Healthy Writers Club: Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

Due to some changes in life, my health goals have also shifted a bit. Basically, I've had to cut back on the type and intensity of my exercise, at least for now. I'm still doing occasional Zumba, but shorter and less intense workouts. Running has been sidelined for now. Instead, I stepped a little outside my comfort zone and am trying something new. Yoga.

I've done a bit of yoga before, but didn't really get into it. However, I'm trying a new yoga video, and am kind of shocked by how much I enjoy it. It makes me feel strong and flexible (even though I'm not much of either), and gives me a good workout without wearing me out. It's a perfect fit for my life right now, and I never would have found it if I hadn't decided to give something another try that was just a bit out of my comfort zone.

Something similar happened in my writing recently. I had been working on a story that just wasn't feeling right. I love the story, but it wasn't fitting my life at the moment. So I spent a few days daydreaming, and came up with a new idea. And it was nothing I'd ever done before-- fantasy set in a completely different world. I was a little hesitant at first. But I've read tons of high fantasy and second-world fantasy, and my awesome crit group has written some so they can tell me if I go astray. I've been reading new books, studying up on fantasy writing itself, and planning out this new story that's a bit out of my comfort zone.

I bought this necklace the other day because these
labyrinths are part of my magic system. Fun!

And I LOVE it. It fits my life right now. It hits some real personal and emotional buttons for me. I'm so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone to give this one a try!

So, my friends, what have you done lately that's outside your comfort zone?

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The Difference Between Being a "Beginning" Writer and a "Bad" Writer

So. Hi there. It's been a while. Some personal stuff meant I took a sort of impromptu blog break, but no worries-- all is well! And the time off gave me a chance to muse on further blog topics, so here goes!

I've been thinking a lot about writing, publishing, and how it all "works." For me, personally, I've been writing for years. And I'm going to be honest: it took a while for me to write anything that could be considered a good story. But here's the thing. That doesn't mean I was a "bad" writer when I started out. I was a BEGINNING writer.

Nobody listens to an eight-year-old slaughter Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano and says they're a bad pianist. They're learning. They're figuring out which notes are which keys, and which fingers go where, and how to play them smoothly, and quickly, and correctly. And that's wonderful.

Writing takes time. We start off slaughtering a semi-decent idea. And that's wonderful. Sure, it's no masterpiece. It's our first, or third, or seventeenth attempt, and we managed some words on paper that resemble a story. We learn about character development, and which plot points go where, and how to pace things and add emotion. When I look back on my early writing, I smile at myself-- not because I'm laughing, but because I'm proud of my beginning-writer-self.

Because being a beginner is HARD. It takes more work. It involves more frustration. And yet we slapped those stories together and made something real, even if it was just a rendition of Twinkle Twinkle.

One reason I've brought this up is because of the instant gratification of self-publishing. Now, don't misunderstand-- I think self-publishing can be a fabulous and legitimate way to publish your work. I've read some incredible works that have been self-published. BUT. I think it's a path that's, if possible, even more fraught with obstacles than traditional publishing.

One thing I've noticed is a lot of people who query like crazy, don't get signed, and decide to self-publish instead. Again-- this is NOT necessarily a bad thing. There are a myriad of reasons a book may not get picked up. But it's important to remember that one of the big reasons is that the book is just still a little too close to the beginner end of the scale. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. With self-publishing, the cautionary tale is taking that beginner-end novel and shopping it to the masses. In a way, it's selling yourself short. Instead of moving on to the next book and getting further along the writing path, it can hold you back by keeping you focused on a story that's just not quite there yet.

I may get some flak for this, though I hope not. Self-publishing, just like traditional publishing, is a completely personal decision, and often depends on the individual book. It can be a valid, and sometimes better, way to get your particular story into the hands of readers. It involves a heck of a lot of hard work, and I have serious respect for those who do it.

But it's not something to rush into. Yes, moving from a beginning writer to a competent writer to a great writer takes time. We're all still hiking somewhere along that path. It's okay for it to take time. It should take time. So let it. Enjoy it. Don't let the world of the internet tell you that publishing is something you must achieve by this time next year.

You are not a bad writer, no matter where you are along the path, as long as you're moving forward.

So, my friends, what are your thoughts?

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Dark Days Author Tour and HWC

Hey, Healthy Writers! I'm afraid my report today is dismal. Earlier in the week, I strained a muscle, which pinched a nerve. I'm writing this with numb, tingly fingers and a sore bicep. That, coupled with the fact that our bedroom and storage room flooded and our bed is currently in the living room, means I did practically no exercise this week. Here's to a better next week!

In other news, I'm lucky to live in a place with LOTS of author events. Last week, me and my crit partner Chersti got to attend the Dark Days tour! Dan Wells, Kiersten White, Brodi Ashton, Debra Driza, Claudia Gray, and Lauren Oliver, all in one place. The Q&A was hilarious, the authors friendly, and the company entertaining.

I even got to chat a bit with Natalie Whipple and Jenn Johansson, who are awesome and local, so I get to see them at a lot of local events. Natalie was a bit surprised I wanted a pic with her, but I'm just prepping for when she's even more famous. ;) And sadly, I couldn't find Jenn again for a picture.

I got Fragments signed by Dan Wells (which is tough, since he lives in Germany now), and stayed after to chat with him. Seriously, folks, if you haven't read Partials, check it out! It's brilliant. I'm a huge Dan Wells fan ever since he was my instructor at a "boot camp" several years ago. And especially since reading his mind-twisting books.

So, my friends, have you done any fun writerly/readerly things lately? Who are some of your favorite authors you'd love to meet?

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The Other Half of a Good Writing Career (and Giveaway Winners!)

First things first, folks: the winners of the Mustaches for Maddie Giveway!

Winner of a free copy of The Inventor's Secret by Chad Morris: JESSIE OLIVEROS!
Winner of a 30 page and query critique from me: MARLA!
Winner of a query critique from Hannah Bowman: MELANIE FOWLER!

I'll be contacting the winners today. Thank you all so much for participating and not only spreading the word about Chad's book, but for making Maddie smile. She's smiling a lot, I hear, and recovering well.

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It's so amazing to me how incredibly supportive the writing community is. Not only did I see mustache pics that made me giggle, and read literally hundreds of people's support for Chad, but the internet was full of loving people this past week. I've seen people spread the word to help promote Poison by Bridget Zinn, who passed away before she could see her book on the shelves (it releases tomorrow, can't wait!). I've heard about the Overcoming Adversity anthology, to support a young man with cerebral palsy getting to a good university. Everywhere, I've seen good people helping other good people.

When I very first talked to my agent on the phone about representation, one of the questions I asked is what she expected of me as a client. It basically boiled down to this: write good books, and be a good person. And really, that's the basics of a successful writing career. Of course you have to write good books-- that's just a given. Being a good person-- being kind, loving, supportive, honest, helpful, encouraging, trustworthy, dependable, etc.-- is the other half. It shows in your writing, and it shows when you interact with people.

And let's be honest. Being a good person is important not just for writing, but for life in general. And I've seen soooo much evidence lately that we're all pretty good people inside.

So, my friends, thank you. Thank you for being good. Thank you for being kind. Thank you for being you. I have a ridiculous amount of warm, fuzzy feelings I'm directing to all of you!

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Mustaches for Maddie-- a Giveaway for a Brave Little Girl

UPDATE: See a video of Chad, Maddie, and mustaches in the news! 

Today, instead of the usual Healthy Writers Club about my own health, I want to focus on the health of a little girl named Maddie.

Earlier this week, writers Chad Morris and Shelly Brown wrote about their daughter, Maddie, who had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor. In a whirlwind, they were all rushed into a world of tests and surgeries. Chad's book, The Inventor's Secret, comes out next week, but he wrote about how his dream of his daughter "having all the chances in the world" seriously trumps his book dream.

Maddie is doing well, recovering from successful surgery. On Facebook, Chad and Shelly said their daughter finds mustaches HILARIOUS, and asked for pictures of people with mustaches to make her smile.

So here's what we're going to do.

Because Chad's focus is on his daughter, we're going to help him get the word out about his book. And at the same time, we're going to make a brave little girl smile. I'm giving away one copy of his book, The Inventor's Secret, what I've heard is a thrilling time-travel adventure for middle-graders. I'm also giving away a critique of your query and first thirty pages by me. AND my brilliant and awesome agent, Hannah Bowman, is offering a query critique!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is spread the word! Option 1: share YOUR biggest secret on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, and link back to the contest so we can spread the word about Chad's book.

Option 2 (and 3 and 4): Use some yarn, use a finger, use some makeup or Photoshop, and take a picture of you, mustachioed to bring some cheer to Maddie! Then tweet, Facebook, or blog your picture for Maddie to wish her health and spread the word about Chad's book.  On Twitter, use the hashtag #mustachesformaddie so we can all share the joy! (This is in addition to your secret-sharing post above-- you can get multiple entries for multiple tweets/blogs/Facebooks!) Just fill out the Rafflecopter below, and I'll pick a random winner next Friday!

Here's a sample tweet or Facebook status-- you can just copy and paste with your own mustachioed pic added:

Post a mustache pic and win @ChadCMorris's book to help his sick daughter! #mustachesformaddie http://bit.ly/Z6DtPB

And if you think Chad's book sounds like fun and want to order a copy to support him, it's already available on Amazon!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Understanding Story Structure: How to Plan-- or Pants-- a Better Novel

That's right, I'm at it again-- extolling the virtues of story structure. But let's get clear on one thing: by STORY STRUCTURE I don't necessarily mean PRE-PLOTTING YOUR BOOK.

That's what I used to think about dreaded "plotting." How can I possibly be a plotter instead of a pantser? I wondered. I don't know what to plan until I've written it. I read about things like the snowflake method and still felt lost. It wasn't until I read Larry Brooks' Story Engineering that I finally got it. Planning meant hitting specific points in story structure-- and I just didn't quite understand what those points were.

source

Now, before I dive in, let me clarify one thing: structure does not mean every story will be the same, boring, formulaic story. It simply means your story follows a certain pattern of reader expectations. Which means you can create a much more satisfying story for your readers. The human brain is used to seeking and following patterns, and some patterns-- like 3 act story structure-- are embedded in us from years of movie-watching and book-reading. Even the very basic stuff of life, DNA, is only made up of FOUR things (guanine, cytosine, thymine, and adenine) in a specific double-helix structure, but look how many species of plants and animal abound on Earth.

The most common form of story structure in Western culture is the 3 act structure. I did a detailed post about that here, but let's simplify for this post. At its most basic, story structure is this: 1) the character meets opposition/antagonist and makes a goal to defeat it, 2) the character fails to achieve the goal, 3) the character succeeds and beats the antagonist.

To break it down a little further, author Dan Wells uses what he calls 7 point story structure, which touches all the basic points of the 3 act system. Basically, your book should hit these 7 points for optimum reader satisfaction.


Hook: What draws the reader in; it sets your character in a position opposite of where they'll be at the end.
Plot Turn 1: The call to adventure-- the story really beings and there's no turning back for the character. (about 1/3 of the way through the book)
Pinch 1: The stakes heat up; more danger/pressure is introduced.
Midpoint: The character discovers something new that allows them to move from reaction to action against the antagonist. (The middle of the book, obviously.)
Pinch 2: The stakes heat up again; often, something big is lost. (Often called the "all is lost" moment.)
Plot Turn 2: The character learns the final information to destroy the antagonist, often at great personal cost. (about 2/3 of the way through the book)
Resolution: The character saves the day.

Does this mean you have to plan out each of these points-- and all the scenes between-- before writing your book? Nope. Once you understand structure, you will start to do it instinctively as you write. And the more you learn, the more you find you can expand from that. For example, Dan Wells once mentioned how he tried to use the structure of a musical fugue to write one of his books (it didn't end up working for that story, but it could for another).

Here's the gist: structure makes for a more satisfying story. Don't be afraid of it, and don't be afraid it makes for a formulaic story. Listen to your favorite song-- it has a structure too. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. Of course, that often varies, and some do away with it altogether. But the structure doesn't destroy the song or take away its beauty and individuality.

So, my friends, here's a challenge. Go watch your favorite TV show or movie. Try to pinpoint each of the seven points above. The more you see it in the stories around you, the better you'll understand it, and the better your stories will get. And tell me-- what are your thoughts about story structure? Are you a planner or a pantser? Do you use a type of structure, even unconsciously? Any questions about story structure?

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Interview with My Agent (and Me)!

A while back, awesome writer and blogger Krista van Dolzer at Mother. Write. (Repeat.) invited me and my agent Hannah Bowman to participate in her Agent-Author Chat feature! Today, the interview went live. Hop on over and hear how I got the idea for my book, Hannah's advice on querying and writing, and read my query!

Feel free to ask questions, too. I'll pop on occasionally to answer them (though I don't think Hannah will have the time today).

As for this week's Healthy Writer's Club, I did Zumba three times for forty-five minutes each! Woo hoo! I, ahem, won't mention how many Valentine's Day cookies I had, though...

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends!

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