Wallabies in the Bathroom

How many people have a wallaby toilet paper holder? Not many. They are cute animals. So why don't more of us have them?

Recently my husband and I rented a house for a few days in northern Michigan. We saw photos on the Internet of the family's big game hunting exploits. Stuffed heads (and complete animals—more than 70) hung on the walls. They were above eye level, and I could ignore most of them. I didn't look up much. My daughter is a vegetarian. Enough said.

In two of the bathrooms taxidermied wallabies held the toilet paper like a servant from bygone times. That gave me paws.

Once I got over the shock of a wallaby's adorable face, furry ears and vacant eyes—and avoided the little paws—I thought it might be an opportunity for inspiration.

I recently revised and finished a picture book for my four-year-old granddaughter I wrote and illustrated a long time ago. The illustrations were crayon drawings. The story had little plot, no conflict and no satisfying ending. I rewrote the story with a plot, conflict and an ending. With Photoshop Elements I turned the illustrations into a cute little story about a frog who escapes from an octopus. I know frogs and octopi live in mutually exclusive environments, but my granddaughter loved it.

Inspiration can come anytime, anywhere. A story began gestating in my mind. I have a vague idea of a picture book about a wallaby. But I'm not an artist. I'm a digital scrapbooker. I don't have a clue how to draw a wallaby. If I figure that out I can use Photoshop to separate the drawing into its disparate parts, then cobble them together in different poses. The wallaby in my story will never encounter a hunter, because that's too scary for little children. He will have an adventure, escape some difficulty and live happily ever after.

My granddaughter is enamored of princesses. How about a wallaby princess who wants to have adventures instead of being rescued by the handsome wallaby prince? Princesses can do anything: have adventures, slay dragons, rescue princes. A tale of star crossed lovers whose wallaby clans have been feuding forever? Or the wallaby princess who rescues the wallaby prince from the big bag wolf.

Right now I'm in Vermont on a mountain with my son's in-laws. No wallabies here. Last night while we slept I think the forest crept closer to the house. I'm going to pace it off to see if it really did. There's a premise for a creepy horror story: what happens when the trees encroach on the house? Hopefully, I won't be around when that happens. I'm leaving in the morning.

The point is that inspiration comes in many forms. We just need to look and truly see, and listen with our hearts.

Wait. There is so much wilderness here in the Green Mountains. What if a woman's car breaks down on a country road, and, when she goes for help, she meets a seemingly ordinary family who conceals a horrible secret. There's a creepy story there somewhere. Beware, this won't be a child's cautionary tale about a wallaby. You won't want to go outside in the dark after you read this one....

I Don't Wanna

Today was one of those days where nothing seems to get done. On top of that, I just didn't feel like writing. Have you ever had one of those days? Not a writer's block day, but a day where the thought of putting your words down on paper or on a computer screen just isn't appealing.

I've actually spent a week with this feeling. Autumn is my favorite season, and the outside world is calling.

I'm counting on the fact that many of you know what I'm talking about. So, in the spirit of my mood, I'm going to share some tips on how to write on those days where the world, people, or things are easy distractions.

1. BIC - In case you've never seen this acronym, it stands for Butt in Chair. The best way to handle this mood is to just park it and start working. This is easier said than done. The majority of working people in the world do this every single day ... because there is someone that they must answer to. As writers, we don't have that special someone to track our actions, but we can behave like a boss is watching. Set yourself a regular schedule and follow it every day. Research indicates that it takes an average of 21 days to make something a habit, so if you do this for at least 3 weeks, you should be able to overcome the "I don't feel like it" mood.

2. Review - If you can't bring yourself to write, then print out what you've been working on and read over it. Take your favorite red (or blue, or green, or purple) pen and mark it up.

3. Revise - Look at your last few pages and start revising. Odds are, you will end up writing once you get beyond those pages. The key is to not get stuck in revision mode. Some people start revising and months later haven't written anything new. So exercise this tip with caution.

4. Research - Pick a topic from your manuscript and dig deeper. This will help you give your work flavor. Google it, go to the library or the bookstore, visit a museum, or talk to an expert. New information can inspire you and drive you back to the keyboard.

5. Rejuvenate - Sometimes on days that we don't feel like writing, we need to relax. Go somewhere where you can soak up the environment, people watch, or just be.

6. Read - This is like research, but from a different angle. Read books in your genre focusing on how the author handles issues that you may be dealing with.

Well, there it is. I didn't plan it, but it spells "Brrrrr." I guess that's because if we don't write, then our work will never see the light of day.

What ways do you fight the "I don't wanna" days?

Voices in My Head: Drill Sergeant vs. The Muse

On Tuesday I was invited to vist Old Santee Canal Park, near Charleston, in Berkeley County, South Carolina. Even though I've lived in this state for my entire adult life, I never knew about this place. It's home to the oldest canal in the country---even older than the Erie Canal. They have lots of interesting exhibits---including a semi-submersable submarine circa 1860s, a plantation house, and lots of cool household artifacts---and they have several nature trails. Here's the link:
http://www.oldsanteecanalpark.org/portal/page/portal/OldSanteeCanalPark

While I was walking along the boardwalk that makes up part of the "Swamp Trail" I got inspired! The guide, a naturalist, was busy telling us all about a Giant Orb Spider and the outline of a story just popped into my head. For the rest of the tour I formulated characters, scenes, even a great first line. The park served as great inspiration for me. When I got back to my hotel room, I scribbled down my ideas and then started a new file on my laptop.

THEN I REMEMBERED. I am in the middle of drafting one novel, finishing up line edits on another, working on an outline for a third one. I CANNOT TAKE ON ANOTHER PROJECT. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE PLOT SOUNDS.

This is what I call Drill Sergeant vs. The Muse. It's a constant balancing act we writers have to work at creating. The call of a new project---new characters, a new setting, new scenes----is always exciting. But, the Drill Sergeant part of the brain tells us to slow down, finish what we've started, have the self-discipline to sit down and polish the product before we start something new.

I think, as writers, we need both. You need to go places and see things that inspire you, but you also need to remember that slow and steady wins the race. Lots of people start books, few finish them, and even fewer finish and polish them to the point of making them publishable.

Think of these two voices as a good marriage----of course you need chemistry and attraction but you also need to make budgets and wash dishes. In order to be fulfilled, you need flash and substance.

Allow yourself to be constantly inspired. Keep good records. Preserve the moment. But don't follow the muse if it means abandoning a project you've been working on for a long time. Create balance. You'll be surprised how far it takes you!

And, if you're ever in Charleston, check out the park. It really is sublime!

What's In It For Me?

Every so often, people ask me what membership in South Carolina Writers' Workshop will do for them. Having recently answered that question, I decided to devote this post to those benefits. Some of this information came from the Join Us link on our web site, http://www.myscww.org/. I've expanded on that information, so please don't check out on me here.

Benefits of membership include:

Local (or remote) SCWW Chapter meetings

I always find that I write better after meeting with my local chapter. Membership allows you to attend ANY chapter meeting within SCWW, so you can get that shot of energy even while on vacation or out of town on business. I did that last year while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Practical advice from other writers

Sources for advice abound. You can locate them in the SCWW blog, from SCWW members, and through free workshops presented by our chapters. A member-only yahoo group is in the works, and it will connect all of our members.

If you read ANY serious writing magazine, you will read that membership in a writing group is extremely important to your success. I've learned so much about my writing style just by tapping into SCWW's available avenues of advice.

Interesting conversation (not necessarily restricted to writing).

Shoulders to cry on in celebration of your first (or hundredth) rejection letter.

Friends to invite to the champagne party celebrating your first (or fifth) bestseller.

Your chapter friends can help you decide where to submit your work and how to word your query, synopsis, etc.

Fun (and inexpensive) entertainment for a few hours a month.

Some of my closest friends are members of SCWW and not just in the Greenville area. We have over 500 members throughout the US and a few international members.

Discount rate for SCWW conference attendance

Members have the opportunity to sign up for the conference at a reduced rate, plus you can renew your membership at a discount if you do so while registering for the conference. My membership doesn't expire until late August, but I take advantage of the reduced rate rather than wait.

Our conference rates are incredible when you compare them to other conferences. Many conferences offer 1/3 the number of faculty or workshop offerings that we do, and often cost upwards of $600. We strive to keep our rates low so our members can enjoy this benefit.

Our Conference Committee negotiates a fantastic hotel sleeping room rate for our members. We've considered moving to other resorts, but we can't beat what we have at the Myrtle Beach Hilton. In fact, other groups using the same resort are paying much higher room rates.

Our conference has grown from attendance of 150 people to 500+. It offers multiple opportunities for conversations with agents and editors, and last year, Writer's Digest featured the conference in one of their issues. This exposure means that New York publishing is well aware of SCWW, and membership in our organization carries a positive reputation. Last year's faculty kept commenting on the high caliber of writers within our organization. And, if you've somehow missed this fact, agents and editors requested over 50 manuscripts during last year's conference. We know of at least one that has already been published.

Eligible to Compete in Anthology Contest

The Petigru Review gives our members an opportunity to be published. Some of last year's authors were nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Eligible to Compete in the Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards

This contest is named after one of our founding members, Carrie McCray. It comes with a $500 first place prize and $100 second place prize. Members must attend the conference to enter. One of last year's judges (an agent) requested the full manuscript from one of the First Chapter entries.

The Quill - SCWW's monthly newsletter

The Quill provides up-to-date information on occurrences within SCWW. Also, we have contests, giving members another way to build their publishing resume.

Now that I've covered the website's benefits list, let me add a few:

Website (myscww.org)

If you haven't visited the web site lately, you should. We have a great new look. Any member who has a website, blog, or published book can have a link, along with the picture of your book, on our site. The site also provides information on contests and other opportunities for writers.

Our Chapter page helps writers locate the local chapter meetings. Plus, you can create a chapter web site through the SCWW site. Our webmaster, can help you with this.

The SCWW Board is exploring the idea of a members only sign-in that provides access to information. One feature will be access to our membership, allowing you to look up CURRENT member listings at any time.

Thanks to several enthusiastic members, you can join our Facebook or LinkedIn groups.

Connections

You get out of SCWW what you are willing to put in. In 2007, I jumped in feet first and gained wonderful connections with several publishing professionals. It's the old adage of networking: What matters is who you know. This week, I sent a partial of my manuscript to an agent who performed my critique last October. Two other publishing professionals have expressed an interest in reading my manuscript. Several published authors, who I met through the conference, have given me valuable assistance and feedback in the past two years. I would never experience these milestones of success if it wasn't for SCWW.

Broader Visibility

Besides the publishing options, you have the opportunity to run for open positions on our Board of Directors or volunteer for a committee position. Volunteering will make you more visible to the publishing world. I co-chaired the conference last year, and the experience opened several doors for me.

Free Workshops

SCWW provides financial support and guidance to local chapters that want to provide a one-day seminar. The chapter provides a service to the community while increasing its contacts and visibility. We have members of the Board who know the ropes and are willing to help you with this process. Because of our grant from SC Arts Council, we must offer a few free workshops each year. The Greenville chapter has one scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8 from 1 - 3 at the Greenville Main Library. Ray Blackston, author of Flabbergasted and 5 other books, is speaking on "The Twisted Road to Publishing".

Whew! That's a lot! All of this for a $50 membership fee. It's like that credit card commercial:

Membership in SCWW - $50
Contacts with other writers - Priceless
Visibility and Connection with Publishing Professionals - Priceless

Meet me in St. Louis!

I'll be taking a break from the blog , the conference, and the revision that's making me CRAZY next week. Mr. Husband and I will be in St. Louis on a semi-working vacation. The Gateway City is a special place for us and thanks to the best mother-in-law on the planet, we'll be kid-less. That means no strollers to be checked, no fridge-in-the-room requirement and we can stay out past ten! Thank goodness they're playing Michael Jackson in the clubs again. We can go dancing without looking like dinosaurs. (This applies to Mr. Husband more than me, you understand, since I am still in my thirties. He's crossed the bridge into his forties---although I will have to say it's definitely working for him. :-) )

The Cards are hosting the LA Dodgers, so we'll be going to a couple of games. (http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com). We've already got reservations at our favorite resturants---including The Feasting Fox (http://www.feastingfox.com) , and I plan to spend at least one day at the St. Louis Art Museum. And we may be able to fit it in Zoo in Forest Park! (http://www.stlzoo.org/)

What's the point in sharing my itenerary?

Sometimes it's great, as a writer, to take a break. See new things. Eat new food. Divorce yourself from all the distractions. It's amazing how just a few days in a different place can get you re-energized and re-inspired to write.

I've learned over the years to allow myself time to NOT WRITE. Sometimes NOT WRITING is the only thing that will push your writing to the next level. I'm not suggesting a long break---just a few days, here and there. It's kind of like being on a diet. If you deny your cravings too long, instead of having one piece of cake, you find yourself in Wal-Mart a 2am buying an entire bag of Baby Ruth Bars and eating them in the deserted parking lot. As a writer, you need a break from the self-discipline and constant brain activity it takes to be successful in this game. You need non-literary stimulation.

It's okay to take a break. It's okay to pause, take a deep breath and look around. You might find the answer to the plot problem you're having, or you may find the dynamic character that's destined to be the hero of your next novel.

Be good to yourself. You're the only writer who can write what you write they way you write it. Your brain, creativity, style are unique and valuable. Don't work so hard that you burn yourself out and never want to write again.

Stay inspired and look for me on the JUMBOTRON.

Stay tuned for the next two parts of Carrie's blog on critiques and pitches. I'm leaving you in excellent hands, dear readers.