Awakening the Writer Within

I'm teaching a creative writing course at Pierce College this quarter. It's called Awakening the Writer Within and tonight is the first class. (There's still room if you want to jump in). 

I love teaching this class. It's the class I always wanted to take but could never find.  We do timed writing exercises on everything from structure to character. The idea is to push the creative envelope in a safe environment. 

We read our work aloud and the students explain what's working -- versus what's not.  I found when I started writing I never could get a handle on what my strengths were because other writers were too busy telling me where I was going wrong. (It was probably easier for them that way, since my pros were held together with mistakes.) And that harsh critique sometimes kept me from trying new things and stepping outside the box. We all need a little place to fly.  

So for anyone who has their ego beaten to a pulp by that student critic, or who just wants to try something new, this class if for you.

If you can't attend the class, I'm going to try to keep the assignments posted on my website, www.spilledinkstudio.com.  Come join the fun. 

di 

How to Get a Cheap Critique

Students have asked me if there is a way to get good feedback on their manuscripts without paying money to a professional.

There are the standard suggestions:
• Join a writer’s group.
• Find another writer looking for feedback and swap services.

But there is another, often overlooked, resource — family and friends. OK, they aren’t an ideal group for critical feedback. They may not know much about story structure or character development, but they will be the future audience of your book or movie. Tapping their organic response to your story can be extremely valuable; it just takes a little direction from you.

The method below has worked for me with moderate success.
First: See if your friend or relative is willing to give feedback. Don't press the unwilling. 

Second: Give them each a manuscript and tell them, “I need you to write all over the thing”. (You’re trying to make this fun, rather than a chore.)

Third: Give them a list of symbols to use for commenting. These are a few I’ve used, but you could use anything. Just keep it simple.
• Draw a ☺ or ! when you like something.
• Put a ? when something doesn’t make sense or you get lost.
• Draw an X when you didn’t like something.
• Fold the corner of the page when you take a break. (This tells me I have a lull in the story. No one sets a book down in the middle of an exciting part.)

Fourth: Have a list of questions for them to answer at the end.
• What characters did you like best, and why?
• What characters did you like the least and why?
• What stood out for you?
• Were there places you wanted more information? Less information?
Pick these questions carefully and don’t give them more than five. You're still trying to keep this fun, and maybe do this again for you someday.

Fifth: Pay them. Yes, even family and friends deserve something for all their hard work. I've paid in chocolate, Starbucks gift certificates and movie tickets.

Friends and family don’t replace professional feedback, but they’re a heck of a lot cheaper, and you’ll be surprised by some of their insights.

Sheila Bender Inspires Editors

Are you writing a memoir? Having difficulties getting your personal experiences down on paper? Sheila Bender may be your answer.

Last Saturday, March 28, was the second conference of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild. I’d gotten up early, and drove miles to get there by 8 a.m. I was jacked up on Starbucks coffee and wondering if the keynote speaker’s session was really going to be an hour and half long, because, if it was, I was going to need more coffee.

It turned out I didn’t need caffeine. Sheila Bender was about to blow me away with her developmental editing techniques. She took us step by step through her process — a process that respects writers and delivers astounding results.

She read us a couple “before and after” examples from writers she’s worked with. The initial pieces weren’t bad, but the finished works were beautiful — both heartbreaking and humorous. At the end of each I nearly stood and applauded — and it wasn’t the caffeine talking. It was inspirational to see the transformation and to know that an editor can help a writer find that level of writing.

I took careful notes and will try to explain her process the best I can tomorrow. In the meantime, you may want to check out her website, www.writingitreal.com.
 

di

You know it's not a Portfolio Piece When . . .

Today a client asked my husband (a very talented graphic designer and web designer by the way) to make a change on his website. He wanted FAQ changed to FAQs.

My husband explained that he could, but that would be incorrect. FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions, and by adding an “s” it would now be Frequently Asked Questionss. The client said, “Add it anyway, I prefer it that way.”

It's moments like these, my husband and I sigh, cash the check and say, “Well, it's not going to be a portfolio piece.”

Every writer or editor faces times when the client requests less than perfect work. (Please tell me it's not just me.) Here are a few of my favorite client requests.

You Know it's Not a Portfolio Piece When . . .
. . . the client gets capital happy. I Received a sales Piece to Edit with Random Words capitalized. After correcting the capitalization, the client asked that I put the caps back because “they emphasized all the important words.” I tried to explain that the text emphasized that the writer was having a “shift key” malfunction. The client disagreed and I put them back.

You Know it's Not a Portfolio Piece When . . .
. . . they vote on it. When my husband was laying out a newsletter, he noticed a sentence with a grammatical goof. He corrected it and expected maybe a “thanks for catching the error.” Instead he got an email that read, “Our group voted. The first way was right.”

You Know it's Not a Portfolio Piece When . . .
. . . the client is too creative. On occasion I'll get clients who like to create their own buzz words — at least I think that's what they're “banging the dirty cat at.” This client is hopeless. You can tell them that you Googled the phrase and no one on the planet has ever heard of it. The client will undoubtedly respond, “Just wait. They will.”

You Know it's Not a Portfolio Piece When . . .
. . . the admin is your editor. My heart stops when I get an email that reads, “My admin knows a little about writing (i.e. took a creative writing class in community college) and has made some suggestions.”

These, of course, are the exceptions, not the rule. But if you’ve found a way to convince those communication-challenged clients there’s a better way, I’m all ears!



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I'm a Writer, Not a Doctor

Thank God I write, because I hate medicine.

As I kid I always wanted to write, but now that I'm older I wonder if my aversion to medicine had just as much to do with my career choice.

My sister and sister-in-law are nurses, and I have a couple friends who are doctors. I think of them headed off to work each morning, knowing that one mistake could hurt or possibly kill someone. How do they handle the stress? I stress out just sitting down to write an article, know the worst I can do is litter the thing with typos.

I stress for good reason. I've made my share of mistakes.

• I've given people gratuitous names changes in legal documents.

• Used "past" when I meant "passed".

• Created such original typos that coworkers started calling them "Didos".

But what's the worst that's ever happened? Strange looks? Rewritten documents? Coworkers wondering if English is my mother tongue? I could handle that. I could hire a proofer. 

But what if someone's life depended on whether I could spell "occasion" without spell check? I can't. People would drop like flies.

That's why each day I thank God I'm in communication instead of medicine. I'll gladly sit at my keyboard writing articles about cures for diseases, editing doctors' memoirs, or even creating some cool marketing piece to promote flu shots. No one's life will be in danger because I wrote "canvas" instead of "career". 

How to be Your Editor’s Favorite Writer

I just read an email from a freelance writer — a very talented one. She said the company she writes for has decided to take its work in-house. She's got options, but she's nervous and scrambling.

I'm in a unique position — I'm both an editor for a couple trade magazines, as well as a writer for other publications. As communication budgets are hacked and tossed away like bad meat, the writer side if frantically asking the editor side, "How am I going to stay on the good side of my editors? Tell me!! You're an editor!"

The conversation gets a little schizophrenic, but my editor side has had to take this question seriously. What is it that makes me hold on tight to certain writers? And why, at the same time, am I relieved I have the excuse of "tight budgets" to wean out other writers?

The list of reasons is short, but powerful. The writers I cling to, fight for, and assign articles to, through good and bad, have the following in common:

• They understand the publication. They know what kind of articles we run as well as the magazine's style. They work hard to make sure each article hits the mark. They don't pitch stories that are only mildly related, or write them in their own style, arguing that what I'm asking for isn't right for the subject matter.

• They pitch great story idea. Editors must continually come up with editorial month after month, and writers that can come up with fresh, timely ideas that resonate with readers are coveted. Every time a writer pitches me that great idea, it's like I fall in love all over again. My heart pounds harder, I'm on the brink of breaking into song, and I have the urge to send flowers and chocolate to this wonderful person. (More often though, I just say, "Great idea. Go for it!")

• They can write. When I get the story, it's written well. It's tight, needs little editing and is exactly what they promised. (I know stories evolve and change. But there is nothing more frightening to an editor than an email with an article that reads, "Things didn't come together like I thought they would. Not even close. So here's something a little different — OK, way different. Hope you like it.")

• They meet their deadlines. Sometimes the good writers even get their articles in early. And if they run into problems — sometimes they are unavoidable — they let me know in advance so we can work something out.

That's my list. Seems simple, but my writer side is groaning. It's a hard list to live up to.

Di