Giving Myself Permission to Know the Ending

So for a long time I've struggled to finish a story. I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with how much I love to read and be surprised by the twists and turns introduced by the author. I learned early on in my novel reading career that if I was too impatient, and read the end before I had earned my way there, it ruined the story for me. (Except for Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would find the ends that I liked the most and follow the trail backwards to beginning. I hated dying in those.)
So when I began writing, I unconsciously kept the ending hidden even from myself. But that doesn't really work, because as the author, I needed to have a map of the story. Even if no one else knew what was going to happen, I HAD to, so I could lead the reader there.
So in my current WIP, I am actually writing a synopsis before I write the book itself. As if I am telling the story to myself. No dialogue, very little description except where it's necessary. I am including internal thoughts and motivations, mainly because they help spur on the plot, but also because it helps reveal character, which also drives the plot. So far I know more about this story than any others I've written. And I'm still going. I am very encouraged by this, but frightened, too. What if I get to the end of "telling", and now that I know the ending, I don't care to flesh it out?
But I'm not going to think like that. Besides, I know a few writer friends who might hurt me if I don't write it out properly. And I'm more scared of them than of the story. ;)

Part of the Problem or Solution

Today I have been giving much thought to criticism. As a writer, a mother, or even a human we need to develop thick skins.   There will be plenty of people constantly telling you what your way is wrong.  There seems to be a thin line between being part of the problem and part of the solution.  If you are not one you are the other.

Being part of the Problem:  This is just being mean,even if it is true.  Being critical and being supportive are not the same.  As a mother, I must be careful not to fall into this category when dealing with my children. 

Being part of the solution:  This method builds you up encourages you while you are being corrected.  To provide positive criticism requires patience and wisdom.

My head is swirling with many thoughts on the topic, but the impression I keep feeling is to provide a gentle reminder to be part of the solution.  To encourage one another in all righteous endeavors.  And to those who have been on the receiving in  of poorly given criticism, to please remember that good criticism is skill that not all have developed.

Z is for ZEST

What is zest?

Well, other than a soap. ("You're not fully clean unless you're ZESTfully clean!" C'mon, I know you're singing it in your head.)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines zest as "an enjoyably exciting quality."

I want my writing to have "an enjoyably exciting quality." I want it to have ZEST! Zest is what readers crave; it's what agents and editors look for when they crack open your manuscript for the first time. So how do we get the ZEST into our writing? Here are a few things I've learned in the last few years about achieving zesty writing:

1. In late, out early. I LOVE this advice- these four little words are a perfect way to test your manuscript for zest. This basically means that you want to dive right into the action at the beginning of your story and pull out with just enough questions at the end of your chapter to leave the reader needing to know what happens next. You're writing a story, not a chapter in a textbook. You don't have to explain everything and then wrap it up neatly- you need a little bit of that roller coaster effect to get your reader's heart pounding.

For a great article about how to achieve "In late, out early", check out this post at Utah Children's Writers. 

2. Think outside the box. I know, it's totally cliche, but I think it's something every writer needs to remember- you have to find a way to stand out somehow.

When I entered the Totally Cliche writing contest, my brain started working and I started a few ideas, then promptly deleted them because I knew that every other writer would probably be doing the same thing. I started wondering what I could do with cliches that would be fresh and different. I immediately thought of my dad and the terrible puns he would tell based on cliches and I suddenly knew: a writer trapped in a world of cliches! Why not take it to the extreme and write a story filled to the brim with cliches? And that's how poor Alice ended up at Castle Cliche, with tall, dark, handsome Aman (Aman's home is his castle) who sent her on a wild goose chase.

That summer I also entered the Wedding Letters contest sponsored by Jason F. Wright. He asked for his fans to write wedding letters to his fictional couple for their pending nuptials. This project involved many virtual crumpled-up sheets of paper as I wrote what I was sure everyone else was writing- the same old advice to listen to each other, don't go to bed angry, always kiss each other goodnight, etc., etc., etc. Finally I asked myself- How can I make my letter different? I came up with the idea to write a wedding letter with marital advice that wasn't marital advice. My letter was about laundry. I explained that once you get married, the whole laundry situation changes, and I explained how important it was to do laundry together, to never go to bed with dirty laundry, and to always remember why you loved those clothes in the first place. It was a letter about laundry- but it wasn't about laundry. It was a letter about marriage- but it wasn't about marriage.

That letter became a finalist in the contest (didn't win b/c contest was based on popular vote- as in, you tell everyone you know to vote for you...I need to get to know more people!) and it stood out enough to Jason Wright (have I mentioned before that he is a New York Times Bestselling author??) that he contacted me personally to let me know how much he liked it and he even mentioned it (and me!) in a televised interview. Outside the box pays off, people!

It's time to think outside the box with your manuscript- how will your YA dystopian novel be different from every other YA dystopian novel? Why does the agent NEED to represent your book? How is this book totally yours and totally fresh? If it's still living inside the box, you need to sprinkle it with some zest and yank it out, people!

3. Watch your tone, young lady. Maybe it was because my mom was getting her doctorate in communications- specializing in nonverbal communication- while I was in high school, but boy did I ever learn that so often it's not what you say- it's how you say it!

This is a lesson that I definitely learned through blogging. When I first started my blog, The Beautiful Thrifty Life, I originally thought that I was 'supposed' to sound like a magazine. Every post had a very detached, straightforward, authoritative-sounding tone. I thought this made me sound like I was someone who knew what they were talking about. So I prattled on like that until one day I came across a blog called Thrifty Decor Chick. I grew to really love this blog, seemingly because of the great home decorating ideas and the wonderful, bright photos. However, when I took a closer look as to why I loved this blog so much I realized that it was the tone. The blogger was honest. She was funny. Reading her blog was like hanging out having lunch with a friend- not sitting alone reading a magazine article. Her tone made her come alive to me, and suddenly I realized that I didn't have to pretend to be something I wasn't- I could just sound like, well, ME!

Just like the dial tone on a phone helps you know you're connected, the tone in your story is what will connect you with your readers.

Ooh. That was good.

Finding the right tone is something that needs work in my WIP. My main character is pretty cool, but I don't think she really has her own identity yet. I'm still working on throwing some zest her way in the "tone" department and making her a little more 3-D. I like her too much for her to be a plain jane. I want my readers to connect with her.

So tell me, any more ideas on how to add some ZEST to your writing?


And by the way, thanks so much for joining us for our A to Z Challenge- hard to believe we made it through the whole alphabet already! More fun stuff in store for May...stay tuned!

Co-writing week 2

We talked a little bit about some of the perks of co-writing in our Co-writing part 1. Writing together with your sister and best friend is definitely a perk! We love our writing sessions. Like we mentioned in Part 1, when we get on the phone/computer, we don't just talk about our WIP or current blog post, we talk about EVERYTHING! And we love it. Any stay-at-home mom could attest to that feeling of joy when you get have conversation with another adult. Even if most of what we talk about is our kids!

Perk: Idea swapping.

Unlike solo writers, our brainstorming sessions bounce back and forth as we throw out ideas. It is really fun because then we not only have our own beginning ideas, but the other person's ideas, PLUS new ideas that we come up with based on our thoughts from our counterpart. It is great! So coming up with a list of possible solutions to a problem in our writing becomes easier and faster with many more options to chose from.

Perk: Writer's Block...Detours...Short Cuts!

Being able to have a co-writer to turn to when you get stuck is definitely a benefit to our writing! Often times, in our WIP, one of us will write on a section for a while, then when we get stuck or run out of ideas, we pass it on to the other to continue. Using each others ideas, once again, helps us to get passed our block, revise, or continue on with the story fresh and energized.

Perk: Editing.

As we pass the story back and forth, we need to read what the other has written before we can continue. As we read through, it gives us the opportunity to edit and revise. This not only helps minimize grammatical and punctuation errors, but it also allows us to catch inconsistencies in the story, plot, or characters.

Perk: Confidence!

It builds our confidence to hear from our writing partner, "Oh, I like that idea!" "You are brilliant!" "That works better, let's do that." And other similar comments as we toss around ideas. With confidence comes the courage to keep going and build our self esteem.

Perk: Staying on Track.

Having a partner to be accountable to helps to keep us from sidelining the project when life gets hectic. We know we have someone that is counting on us, and will keep reminding us to get in there and write.

Perk: It's uplifting.

When life can get you down, husbands are out of town, or life seems kind of bleak, its nice to know there is someone to turn to, an activity to share in and pull ourselves up from the blues.

Perk: Somehow we are always on the same page!

Our ideas mesh and flow and become one. It just works. We aren't writing two completely different stories with the same characters, it is one story coming together from two different minds.

We feel that the old saying "two heads are better than one" definitely applies to our situation. We feel that together we are whole, we make a complete writer. It is an amazing journey and we are enjoying every minute of it!

Y is for You

The question I get asked the most by aspiring writers is this, There are a million books about (mourning, weight loss, parenting, etc). I'm just a nobody. What can I bring that's any different?

My answer is always the same... you.

So What if you're not a celebrity? You have something that nobody else has: your story, your voice, and your life experience. Don't let anybody tell you any different.

Yes, there have been lots of books about losing a loved one. But there have been no books about losing your loved one.
That doesn't just apply to non-fiction. How many times have we read boy meets girl, or girl meets vampire? What sells books is your unique narrative voice. What do you have to say and how can you say it differently from everyone else?

As a writing exercise, my teacher had us all go outside and look at the road. Then he had us go inside and write a paragraph about the road. As you can imagine, the six of us, though we all looked at the same road, had remarkably different things to say about it. One of my favorites said it looked like a meeting place for lost souls.

Point is, you bring something to the table that is awesome and unique and deserves to be written. So don't try to make your book like any other that's been written before. Don't model it after a best seller.
Model it after you.
Tell your story.

W is for Weeds, Words & Work

W is for Weeds

It's springtime, and that means (if you live anywhere blessed by winter weather) time for the green, and the birds, and the tulips to return.  The earth is shedding its solemn white and brown winter coat and donning a wardrobe of color.

If you have a yard, spring also means time to head outside and prepare the garden for another planting season.

There is nothing like a garden - whether it grows flowers or vegetables.  And yet every garden, regardless of size or location, is prone to the same unchanging problem: weeds.

They are hardy, prickly, aggressive and unrelenting.  If you're not careful, they'll replace your growing plants with something much less desirable.  They wipe out everything in their path, and then continue on their conquest to the neighbors' yards.

And we've all had those neighbors - the one's with weeds waist high that seed and blow around on the wind - the one's who just don't seem to care.



So how does one get rid of weeds?  There are a few different options:

1. Go to the store and buy weed killer (the trouble with this is it kills the good plants too)
2. Hire a professional to do it for you  (the trouble with this is it costs money)
3. Ignore them (the trouble with this is it frustrates the neighbors)
4. Roll up your sleeves, put on some gloves, and get to pull them yourself (the trouble with this is it's work)

Ultimately, the how of de-weeding is up to the individual gardener, but the old advice of putting some effort into a task can produce real results - especially if you can get the weed out by the root.  It may take work, it may take effort, but the weed free garden that results is worth it.  And working in the dirt is very healthy, and can be satisfying.

W is for Words

It's revision time, and that means you've experienced the satisfaction of finishing the first draft or a WIP.  You've come down from the euphoria of accomplishing a difficult feat and are ready to dig in again.

There is nothing like seeing your words come to life - the characters, the plot, the scenes that you love spilling over the pages (or screen).  And yet every manuscript, regardless of length or author experience/expertise is prone to the same unchanging problem: errors.

They are frequent, difficult to spot, and sometimes embarrassing.  If you want to be considered seriously by an agent or editor, or you are self-published and want your work to be credible to your reading audience, you have to find and eradicate them.

And we've all read those books - the ones with errors on every page or huge factual discrepancies, that we want to throw across the room and yell "Agggh!"

So how does one get rid of errors?  There are a few different options:

1. Click on the spellchecker button in your writing software. (the trouble with this is it doesn't catch everything)
2. Rely on your critique partners to find errors for you (the trouble with this is they will still always miss some)
3. Ignore them (the trouble with this is it frustrates your readers - and kills your credibility)
4. Roll up your sleeves, research good editing skills and practices, and get to work.  This involves invoking options #1 and #2 (option #3 is still a really bad idea!)

With weeds and words, putting the time and effort into a garden or a manuscript is work.  But with weeds and words, work put forth can actually become something beautiful - opportunity and success.

So fellow writers - go pull out your gardening tools, and get to work!



Thought I'd leave you with this little thought:  How do you tell the difference between a vegetable and a weed?  Give it a pull - if it comes out easy, it's a vegetable!

V is for Value

Megan is unable to post today, so I'm excited to be filling in for her. (This is Nikki BTW!) I really do miss writing on the blog, but I'm very excited for all the writers we have right now. Ok, now on to my post. I work at a school. One morning I came in early to help with morning recess and noticed that all the kids were waiting for the playground to open. There was one large group of kids waiting to go to the tether all courts that are really close to where they were standing. But the P.E. teacher told them that anyone who wanted to play tether ball had to first run to around the light post at the other end of the field then to the tetherballs. They all agreed and soon the playground was open and this large group of children began running as fast as they could to go around the light post so they could get to the tetherballs. Because of their different abilities, the group of kids heading to the tetherballs had turned into more of a line with kids arriving at the tetherballs and lining up orderly. Some could argue that this wasn't fair, that only the good runners would get to be first, but what I saw was children learning to work hard for something they really wanted to do instead of a big mob shoving and pushing their way into line. This made me think of the publishing world and agents and big publishing houses. It's easy to say they aren't a fair way to determine whose books will be on shelves. But let's face it has been the best system to push writers to do their best. It's not a perfect system by any means, but it is a system. Now that self-publishing has become so easy to do and accessible to everyone, the system is crashing down around us. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I do wonder about how the value of writing will change. Will writers just publish to publish, will readers lower their standards to get cheaper books? Will writers value their journey to authordom as much? Will writers value themselves enough to put their very best work out there even if it means waiting years for their ability to grow? Will readers value traditionally published authors more? There are lots of questions to be asked about where the publishing world is going. Many people are asking them, but nobody has the answers. I don't have the answers either, because I think the answer is different for each person. Some of us need the validation of knowing we ran around that light post and earned the right to call ourselves author. But others of us just need to play the game to feel good about our writing. Either way, we are a community that should value and support each other no matter what place we hold in line!

U is for UP

(Amber was unable to post today so she had asked us, Ashley and Jessica, to fill in for her.)

Clouds, balloons, Sun, Moon, Stars. What do you think of when you hear the word "Up"? For us, we like to think of the direction we are going with our writing. We enjoy reading the posts and comments on the MMW blog and have learned so much already. It is exciting to be a part of such a great group of writers. Though we still have so much to learn, it is nice to be able to share our experience with you as we climb this ladder. It is kind of like when you have a new baby. Every little smile, each small achievement is amazing to you, and you want to tell everyone about it! Sometimes it is easy to forget that the mother of 5 sitting next to you isn't going to be as excited about your child's first step as you are, but you feel so grateful that she sits and listens to the story anyway. It feels good to share what you learn and experience with others even if they have already experienced that themselves.

As we make this climb and reach new heights, we will be able to look back and see how far we've come.

When I (Ashley) think of the word "up" I also can't help but think of my 18-month-old. He is my third child and has proven already to be the one I am going to have to always keep my eye on. This little guy is a mischievous little trouble maker who loves to climb! The up part wouldn't be so bad, it is the down part that scares me to death! My little man will walk off the couch...just walk straight off without any thought to how far the ground is or if there is anything there to break his fall. I have pulled him down from the kitchen table, the bathroom counter, the top of the piano, the list goes on.

Jessica says this has brought another "U" word to mind: "Unconditional" It is amazing to think of all the things our children can do and yet, we still love them. Mr. Mischievous was found a few days ago in our bathroom stirring the toilet water with our TV remote. My daughter, as I write this, is throwing a fantastic tantrum because she doesn't want to empty her garbage. And yet I love my kids more than anything. I know that as they grow up, there will be many more challenges and frustrations. Things much worse than a soaked TV remote, tasks much more important than emptying a garbage to be upset about. But through it all, I know that I will love them, just as our Savior loves them.

T is for Thank You!

Pot of Gold Blogger Award, courtesy of Write Wild

I was pleasantly surprised last week to see in the comments on my post that Christie Wright Wild awarded Mormon Mommy Writers the Pot of Gold Award on her blog, Write Wild. Click on the link above to check out her blog and see the nice things she had to say about us here at MMW!

So now my job is to present this award to four more bloggers who I think deserve this "Pot of Gold" for their blog's excellent content and appealing & easy-to-navigate design. And the winners are (in no particular order):

1. Maggie Fechner, of Mommy's Always Write- I found Maggie's blog thanks to a Saturdays Stories post we did about her last year. She is a Mormon, a mommy, and a published author (not a mere writer!) and her posts are always honest and seem to hit home with me. Her beautiful spirit shines through in her writing, and it's always a pleasure to see what's going on in her head each week! Great job, Maggie!

2. Shawni Pothier of 71 Toes- I discovered this amazing woman and her blog after attending Time Out for Women back in October. Shawni is the 2011-2012 Young Mother of the Year, and I'm pretty sure that she deserves that title and more! Her blog details life with her 5 children, and she keeps it real and fun! Shawni always has some great advice and wonderful motivation- if nothing else than to tell us that even the mother of the year isn't perfect! She's also a professional photographer, so her photos are just gorgeous. Thanks, Shawni!

3. Angie Lofthouse of Notes From the Writing Chair- I'm a new follower to Angie's blog, but I've found myself getting excited whenever I see a new post from her pop up on my blog feed, if nothing else than I get to go look at that amazing photo she has at the top of her page- if that's the view from her writing chair, then where can I get a chair like that?? :-) I found Angie through the LDS Writers Blogfest earlier this month. She is also a published author and offers some great motivation on her blog. Way to go, Angie!

4. Melanie Jacobson of Write Stuff - Melanie is another blogger I found through Mormon Mommy Writers, and someone else I really look forward to reading. Melanie's blog (whose tagline is "Very writey, not at all stuffy."- LOVE that!!) is lighthearted, fun, witty, and smart. She always makes me laugh and think at the same time, which is a great talent to have. I love her style! Keep it up, Melanie!!

Great job, ladies! Thank you for inspiring me to be a better writer and blogger.

I hope that you take the chance to stop by and enjoy each of these ladies' fun blogs, and a big thanks again to Christie for her kind award. It's nice to know that the work we do over here means something to people! :-)

'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'

One thing we have discovered about our writing style, is that we have a hard time knowing how to start a story. Those starting words, that beginning paragraph seems so difficult We seem to be able to come up with filler and guide our characters through the story, coming up with ideas to throw in, but where and/or when do those characters actually start? What drives them? Coming up with our initial idea for our story came quite easily and from there, as we tossed ideas back and forth between each other, it began to grow. Then we got to a point when we needed to have a beginning before we could take our characters any further. There didn't seem to be anywhere to go unless we knew where we were coming from. So, we had to think back, to get to know our characters and find out where they came from and why they are who they are.

As we went back and began to deveolp our characters, we noticed a lot of our main story content change. It wasn't just about events any more, it was about people, feelings, desires. While our ultimate ourcome for the story did not change, the road we began to take to get there took some different turns.

In Relief Society last Sunday the lesson was "The Immortality of the Soul." It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the eternal perspective we can have as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. There was some discussion on what made our church different from others in our beliefs of the progression of the soul.

"Our comprehension of this life is that it is eternal life -- that we are living in eternity today as much as we ever will live in eternity." Teachings of Presidents of the Church - George Albert Smith

As members of the church we are blessed with a knowledge that this life is eternal. We know where we came from, we know why we are here, and we know where we can go. We understand our divine potential. It is amazing to think of what our lives might be like without this knowledge. There are so many others who don't have this knowledge. They don't know where they came from, why they are here.  They don't know that there is more to come. This life is merely part of the story and it continues beyond death.

"Oh, how sad we would be if we thought that death terminated our career. If, when our life's labor on earth was finished, we had no opportunity to go on developing, there would be little to inspire us to live as we should here." Teachings of Presidents of the Church - George Albert Smith

Our eternal perspective has the ability to change our path in this life. We, like our characters, can change our path in this life based on this knowledge of where we came from and where we are going. We didn't just appear out of thin air into this life. We were lovingly created and placed in our own little story. We create our characters with love, and create a world for them to live in. We form them and guide them. Sometimes we discover they are not going where we originally wanted them to go and it changes their path and where they might finish up in the end.

Our stories doesn't have any purpose without this knowledge of who our characters are, of what they are and what drives them. Our own story, like we said in the beginning, could not continue on until we knew about our characters and where they came from. We are so grateful for the knowledge of where we came from. We know that there is so much more beyond this life. It can give us great comfort, and give us an outline of how to live our lives, so that we can maximize this Divine potential.