RedBird-RedOak Writing

A guest post from RedBird-RedOak Writer, Pam Parker…

December brings a flurry of lists for writers – top ten books,  word of the year candidates, best writing blogs, ways to avoid holiday stress, the best (worst?) typos  – you name it, we’ll list it. And, lists can be helpful for many writing projects. I’ve always balked at the New Year’s Resolution lists, but this year, I saw one for writers with some great reminders and suggestions.  Keith Cronin, writing at Writer Unboxed, shares 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers. Number one? Read more. With the oft-quoted for a reason comment from Stephen King: “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Cronin also reminds us to back up our work, to give something back (maybe mentor another writer?) and other advice from try something new to re-read something old. I won’t repeat them all here and encourage you to read the whole post when you can.

Even the simple act of creating a list of things to work on can bring a sense of accomplishment…

Resolutions can serve as great motivators, even the simple act of creating a list of things to work on can bring a sense of accomplishment. But for me, the act of making the lists often led, in the past, to a sense of frustration at the end of the year when I realized I had barely made a dent in my resolutions. In the last few years, I’ve learned that I need an accountability check-in to sustain my attention to those resolutions and I need a plan to follow-through on those check-ins. In 2012, I posted around the fifth of each month, “Facing Facts on the Fifth.” This was a time and place for me to evaluate how I had done on my writing goals for that month and set new goals for the next month. Sure, there were carry-overs. There were things that didn’t get done. But, there were lots of projects that kept moving forward.

Slow and steady may be the only way that will work…

I’ve applied this check-in system to other areas of my life with some success too. During 2011 and 2012, I kept a sheet of paper taped to the inside of my coffee mug cabinet door and I wrote my weight down there on the first and fifteenth of every month, where I would see it every day. It makes me pay attention to the ups and downs of my weight, more than just my jeans getting uncomfortable. I go through spurts where I write down every morsel I put in my mouth and when I do that, my weight goes down a bit more. I’m not losing at any great rate. I lost five pounds in 2011 and am likely to end 2012 with another five gone. Yes, I could do better, but that’s ten pounds over two years that are gone and reverses the rate of gain that had been happening. Slow and steady may be the only way that will work for me in this department. Not sure. That paper will remain on the inside of my cabinet with its reminders.

We all have our own issues to deal with, right?

Since I’ve been wanting to grow up spiritually, I’ve also started checking in once a month during the academic year with a spiritual counselor. (Found a list from 2007 on signs you’re growing up spiritually. ) For me, growing up spiritually means taking responsibility to study more about my faith and to incorporate my faith values into my life. Checking in forces me to consider what I have done and what I may have avoided doing to stay tuned in to creative energy and to my goals. I am pleased to see some progress. I know this step may cause some of you to scoff, but we all have our own issues to deal with, right? For me, I could stand to check in with myself on simplifying my household contents – ahem – getting rid of accumulated stuff.

Acting and follow-through are what truly propels us forward in our work…

I haven’t formed my 2013 resolutions yet, but I will be working on them before December 31st. I am well aware that coming up with too many resolutions can mean almost certain failure. When I read Cronin’s New Year’s Resolutions for Writers, I realized that though I’ve been reading, I’ve failed to update my reading section on my blog or to keep up with my Goodreads listings…not doing that is in fact a good example of “not giving back.” Supporting other writers is one of my ongoing goals and not updating my reading list is a violation of that goal. Maybe I should resolve to do better there. I am likely to continue with my check-in system in writing, but I’m also looking to set up a calendar for my blog, something I’ve been wanting to do for the last two years. I’d like to devote three months (more perhaps?) to specific topics, instead of always reacting to whatever appears. Reacting has its place and certainly resonates with creatives, but acting and follow-through are what truly propels us forward in our work. A plan is necessary for the acting and follow-through.

Don’t forget to make a plan to make it happen…

I’d encourage all writers to honestly self-evaluate. What do you want for your next steps in your writing in 2013? We’re all at different places. Only you can answer that question for yourself and create your resolution. Once you have, then think about what steps you will take in 2013. In as simple a way as possible, how will you then keep yourself on track for that resolution? Could it be writing it down at the top of each month on your 2013 calendar? Setting up a reward system? Sure, these ideas may feel juvenile, but the kindergarten smiley face and star system works for a reason. Make your resolution, sure, but don’t forget to make a plan to make it happen and to check in with yourself throughout the year about your actions. May you be successful in whatever you resolve to do.

Happy #writing in 2013!

Read other posts of writing advice and inspiration from Pam at http://www.pamwrites.net/

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Thoughts on writing and submitting from guest blogger, Pam Parker.

I’ve sat in the hallowed studio at Red Bird-Red Oak (RBRO) feeling like a fraud. Could I, should I, call myself a writer with zero fiction credits?

We all know the answer is yes, I could and should have considered myself a writer without the credits. But, let me tell you, my RBRO friends, after winning the emerging author lottery this fall and getting three acceptances, it feels a whole lot better to have the credits, so, if you’re waiting for the day, I have some simple advice for you:

read, write, banish, send and share.

Read, Read, Read

While it should be a given that all writers read, are you researching markets as you read? Are you checking out literary journals where you might submit your work? (Many journals have online excerpts and you may know a writer from the studio that you could swap copies of different journals with, so don’t let cost hinder you. If you can afford to subscribe to literary journals, please do, they need us as much as we need them.) If you’re trying to write short stories, are you reading them? I was not until recently. I have a strong preference for novels. I’ve had to work to make myself read short stories, and, while I still prefer novels, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for short stories, and a greater confidence in my own ability to write them. And, yes, I’ve found markets where I could see my stories fitting in.

Write, Write, Write

I was once the queen of excuses – life, family, everything conspired to prevent me from writing; but, the fact is, I could have carved time for myself to write regularly and I didn’t. I journaled consistently, because that’s necessary for my sanity, but didn’t faithfully work on my stories. And, yes, I could have. How? What if I had committed to one page a day for all those years? Just one page! I mourn those pages I didn’t give birth to, so if you’re at the life stage where finding time is difficult, find a way to write. Don’t let the years vanish with your stories unwritten.

Besides letting life dictate my time spent on writing, I also struggled with “slow cooker syndrome.” I wanted my writing to be strong, every word, from the get go. I misunderstood the value of the first draft, the true first draft.

Have you given yourself permission to write crap? Do it. A technique that worked for me to breakthrough to producing true first drafts was doing NANOWRIMO. If you can, next November, join the lucky people who produce a 50,000 word novel in a month. I did it in 2008, following radiation and the accompanying fatigue — I wasn’t sure I could do it, but I did. And, in the process, I learned to give myself permission to just plain write, to not fret about, “Is it roundtable worthy? Is it anything worth pursuing?” It shut off those questions that had in the past made me write very slowly. But, NaNo’s not for everyone. If you need a different strategy for breaking through to increase your story production, maybe challenge yourself to increase your word count production by 500 words from week to week? Or do a page increase challenge? Put stickers on the calendar, eat a mega-good piece of chocolate cake when you finish a story, you can figure out how to bribe yourself. Find what will work for you!

Banish, Banish, Banish

Banish what? Your fear of rejections, that’s what. Have you let it paralyze you, preventing submissions? I used to dread the rejection boogie monster. I let it loom mythic like something in a Tolkien world, raging and spewing and shrinking my puny confidence into nonexistence.

But, then life taught me to banish the fear of rejections.

Many of you know I had cancer in 2008. There’s nothing quite like hearing your doctor say, “I’m sorry to have to tell you, you have breast cancer,” to shake up everything you’ve ever thought about fear. Cancer is a word that deserves some of the fear that accompanies it. Rejection is not. Even though you may think rejections will kill you, they won’t. They only have whatever power you give them. Now when I get them, I seize the opportunity to either rework the piece, or, if I still believe it’s publishable but hasn’t yet found a home, I send it off to someone else.

Send, Send, Send

I’ve changed how I approach submitting. Now I think about the markets I could submit to in three categories, similar to approaching the college application process:

*Top Tier – the “I probably can’t get in, but it’s worth a shot” category – so these are my dream journals, GlimmerTrain, Tin House, Ploughshares, Paris Review, etc.

*Middle Tier – “My grades are good enough, but what will the committee say?” – for me, this market includes many small literary journals that don’t pay, but produce good writing.

*Safety schools – These are journals I’d be “okay” with having my writing in, but they’re not my first, or even my second, choice, but they give my work an audience, and me a credit for my next submission.

Some writers subscribe to the “blitz” method of submissions, but I’m not sure that’s helpful for any of us. I’ve been sending each piece to five or six places, sometimes less. I pat myself on the back when rejections come: Good for you, getting the work out, try again.

Are you ready to submit? Reading lots? Writing lots? Banishing fear? Then, remember this: Volume increases your odds. I was trying to get to ten pieces out before the end of the year (a HUGE increase from my past production), but when I was at seven submissions, I got those three acceptances, so I had to work hard to get more out. I use duotrope.com to track my submissions and help find markets. I also highly recommend newpages.com.

Share, Share, Share

You have a community at Red Bird – Red Oak. Be a giving part of the community. Remember, we need each other. The writing life can be a lonely life. We struggle with our insecurities. When one of us succeeds, we all are thrilled. When one of us feels down, because let’s face it, rejections still aren’t going to be fun, we can prop each other up. So, share your successes. Share what you learn in your rejections. Share journal suggestions with fellow writers. When we support each other, the odds increase that we will all persevere until we reach our individual writing goals.

Never give up. Your writing deserves, and will get, its audience. Believe it. Read, Write, Banish, Send, Share. Get to it.

Note: A similar version of this piece appears at Pam’s blog. She would appreciate your comments there http://pamparker.wordpress.com