• Who Enters Flow is a post from Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman. In this article, Dr. Kaufman addresses the question of who enters flow (much of the article draws on results from a new paper from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). Interestingly, high intelligence is not associated with a greater likelihood of entering flow. My armchair theory: intelligent people have a lot of mental chatter that makes them self-conscious.
• As an English major, I noticed a definite bias among professors and snootier students against ‘genre’ fiction. Yet, as David Farland argues in this article, genres like sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, western, etc., satisfy a basic human desire: to get us high on endorphins and serotonin as a result of being drawn in to a good story. Next time somebody tries to give you hell for enjoying such works, just tell them you’re doing it for the endorphins.  (This doesn’t change the fact that I found Twilight unreadable).
• Have you ever wondered why our brains make us laugh? Turns out laughter is a reward mechanism for noticing unexpected patterns or realizing our assumptions were incorrect. Here’s a write-up on some recent research on this topic.

Have a great week!

Photo credit: anieto2k

You may also enjoy:

1. Week 45 Roundup: Building Momentum, Creativity Models, and Incubation
2. Week 43 Roundup: Muttering to Yourself, Genetics, and More
3. What is Flow?

Sometimes life throws you a crazy series of curve balls. You end up in places you wouldn’t expect, doing things you never thought you’d do (or do again), and all the things you thought would happen in the future begin to happen in the now.

You’ve probably noticed the drop-off in posts here at Happenchance. I’m not abandoning this blog, just refocusing my efforts. In a moment you’ll see why.

Here’s a brief rundown of what I’ve been doing lately, starting with what may be the most important thing that’s ever happened to me.

• Making a baby. Tiffany is pregnant (and usually barefoot). She’s due in late December. We’ve known for a bit but have kept mum until now. Gender remains unknown. To say I’m excited and terrified would be like saying Starry Night is a pretty picture, or Infinite Jest an interesting summer read. This should be fodder for an entire post, but right now I can say nothing with certainty except that my mind = blown.
• Growing a garden. I’m a lousy gardener, but I’ve managed to defend a 20×30 vegetable patch from the roar of nature (I had to sacrifice a couple rows of jalapenos to the weeds). I’m not going for total self-sufficiency, but preparing food that I grew in my own dirt is damned satisfying. I’ve spent way too much time thinking about compost.
• Recording an EP. This is taking longer than I thought. It always does. At the June 1 deadline, we were 50%. Now we’re 70%, and I’m the holdup. I thought I’d go all 80/20 on this, but I suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome when it comes to writing keyboard parts.
• Avoiding the internet. I don’t always gaze at a screen, but when I do I prefer to be writing fiction rather than reading blogs or twittering. Who wants to stare at a screen when there’s a forest begging to be hiked in, a garden that needs tending, and blackberries begging to be picked, all within 100 yards of one’s house?
• Actively seeking for a public sector job with health insurance. Babies ain’t cheap. Neither is health insurance in West Virginia. At this point, I will gladly trade my time and expertise for insurance and a paycheck. If all goes well, I expect to end up working in either education or tourism.
• Focusing on fiction. Last month I finished the draft of the second book in my End of the Iron Age series. The first one (completed, for now) remains unpublished. I procrastinate the pitching of my book by writing (and never publishing) short stories. I’m also typing the entirety of The Great Gatsby (20% finished).
• Delivering pizzas for a side hustle. I expected this to crush my soul, but so far my soul remains thoroughly intact. Easy work, decent money, and a high double-dipping factor: I’ve listened to several audiobooks over the past month. It also helps that my mgr and coworkers are all good people.

Looking at this list, three things stand out.

1. My priorities have shifted radically (duh). This time last year, freshly returned from Thailand, I was getting ready for my next trip abroad and working on entirely wholesome internet schemes. Now, I’m buckling down and saving for the future, working for the man, and trying to grow something where I’ve been temporarily planted.
2. I’m a lazy freelancer. This may be due to my summer-time aversion to screen-gazing, but I’ve only done a few jobs since I returned from my winter gig in Korea, and I’ve exhausted my limited capacity for self-awareness that would enable me to figure out why.
3. I’m experiencing massive Resistance. I do the work, that’s no problem. The problem is I don’t ship. WTF?!?! I write a blog that helps people do creative work and defeat Resistance and here I am, drowning in unshipped work. Maybe my tagline should simply read ‘Create Something’ because ‘Create Something Amazing‘ raises the bar way too high.

My next post will be about the lessons in creativity I’ve learned from my garden. If I’m getting too country for you, go ahead and unsubscribe.

If you like, you may call me a charlatan for not shipping in the comments. Or, even better, leave some happy words for my wife. She could use them, and I promise she’ll read them.

You may also enjoy:

1. Update from a Korean Work Camp

As the sun sets on 2010, I thought a brief ‘end of the year’ post was in order. However, I also wanted to reveal two dirty secrets about this blog, and I decided now would be the perfect time to do so. First, the review.

Personally and professionally, 2010 was an outstanding year for me. I finished a couple big-ass projects, improved some key skills, and started to earn a freelance income. I also got some really sexy stamps in my passport and paid my first bribe to a border guard.

I could tell you more, but this blog ain’t about my life. Not too much, anyway. It’s about helping you create your own luck.

I do this by providing you with lots of exclusive, high-quality content. For example, in 2010, I wrote over 50 posts. Here are eight of my favorites.

• How I Became a Better Writer…and You Can Too!
• 7 Creativity Myths Exposed
• Two Strategies for Generating Ideas
• How to Manage Procrastination
• The Happenchance Guide to Overcoming Laziness
• The Power of a Routine
• How to Gain 2 Weeks of Free Time Every Year
• One Important Question

If you can’t read these now, you could bookmark this page and visit it later. You could also share this list with a friend.

Unfortunately, growth here is still far slower than I like. Right now, I receive just over 2,000 visitors every month. Why such a small number? Because of…

Happenchance’s 1^st dirty secret

• The author is lone wolf blogger. He’s a bad member of the digital tribe because he doesn’t relentlessly comment or do guest posts. He writes for the lucky people who have found his site.

However, since I’d like to see more readers here, I’m going to change my ways in 2011 by writing more guest posts and insightful comments. I’ve got a couple more tricks up my sleeve as well.

I’d also like to invite each and every one of you to stick around and join me as I grow this site. All you have to do is subscribe.

Now that I’ve shared my 1st dirty secret, let’s move on to…

Happenchance’s  2^nd dirty secret

• Since I started Happenchance in July’09… I have earned exactly $7 in revenue.

That works out to like $0.0005/hour. And you thought minimum wage was bad. For the 2 months I experimented with sidebar ads, I sold one affiliate product and a little CPM advertising. In short, the Happenchance business model is no model.

I’ve simply focused on writing great content.

It’s understandable to wonder why in the hell I would devote so much time and mental energy to something without even trying for a monetary reward. I have several answers. I started this blog because I wanted to …

• use my experience to help others
• build something awesome
• develop my writing chops
• learn more about topics that fascinate me
• and maintain my sanity while living abroad (not sure I’m successful there)

Notice what was absent: to make money from blogging. That simply hasn’t been a priority for me. I’ve earned a living in other ways. Because I freaking enjoy it, I’ve put in the time and mental energy to maintain this site.

However, I’m now working on developing an awesome product for my Happenchance readers. I’m also evaluating a couple high-quality products from other respected bloggers.

Don’t worry, though. I won’t bludgeon you with sales messages. That’s not my style.

If it was, I would’ve grabbed a hammer far sooner

Now that my secrets are out, I just wanted to say…

Thanks for reading! Have a terrific 2011!

photo credit: jelleprins, mjphoto

No related posts.

Nanowrimo: a crazy event for crazy people.

Writers, are you ready? Nanowrimo begins soon.

If  you don’t know, Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) is a free, unpretentious marathon writing session  The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel in–you guessed it–one month.

Participants spend a couple hours every day working on something that will most likely remain on their hard drive. A majority of people who join this event drop out by December 1st. Many report they quit because their head exploded.

Those who continue don’t care that they’re not producing great art. They’re happy to be at least producing something…and lots of it. Improved writing habits are a side benefit.

I suspect that, for those who finish, pre-writing is key. Gallons of coffee and the work habits of a demented grad student also help.

Here the Nanowrimo people tell FAQ-readers why they should participate:

The reasons [to participate] are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

Besides helping people write better, Nanowrimo brings together a great community. People on the forums are usually willing to provide input on ways to bring realism to your novel. For example, on the Reference Desk,  forum participants give input on topics like ‘bizarre roadside attractions,’ ‘home cooked dishes from around the world,’ and ‘stabbing someone from behind.’

Though I’m sitting out this year, I’ve done and won Nanowrimo the past two Novembers. The results weren’t pretty, but both years I learned priceless lessons. I’m not saying Nanowrimo made me a great writer (long way to go there), but it definitely made me a better writer.

Nanowrimo is a crazy event, but don’t underestimate it: Nanowrimo is damned hard work!

I wrote about Nanowrimo last year. To read more, check out Temporary Insanity: 10 Lessons Learned from Nanowrimo.

Over to You:

• Have you ever participated in Nanowrimo? Do you want to talk about it? (Nanowrimo can be rough)
• Ever done something for 30 days just for the sake of improving? If you finished, how awesome were your results?

Photo credit: Nina Matthews Photography

You may also enjoy:

1. Temporary Insanity: 10 Lessons Learned from NanoWriMo
2. Week 42 Roundup: Updates, NaNoWrimo, and More…
3. How I Became a Better Writer…and You Can Too!

This is the last post in Better Writing Month. Please don’t remind me it’s no longer April

Writing skills are funny. You could spend years studying ‘important’ literary works, deconstructing obscure texts, and writing post-colonial analyses of Salman Rushdie books…but still be a mediocre writer.

I speak from experience.

One English degree earned, hundred of books read, thousands of pages written…and I still can’t spell onomatopoeia without a spell checker.

However, over the past two years, I have become a much better writer. I’m no Joyce Carol Oates, but compared to where I was when I finished university, the difference is like comparing Spam burgers to Kobe steaks.

Did I climb a mountain, talk to an oracle, and receive sage advice? No. Did I deconstruct even more texts? No. Did I go back to university for more education? Hell no. I’ve had enough post-colonial/post-structuralist/marxist/feminist/post-deconstructionist theory for one thousand lifetimes.

How did I become a better writer?

The answer will shock you. Hold your breath…

I developed the habit of writing. Every. Damn. Day.

While doing research for Better Writing Month, I became sucked into a swirling red vortex of articles on writing. Most of  these articles say write everyday. Thanks for the letter postmarked Obvious City. But how does one develop the habit of writing every day?

Developing the daily writing habit is the hard part.

But once you have it, writing everyday is easy, natural, and as necessary as breathing.

Before I developed the daily writing habit, I wrote about 2,000 words per month…even though I wanted to write more. I simply couldn’t do it. After I developed the habit, I started writing over 2,000 every day (without writer’s block, excessive procrastination, etc.) Again, the difference is like spam and kobe.

Like curling, kayaking, and fly herding, writing is a mental game. Developing the discipline to practice is difficult. Writing without an audience (or without the immediate feedback of academia) is difficult. But when you write every day, the effect is like compound interest; your skills build and multiply over time. You do become a better writer. Plus you’ll learn the secret of creative inspiration.

Please don’t think I’m bragging. I’m still a 3rd-rate hack with ambition. And please don’t think I’m saying the development of the daily writing habit is the only way to become a better writer. Reading one book a week, taking writing classes, getting feedback and critiques, reading books on writing, all these will help (some more than others). And of course, everybody’s different; what works for me mayn’t work for for you.

How did I develop the daily writing habit?

Well, I met this guy in a graffiti-covered alley. He wears a hoodie, his eyes are always bloodshot, and he carries little glass vials

If you want to develop the habit of daily writing, you need a routine or a system that makes you write everyday. You need to be writing with some purpose or goal. Just saying you want to write every day doesn’t work. At least it never worked for me. I tried for years. Finally I tried something a little more regimented and structured…and it worked.

I found structure and regimentation in two different ways:

• Nanowrimo (past two years): Write 1,667 words a day for a month. Easy, but damn hard. The end product is unpublishable drivel, but that’s not the point. The real payoff is a the discipline you learn and the skills you pick up along the way. Check out 10 Lessons Learned from Nanowrimo.
• Before I started blogging, I set up a thirty day challenge to write a 1,000 word article every day. By the time I hit thirty articles, I could write faster and better than before.

I know I dramatically improved my writing because, at the end of each project, I wrote and revised test pieces and compared the results. For Nanowrimo, the before-and-after was a chase scene. If the before wasn’t so pitiful I’d post a before-and-after sample. Same for the articles. Spam and kobe.

For me, hitting daily word counts for a minimum of thirty days burned the daily writing habit into my brain like a branding iron on a cow’s flank. Thirty days is kind of an arbitrary number to establish a new habit, but it seems effective. Some people claim a new habit is established in as little as twenty-one days. Here’s an interesting Google answers entry on this topic.

If you want to develop the daily writing habit…

• Set a daily word count goal or target.
• Create a visual way to measure your progress (calendars, spreadsheets, % complete bars).
• Hit your wordcount goal every day for 30 days.
• Write for an audience (even if it’s in your head).

That’s it. Soon you’ll develop a routine and experience positive creative inertia. That’s all you need to do to begin to develop the daily writing habit.

Set a goal. Write towards that goal.

Every. Damn. Day.

If you enjoyed this fine post, join Happenchance on Facebook, subscribe to Happenchance for more creative techniques, or hit one of the fancy social media buttons below to share it with your friends. You know they’ll appreciate it.

Photo credit: Robert S. Donovan

You may also enjoy:

1. 8 Reasons to Start a Writers’ Group
2. Temporary Insanity: 10 Lessons Learned from NanoWriMo
3. 27+ Free Resources to Help You Write Better

Last time I offered some good reasons to start a writers’ group. I promised that in this post I would tell you how to start a writers’ group of your very own.

I lied.

Because you’re reading this blog, I assume you know how to use the internet. I can also assume that, if you’re actually interested in starting a writers’ group, you’ve already googled this topic. Maybe you found some solid, step-by-step information.  Maybe you’ve already developed a plan. Maybe you’re as confused as me regarding correct apostrophe placement in ‘writer.’

What I’m saying is this: no need to reinvent the wheel. You know what you need to do. Find some people, set a time, and get critiquing! Plenty of other people can give you basic information on how to start a writers’ group.

However, they might fail to tell you the factors that can make your writers’ group a complete and utter pain in the ass. I will Here we go…

How NOT to Start (and Run) a Writers’ Group

• Welcome everyone. Use the interwebs to find anyone who might remotely be interested in writing. Don’t ask for referrals or recommendations or especially writing samples. Go for mass!
• Don’t worry about ability levels. Even really advanced writers can learn from novices. And anyone can write, right? Like, you just make some sentences about this weird dream you had…
• Any kind of writing is welcome. Putting poets, screenwriters, content jockeys, and fiction writers together is a smashing idea. Everyone can learn from each other. What screenwriter can’t benefit from critiquing a thirty page epic about a washing machine?
• Be forgiving of the perpetually late. People lead  hectic lives, cut them some slack. I mean, think of all the story ideas you’ll have while you’re sitting there…waiting.
• Keep things open. Don’t worry about general critique guidelines or time limits. Let people talk as long as they want about whatever they want. Nobody does anything in the evenings anyway.
• Never kick anyone out. Be gracious. Let people be who they are. It takes all kinds, right?
• Take time for printing. When people forget their stories, give them plenty of time to run down the street and print them out. No one should be penalized for a common mistake. You can wait. Remember what we said about waiting?
• Take time for reading. If somebody forgets to read a piece, that’s okay. They can read while others are giving feedback.
• Defend your work against every assault. Your work is as precious as a taxidermied kitten. You can’t just let people tear it apart. Defend it with all your heart!
• Meet in pubs. The noisier and smokier the better. Drink hard liquor. Order greasy food and use all those printed pages as your napkins. Nobody will read your feedback anyway.
• Borrow pens. You’re meeting with people who write. Someone will have an extra one. No worries!

Okay, okay, I’m finished. I try and avoid needless sarcasm here at Happenchance, but I must admit that was fun to write. And since you made it this far, here are some (non-sarcastic) creative techniques to help you start and run a happy and productive writers’ group.

• Critiques must remain civil and friendly! Constructive feedback works. Everyone wants the same thing: to improve their writing. That is best accomplished by offering meaningful, thoughtful criticism and feedback. If you don’t like something, that’s cool, taste is subjective, but you must be diplomatic. Offer a reason for your distaste as as well as offer a suggestion for improvement.
• I don’t think reading complete works aloud is a good way to spend time (unless it’s a poetry group). Take-home critiques are the way to go.
• Everybody has their own critique style, but some things to look for are effective characterization, dialogue, plot, setting, and visceral effect.
• While getting feedback, the author should just chill and listen. After everybody has said what they wanted to say, the author can respond to comments and ask questions. I think feedback works well when a dialog goes on between the people giving feedback; rather than talking to the author, they talk to each other.
• Time will tell whether or not you’ll need time limits for each critique. Do have a definite end time.
• Three to one is a good general guideline for critiques; three parts critique: “I think this could be better…”  to one part:”that rocked my socks because…”
• I believe it’s best to approach a piece from a Death of the Author perspective; at least pretend the created work is separate from the creator. Don’t worry about the author’s identity, background, experiences, etc.
• Remember that writers’ groups run off goodwill and reciprocity like a car runs off gas. If you want good feedback, you need to give good feedback.
• Meeting in pubs is okay, but remember your primary mission.
• Bring extra pens.

That’s it! I hope you find these tips useful. This almost wraps up better writing month. I’ve got one more post to share, and I think you’re going to like it. If you enjoyed this fine post, join Happenchance on Facebook, subscribe to Happenchance for more creative techniques, or hit one of the social media buttons below to share it with your friends. You know they’ll appreciate it.

Photo credit: Music2work2

You may also enjoy:

1. 8 Reasons to Start a Writers’ Group
2. Revision Tips for Writers
3. How I Became a Better Writer…and You Can Too!

Back in my rusty old town, I started a writers’ group with a couple friends. We met weekly for about four months. My output soared and (I think) I became a better writer. Sometimes we drank too much (see the above photo), but we always learned something.

I also started a writers’ group in Korea, but that was bigger disaster than my recent redirection clusterf%#k. You’ll hear more about this in my next post. First, let’s get two things out of the way:

A writers’ group isn’t necessary. For the past year, due to a combination of circumstances and inclination, I’ve done just fine without one. I don’t need external deadlines to write several thousand words a day. However, I believe the writers’ group played a part in helping me develop this habit.

A writers’ group isn’t for everyone. People who find their own work exceptionally precious won’t do well in a writers’ group. People who’d rather talk than listen may give good feedback, but they probably won’t learn much.

But who am I to say what’s right for you? I’ll leave that to the gurus and stick to telling you what worked for me…or has at least been verified by scientists.

Okay, enough digressions. Let’s get down to business! Why should you start a writers’ group?

1. Artists need community. Pecking away in the dark leads to nerve damage and paranoia. It’s good to get out of the house every once in a while. When you start a writers’ group, you can find people just as paranoid as you.

2. Get feedback on your work. Feedback is so important. Outside of writing classes, finding objective feedback is difficult. Unless they’re writers, the feedback you get from your friends will be colored by thoughts like ‘this stinks worse than his socks, but if I tell him he may not pay me back that money I loaned him.’

3. Learn to meet deadlines.This is a big one, especially for fiction people. Journalists know how to do this, but fiction writers, who tend to be good at making stuff up, can invent a hundred excuses as to why they need more time to finish a story. The next point helps with this.

4. Lower your standards. Yes, I said it. When you have to meet deadlines, you start seeing the futility of spending three hours rearranging a couple of sentences. Apply the 80/20 rule, kill the inner critic and watch your output quadruple. After you get some feedback, then fix those sentences…if they need it.

5. Learn from others. We’ve all got our strengths and weaknesses. Maybe one guy plots like Koontz but his characters are as stale as the crackers on my mini-fridge. Maybe a girl does Joyce Carol Oates-like descriptions but can’t keep her POVs staight. If your group is honest and respectful, you can learn plot and description tricks and show them how to do characterization and perspective.

6. Learn by teaching.  When you teach someone something you know, you develop a deeper understanding of that topic. Besides the weekly million-dollar paychecks and attractive benefits package, why do you think I blog?

7. Learn the art of diplomacy. Sometimes you’ll read stuff that just plain sucks. You’ve got to point it out, but you’ll soon learn ways to soften the inevitably dream-crushing blows. This skill is applicable to all areas of life, especially during political discussions with close relatives. Seriously thought, I recommend starting with something good, sticking criticism or concerns in the middle, and finishing with something good. There’s always something good, right? (“You’ve got page numbers, at least”)

8. Talk shop. In a writers’ group you can offer suggestions for fiction markets, ideas for keeping track of stuff, and the rate of decomposition for bodies left in trunks. In a writers’ group waay back when, we once spent an entire evening discussing ways to keep track of characters and plot points. Another evening we talked about organizing the physical detritus of the writer’s world (it involves a label maker and folders, ala gtd).

In my next post, I’ll provide some tips and guidelines on how to start a writers’ group…as well as a few things NOT to do.

If you enjoyed this list, please join Happenchance on Facebook or subscribe to Happenchance for more creative techniques.

Photo credit: justintosh

You may also enjoy:

1. How NOT to Start a Writers’ Group
2. How I Became a Better Writer…and You Can Too!
3. Revision Tips for Writers

Thousands of people write about writing better. Most do it far better than me. Today I thought I’d use my delicious tags to share some free resources you can use to write better. I’ve used all these resources at one point or another…with varying degrees of success.

Writing about writing feels so meta, doesn’t it?

Resources to help you write better (in no particular order)

1. The Paris Review Interview Archive A huge collection of interviews from literary luminaries past and present. Learn from the best.

2. 10 Rules for Writing Fiction (from over 10 different authors) Some quite humorous.

3. 10 Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Your Writing Includes several ‘what not to do’ examples.

4. Active vs. Passive Voice Grammar Girl does a nice job of exampling this über-important concept.

5. How to Improve Your Writing Pay special attention to ‘who vs. whom.’

6. A Guide to Writing Well A distillation of the knowledge found in Strunk & White and Zinsser

7. Writing Your Way Lots of solid information from a seasoned pro…but you’ll have to dig for it.

8. 18 Types of Metaphors If the words synecdoche, metonym, and pataphor excite you, check this one out.

9.15 Ways to Generate Ideas and Write With Ease. Title is self-explanatory, eh?

10. Review of Online Writers’Groups A big Squidoo lens that lists most online writers’ groups.

11. Absolute Write Forums Like most forums, plenty of helpful people, as well as a few cranks.

12. Who is Your Audience? Shameless self-promotion but oh-so important.

13. Stephen King’s 7 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer. You’ve probably seen this before. They’re worth seeing again.

14. Storyfix This site a no-bs guide to creating an effective story structure. Highly recommended.

15. Conflict and Character Within Story Structure Story structure…with charts!

16. George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing In short, keep it simple and avoid clichés.

17. Random Name Generator You can choose gender, number, and (my favorite) obscurity factor.

18. 54 Tips for Writers, from Writers Includes tips from Hemingway, Vonnegut, and more.

19. TV Tropes A rather useful wiki featuring common narrative tricks. Not limited to television.

20. 178 Ways to Improve Your Internet Writing Lots of quick hits for internet writers.

21. Hypnotic Writing Master Course. This is 132-page ebook is mostly for people writing sales articles, but any writer can use it.

22. How to Write Magnetic Headlines Features 11 great posts on headline writing, even one for writing Twitter folk (follow me! @sethmbaker)

23. Getting Started as a Freelance Writer A roundup post featuring the basics of the business of writing.

24. Nanowrimo doesn’t start until November, but their forums are full of helpful people.

25. This Word Frequency Counter can help you find overused words in your work.

26. Write or Die. This great little program keeps you focused by deleting words when you stop writing. Awesome.

27. Finally, Duotrope’s Digest won’t necessarily improve your writing, but it will give you over over 2800 publications, searchable by genre, pay scale, submission type, and more.

28. Your recommendations in the comments below! If you’ve got any tips for better writing, speak up and share!

If you enjoyed this list, please Digg it, Tweet it, join Happenchance on Facebook, or subscribe to Happenchance for more useful stuff.

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1. 20+ Free Language Learning Resources
2. 10 (Free) Time Management Resources
3. 8 Reasons to Start a Writers’ Group

What is Songkran?

The Songkran festival celebrates the start of the traditional Thai New Year. Originally, people sprinkled water over those they respected in order to help wash away the bad deeds of the previous year. Festivals evolve, of course, and Songkran is no different.

Today, during the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand, people pelt each other with buckets of water. A moat runs around the old city, providing celebrants with thousands of gallons of ammunition. The streets run deep with (admittedly nasty) water from the Chiang Mai moat.

Everyone in the city, young and old, Thai people and foreigners, carries water guns and buckets. People stand on sidewalks or ride around on the backs of trucks and toss water on each other. Many of the truck people use big blocks of ice to cool their barrels of water; even though the outside temperature is around 38C/100F degrees, that cold water hurts!

Even though the festival has changed, the original idea remains the same: when you hit people with water, you’re doing them a favor; it’s a sign of respect. All this is done without malice. In fact, I was amazed to see that Thai people would often thank the person who dumped 100 liters of brownish moat water down their back.

If you leave your house during Songkran, you will be pelted with water. It’s part of the fun. So you have a simple choice: you either stay home and stay dry, or you go outside and risk getting drenched.

Once you’re outside, you have another choice: you can simply be drenched or you can get a bucket of your own and drench those around you (and be thanked for doing so).

During this festival, I realized writing, or any act of creative production, is the same way.

Why Songkran is like writing (or any other creative act)

When you write, you step outside of your comfortable house.  You run the risk of being doused, of having some kind of feedback being dumped over your head, whether its criticism, indifference, scrutiny, or praise.

During the first day of Songkran, I felt like I was constantly under attack, like being doused with water was an act of aggression. (Some cultural baggage is hard to shake). But as the festival went on, I realized it’s all in good fun. No one is out to harm anyone else.

Getting feedback and criticism is the same; you might feel like you’re being ruthlessly attacked, but it really is for your own good. The people who take the time to give you a serious critical response, they’re doing so out of a desire to help. Instead of washing away bad deeds, they’re trying to wash away what they see as mistakes, things that could be improved upon.

Of course you’ll sometimes have sadistic critics who put rocks in their buckets and offer only scathing attacks without any positive suggestions. Fortunately, they tend to pass by pretty quickly.

At the same time, putting your work out there is like taking your own bucket, filling it with moat water, and throwing it onto the crowd. Sometimes you hit your target, sometimes you don’t. Most people don’t care one way or another if you hit them, but sometimes you’ll really make a splash (pardon the pun) and you’ll be thanked for your efforts.

But if you want to hit anyone, you have to go outside. You have to participate. And when you participate, you run the risk of getting drenched. It’s worth remembering that no matter how wet you get, you’ll dry out eventually.

The question, then, is this: will you go out and participate in the fun? Will you run the risk that you might not hit anyone? Will you risk being hit with rocky water? Or will you stay in your house, stay safe and dry, and miss out on all the fun?

As for me and my bucket, we’re going outside. There’s still water in the moat.

Photo credit: apes_abroad

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Revision is difficult, necessary, and terrifying work. Few people can write publishable stuff on the first draft. Those who say they can are on the same wavelength as the flat earth crown. You can believe it, but most people will think you’re crazy…and your sloppy first drafts will prove them right.

Remember that revision is more than proofreading. To be most efficient in your revisions, divide the process into two parts: do the big, macro, structural stuff first. Save the copy editing and proofreading for last. I speak from experience; I used to focus mostly on copy editing and proofreading (at the expense of structural editing). The result was a disorganized collection of pretty sentences. This is like putting a new coat of paint on an engine-less car.

While I’m not a ninja editor, I’ve learned a couple tricks. Let’s see what they are.

Structural Editing

• Save yourself time by starting your draft with a well thought-out outline.
• Time and distance will give you a better perspective on your work. Whenever possible, wait at least one night before you begin revisions. Start your revisions with clear eyes and a fresh brain.
• Don’t worry about phrasing at this point; save that for the copy editing & proofreading stage.
• Set a deadline for completion. Without a deadline, you can tweak for weeks but never actually finish.
• Use a different font for editing and drafting. The text will seem less familiar and easier to edit.
• On screen, scan the whole piece, especially the opening sentences of each paragraph. Be sure that each paragraph adds something and supports the title/main idea.
• Between paragraphs, check for smooth transitions and logical flow. Note any sections that need clarification or rewording. Watch out for excessive repetition of ideas and phrases.
• If the flow seems strange, make a storyboard by putting each paragraph on an index card. Lay the cards out on a desk. Try a few different arrangements and sequences.
• Enter your structural revisions. Move paragraphs around. Rewrite transitions, introductions, and conclusions where necessary.

Copy Editing & Proofreading

• Print out a double-spaced paper copy. Sorry, environment. Marking up your work is easier with paper and pen. You’ll catch more little mistakes when reading on paper.
• As you read, look for ways to say the same thing with less words. Your aim is precision and economy of language, not word count.
• Use a word frequency counter. After you plug in your text, look at the top of the list for words unrelated to the topic. I like this word counter. For a visual representation of word frequency, try Wordle.
• After you’ve read the copy once or twice, read the piece aloud. Circle any sentences that sound strange.
• Ask a friend (or spouse) to read your piece. Reward them with chocolate. Other eyes will usually catch mistakes you missed.
• Correct any misspellings, typos, and/or grammatical errors.

Tips for Fiction Revision

• Keep a log of character data: motivation, physical description, personal history, diction quirks. Do the same for the setting and environment. This will ensure consistency throughout your story.
• After your first draft, identify all the themes in the story. As you’re editing, look for sections that either add to or detract from the theme. Revise accordingly.
• Look for places to improve characterization. You can do this through action, interaction, speech, internal monologue.
• Check for consistency and continuity; does everything make sense in space-time?
• In longer works, ensure each scene has a purpose. Is there action, conflict, characterization? Or just description? If the latter, cut or combine it with another scene.
• Be a thespian. Read all dialog aloud. Get inside the minds of your characters. Whenever something comes across as wooden, stilted, awkward, or unnecessarily weird, change it.

Other things to ask yourself

• Does each character have a purpose? Are they more than a useful appendage to your plot? Does each have a clear motivation?
• Does the point of view remain consistent throughout?
• Does the main character follow a believable story arc? Do they change or learn?
• Have you avoided cliches and stereotypes in characterization and plotting?
• Is the pacing varied enough to keep readers interested?

Last thoughts

• Be ruthless when you’re cutting and trimming. Aim to remove 15-30% of your first draft. If you want to save any precious phrases or sections from the chopping block, cut and paste them onto another document.
• Don’t be afraid to abandon a piece. Some pieces don’t work, and at some point you’ve just got to cut your losses.
• Make sure each sentence is clear, punchy, and direct. Use the active voice.
• No work is ever perfect, only polished and proofed. The law of diminishing returns applies to writing as well as engine manufacturing.
• Save each major round of revisions as a separate document. Later on you might find something you changed just doesn’t work.

Over to You

• Do you have any special tricks for revision?
• I’d like to hear from people who use storyboards for fiction writing. Has this helped you write tighter scenes?

Photo credit: wwworks

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