Staying focused on your goals is a challenge in today's busy life. There are family needs, financial demands and, don't forget, finding time for yourself. Rhodes FitzWilliam has mastered many of the skills required of a freelance wrier. She navigates those distractions as she writes dystopian novels. Those same techniques can help anyone trying to stay focused on their goals.
Last quarter I discussed the importance of monitoring and
adjusting our activities according to their value in accomplishing our goals. Remember
those goals must be SPECIFIC and MEASUREABLE. Well, ACCOUNTABILITY is another
aspect of achieving goals. That’s one of the reasons being part of a writers’
group is so important. As working authors just starting out, we need to be
accountable for our production to someone else. We will frequently let ourselves
down, feeling like we’re the only one who knows. After all, family
responsibilities come first. Right? You’re aging mother needs to have a
shopping outing or needs help setting up for the neighborhood yard sale. Your
niece’s baby is having his first birthday party out of town. All of these are
truly more important than writing. Yet it’s what we do with the time in between
these acts of loving kindness and the 8-hour job that can make the difference.
How much time do we spent watching television when we could have been writing?
Each of us CHOOSES how to spend our down time and, even accounting for those
times we’re exhausted, there are still many hours of the day we waste on
trivial activities when we should be reading good stories and writing them.
That’s one of the reasons I write this blog. I am accountable to my readers. It
makes me FOCUS on the goals I’ve achieved, as well as those I’ve missed.
With that in mind, I report my accomplishments and my lack
thereof to you, as well as to myself. There are some goals I’ve achieved in
this past quarter and some I haven’t. I write them down and add them up to help
me focus on them and report them to you to keep me accountable. Here’s what
I’ve accomplished since the April edition of Prodigal Writer:
NEW STORIES
No new stories written, but
TWO STORIES SUBMITTED in April to The
Three Penny Review and AE SciFi, plus
I applied for a blogging position to this magazine.
NOVELS
Long Winters Night
Edit Chapters – I
spent 42.5 hours in June editing and I’ve completed a thorough editing of this
novel
Book Cover Drafts
Synopsis (as per editing)
Find Agent
Icy Deeds at Dawn
Write 2,000 words
Edit
MARKETING
Facebook Entries Weekly
Website (get-rebuild)
Research & Learning
Local Contacts Acquired
BLOGS
The Prodigal Writer (2,000) - Wrote the July issue and uploaded it
Writers Group (500)
Must Read (500-1000)
Read – reading Shift in the Silo Series by Hugh Howey in May and June
Write Review - wrote and
submitted a review for Wool – Casting Off
by Hugh Howey in June
As you can see, I’ve missed several of my goals over the
last quarter, but I’ve also accomplished some large goals. My focus was on
getting my rewrite and editing finished for A
Long Winter’s Night. I’ve investigated several editorial services and
learned that the cost for a professional editor is out of my price range for now.
So for the upcoming quarter I’ll be focusing on 1) creating a better book cover,
2) launching the book, 3) writing the second novel in the series, Icy Deeds at Dawn, 4) searching for an
agent and 5) getting my website rebuilt. Since my budget is limited, I will
probably need to go a more traditional publishing route. I just need to get an
agent’s attention with a proven track record. Since I am ACCOUNTABLE to you, as
well as myself, I’ll report my progress in the next issue.
I’d love to hear from you, too. Tell me your writing goals
and accomplishments so we can be ACCOUNTABLE to one another, keep each other
motivated and celebrate each other’s successes. Speaking of which, I hope you
accepted last quarter’s writing challenge and are ready to accept the next challenge
below.
Writing Challenge #16: Dialogue Delight
I was looking over some of the upcoming writing contest and
realized that one of the most interesting is the Bartleby Snopes Contest
(listed below). It’s quite a challenge, so let’s take it on! I have only read a
story composed entirely of dialogue once. I remember that you could only tell
who the characters were by what they said. No “he said, she said” tags can come
into play. It is a challenge to create characters, make the plot move and not
confuse your reader all at once. Write you story and share it with the writers’
group via email to rhodesfitzwilliam@gmail.com.
Let us help you edit it before the September 15th deadline.
Venues for Writing
I haven’t gotten this list on Google Docs yet. I’ll let you
know when I do.
Special
Instructions:E-mail submissions only; Subject
Line:“INT Sub: ‘Story Title’ (word
count, words); Cover Letter; Include your name, byline (if different); Brief
Bio (50 words)
AE welcomes submissions from both established and emerging authors. We publish
exclusively science fiction, though our interpretation of the genre can be
quite inclusive. We are not soliciting poetry or screenplays at this time.
No
submissions are read or accepted between July and December.
No
simultaneous submissions. No previously published submissions.
Submit
ONLY one story or article or five poems.
Responds
within two months.
The
Threepenny Review is a quarterly, international magazine which buys first
serial rights in our print and digital editions, and the copyright then reverts
to the author immediately upon publication.
Since my website, www.skepticalreader.com, is still down, you can still receive
feedback on your work from our writers’ group, Contributors’ Corner by submitting your story within the body of an
email to rhodesfitzwilliam@gmail.com. Please accept my apology for any
inconvenience this causes you.
Until next quarter, live well, love fully and write with all
your heart!
Monitoring and adjusting activities according to their value
are two aspects of goal-setting which are commonly overlooked. However these activities
are necessary. Accomplishing goals is a lot like taking a long trip. GPS can
only help us get there if we pay attention and don’t miss a turn. Goals are the
same way. If we don’t pay attention to what we’re doing, how will we know if miss
a turn? We can still reach our goals, but it will take a lot longer to get
there. Just like a long trip must be monitored for highway changes as we go,
long-term goals must be monitored in short-term activities which will take us
to our final destination. We need to evaluate each month, each week what we’ve achieved
and what we’ve failed to do. We also need to track the success of those
activities, then we need to adjust those goals which require more/less time,
remove unrealistic goals and add goals that are more likely to help us reach
the point of writing profitably. This is particularly challenging for fiction
writers, making monitoring all the more important.
In January, I shared my goals for 2015 with you. (They’re
listed below for reference.) The goals I listed were a mixed batch of
good and bad, given the time I had available for writing. If you’re also a
member of Contributors’ Corner,
you’ve already seen one set of tweaks to those goals. Now here’s another set of
tweaks. As you can see, I’ve been monitoring my goals on a weekly basis, but
they still need to be altered to maximize their effectiveness. Each goal must
be something SPECIFIC and MEASUREABLE.
1.Write & Submit a New Short Story
or Essay – I managed to submit a story in January, but not in February or
March. This goal may be too much since I’m also editing my first novel and
writing my second.
2."Must Read-Must See" blog –
I’ve managed to keep on top of this blog and wrote a review in both January and
March. So this goal is a keeper because I have to maintain a web presence.
3."Prodigal Writer" blog –
I’ve also kept up with this blog because it’s as important to me as it is to
readers who follow it. It keeps me on track and constantly thinking about how I
use my time, what writing I’m actually submitting, etc.
4."Contributors' Corner" to
members – This newsletter is also a keeper for the same reasons as “Prodigal
Writer”.
5.Author Facebook Entry – I’m still
struggling with doing the Facebook entries. I know they’re important to
maintaining a web presence, so I’ll keep this goal even though I haven’t
accomplished the weekly entry goal. I also know that the entries you do make on
Facebook should be relevant to your writing and set you up as an expert. So be
selective when you make your own entries.
6.Character Facebook – I
deleted both the character and novel Facebook page because I unpublished the
novel on Amazon until I can edit it and get a new cover. So I’m removing the
goal of weekly character entries.
7.Website Updates –
Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep paying for my website at this time so this goal
is null and void. Now the goal is to get back my website!
8.Write 4,000 words/week – I didn’t
accomplish this goal at all in January, but I was really close in February. In
March I was focusing on editing the first novel, so I didn’t write on the
second one at all.
9.Find Agent/Editor – I spent several
hours in January and February researching agents to whom I could send query
letters. I’ve come up with four so far, but I need two more so I can send six
query letters at a time. However I have to have the novel edit completely and a
synopsis written.
10.Marketing Course – I haven’t taken any
new marketing courses, but I am receiving a writing course from the Writers’ Village which includes some
really good information.
I’ve put writing new stories for publication as a top
priority, even though it’s been a challenge, because I know it’s important for my writing portfolio. The next priority is getting that first novel ready for republication, hopefully using an agent this time. The next priority is finishing the second novel and editing it. Marketing is extremely important, but calling it that turns my brain to mush. As writers, we have to remember that marketing is really touching people with what we write. In order to alert them that we’re even here, we need a venue, like Facebook or LinkedIn, to let others see our writing. That makes what we write on these venues our first impression – the most important impression we can make.
___________________ April
2015 NEW STORIES Write
2,000 words Edit NOVELS Long Winters Night Edit Chapters Book Cover Drafts Synopsis (as per editing) Find Agent Icy Deeds at Dawn Write 2,000 words Edit MARKETING Facebook Entries Weekly Website (get-rebuild) Research & Learning Local Contacts Acquired BLOGS The Prodigal Writer (2,000) Writers Group (500) Must Read (500-1000) Read Write Review
___________________
The blogs I write for both you and I. They keep me in
practice and force me to keep focused. So, thank you all for being there to
listen. I’d love to hear from you, too. Your comments and suggestions are
always welcome!
Responses to Writing Challenge #14: Opening Paragraphs
I n
the January 2015 issue of The Prodigal Writer, I introduced a writing challenge
directly from John Yeoman’s Wily
Ways to Write. Mr. Yeoman is an instructor, editor and writer at the Writer’s
Village, so I suggest checking out this information resource. Yeoman’s
FREE eBook talks about the importance of getting your reader’s attention with “Three
Dynamic Ways to Open Your Story.” His three suggestions are
1) drop a bomb, 2) introduce an emotional conflict quickly, and 3) enchant your
reader. These three suggestions point to one issue: GET YOUR READERS’
ATTENTION! My challenge to you, was to write three DIFFERENT openings, one of
each type, for a possible story you may want to write. Below are three openings
I tried.
1)Drop a Bomb (168 words)
a.The body lay face down in the water, bouncing on
the current as if he was body surfing wrong-side-down. Thomas stared,
transfixed by the conservative tan suit clinging to the man’s back, then
bubbling out in the water surrounded by brilliant red, yellow and orange
leaves. This man belonged in the woods about as much as Thomas belonged in a
bank. Yes, he knew the man. Had seen him alive and arrogant just a few hours
ago as Thomas’ dad, Dan, argued with him in the kitchen. Thomas squatted on the
bank of the creek, unsure exactly what to do. He may be only twelve, but he
knew the cops would link Dad to this man’s death. He didn’t want Dad to go to
jail, but tampering with a dead body could get him in trouble. The real
question was what to do now. The sun was already casting long shadows as it
retreated and Dad would be expecting him home by the time it was down.
a.“I’m home, Jake!” Sarah called while pushing the
apartment door closed with her foot. She stumbled forward a few steps under the
weight of three bags of groceries. She muttered, “Shit,” as she hit the corner
of the kitchen cabinet. Sarah heard the closet door slide shut in the bedroom.
“I’ll be glad when we can move out of this Cracker Jacks box,” she continued as
she walked to the bedroom with a bottle of celebratory wine. Her promotion came
through today. She’s be an editor at the Hems
and Gems instead of an occasional writer. That meant a regular paycheck
instead of getting paid by assignment. Jake was in the bathroom shaving and he
smiled at her as she walked up the short hall. As she passed the bedroom door
an aroma wafted toward her that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand
up. Another woman had made love to her husband and left within the hour. Sarah
stopped in her tracks and dropped the bottle of wine. The stench of their
loving-making caused her to crinkle her nose and draw her brows together. When
she looked back at Jake, he was staring at her, razor poised three-inches from
his lathed chin. She knew. She knew and he knew she knew.
3)Enchant Your Reader (263 words)
a.I stood in front of the classroom of street-wise
teenagers as tears filled my eyes and flowed down my face. I wiped them away
and said, “Anyway, I had to put Pal down because he attacked my little Beagle
and locked down on his head.” I had rescued Pal too years ago when he showed up
at my fence sniffing noses with Sadie and Sam. His brindle coat was stretched
over too-thin of a chest but his black eyes didn’t fawn or plead for handouts.
He just looked at me like he wasn’t sure how’d I respond to a Pit Bull looking
for love. He’d found it, though, in Sadie and I. Not so much in Sam. Sam just
accepted him in his gentle little Dr. Dog manner. As a Rottweiler-Boxer mix,
Sadie was twice his size; however Pal was twice the size of Sam’s
Beagle-Wirehaired Terrier mix. Plus two male dogs always seem to be
territorial. “My dog just had puppies, Ms. Cohen,” said one of my students.
“What did you say, Josh?” I asked still lost in my own mourning. “My Pit just
had puppies. You can have one of them as soon as they’re weaned.” I just looked
at Josh for a moment. He had been a difficult student to reach even in our
Alternative School. Yet in this case, he felt my pain and new the answer to the
problem: a replacement dog. Embarrassed by his show of sympathy to a teacher,
Josh continued, “He’s just a mutt. A Rottweiler got to her when she was in
heat.”
Writing Challenge #15: Expand on the Opening
Now that you have three opening paragraphs, let’s fill in
the rest of the story. First of all, look over your three opening paragraphs
and select on you like best. I liked my first paragraph best, so I’m going to
use that one.
Next, you’ll want to look over the possibilities below for
submitting your story and decide which venue you think you’re story fits in the
best. I’m going to use the first paragraph for a story to submit to PULP FICTION’s The
Hummingbird Prize for Flash Fiction, which has a 1,000 word limit. Using
the plot graph available through Google Docs, I see that my grabber needs to be
about 50 words, 100 for the introduction, 250 till the first plot point or
conflict, 500 to the 2nd conflict, 750 to the 3rd
conflict and 950 till the climax. That leaves 50 words to draw events to a
resolution and close the story.
Now that you have a pretty good idea of how many words to
use in each section, you need to do a rough Story Map, which is also available
at Google Docs. I’ve
started mine as an example and you can see, it’s not an exact science. You can
see that right now, I’m not sure where I’ll go with this story. I have a few
ideas, but they may change as I begin writing.
The body lay
face down in the water, bouncing on the current as if he was body surfing
wrong-side-down. Thomas stared, transfixed by the conservative tan suit
clinging to the man’s back, then bubbling out in the water surrounded by
brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves.
INTRODUCTION 100 words – actual is 54
This man
belonged in the woods about as much as Thomas belonged in a bank. Yes, he knew
the man. Had seen him alive and arrogant just a few hours ago as Thomas’ dad,
Dan, argued with him in the kitchen. Thomas squatted on the bank of the creek,
unsure exactly what to do.
FIRST PLOT POINT 230 words – actual is 67 plus the 104 of the
grabber and introduction, therefor needs 83 more words
He may be only twelve, but he knew the
cops would link Dad to this man’s death. He didn’t want Dad to go to jail, but tampering
with a dead body could get him in trouble. The real question was what to do
now. The sun was already casting long shadows as it retreated and Dad would be
expecting him home by the time it was down.
Allow yourself that flexibility, too. Once you have an idea
for a story, the only thing that’s sure is that you want to write a story. I’ve
found that new ideas are generated once I’m actually knee-deep in the stories
and have a better feel for the characters. You may find this to be true, too.
Venues for Writing
I’ve found several good writing contests and more magazines
where you can submit your writing. I’m starting a spreadsheet so these
opportunities to keep as publishing possibilities in the future. Plus, I’m
going to put them on Google Docs so I can share them with our writers’ group.
Special
Instructions:E-mail submissions only; Subject
Line:“INT Sub: ‘Story Title’ (word
count, words); Cover Letter; Include your name, byline (if different); Brief
Bio (50 words)
AE welcomes submissions from both established and emerging authors. We publish
exclusively science fiction, though our interpretation of the genre can be
quite inclusive. We are not soliciting poetry or screenplays at this time.
No
submissions are read or accepted between July and December.
No
simultaneous submissions. No previously published submissions.
Submit
ONLY one story or article or five poems.
Responds
within two months.
The
Threepenny Review is a quarterly, international magazine which buys first
serial rights in our print and digital editions, and the copyright then reverts
to the author immediately upon publication.
*********************
I am sorry to say that my website, www.skepticalreader.com, is currently down, but you and still
receive feedback on your work from our writers’ group, Contributors’ Corner by submit your story within the body of an
email to rhodesfitzwilliam@gmail.com. Please accept my apology for any
inconvenience this causes you.
Until next quarter, live well, love fully and write with all
your heart!