Write (and Illustrate) What You Can Imagine!

Most writers have heard the old adage to "Write what you know."



It's a great piece of advice for writers, old and new. It reminds us that even though we are writing fiction, there is plenty of material in the real world we can draw from. We can use our experiences, relationships, and knowledge as a foundation to build our stories upon.



Personally, I know a lot about living in Detroit and its suburbs, in Texas, especially the DFW area, and even a little about Europe. I've visited a ton of different places as a kid and grown up. These are ready-made settings I can use whenever I want to.

I know what it's like to be an adopted child (my mother is my biological mom, while my father adopted me when he married her). I know how it feels to never know my biological father.  I know what it feels like to leave everything behind and go to a place I've never been before and build a new life.

 +   +  = Leap of faith!

I know what it means to return home after being gone for many years to find somethings the same and other completely changed. I know what it is like to deal with many things (both good and bad) because of my relationships with others.

I've learned a lot about various subjects through studying and living. I know what it's like to be a youth minister, a librarian, a writer, and much more through my work-experiences.

However, these aren't the only things I feel comfortable writing about. I love to read and write fantasy (and sometimes science fiction). This is where the old adage doesn't always go far enough. My imagination wants to write about more than just "what I know." It likes to ask "what if this or that." It strives to create something original and unique and I do, too.

This is why I want to expand upon the old adage. If I was to re-write it for me it would be:

"Write what you can imagine!"

 flowers that bloom into hearts!

 dancing broccoli!

bunnies wearing pancakes!

All of these came not from writing (or illustrating) what their creators knew, but from imaging something new!

So don't be limited to writing (or illustrating) just what you know, but strive to stretch those brain cells to imagine something no one else has. Try to see the world around you not only through the lenses of your real-life experiences, but also through those what ifs that have never happened to you, might never happen to you. Go to the places you can only visit in your head and find those wondrous settings you need for you story. Go out and explore the uncharted places of your own mind and find something special only you can bring to life because only you have imagined it.

So, what have you imagined today?

We Interrupted This Blog for Snow, Gaming, and Anime

So, it's been a little bit longer than I anticipated between blog posts. I blame three things: snow (we're getting more today!?), gaming, and anime.

Yes, I'm playing the blame game, but hey, I needed to do something for a blog post and this was the first thing to pop into my head.

Distractions happen all the time in life. Some are out of our control, such as snow storms, sickness, etc. Others are caused by ourselves and our lack of discipline. We can't really do much in regards to the first category, but we can do a lot when it comes to our man-made distractions.

As I mentioned last week, not all distractions are bad. Sometimes our brains need them to recharge or give ourselves editorial distance. Gaming is great for this! Some distractions, like anime, can actually improve our writing by learning from what others do with their characters, plots, and dialogue. For example, yesterday I watched the second season of Noragami (Aragato). The script for this show elevated and deepened each character and was full of action and tension.

That being said, I didn't get any writing done yesterday because of how good the story was. I originally was going to watch an episode or two and then hop into my writing, but the story was so engrossing I couldn't stop binge-watching.

 

So, even good distractions can become bad for our writing. Hopefully, the next time I decide to watch "one episode" before writing... I'll think twice about what that might actually result in: a day of writing lost. 

Of course, there is a way to use distractions to help our writing. Use them as rewards! Make those temptations work for us! So next time I get the itch to watch anime or play games before I write, I'll make a point to tell myself, "Not until you finish this chapter or write for X hours." That way, I can use those potential distractions as carrots that lead me to more writing and not less.

 = more writing!

Anyway, here's hoping you have a productive day of writing yourself.

A Wild Bucking Horse Named the Writing Habit

So, it's been quiet here for a week or so. There are a few reasons for that.

First, I got called into work on my day off and so I lost a day of writing. Second, I was working on my marketing plan for the picture book idea that's almost ready for submission. Lastly, I was creating an author's website.

You can see the results of my labor on the later here:

http://www.josephdmmiller.com/

Now that I'm through this busy patch, I hope to be posting regularly again.

However, this is a good time to talk about the habit of writing (or blogging). Just like any good habit, writing is something we have to keep doing as often as possible or we'll get lazy about it. I know I go through spurts of very active writing and then downturns of minimal writing.

Sort of like this



and this



These "breaks" can be good. They can give editorial distance on a story and allow you to see it in a new light. They can also allow your brain to explore other story ideas.

The downside to breaks is they get you out of the habit of writing. You lose momentum and find yourself not writing at all for long periods of time.

To be a writer (and eventually a published author), we need to strengthen our writing habits as much as possible. We need to exercise them on a daily or almost daily basis. This builds up our writing muscles and gives the the endurance we need to sit butt in chair and write even when we don't always feel like it.



So, the next time you get knocked out of your writing habit by distractions, emergencies, work, or other things, just remember that the best thing about any lost habit is it can be found again.

We just have to put in the effort to get ourselves back in the saddle and ride the wild, bucking horse that is writing!



Best Wishes,
Joseph

PS: Does anyone see the change I made to this blog?

You Can't Win if You Don't Play the Game

There are a few things that a necessary in order for most people to get published.

First, you need to put your butt in chair (or stand up for those who like to go old school) and write.

Second, you need to reread and revise your book. Very rarely does every word that lands on the page deserve to be there. This is a good point to bring in critique partners, beta readers, and others you trust to provide feedback.

Third, you need to submit your work to professionals, such as agents and/or editors to find out if it is traditionally publishable.

Most writers probably love the first step... yeah, writing!

Some of us aren't as enthusiastic for the second step... revising? Really?

And a few of us are a bit intimidated by the idea of sending our words out into the world, fearing our books might get rejected.

However, you can't get published (traditionally) if you don't put yourself out there. You've got to risk rejection if you want to eventually hear:

, your book just sold!

Now, if you're like me. You might not want to go directly to agents or editors. Well, you're in luck. There is an option available to writers that is fun, community-building, and a little less stressful.

What is it? Writing Contests and pitch parties! That's right, during any given month there is a myriad of writing contests and pitch parties held around the internet on blogs, online magazines, Twitter, etc.

These offer writers the ability to put their stories out there and test the waters before sending the book off to professionals. Consider them your stepping stones to success!

I got my agent by participating in the Picture Book Party held over at Michelle4Laughs- It's In The Details. It wasn't my first contest, it was probably somewhere between my 6th and 12th. However, those first few failed contests taught me a lot about how to hone a pitch, perfect my writer's voice, and got me into contact with a lot of fellow writers who were in the same boat as me.

If you haven't tried a writer's contest or pitch party yet, I recommend giving a few of them a shot. You might not win any, but if you follow them closely, learn from the winners, make new friends, and grow as a writer, you'll eventually build up the confidence to start submitting to agents and editors.

If you're not sure where to start, one great resource for keeping track of upcoming writing contests and pitch parties is the Sub It Club. A great resource and community!

And if you want to get the opinion of a published author about whether your story is ready for submission, you can use Rate Your Story. The feedback I got from this site really helped me figure out which of my stories were the strongest and best to submit to contests.

Hope these websites help you like they did me.

Best Wishes,

Joseph

PS: Are there any websites you recommend that helped you get ready to submit your stories to agents, editors, or contests?

Learning to Sing "We've Only Just Begun"

Sharing horizons that are new to us.
Watching the signs along the way.
Talkin' it over, just the two of us.
Workin' together day to day .

And when the evening comes, we smile
So much of life ahead.
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes, we've just begun.
-Carpenters


Okay, so the title, song, and lyrics are a bit sappy... like molasses, but I feel that getting "the Call" means learning to share your horizons with someone else. It means talking your work over, working together, hopefully smiling, and growing and knowing that your professional journey with your agent has only just begun.






So, what does this journey look like? Well, I can only speak from my experience, but here's what happened for me.

After accepting representation, Nicole and Danielle came up a story plan for my book, gave me feedback on where I could improve the manuscript, and made a few suggestions about possible directions I could take.

The biggest items on their list were

1) Give the story a more child-friendly focus. The draft I sent them was very parental in tone and probably would appeal more to adults than kids.
2) Improve the plot. My story was full of witty banter, but  funny isn't enough to carry the story to publication.
3) Strengthen the characters. The ones in my first draft were a bit flimsy to say the least.

So I spent three months revising and re-revising and trying to figure out how to fix these issues. I hit a few dead ends, but with weekly-and-encouraging phone calls and emails from Nicole and Danielle I eventually figured out my character's GMCs and broke through my stalemate with the story.



I wouldn't have improved my manuscript nearly as much if I'd been revising on my own. I doubt I would've realized how much my plot was over dependent on humor and lacking in underlying emotions. Sure, it was a fun and breezy read, but it wasn't a memorable one. It lacked impact, but now I feel the characters are much more alive on the page. They are still funny, but there is more to them than just a running gag.



So, when you get "the Call", remember your journey has only just begun.

Good News with a Side of Humble Pie

As an aspiring writer, I've read a few "Getting the Call" blog posts over the years. They were always gave me hope that one day I'd climb out of the slush pile myself like a zombie from the grave.



To pay-it-forward, I'm writing about my experience of "the Call" from the perspective of someone who got three Calls.



This is not a situation I expected or prepared for, but it was an experience I learned a lot from and I want to share the lessons I gleaned from it with you.

The first call I got was from Danielle Bailey from the Seymour Agency (Nicole, her boss, had something come up at the last minute). Danielle told me they both really enjoyed the concept of my picture book, but felt it needed further development.



To be honest, a part of me wondered why they were so interested in a picture book that "needed" more work, but I was happy they enjoyed the story enough to offer representation.

A part of me wanted to say, "YES!" right then and there, but I knew enough to ask for some time to inform other agents about the offer of representation so they could have a chance to do the same. So, immediately after getting off the phone with Danielle, I sent out an email to all the agents who were interested in the story. Two more agents asked to have phone calls and so I set up times to talk with each of them.

Agent #2 was a joy to speak with and knew some writers I was friends with. When we got to talking about my picture book she told me it was unique and interesting, but... (why is there always a but!?) she felt something was missing and I needed to push the story further.

Now, I must admit, when Danielle told me the story need work, a part of me got a little prideful and said, "How can a book that has so much interest from agents need more work? Obviously, the story is good enough as is because people are interested in it."

Yeah, stick a pitch fork in me. 

Obviously, I had gotten on a high horse with all the attention my story received and let it go to my head, but thank goodness Danielle and Agent #2 deflated my ego balloon.

The next call was actually a follow-up call from both Nicole and Danielle. With my new insight into the fact that my story wasn't perfect even though people liked it, I had a much more receptive attitude to their feedback.

The last call before making my decision was with Agent #3. Can anyone guess what she said about my picture book?

If you said she thought the story was fun, but needed work, then give yourselves a pat on the back or even better your favorite snack. Go ahead! You deserve it!

s for everyone!

After these three Calls, I finally understood the vast difference between story potential and execution. Whereas before I got the Calls, I thought an agent offer equaled a good story, I came to realize this is not always the case. Agents don't only offer representation for polished, publication-ready stories. They also look at the potential of a story and when they see a manuscript, even a flawed one like mine, they can look past the bad and the ugly and see the good seed under all that dirt.

If I had only gotten one "call," I might not have realized this important difference and had a much bigger ego about my story. Thankfully, the agents who talked to me made sure I had a triple dose of humble pie to go with my "Good News." And for that, I am very grateful because everything they said was right-on-the-money. My story did need more work.

So, here's one piece of advice:

Check your ego at the door before, during, and after "the Call". Just because someone likes your story enough to offer representation, doesn't mean it's ready to be submitted or published. It means the agent(s) sees something in your work that they believe will bear fruit.

It's up to you to put in the work and nurture the story seed so it yields something good.

Would a Character By Any Other Name Smell So Sweet?

"Words have meaning and names have power" -Cervantes.

Recently, I realized a lot of my story ideas start with character names.

For example:

Trixie Thimble the Pixie Nimble: Any guesses as to what her character and story is like? That's right! She's brave, quick-witted, and energetic! As for her story, it's a light-hearted, fun adventure.

Avery Mann: the name of the main character in my first-ever-totally-completed MG novel. The inspiration for this one came from my exposure to everyman plays and my desire to create a character everyone could identify with. However, can you spot the problem with this name?

The downside to Avery's name is it's nebulous and can belong to either a boy or girl, which means it became important to establish Avery's gender as early and clearly as possible since it's a first-person narrative. So keep in mind that using ambiguous names (like Pat!) in your stories will require extra work on your part.

Domino Sparks: He's a genius tinkerer, who loves making things (including a new robot friend). Something about the name brings him to life in my mind... like a little Einstein inventor. Domino Sparks might also make a very good jazz singer name, too. Hmmm... 

Lastly, my latest creation:

Finnegan Fife: this one is from a new YA fantasy I'm working on. The name came from brainstorming a title: The Forgettable Life of Finnegan Fife. I wanted to write a story about someone who is forgotten by his friends. Ironically (or not), the alliteration and rhyme help make this a memorable title. The name also inspired me to use a leprechaun curse as the reason for Finnegan's troubles.

These names came to me in a variety of ways, but they all have something that makes them stand out. Some are alliterative, others rhyme, a one has a deeper literary meaning. Most importantly, all of them are evocative (at least to me) in some way. They conjure up a picture for me as a writer and hopefully you as a reader that we can latch onto. They hint at the inner personalities for these main characters or at the tone of the stories they are involved in.

Not every story needs such names. In fact, some stories should have plain name heroes. Probably the best example I can think of is Harry Potter.

His name is "perfectly normal, thank you very much," which is exactly what it needs to be to drive home his starting disconnection with the Wizarding World. It allows readers to connect with him as an "ordinary" boy. We all know a Harry... maybe even a Potter.

If he had a strange name like Albus Dumbledore, Hermes Hendrickson, or Angus Beef, I think there would've been a different feel to Harry's whole character and our response to him. So, here's to J.K. Rowling... the woman-who-knew-how-to-name-her-characters.

So, what are some of your character's names and why are they evocative to you or good for your stories?