all the latest technological catch phrases and terminology. You can buy the dictionary alone or as a set with the thesaurus. Please note: the thesaurus has not been updated since 1993.

I know that many people think Mapquest is the way to go when trying to get directions to a place. What I have found is that Yahoo is much much better. It doesn't give you little inconsequential turns and extra directions. Also, the maps are much clearer and the type is a lot bigger than Mapquest's. To get to Yahoo maps, just type the words "Yahoo Maps" into your search engine. Once you get to Yahoo maps, just type the address of the place you are coming from and the place you are going. Voila, you have it. So easy.

I would like to open up a discussion on how to make ourselves more visible at meetups. Every meetup group I belong to has the problem of members finding each other. Some groups have the organizer answering his or her cellphone all night, but that is not very effective for a group that meets in libraries and coffee houses and wants serious critique and enlightening discussion. Sooo, what works? A pre-arranged meetup place? Smaller venues? Holdling up a sign? A sign at the table? Teeshirts?

I promise, we will listen to any reasonable suggestion. Of course, you may have to pay for the billboard in Times Square, but that is your choice...