Writing Tip Tuesdays: Poke Your Head Up by Jeff Hargett

Welcome back for another edition of Writing Tip Tuesdays!

If you haven't already, take a quick moment to vote and help decide the cover art for my gladiatorial fantasy novel, Sol of the Coliseum. 


Please welcome writer, blogger, Trekkie, and one of the nicest guys on the web (seriously, I know I've said this before but he's just that nice), Mr. Jeff Hargett with his tip "Poke Your Head Up".

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I'm a Star Trek nut. Always have been. Always will be. One of my favorite episodes in the entire franchise was the Deep Space Nine episode The Visitor. Captain Benjamin Sisko is the father of a writer--an avid writer--named Jake. You know the type. The storyteller who can't drop the pen or push away the keyboard until they've pumped out one more story or polished that last paragraph to perfection.

This episode is not about space battles, light speed or technobabble. It's about love and loss and desperation. The episode is powerful and poignant, worthy to be seen even by folks who flee from Trek. In the opening act, the captain is trying to pry his son away from his writing just long enough to see an event that happens only twice a century. In doing so, Jake's father gave him some advice. He said:

"I'm no writer, but if I were, it seems to me I'd want to poke my head up every once in a while and take a look around. See what's going on. It's life, Jake! You could miss it if you don't open your eyes."

What a pearl of wisdom this is. It applies to everyone, but particularly to writers. We storytellers create places, people and events that we hope will somehow resonate with our readers. Achieving this is no small task. It requires more than talent and skill. It requires us to live a life in balance.

I've frequently written about that whimsical, imaginary muse of mine who pops in unannounced and refuses to memorize my schedule, but I've come to realize that we each have a real life muse inspiring us and feeding us tantalizing story bits. That muse is our life experiences. When we don't take the time to poke our heads up every once in a while and open our eyes--to actually live life--then our muse won't have much material with which to work.

It's often said that our stories come from within us. Experiencing life fills our creative tanks with fuel. It's the charge that starts the engine and powers the creative journey.

Maybe the real reason we experience writer's block is because we're not experiencing life. The only way to know for sure? Poke your head up every once in a while, take a look around and see. I guarantee it won't be time squandered.

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As with so many of Jeff's posts (which you should check out here), this really hit home for me. So much so that next week's WTT will feature my own take on Jeff's advice and how important it's been for me over the last six months.

I think you'll like it so stay tuned!

Writing Tip Tuesdays: Take a Hike

Welcome back for the second installment of Writing Tip Tuesdays!

One of the cool things about the writing community is that we all approach our craft a little differently and we all think of our own creative process in a unique way. I often relate my creativity in terms of an old temperamental faucet.

Side story: When I was a kid, one of the houses we lived in was a particularly old farmhouse with one of those old dishwashers that you'd wheel over to the faucet and hook up to the sink. One night, I got up to get myself a glass of water. When unhooking the dishwasher, I guess I managed to touch the metal faucet and the dishwasher's electric cord at the same time. The shock threw me across the kitchen and into the refrigerator. The thing is, I was so confused and disoriented, I got up and did it again. I guess I managed to stagger back to bed but in the morning, it all seemed so weird that I figured it must have been a dream. That is until I had to explain to my folks why the refrigerator door was dented. They had to replace the refrigerator door panel but we kept the dishwasher. Go figure.

Ok, back to WTT...  

Most of the time, even when I'm trying to keep the faucet turned off (say, when I'm at work crunching data), there's still a drop or two that manages to sneak out (that's what sticky notes are for). Sometimes the darn thing gushes and it's hard to catch all those ideas, especially if I'm previously occupied. But sometimes, as old faucets are wont to do, the thing seizes up and not so much as a trickle will...trickle out. When I'm trying to do something else that's one thing. But what about when I finally carve out a little time and I really want to write? How do I get that faucet to open up?

That's right. My go to faucet lubricant (ok, that sounds a little weird) is a good long walk.

Walking helps get my creativity going. And this isn't just some personal peculiarity. This is SCIENCE:

"Stanford researchers found that walking boosts creative inspiration. They examined creativity levels of people while they walked versus while they sat. A person's creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking."

For more on this, please click here.

So my main tip is this:

If you're stuck in your story, bogged down in your blogging, or cranky about your creative capacity, take a walk!

But we all know it's not always that simple. As with any technique, you'll need to figure out how to walk. I know that sounds silly, but there are things you can do (or not do) as you walk that can help. Here's what works for me:

1.  Ease into it - At first, don't concentrate on the project or issue your working on. Try to let your mind just kinda flow. Look at trees and people and birds. Enjoy the sun. Hum a tune. Clear your head. Let your brain breath. Then, once you've calmed down, consider your dilemma.
2. Let your hands and mouth go - It might be a little embarrassing but I find that it helps if I let myself gesticulate and make faces and talk to myself. Sure, I get some looks. But so what? I'm creating! 
3. Have a medium handy...but not too handy - I've preached before (and will again) about the wonders of a smartphone as a writing tool. Jotting down notes and ideas while walking is a perfect example. BUT, until those ideas come I have to keep the phone in the pocket. If I don't I'll end up on Facebook or checking scores or some other thing that distracts me in an uncreative way. A notebook and pen or some other kind of archaic method will work just as well, I'm sure.

How about you? Do you walk? Do you gesticulate? Have you electrocuted yourself on faulty kitchen appliances?

Please check back next week when we will be joined by the nicest guy on the internet, your friend and mine, the always insightful Jeff Hargett!

Also, if you want to get involved with Writing Tip Tuesdays, please shoot me an email at adamgaylordwrites gmail com.

We have great tips from a bunch more great writers coming up so stay tuned!

What Happens When You Let Others Dictate Your Writing Style?

Writers get a lot of pressure from the outside world about how and what they write. Peers, publishers, and the public all have a say. 

But what happens if you let the talk get to you? What happens if you change who you are as a writer to suit their ideas of what's right?

This little short film explores those demons. Brace yourself...

Writing Tip Tuesdays Starting Next Week!

Yet another big announcement!

Starting March 17th, every Tuesday will be "Writing Tip Tuesday" here at Adam Gaylord Writes!

I will be hosting a plethora (I love that word) of great writers, bloggers, and publishers offering up their tips of the trade. I might even throw in a few myself!

And what better way to start this feature than to welcome one of the kings of fantasy author blogging, fresh of the successful release of his hit fantasy novel "Woven" (next up on my reading list):

David Powers King!

David has offered to share his thoughts on successful co-authoring (which I've always been very interested in). I can't wait!

Want to get involved with Writing Tip Tuesdays? Contact me at adamgaylordwrites @ gmail (dot) com and I'll throw you in the mix!

This should be fun so stay tuned!

Are You Eligible For the John W. Campbell Award?

I don't think any of us write with the goal of being showered with awards. We write because we love words and we love stories.

On the other hand, if someone wants to give me an award, I'm not going to spit in their eye.

There are a ton of awards out there, most of which I have no knowledge of. But since I don't live under a rock, I at least know about the Big 3:

Before I die I'd like to be nominated for one of them. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

Now, I don't exactly follow the awards circuit with baited breath. But, you can be sure I'm going to check in on the nominees and winners on an annual basis to see what stories I need to read. After all, they're the best.

The last time I was on the Hugo site, I spotted a link for the John W. Campbell Award which, unbeknownst to me at the time, "is given to the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy was published in a professional publication in the previous two years". They have a whole list of definitions for "professional publication" but the one that caught my eye was any publication that pays out a minimum of 3 cents/word and a total payment of at least $50. I've had a couple of those. Sure enough, I shot the administrator an email and my name was added to the list of 2015 eligible authors!

I'm not telling you this to brag (although I'm super honored to have my name listed with such talented folks, even though I don't have a snowball's chance of winning), I'm telling you so that you can check to see if you qualify! Check out the rules and the FAQ page! See if you qualify! If you don't look you'll never know!

Accept Your Story’s Place

Every story has a place. 

I firmly believe that for every story you write there’s an agent or an editor out there that will both love and want to publish it. I also believe that with patience and persistence you can find these people. And by all means, shoot for the moon. I send every story I write to every professional paying market I know. But not every story I write is worthy of a professional market. Hell, most stories I write aren’t up to snuff. And that’s OK. 

After I exhaust every pro market I hit the semi-pro, then the token. And if my story ends up at some e-mag I’ve never heard of with thirty subscribers and I end up making $5 on the deal, that’s OK. I write because I love it; anything else is a bonus. Sometimes it’s hard not to feel bitter when the perfect market passes on your story (I’m looking at you DailyScienceFiction) but bitterness and anger hurt the process, not help it. Remember, the market decides your story’s price but you decide your story’s worth. 

Hope blooms eternal. 

Wherever your story ends up is where it belongs. 

Speak English!

Last weekend I went to a writing group for the first time ever. I'm not sure how I felt about it so I won't say much about the experience, yet.

One thing I did find interesting was the animosity these folks had for certain plot devices, namely "speak English".

You know what I'm talking about. That's when the brainiest character in a story lays down some crazy-complicated technical jargon. Then the action-minded main character says, "Speak English." and the brainy character is forced to explain a concept or term. Of course, this is all for the benefit of the reader, who the author assumes doesn't or won't understand. It's used all the time, especially in Sci-Fi (which is usually particularly concept/jargon heavy).

Maybe that's the problem. It's potentially insulting to your reader to assume they won't know what your talking about. And this particular group of readers (the writing group folks) were really smart. I was easily the dumbest person in the room. So maybe they feel it's insulting. I didn't have the balls to ask.

Frankly, I don't have a problem with "Speak English". It's effective. It gets the job done. Just like all things, it should be used in moderation. But the fact is there are sometimes things that need to be explained. I would rather assume that my readers don't understand a concept and explain it than lose my readers completely.

What about you? Is it overused? Is it insulting? Let me know what you think. And please, speak English.

Smart Phones Make Smart Writers

I used to have a boss that was Borg.

If you're a Star Trek fan you know that it's not appropriate to say "He was a Borg" because the Borg are a collective consciousness. Instead, he was  Borg.

The guy was never disconnected. I think he slept with his blue-ray earpiece. In the 3.5 years I worked for him, I honestly never saw him without it.

Technology can be like that. You can't immagine why everyone's so worked up about the newest gizmo. You hold off buying one for years. In the end, resistance is futile. You give in and get the gizmo and soon, you can't imagine life without it.

Don't feel bad. Now days, it's a natural progression.

Enter the smart phone. I resisted for years but eventually my wife talked me into one. Now she complains that I can't leave it alone.

What does this have to do with writing?

Over the last year I've learned that a smart phone can be a great writing tool. How many times have you had a great idea for a story only to forget it before you can steal away to write it down? Not with a smart phone. Just bust out a free notepad app, type in a few notes, and your idea is stored. Or don't type it in. Use voice recognition to jot your notes. Then email them to your home computer.

Hell, I'll do you one better: WRITE THE WHOLE DAMN STORY ON YOUR PHONE.

It sounds a little crazy but I've written several short stories this way. I always have my phone on me. So what happens when I have to wait for wife/doctor/dmv/wife/etc? Bust out the phone and get some words in. It's basically like having constant access to a word processor.

How about you? Have you written anything on your phone? Are you resisting?

Audience Relativity

Hello from grad school! The good news is I’ve been doing a ton of writing lately. The bad news is that my writing has been noticeably devoid of dragons, robots, and zombies. Only statistical analysis and technical jargon as far as the eye can see. But that’s not to say I’m not learning about the craft!

A friend of mine gave me something a while back that I’ve been meaning to share with you good folks. The following is an excerpt from ‘Understanding Writing Blocks’ by Keith Hjortshoj.

“We can easily become lost in time and space while writing because, when it is viewed as a whole process that includes the reader, writing is a relativistic medium. In other words, what I am writing now is connected with what you eventually read, but in different reference frames. I am sitting here in my office at a particular time, working on page 24 of this manuscript. You are reading the words I write, so I am communicating something to you. While I am writing, however, you are not yet reading, and the specific text you read does not yet exist in the form you have. To write I must at least vaguely imagine a reader, and while you are reading you can imagine me writing what you read, but neither vision is very reliable. I don’t really know how this writing will strike you, and while I must have a sense of audience in mind, to enjoy the freedom of writing I also need to remember that you remain a figment of my imagination—one whose responses I can’t control. In turn, you are probably not on page 24, and although you might assume that I wrote this passage before the sections and chapters that follow, I did not. I’m inserting these paragraphs into a full draft of the book, which will no doubt change in other ways before you read it. I might decide to take this passage out again, so at the moment I can’t be sure that it will ever reach you, my imagined reader. Yet the decisions I make will directly affect the outcome.”

Pretty trippy huh? 

Other than the obvious fact that Mr. Hjortshoj (how the heck do you pronounce that?) is operating at a much higher level than myself, what do we take from this passage?

Here are my thoughts:

My writing will have an audience (hopefully) but as a writer, I have no way of knowing where, when, and in what social, historical, or personal context my words will reach said audience. Therefore, it might be more useful to keep the concept of an audience as a vague notion rather than to tailor my writing to some specific audience, a target I’m almost sure to miss. We’ve all heard of authors or playwrights whose works were unappreciated in their own time only to achieve critical and popular success decades or centuries later. Surely those individuals weren’t shooting for a target audience generations down the road. I think I’ll write for an audience of one (me) and let the world do with my writing what it will.

What about you? What did you get out of the passage?

Quentin Tarantino's Speech and the Creative Process

I'm not much for award shows. I get a little tired of Hollywood patting themselves on the back.

However, I love Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. A pair of funnier ladies is hard to find. Given that, I did watch a little bit of the 70th Annual Golden Globes last night, mainly while The Good Wife was on commercial breaks (my wife loves that show). From what I saw I came away with three thoughts.

First, Brave shouldn't have won for Animated Feature Film. I love animated movies and I love Pixar but Brave didn't live up to their extremely high standard. It was a good but a little boring and predictable. My vote would have been for ParaNorman.

Second, holy plastic surgery batman! There were a few actresses I didn't even recognize they've had so much work done. Kate Hudson is starting to look an awful lot like Lindsay Lohan (which isn't a good thing) and one gall (who's name is now escaping me, which I realize doesn't help this post) doesn't even look like anyone anymore!

Finally, the last thing that stuck with me and the reason for this post was Quentin Tarantino's acceptance speech for Best Screenplay for his movie Django Unchained. If you haven't seen this movie, it's very good. Don't go see it unless you're prepared for some serious violence and profanity but do go see it. It's funny and sad and action packed and wonderful. The amazing thing about Mr. Tarantino's acceptance speech was the small glimpse he gives into his creative process. Take a look (hint: his speech starts at about 1:12):

He thanks his actors (which is good) and then he goes on to thank a group of friends that he reads scenes to as he writes. Apparently, when he's gone through a scene as many times as he can stand, he then reads the scene to a friend or two. Instead of feedback he simply asks for these people to listen. They are sounding boards. Mr. Tarantino explains that when he reads a scene to a friend he hears it through their ears. For him to take the time to thank this group in front of a live national audience lends weight to how important this step is for him in his creative process.

So here's my question: do you do anything like this?

I've done something similar with my non-fiction. When writing journal articles to be submitted to peer reviewed publications I will sometimes read particularly tricky sections to a colleague in order to see how it flows and to gauge their reaction and level of understanding to the material. But I've never done it for one of my fiction stories. Perhaps I should.

What about you?

George R. R. Martin Writing Quotes

Just a quick post today 'cause this is too cool not to pass on.

Here's a collection of very cool writing quotes from George R. R. Martin. Check it out!

First Ever Guest Post: Jeff Harget

The best thing about blogging is the people you meet. Not that I've ever actually met Jeff.  We haven't had beers or shared embarrassing childhood stories or spent a cold Buenos Aires morning burying a dead llama jockey that I HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE GOT INTO MY TRUNK!

But Jeff has been super supportive to me and my writing. He's really nice. Like super nice. Like so nice it makes me wonder whether he actually has a closet full of suits made with human skin and he's just covering up for it. Even so, he's my kinda people.

And he's been kind enough to grant me my very first guest post! I asked Jeff to tell us a little bit about how he got his short story published. As always, he exceeded my expectations.

Check it out.

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"I've Never Had a Story Rejected."

Can you make that claim?  Writers all over the world can.  Never rejected.  Not even once.

How?

Are they storytellers so brilliant that rejection is impossible?  Is their prose so powerful that the Earth itself is moved by it?  Do they write their characters so real they knock at your front door and borrow cups of sugar?  Are their settings so vivid that you could walk through them with your eyes closed?

They must have a secret.  That's the only explanation for never having had a story rejected, isn't it?  Want to know what their secret is?  I'm about to divulge it.  Right here.  Right now.  Follow this simple step and you'll never find another rejection letter in your mail again.

Don't submit your story.

That's it!  It's the only way.  It's guaranteed to prevent the heartbreak of reading, "Sorry, but your story isn't right for us at this time."  And you'll never again battle the self-doubt that comes with receiving no response at all to your submission.

This is a secret I knew instinctively.  I had a perfect record with zero rejections.  I was undefeated.  And I wasn't about to jeopardize it!  Surely, my fragile ego couldn't possibly withstand an incrementing counter in the losses column.  Once a rejection came I'd never again be able to claim that I had avoided the disappointment of rejection.

Undaunted by fear, I blissfully wrote my stories and chapters.  I posted chuckles and light-hearted shorts on my blog without the dread of agents and editors scrutinizing every word and phrase.  I participated in weekly challenges with my online fantasy writing group, knowing the worst I'd receive was a callous critique.  I was happy.  I was writing.  And I had never been rejected.

And then came opportunity.  A message appeared in the fantasy writing group, posted by an editor who had just finished selecting stories for the "Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates" anthology.  She asked the group, "You wouldn't per chance have a really good story about magic?"

"Magic??? This is a FANTASY Writing group," I replied, and ended my response by quoting Harry Potter. "I love magic!"

She asked if I was fishing for an invitation.  I hadn't thought so consciously, but now that she'd asked, maybe subconsciously I was.  Was a push all I needed?  I inquired about where I could find the submission guidelines.  "Nowhere," she answered.  She doesn't like slush.  Submissions were by invitation only.  We took the conversation to email and she told me what types of stories she was seeking.

"What the heck," I thought.  I drafted the first thousand or so words of an idea I had.  I sent it to her and asked if it was in the ballpark.  She said it was.  So without regard for my perfect record, I wrote.  A few weeks later, I sent her the finished story.  And waited. 

An email arrived a couple months later.  It contained a handful of suggested edits.  I was ecstatic.  Edit requests mean they're interested, or so I'd read on more than one blog.  I happily revised and resubmitted.  A few days later I received word that she wanted to include "Barnabas" in the anthology.  My short story had found a home.

This was a case of me being in the right place at the right time with the right story sent to the right editor.  In North Carolina, we call that "sheer dumb luck."  But sometimes, sheer dumb luck is the best kind to have. 

But then I got to thinking.  That's what it always comes down to, isn't it?  Beautiful, powerful, exciting stories by the thousands skirt across the desks of countless agents and editors before they find a home.  They have to be the right story at the right time for the right place and read by the right agent. 

All we can do is keep submitting our stories until the celestial muses align and our words emit that almost divine aura that only the right agent at the right time can see.  It doesn't matter how many desks our stories see before they find their home.  What matters is that we continue giving our stories the chance to find that perfect home.

The quotable Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

Never having been rejected isn't a boast; it's proof you need to buy more stamps and click "Send" on more emails containing your stories and queries.  Have courage. Be tenacious, unrelentingly persistent.  The perfect home for your story is out there.  Only you can help your story find it.

About Jeff Hargett

Jeff Hargett is a grandfather from North Carolina with an imagination full of magic and dragons. He stays young and fit by dining on epic fantasy whenever possible. He has a short story that appears in the Spells: Ten Tales of Magic anthology and a couple others that placed in competitions, but prefers his fiction in novel-length doses. He is currently writing an epic fantasy series that he hopes will be published while he can still wield a pen. He’s a firm believer that when this world doesn’t suit you, you should write a world that does. He enjoys interacting with readers and other writers and spends far too much time loitering around his blog.

When this world doesn’t suit you, write a world that does.