Tag: children’s writer

Drive-Thru Edit: I was or I were?

maryraebel

Is it: If I were a rich man, Or if I was a rich man?

Well, as the song goes in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Teyve, the poor milkman, sings:

“If I were a rich man, Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum. All day long I’d biddy biddy bum. If I were a wealthy man.”

Why were and not was? Because Teyve is so not a rich man. If Teyve might have been a rich guy, and there was a possibility he was scamming us all, he would sing: If I was a rich man.

But, alas, he is not.

So,

If I were the Queen of France (which I am so not), I would have you all eat cake.

If I was to attend tomorrow’s meeting (which I may or may not), I would bring cake.

If I were a mermaid (Oh, I wish!), I’d sit on a rock and eat crab cakes.

If Estelle was at her house all day (probably or possibly), the neighbor would have seen her and brought over a cake. Let’s talk to that neighbor and see if Estelle was home.  

Got it? Write on. Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum. I need cake.

Tackling your writer’s mountain

maryraebel

Confucius: The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com

That writing mountain: finish the first draft, rewrite, query, just get a freaking idea for pity’s sake! Whatever your mountain is, find a small stone to carry away. A small one, any one, to make you feel you’re moving your mountain.

Many times, we see and hear the authors who have moved the mountain, and we forget that once upon a time, they were wanna-be-authors facing the mountain. What stones did they have to carry to accomplish their goal? The answer: All of them.

So, stop looking at the mountain, and focus on a stone: “I have no idea what to write, but I’m going to write anything that pops to mind for 30 minutes.” “Today, I’m going to research and find three agents open for queries in my genre.” “I’m going to work on that first draft, and it’s going to be a colossal heap of crap. But that means it’s a few stones closer to moving the mountain.”

Carrying stones can sometimes be slow and painful work—by yourself. “A little help, here?” Help is everywhere. Books, blogs, articles, workshops, mentors, social media groups, writing partners: They’re out there ready to help. Be brave. Pick up a stone and seek help.

And those accomplished authors? They’ll tell you there’s always another mountain after you finish conquering the first.

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My Writer’s Dear Diary

maryraebel

My husband gave me a beautiful journal for my birthday. I stared at its gilded cover and turned its pristine pages. “What could I possibly write that would be worthy of this elegant vessel?”

Then I knew. I would mark it up with messy, inky missives with scribbled-out words and splotches. I would paste pictures and memes only I might care about. I want its pages dog-eared. I want it to look used up.

It would be my sounding board, my ear to whisper in, my writer’s BFF.

My Dear Diary.

But I wouldn’t bother writing Dear Diary. It knows what it is.

What it is, is cathartic, therapeutic, motivating and inspiring—to me. It’s about my unique writing journey, filled with my cries and commentary, my personal tips and pep talks, customized for me.

Why every writer should have a writer’s Dear Diary:

  • Write with abandon. In my writer’s journal, sometimes my writing is careful and thoughtful, but mostly, it is not. And that is good practice. Too often, I find myself too cautious when I get a story idea and it takes forever—and sometimes never—to complete a first draft.
  • Be authentic in your writing. Writing for your eyes only allows you to develop that authenticity.
  • Conquer doubt, frustration and fears. Seeing them in writing helps you face them and deal with them. Let it out, and then give yourself a pep talk.
  • Celebrate your triumphs—and don’t be humble! For goodness’ sake, you deserve it! Brag about yourself in writing.
  • Discover your writing process. I write about where and when my ideas seem to pop up and develop. I have gone for more walks and cleaned the bathroom more often because, yes, these are when some of my best ideas come to me.
  • Be bad. Let yourself be snarky, envious, whiny. Frustrated by a string of no responses from agents? Envious because a writing friend sold her story? Let it all out. You’ll feel better. If you read it over the next day and feel guilty, you can always tear it out. But better yet, keep it. Those negative emotions are:
    •  Useful. Use that emotion in your writing. Maybe your anger produced some good lines a future character can use in a story.
    • Motivating. Someone once said: Envy is that feeling that is pointing us toward our destiny. You know what you want. Now figure out how to achieve it.
    • Revealing. Being real allows you to look in the mirror. Analyze yourself. Ask some honest questions. Why do you feel that way? What are you going to do about it?

There’s something so inviting about a blank sheet of paper. It’s just begging you to make your mark.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Writing in my writer’s journal is not one more thing on my writer’s to-do list. It isn’t a task, an obligation, or a discipline. It’s like that text you send to a good friend when you want to share some news or vent or just to talk. And who doesn’t need a friend like that?

Drive-Thru Edit: decades in numerals

maryraebel

You could write: I grew up in the 1970s.

You could also write: I grew up in the ’70s.

Unfortunately, too often, you see decades written with misplaced apostrophes.

This is NOT correct: the 80’s

Even worse: the ’80’s

You might see it incorrectly spelled on signs, billboards, in blogs, and even the news ticker on cable news. They made an oops.

Write on.

Drive-Thru Edit: When h isn’t an h

maryraebel

Words that start with h sometimes need an and sometimes need a

Both these words start with the letter h:

  • History
  • Honor

When you say history, you hear the h. So, you would write:

  • I am writing a history about the lumberjacks in my state.

The letter h is silent in the word honor. And that is why you write:

  • It is an honor to be here.

Typically, an is written before words that begin with a vowel or begin with a vowel sound.

But be careful of words that begin with u or o, such as: unicorn and one. Both words begin with a vowel, but the u sounds like you, and one sounds like it begins with w. So, you would write:

  • A unicorn
  • A one-time thing

Unlike:

  • An uninformed man
  • An on-and-off relationship

Write on.

Drive-Thru Edit: comma confusion

maryraebel

Proper use of commas will make your writing clear:

Example: Joe watched Estelle as she crossed the street and smiled.

In this sentence, Estelle is the one who smiled.

Example: Joe watched Estelle as she crossed the street, and smiled.

In this sentence, Joe is the one who smiled.

Example: I saw my father, the king, and George Clooney in the same afternoon.

In this sentence, the reader might think my father is the king. He is not, so:

I saw my father and the king and George Clooney in the same afternoon.

Write on.

Drive-Thru Edit: when to Italicize

maryraebel

When to Italicize:

Sound words: “Listen!” Thump. “Did you hear that?”

Foreign words: “Yes, I’ll have some wine. Ein bisschen,” said Grandma. But Grandpa always filled the glass.

Words as words: When you write the word embarrassed, remember the two r’s and two s’s

Thoughts: That guy is really creepy, she thought.

For emphasis: I didn’t say you should go. I said he should go.

Write on.

Writing life: patience is a virtue

maryraebel

Have you ever been stuck in the slowest checkout line in the grocery store? You’re slouched over your cart wondering if you’ll get home before your ice cream melts and the frozen shrimp goes bad. To make matters worse, the guy with the full cart behind you somehow made it through the next line over and is headed for the parking lot!

It might feel like you’re in the slowest checkout line in the writing world, too. Success seems to leap frog over you to shower its blessings on just about everyone else.

It might seem that way, but it’s not true. You’re on your own path, and you can’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. You can, however, do some self-analysis and ask yourself if you’re doing everything you can to move yourself forward.

These are some questions I’ve had to ask myself:

  • Am I writing enough?
  • Am I reading enough in my genre?
  • Am I writing in a bubble? Am I taking constructive critiques seriously?
  • Am I seeking out ways (webinars, articles, workshops, critiques) to help improve my writing?
  • Am I quitting on goals before I barely get started?
  • Am I rushing to submit before my manuscript is ready?
  • Are there other writing opportunities I can explore along with my goal of getting a book published?

Writing is a journey. You do have to set specific goals and map out steps to help you get to your destination. But don’t forget:

  • Sometimes stuff happens that is out of your control. But the things you can control? Focus on those.
  • Be realistic. No, the third time is not always – and possibly never –the charm when it comes to submitting your manuscript. Toughen up for a long haul. There are a lot of stories out there about authors who collected dozens and dozens of rejections before hitting bingo.
  • It’s not a race. It may seem like some writers have had a much shorter wait time to publication than you. It’s just not your time. Focus on getting your story right, not fast.
  • Be supportive and happy for fellow writers who grab a hold of the publishing brass ring. Let them inspire and motivate you. Say to yourself, “See? It is possible.”