Students Groan Over Rewriting

This question from Fatima:

Did you like rewriting as a student? Or did you start liking to rewrite as you became an author? Students at school start groaning when we have tp rewrite as essay or story.

I didn’t like rewriting as a student. But usually I wasn’t ASKED to rewrite as a student. (Which means the teachers weren’t asking enough of me!) I only liked rewriting after I had been writing awhile. This is very common. In the beginning, rewriting is VERY difficult. It’s only after practice that it becomes fun and addictive.

I don’t blame students for groaning at all! Most of the time it’s because students don’t know HOW to improve their writing. Another reason is that they may think their story is just fine the way it is. Another reason is they have tons of other work to do too.

I KNOW students have tons of other work to do. However, the “just fine the way it is” reason is NOT true. Lois Lowry, author of THE GIVER and NUMBER THE STARS, says she never reads her books after they are published. Why? Because she starts rewriting them even when they are in book form. She isn’t satisfied even with her award winners! That is a typical reaction from a writer. We are never satisfied our work is good enough and ALWAYS want to improve upon it.

Writing Exercise: Rewrite a story of yours. Ask a trusted teacher, writing friend, or critique group member to read and offer suggestions.
When can you put in the main character's thoughts, reactions, or senses to slow down an important moment?

When does your story need exciting action? Does your story have a complete beginning, middle, and end? Does your character have an epiphany? An "ah-ha" moment where she learns something? Doesn't have to be huge. But your protagonist should change in some small way.

Exercise 2: Enter a contest for a genre you like to write. This is a good way to help your rewriting skills, especially if it has a word limit and your piece is too long. Then you will discover the fewer words, or writing tight, is the best way to write. Each word needs a reason to be there.

Note: I am under a time deadline at the moment so I am rushing to write this blog. I first answered this question under the comment section VERY quickly. Next, I copied and pasted that answer here. I reread it and I thought how I could improve upon my writing. This is a quick example of rewriting. If I had MORE time, I'd rewrite it ten more times!

Using Your Past to Inspire Your Writing

I’d like to delve into my own past and use items from them to become stories, poems and maybe a memoir. What can I use to jog my memory?

Open up scrapbooks and photo albums. Use these items and photos to recall your past.

Legacy, by Linda Spence, has many questions which will help you recall events.

Besides chronological remembrances, which might get you to think too much like an autobiography rather than a memoir, remember those instances that inspired emotion.

1. When were some times you cried? Experienced loss and death?

2. What were some of the happiest periods of your life? What motivated those feelings?

3. Did you have any “ah-ha” moments of epiphany? How did they change direction in thoughts, words or action?

4. What were some of the most influential people in your life? Don’t talk general terms. Remember the most specific, tiny details you can. Only through the small, specific, sensual particulars can we approach the universal.

Most Asked Questions Part II

I want to get published. What should I do?

Read what you want to write. Write! Make sure you are writing professionally, by having your work critiqued by your peers and editors. Take classes and network. Send your writing out for publication.

Do I need an agent?

It depends upon the field of interest. If you are writing a main-stream thriller and want to sell it to a major house, you’ll need an agent. If you will sell a book to a University or secondary press, you won’t.

If I don’t have an agent, how do I find out about editors and publishers?

Libraries and bookstores have The Writer’s Market. Professional organizations often have publisher’s market surveys. Some of these are even on the Internet. When you send things to publishers, if they respond with a person note, you have begun a correspondence of sorts. Then you can thank that editor and send her another project. This is how people can get published. Build your relationships.

Most Asked Questions Answered Part I

When interviewed or when giving author talks, there are some questions that crop up time and time again. Here are a few. In a few days I’ll post some more. If you have other questions about writing or publishing after Part II is posted, feel free to add yours to the list.

Where can I get ideas to write my stories?
Ideas come from everywhere! You can get ideas from something you overhear at school, on the playground or at work. You can read about a famous person that you’d like to delve into more deeply. Or you can look at your own pet a new way. What is he thinking right now?

How do I know if my idea is any good?
Does it interest YOU? Are you excited to write about it? To research it? Does it make you want to read or write more?

If you are trying to sell it as a book, make sure there aren’t tons of other books exactly like yours out there. If there are, how is YOUR book going to stand out?

One editor of one of my books told me this. “I ask my authors, “Why do people NEED your book?”

What’s your favorite part about writing?

My favorite part of writing is after I’ve written the first draft. It’s the REWRITING. In fact, I’m addicted to it. I love it so much, if I have a pen in my hand after I get the copy of my book, I’d probably STILL be crossing out words and rewriting the text!

When my son was in school and he’d bring home letters from his teachers, if I had a pen in my hand, I’d unconsciously rewrite those letters.
“Mom,” he’d say to me. “You don’t have to correct the teacher’s letters.”
Oops!

Ask the Experts! Pleasant Hill Barnes and Noble, Nov. 28

Where should you send your literary mystery? How should you find a critique group locally? Is there an agent right for YOU? What’s the first thing you should do if you want to write a picture book?

As a middle grade student in Contra Costa County, I want to win $100, $50 or $25 in the Young Writers Contest! How can I do this? Can you give me tips? Advice? Techniques? Secrets?

Where can you get all of these questions answered and MORE?

Come to Pleasant Hill’s Barnes and Noble on Saturday, November 28. Yes! The Saturday after Thanksgiving! From 11 a.m. through six p.m.

Schedule of authors:

11 – Noon Nannette Carroll, author of Communication to Go!
Nonfiction Expert
11 – Noon Margaret Grace Miniature Mystery Series

Noon – 1 pm Nannette Carroll

Noon – 1 pm Barbara Bentley A Dance With the Devil; Memoir Expert

1 pm – 2 pm Ellen Leroe Dear Big V; Young Adult Expert

1 pm – 2pm Liz Koehler-Pentacoff Jackson & Bud’s Bumpy Ride; Children’s Expert

2pm – 3 pm Ellen Leroe & Liz Koehler-Pentacoff

3 pm – 4 pm Barbara Bentley

3 pm – 4 pm Lynn Goodwin Journaling for Caregivers
Journaling Expert
4 pm – 5 pm Lynn Goodwin & Barbara Bentley

5 pm – 6 pm Margaret Grace & Lynn Goodwin

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers

1. Devour the written word. Surround yourself with books!

2. Think about your writing obsessively. Wonder about your characters or your projects as you walk the dog, sit in school, or milk the yak.

3. Feel the need to have one or more writer friends so you’lll know you’re not the only quirky/crazy/strange being in the universe.

4. Feel the need to have one or more non-writer friends so you’ll realize there’s reality out there.

5. Write as often as you can. More often than you talk about it. But not so often you get headaches. (I PROMISE to turn off this computer after I finish just one more page . . . )

6. Take refresher courses, classes, writing workshops, and/or attend conferences. Check out The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mystery Writers of America, The California Writers Club, Sisters in Crime, Western Writers of America, the Authors Guild, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, etc.

7. Join or form a writer’s group or find professional writers who can critique your work. LISTEN to what they say. Be open to suggestions and ENJOY revising!

Ghost Story Writing Contest

Author Linda Joy Singleton’s
THE GHOST STORY WRITING CONTEST for young authors!
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A GHOST?

Have you ever seen a ghost? Write a story about your real or imaginary ghost encounter in 400 words or less. Make it exciting, scary, strange – and have fun!

Submit your entry to: ghoststorycontest@gmail.com, stating that this is your original writing and that you have permission from your parents/guardian to enter and share your work on these authors’ blogs/web sites. Contest ends on October 31. First place & honorable mention winners will be announced mid-November on http://lindajoysingleton.blogspot.com.

Include your age, full name, and contact information (email/address). Entrants must be between ages 9 to 16. One entry per person.

Prize: autographed books! The winner will receive autographed copies of DEAD GIRL WALKING, DEAD GIRL DANCING and DEAD GIRL IN LOVE, by Linda Joy Singleton; HAUNTED: THE GHOST ON THE STAIRS and THE RIVERBOAT PHANTOM, by Chris Eboch; and GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING and THE GUIDANCE, by Marley Gibson.

The winning entry and honorable mentions will also be posted on Linda Joy Singleton’s blog(s) and Chris Eboch’s web site.

The winners will be selected by Chris Eboch, author of the HAUNTED series; Linda Joy Singleton, author of the DEAD GIRL series; and Marley Gibson, author of the GHOST HUNTRESS series.

Plot and Storytelling Workshop with Janis Cooke Newman!

The California Writers Club ~ Mount Diablo Branch
Presents a
Morning Workshop
November 14, 2009
With Instructor
Janis Cooke Newman

Our November workshop offers an outstanding opportunity to ramp up our plotting and character-building skills. Renowned writing instructor and award-winning novelist Janis Cooke Newman will lead an intensive 2½-hour workshop, designed to improve our storytelling skills.

Her focus will be on the craft of structuring a dynamic, start-to-finish narrative, using the techniques of bestselling authors. The workshop will include proven plotting exercises and tips for turning well-crafted sentences into stories our readers can’t put down.

Author of Mary, a historical novel about Mary Todd, Janis has taught creative writing for the past nine years at Book Passage in Corte Madera, the Writing Salon in San Francisco, and privately. She currently teaches at the San Francisco Writers Grotto, of which she is a member. Visit her website at http://janiscookenewman.com. Janis also moderates a daily, online writing community called Creative Caffeine (http://creativecaffeine.blogspot.com/).

CWC Members and all interested fiction writers are invited to attend.
Date & Time: Saturday, November 14, 2009, from 9:30 a.m. to Noon, followed by a buffet luncheon. Sign-in begins at 9 a.m.

Location: Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant at 611 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill (near the corner of Gregory Lane and Pleasant Hill Road). Parking is available both in front and behind the restaurant. The restaurant’s phone number is (925) 933-9091.

Cost: $35 for CWC members (lunch only: $20), $40 for non-members (lunch only: $25).

Menu: Zio Fraedo’s sumptuous buffet lunch.
Reservations: Reservations are required and must be received no later than Noon on Wednesday, November 11. To make reservations, contact Veronica Rossi, via e-mail at verorossi@aol.com, or by phone at (925) 743-1886. Expect confirmation only if you e-mail your reservation.

Mark Your Calendars!

California Writers Club, Mt. Diablo Branch Announces Upcoming Speakers!
Where: Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant, Pleasant Hill, CA

November 14 Janis Cooke Newman
Plot and Story Morning Workshop followed by Lunch

December 12
Catherine Accardi - – Writing for Hire
Lynn Goodwin - – Writing for Caregivers: Writer Advice
Aline Soules – - Improving Your Writing Through Poetry

January 9 – - Veronica Chater – - Memoirist
Author of Waiting for the Apocalypse: A Memoir of Faith and Family (I read this book. Wow! I couldn’t put it down. It read like a novel.)

February 13 Suzanne Woods Fisher
“Starting Small” – - Working your way from short pieces to book length process

March 13 Nik C. Colyer, Grit-Lit Novelist, Poet
Author of the “Biker Bob” series

April 10 Martha Engber
Workshop on either depth of character or rewriting

May 15 To Be Announced – - Young Writers Banquet

June 12 Sophie Littlefield
Author of A Bad Day for Sorry

September 11 C.D. Payne
Author of the “Nick Twisp” series (Youth in Revolt and Revolting Youth)

Special thanks to Al Garrotto for finding the speakers!

For More Information: http://mtdiablowriters.org/

Writing Workshop on Plot and Story

Do YOU need help with your novel’s plot? Learn how to become a master story-teller with best-selling author’s Janis Cooke Newman’s writing workshop on Story and Plot, Saturday, November 14, 9:30 – 12:00 followed by a delicious buffet banquet lunch with the author and attendees, where you will network, and discuss your writing with one another.

Registration: 9:00 a.m.
Workshop: 9:30 – 12:00
Lunch 12:15 – 1:15 Where: Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant, Pleasant Hill

Cost: $35 for California Writers Club Members and $40 for non-members (What a deal!)

Reservations are required and must be received no later than Noon on Wednesday, November 11. To make reservations, contact Veronica Rossi, via e-mail at verorossi@aol.com.

Janis Cooke Newman is the author of the Bay Area Bestseller, Mary, which was chosen as Best Historical Novel of 2006 by USA Today, and was a Finalist for an LA Time Book Prize, and the the memoir, The Russian Word for Snow. Newman teaches creative writing classes and workshops in the Bay Area at Book Passage in Corte Madera, for the Writing Salon in SF, and at the SF Writers Grotto, where she is a member.