Are You Painting Your Picture with Basic Crayolas or the 64-Pack? Using Personal Experience to Enrich Your Story-Telling

PLEASE let's give a BIG welcome to guest blogger ANNE MARIE STODDARD! When I asked her to guest blog, I never knew that it would be this fabulous!!! Be sure to check out her links at the end of this blog!

 I've never been much of a blogger (although I definitely pumped out a good angsty Live Journal and Xanga post or two back in my early college years--but those don't exactly count, now, do they?).  They say that not only should writers write every single day--we should blog too.  But about what?  How many posts about writing advice can you read before they all start to run together like a box of melted crayons? 

          Tonight, I'd like to mix it up a little bit.  Forget the "do's" and "don'ts" of how to  get published or market the perfect novel (Don't worry--there will be *plenty* more of those posts to come, but not tonight, buddy!).  Right now, I'm in the mood to talk about what fuels my writing (be it good or bad quality content), and how I got started writing again after taking a nearly 12-year hiatus.

          When I was younger, as far back as kindergarten, all I wanted to do was become a published author.  I spent playtime in kindergarten writing two- or three-page stories about the Easter Bunny (complete with illustrations brought to you by my imagination and a 64-pack of Crayola crayons--I even busted out the fancier shades like "Cornflower," "Timberwolf," and "Purple Mountain's Majesty"  If you've never colored in your sun or stars using "Macaroni & Cheese," you haven't lived, my friend!)  After the Easter Bunny, it was crazy witch stories, then  straight-up horror stories.

          I'll never forget the first full-length story I wrote.  3rd grade, Halloween, Mrs. Oliver's class at Southside Elementary.  The story was called "The Headless Prankster," and bless ol'  Mrs. Lisa's heart--I'm pretty sure she didn't read through the story before she decided to read it out loud to the class.  I have quite a few memories of watching scary movies with my dad and brother from in between the cracks of my fingers as I covered my eyes, and I guess some of those must have rubbed off on me, because my story was remarkably vivid and dark for a nine-year-old. 

          "The Headless Prankster" was about six teenagers (three girls and three boys, of course) who were camping out in the woods when--oh no!--suddenly a storm came and washed their tents away!  On that cliche dark and stormy night those kids found a house out in the woods with one light on upstairs.  One by one they each went into the house, never to return.  When the final teen made it into the house, what did she find?  (Here comes the icky part--seriously, what business did a third grader have writing this mess?)  What else?  A room with a bed, where each of the other teen's bodies lay, and each of their heads was on a pillow.  Oh yeah, and there was also a headless monster with holding a bloody scythe. I'll never forget the sound of Mrs. Oliver's voice when she read the next line to the class, the only line from my own story that has stuck with me for nineteen years:  "With of swoop of his ax, the Headless Prankster cut off her head, and it flew through the air, landing face-up on the last pillow."  That story was many things--but the one thing it most definitely was:  colorful.

          For the record, I don't need therapy.  I just had an extremely overactive imagination back then.  I went on to write a few more scary stories in sixth grade (I'll save those for another time, perhaps), but once I joined our middle school's band, my writing life was put on the shelf like an old forgotten paperback.  I stayed in band all the way through my fifth year of college, and--with the exception of the aforementioned Live Journal/Xanga posts and some incredible angsty post break-up poetry in twelfth grade, I haven't really written since until last year when I began "Murder At Castle Rock."  And you know what?  While sometimes I regret all the years I spent not writing, at the same time...I'm glad I didn't.

Now, hear me out.  I know authors say "WRITE EVERY DAY!!"  Well, NOW I am trying to do that---but those unwritten twelve years of my life? They were a gift to my present author self:  They were LIFE EXPERIENCE.  I'm not saying my life OR my writing are necessarily best-selling material, but I know for a fact that my fiction and dialogue are more interesting because of the personal experiences I draw from when I write them. 

          I'm currently writing a mystery series set in the music industry in Atlanta, Ga, and it fits for me because I actually did work in the music industry in Atlanta.  I've created a fictional world that is an altered reality to the music venues I also worked at in Athens, GA in college.  In that world I've created rock stars, venue employees, and even a radio station based on rock stars I've met, people I've worked with, and a culmination of the many radio stations I've worked for.  There is even a scene in my upcoming novel, "Murder At Castle Rock," that is very closely drawn from a real-life experience that I happened to me when (*spoiler alert!*) I nearly wrecked a radio station's cargo van while driving back from a promotional event. My stories wouldn't be nearly as colorful without those years I spent storing up the "Timberwolf" grays, "Cornflower" blues, and "Purple Mountain's Majesties" of my real life to use for later. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

          If you're new to writing, or even if you aren't and you just took a long hiatus like I did, fear not:  In all those years you weren't writing, YOU LIVED.  Now, don't just use your basic 8-pack of colors to tell a bland, unimaginative story--reach into that 64-pack of Crayolas that is your memory bank and draw from those personal experiences.  Feel free to embellish as much or as little as you like, but remember how real those times were for you, and try to capture that on paper.  I can almost guarantee you'll get a better story out of it.

 Anne Marie Stoddard used to work in radio, and it rocked.  She goes to concerts like it's her job--because sometimes, it actually is.  After studying Music Business at the University of Georgia, Anne Marie has worked for several music venues, radio stations, and large music festivals, and  she currently creates promotional contests and writes music trivia for a media company. Aside from all things music, she loves college football, anything-pumpkin flavored, and a good mystery. Anne Marie recently is the winner of the 2012 Decatur Book Festival & BookLogix, Inc. Writing Contest for her manuscript for "Murder At Castle Rock," a music industry murder mystery.  It will be published in the coming months and will be her first full-length novel. 

For more information and updates on Anne Marie's work and the release of "Murder At Castle Rock," like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmStoddardBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMStoddardBooks

Website: http://www.amstoddardbooks.com/index.html

Go AWAY Summer! I Need To Write!

GO AWAY SUMMER!!

Summer is coming to a close for my kids and I CAN'T BE MORE HAPPY!! Not really happy that I won't be seeing my kids all day, but HAPPY that I'm going to get my writing time back!!

Summer break isn't writer friendly. I know I preach about 'HOW BAD DO YOU WANT SUCCESS," and taking every single free minute to get your writing done. I do that! But it leaves me frazzled nonetheless.

(This was me yesterday in Cincinnati traffic.....stand still! So I edited!!)

But this still doesn't relieve the stress that we all feel when we are being pulled in a million directions when it comes to our families. Not to mention the stress we put on ourselves to put out the next book.

We make our own publishing schedule. Here is the next FIVE months of mine:

August: Release of A CHARMING CURE (second book in the Magical Cures Series)

September: Release of Color Me A Crime (second book in the Olivia Davis Mysteries)

October: Begin the third book in the Magical Cures Series

November: Nanwrimo the novel, POSTCARDS FROM PARIS

December: Release of A SUPERSTITIOUS WEDDING (Grandberry Falls Christmas Ever After short story)

**I'm not even including my novel with agent!**

Umm....

I'm fried!! I'm fried because I'm NO WHERE near my production schedule and I'm a little stressed. Life is going to slow down, way down, in a week. My guys will be going back to school, and I will get back to my writing schedule, along with fixing up my environment.

If you are anything like me, you also need a good MOJO writing environment. Here are some great tips to help get your environment in the grove of writing to help you hit your production schedule.

1) LOCATION

You need to find a great place that helps recharge your creativity and maximum focus on your novel. It could be as simple as your bedroom, coffee shop, library, van (Yes! I use to write in my van!), wherever....just figure that location out and get to work.

This summer I redid my office! Not only do I have doors (yes, I didn't have doors before), I have a new desk and a chalk board wall!! I'm very excited to sit down in my office, not worry about taking kids here and there (which I do love being with my guys), and enjoying my muse talk to me while I start hitting my production schedule.

2) UTENSILS

Now that you have your location, what do you need to help you be productive? 

Laptop? Pen/paper? Research information? Coffee? Chocolate? Candy? Stuffed animal cat?  Red Hots? (ummm....)

We all have our quirky items that we HAVE to have when we are writing. These little comforts make us happy and let our creative juice flow. 

3) Time

Do you have a time of day that you are more productive than others? My prime-time is from 10am-2pm. After 2pm, I'm usually ready for a little nap and some reality TV:) And before 10am, I'm generally doing all of my marketing and promoting. 

So figure out your writing time of the day and get to it!

Does summer throw you off? Do you have a production schedule you stick to?

Get into the FLOW of writing

Seriously, look at this! Doesn't this look divine? Heavenly?
Let me tell you, IT IS!

This week I'm lucky enough to be able to pry myself away from my group of guys (3 teenage boys, hubby, and two four-legged fury friends) at home and go to this exact cabin, in the woods, with two of my writer buddies (Heather Webber/Blake and Wendy Lyn Watson).

We are all on deadline for our next novels.

Heather is traditionally and indie-published with a book due to her editor at NAL (Penguin  Group) on October 1st, and a deadline for her seventh book in her Nina Quinn series, that she's self-publishing, somewhere close to December.

Wendy is traditionally published, and her deadline to her NAL editor is September 1st.

I'm self-published and my deadline is August 15th.

Each of us are at different stages of the writing process, but we are ALL on deadline. Since our deadlines are so close, we thought it was a great idea to have a writer's retreat where we only sit and write all day. (THANK GOD someone's internet is not secure b/c the cabin does not have wifi. )

Anyways, one thing was for sure, no matter what, I had to get into my writing mojo. And by mojo, I mean flow. In order to justify leaving my husband at one of our families busiest time (all three teenagers are heavily into sports and AAU sports, and this weekend two of them have tournaments), I promised him that I would get at least 20,000 words written from the time the rented Chevy rolled up to the cabin, until the rented Chevy drove away from the cabin. (Four days)

This meant that I had a lot of preparation to make to get into the FLOW of writing. I came up with some easy tips to help (which also work on a daily basis, not just a very cool cabin treat with some great writer friends)

1) Set a goal.
I know some of you aren't goal oriented. But when you are on deadline, or wanting to get the next book out,  and whether you make a tangible goal or not, you have made a goal. You got that book completed and ready for publication.

My goal at this retreat is to write 20k words. (blog post NOT included) Plus I know a little bit about where I need my story to go. I'm a panster, but about 100 pages into my novels I have a pretty good sense where the story needs to go until the end. That is when I make a list of scenes that I know have to go into the book.
And you don't have to write those scenes in order! This is a great way to get the flow going. If you are more motivated about the murder scene or one of your conflict scenes, write it. You can stick it in the story later, or go back and beef it up during your edits. This will also get your flow going and lead to more writing.

When you set a goal, it puts a concrete idea in your head and forces your brain to wrap around the idea that you have to get this done. So why not go ahead and set a concrete goal.

2) Keep a journal handy.
Don't roll your eyes! We all know that I'm old school and love to write long hand. When you sit down to write, try to write a few sentences long hand to get your brain warmed up.

3) Set a timer for ten minutes.
Sit down and write, ten minutes straight. Get up and walk around, and then set the timer again. Most times than not, you have begun your flow. You hit the timer just to write one more sentence or finish the scene, and before you know it ten more minutes or thirty minutes have gone by and you are in the writing flow.

4) Create a writing work space.
Here at the retreat, we each have our own bedroom if we want to go in there and just be alone with our laptops. We also have a nice deck outside with a few tables and chairs to plant ourselves and get the muse of nature on our side. Or we have the amazing section, comfy, big pillow couch where we have decided that is where we want to spend our time writing.

The TV is OFF, the batteries are out of the ticking clocks (because I'm crazy and the tick makes me crazier) and the coffee is brewed in the pot.

The three of us are here to write and keep us accountable. We aren't going to lounge around and flip on the TV (okay, I did last night for Big Brother and Project Runway), but we are setting our environment to get into the writing flow and get some words on the page.

Now....go get in the mood to write! Let the words FLOW!

Do you have any tips for our writer friends on how to help them GET INTO THE FLOW OF WRITING?

Fall back in LOVE with writing

Over the past week I have been on vacation at the beach. I try to go a couple of times a year when I know it's my hardest time to get words written on a page. Those times of the year include the dead middle of summer (now) and the deep middle of winter (January/February).

Writing a novel is like being in a relationship/marriage. You have to put into it to get something out of it. Some days we wonder if it's worth it, while other days we know we can't live without it.

What about the bickering?

Oh yes, we bicker with our characters, the direction they want to go is sometimes the direction we don't want them to go. So it's about compromise...just like a marriage. You say you aren't the marrying kind? Well I'm here to tell you that if you are writing a novel. . .you are the marrying kind!

What about the cheating?

Yes! WE all cheat on our novel when we hop over to the edits of the last novel or start to work on that new idea. But then the guilt settles in and you go back to the novel where you bicker with your characters, or don't invest in it, spend time with it.

Think back about the times that the idea of the novel was new and exciting. Think about the history you took in creating those characters. Visit the places the inspired you to write those novels. Just spend a little time in that novel and let the creative flow take you away to the world only you can create.

FALL BACK IN LOVE!

Ray Bradbury on writing

“Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for. (…)

If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories — science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”

— Ray Bradbury

It only takes going to the beach a couple times a year, where nothing stresses me out~not the day ins and outs of negative people, negative reviews, naysayers, or the daily grind of work, to find that true love of writing that I have in my heart. 

(Me writing the second novel, A Charming Cure, in the Magical Cure Series)

How do you fall back in love all over again with your writing?

The Well Writer

I hope you enjoyed the funny video!! Seriously! Isn't that the way we stay fit? At least most of the days?

Recently I made the decision to work three days at the day job and take two days to work on my writing career. My day job keeps me in pretty good shape. I'm a Developmental Child Therapist which means I have a combined degree in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, and developmental therapy. I rarely sit down during the day. So keeping fit has really not been an issue for me.

This is the third week that I have worked my new schedule being home for two days straight. Not only are those two days straight, it's Thursday and Friday which means the weekend makes it FOUR days straight. Granted, I have three boys who are into every sport imaginable and we are always running from practices to games which is really great because I take those opportunities to write outside of the home. (I'm so glad this writing gig can happen on the move!)

AND I walk my dogs every day....regardless of day job or not. BUT I never imagined that writing for HOURS in a day would bring the change to my body in only two days. By the end of the second day, my neck was tense, my shoulders ached, my butt-bone felt bruised, and my eyes were crossed. I got a lot of words done, and good words, but it took me all day Saturday to recuperate!!

Quickly I recognized that something was going to have to change. My body was use to being up and moving, lifting children, talking, playing games, and being active. BUT my writing career is very important to me and I needed to find a way for my body to adapt to my new schedule.

1) Keep a pack of gum handy! Oh. . .and make it sugar free because the last thing you need is a root canal to take you out of the writing mood. Chewing gum helps relax you jaw and neck which releases the tension. At the end of the day, you won't feel that tension.

2) Yoga ball! YES! Try sitting on a yoga ball while at your desk. Not only will it help with you NOT slumping, it will also help with your core strength and your abs will love you for it. Especially when you look great in that bathing suit this summer from all the time you write sitting on the yoga ball!!

3) Writing mini-marathons!
Set your time for writing sprints through out your day. Write for 20 minutes straight and when the timer goes off, stand up and stretch your legs by walking around your house, doing a couple of squats, mediate for five minutes. Do something that is going to get your body, mind, and spirit in sync.

4) Exercise!
If at all possible, try to get in regular cardiovascular exercise every day. Not only will it reduce your stress level, it will help keep you fit.

5) Stand up!
I know this sound really strange, but I get my best writing done while I'm standing. While waiting for my coffee to brew or my lunch to be heated, I will take my laptop or my notepad into my kitchen and write. It might not be the best cardio activity, but it helps with blood flow and moving my muscles around.

I have to admit that I love being able to get up, head to my office, and WRITE!

Do you have any good exercise tips to help with the writer's cramp??

CONGRATS PAGE PENDLETON!! YOU WON THE FREE EDIT WITH MY SUPER EDITOR JUDY BEATTY!!