A VALEDICTION

By Sharon May

Kentucky author, Ed McClanahan died November 27, 2021. Known for his bawdy sense of humor, he was a character in his own right. After meeting Ken Kesey at Stanford, he became a “Merry Prankster,” which was depicted in Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. He was considered one of the Commonwealth’s best writers, but I knew him better as my first and only creative writing professor, in 1978, my junior year of college. It was dumb luck that I met Ed.

During that first class, I knew he was different from us common folk. He stood at least six feet tall, and his curly shock of blondish/brown hair made him seem even taller. His bushy mustache could not hide his perpetual grin, as if planning his next joke. I can still hear his explosive voice, ricocheting around the small seminar room and blasting its way into the hall. He claimed his volume was the result of dropping a lot of acid.

Usually he read stories aloud, primarily Flannery O’Connor and occasionally Raymond Carver, saying that reading informs writing, and I learned how to listen for the rhythm of the words on the page.

I’m not the first person to have praised him for his ability to create community and inspire other writers. The first words Ed spoke to me beyond roll call were very motivating – “Your writing reminds me of Larry McMurtry. Have you read The Last Picture Show?” In the 1970s, we could hang out with professors at one of the many bars that surrounded campus without a ruckus. Ed had a favorite, and would invite students to continue our discussions about writing over a beer and a bite to eat.

Fellow Kentucky writer and “Merry Prankster,” Gurney Norman came to class for a visit. Much to my surprise, Ed asked him to read aloud my first attempt at a short story. I received high praise for my attempt as well as discussion of strengths and weaknesses, mainly pointing out that I needed to “slow down and let the story tell itself.”

Ed also shared his own writing in class, starting with the short story, “Ennis the Penis,” published in Playboy. He also read parts of his work-in-progress, which would become the novel The Natural Man, a coming of age story of a high school basketball player where the game reigns supreme. That novel took 20 years from inception to publication, driving home for me that sometimes good writing takes more time and effort than we can imagine and that we shouldn’t give up on the stories we are driven to tell.

He didn’t put much stock in evaluations by students, saying we wouldn’t know for years how the course impacted us. I knew then the class provided me with fabulous learning opportunities, but it was quite a while before I realized how he inspired me to keep writing and helped me accept my Kentucky voice.

WRITING MY WAY OUT of a CARDBOARD BOX

By Kasie Whitener

When I was in undergrad, the structure for a fiction workshop class at university was to read a dozen short stories and talk through them and then to try our hand at writing one. We would bring our own stories in, two students per class, and they’d be read aloud and torn apart by people who couldn’t write their way out of a cardboard box.

I hated it. I’ve been an educator for 17 years and tried to figure out if it was me, 20-year-old kid with a wide-eyed dream of becoming an author, or the class itself.

The flaw in this course design is that we began by reading Richard Ford, Margaret Atwood, and other fiction masters. Their stories were far-and-away better than what we were capable of. We didn’t really have any stories to tell. We were too young. Nothing had happened to us yet.

Short fiction was used in the fiction workshop for two reasons: 1) it’s an exercise in writing discipline to reduce a story to 3500 words or less, and 2) our professors didn’t want to read our poorly conceived novel-length tragedies.

There’s a wide gap between the MFA definition of good work and the commercially appealing fiction we consume like candy. A well-written, well-told story is tremendously satisfying.

One of our SCWA friends, crime novelist Raegan Teller, has recently turned to short fiction to work on her craft. She shared with my class that she finds the form challenging as she’s not allowed to include all the narrative that bloats a novel. She must be more selective with the details she includes.

Scarcity is the draw of flash fiction: can one write a complete story in less than 1000 words? They must be the right words. Their selectivity makes them special. And yet, often we find flash fiction simply omits important development or leaves too much to the reader that its meaning is difficult to discern.

Amazon’s foray into serialization is an indication that consumers are looking for bite-sized stories, something they can easily cram into a subway ride or a Starbucks queue. Short fiction has the draw of being easily digested by wordcount and economy. But the best short fiction stays with you long after you’ve finished the story. Haunts you like a memory that doesn’t really belong to you.

I write short fiction because I have ideas to metabolize. Thoughts and memories that need to be examined. Unlike that undergraduate workshop, I have time and distance on some of these events and can evaluate them without the sting of hurt feelings or the risk of open wounds.

The problem with that class was that we didn’t know what mattered, what to keep and what to edit out. We only knew we wanted to write and were hoping someone would teach us how. After many years of practice and polish, I now feel confident I can write my way out of a cardboard box. The real question is, how’d I get in there?

LIFE EXPECTANCY OF BOOKS

By Bonnie Stanard

I've been looking for a second copy of a Christmas music book I've owned for years. Recently, I went online as usual and typed in "Christmas music book," and once again, the search engine didn't find the one I'm after. In the past I've bought substitutes but have been disappointed. The music is never quite so simple or the arrangements don't accommodate vocal ranges or there's more obscure than well-known songs.

This year I went a step further and typed in the exact title of the book—Frosty the Snowman and Other Christmas Songs. To my surprise, the search found a match. A couple of companies offered used copies, and I snatched up one.

This has me thinking. Frosty the Snowman and Other Christmas Songs  is still a great buy, but it has been abandoned by publishers, presumably because it is "old." After all, advertisers make use of power words (going-fast, bargain, fresh). Old is not on the list.

ENDURING INSTEAD OF OLD

But is it possible that the internet may convince us shoppers that old is not necessarily bad? For example, when you order a blanket on the internet, do you know whether it's a recently offered item or a dated entry? If you like the blanket, you may be able to buy the same one again in the future. Online vendors don't put time limits on their listings, and many of them are not the "latest" or "newest."

CRAFTY BUYING

I have in my pocket as I write, the sales tag from one of two skirts I ordered online from Amazon. It is the tag from the best one. Because it is online, I may buy the same skirt again in the future, something I couldn't do if I had bought from a nearby shopping mall.

So what does this have to do with the lifespan of books? Consider the route taken by way of a brick and mortar bookstore and traditional publisher. If your book can get shelf space in a bookstore, that story is often short and sweet (or sour, as many of us discover). Unless sales are significant, it's on its way out before it can settle in. This is particularly true if $$$ isn't invested in promotionals. And then it is buried in the cemetery of out-of-print or backlisted books.

A LONGER LIFE

On the other hand, your book can be found online long after you publish it. (We won't go into how difficult it is to be found online, but bear with me.) Think of it this way, the clock isn't ticking. Our books have the chance to gain momentum over time.

Of course this doesn't apply to time-sensitive merchandise such as fashions and technology. But when it comes to books, let's hope that publishers will realize the value of investing with a view to selling long term.

SIMPLE MACHINES or MAGIC FAIRY DUST?

By Kasie Whitener

There were 250 Wattys winners, and I wasn’t one of them. Over the summer, I’d won the Broad River Prize for Prose and the 2021 Fresh Voices in the Humanities Awards. My unpublished novel took a 3^rd place finish in a writers’ contest in August. I was on a roll.

I really thought my serialized YA story about two kids getting kicked out of Neverland and joining the American Revolution would be a shoo-in for this online fan fiction website contest. Except it wasn’t. I wrote about the serialization project in this post. It’s a former NaNoWriMo effort that just wanted a little revision and to see the light of day.

It’s easy to add my Wattys failure to low turnout at book signings, poor attendance at speaking engagements, anemic growth on my social channels and email list, and the decision to forego NaNoWriMo this year and say my writing career is stalling.

But on October 27, I gave a well-received reading of an unpublished story to a packed bar during “Noir at the Bar.” Yesterday I delivered a keynote speech at the Aiken Book Fair. And that 3^rd-place-winning- vampire novel is in the hands of an agent who loves it.

In this writing life there are milestone events like winning awards and getting representation that seem to be critical to climbing the peak. And then there are low points like showing up to see three people in the audience and cuing up your slide deck anyway while feeling engulfed in the valley of shame.

Last week I discovered this video wherein creative coach Jessica Abel reminds us that our vision of the process for building a writing career looks like this:

1) get good at my craft,

2) get an agent and sell my book,

3) magic fairy dust,

4) retire a famous, rich, world-renowned author.

Except Step 3 (according to Jessica) isn’t “magic fairy dust.” It’s a machine. And anyone can work the machine. You just have to know how. This is a critical conversation for me because I’m using the machine to hoist, elevate, and raise my work for career sustainability, and personal fulfillment.

• Pulley: Attending conferences and festivals (makes heavy lifting easier)

• Lever: Critique groups and beta readers (gets things unstuck, lessens workload)

• Wheel and Axle: Presenting, Sharing, & Teaching (connects me with others, improves craft)

• Wedge: Awards and Recognition (separates my work from others’)

• Inclined Plane (or ramp): Associations (opportunities to lead, create, and shine)

• Screw: Volunteer (embed myself in the work, become deeply engrained in the industry)

When I think of the activities in my writing life as simple machines to move me from where I am toward where I want to be, I appreciate even the low-turnout events, even the no-win contests, and even the rejections and declines.

I am gaining ground not by waiting for someone else to sprinkle luck upon me, but by churning the gears and driving my own success. Pedal down. Roll on.

AFRAID TO ASK

By Kasie Whitener

Last spring, I met an agent with whom I had immediate rapport. In our conversation, I mentioned that I was about to start shopping a vampire novel. Since her preferred genre is adult fantasy, she asked me to send it to her.

Ten days later, I got an email saying, “OK I’ve read enough of this to know that I want to read more. I wanted you to know that I’ve gotten through the first 30 pages or so and I would love to read the rest of it.”

The rest of the email went on to explain she was super busy and would need about a month to finish it. I agreed. My initial email had told her the manuscript was still with beta readers and I had a developmental editor on the job.

I didn’t hear from her again and I was afraid to ask her about it. I’ve been rejected before.

Last Tuesday we hosted Amy Collins as part of the SCWA’s Become an Author series. In the reminder email I sent her the week before, I told her the upcoming radio show I host would be talking about vampires (a topic she and I both enjoy).

When we logged in to the Zoom meeting, Amy said, “I’ve got a great vampire manuscript right now I’ll share with you. It’s not published but it’s great.”

Part of me thought she was teasing me. So, I replied, “Is it mine?”

Amy sat, stunned, on the other side of the Zoom. Within a couple of minutes, we worked out that I’d sent her my manuscript via email, she’d forgotten about it, and maybe thought because it wasn’t done, she’d come back to it? Or I would resubmit a more finalized version? Who knows?

In any case, we’d miscommunicated. And I was relieved.

Relieved because she’s the first agent who had been excited about the manuscript. Relieved because I like Amy and want to work with her. Relieved because she hadn’t ghosted me or rejected me. We’d just miscommunicated.

Amy delivered one of the best SCWA Become an Author sessions we’ve had. She was forthright about what an agent does and does not do. She was honest about what annoys agents and what gets them excited. We had more than 80 people show up. One person messaged me that it was the most valuable session they’d ever attended, and they would be joining SCWA right away.

What I learned from Amy was something I think I already knew: following-up is not pestering.

I should I have messaged her, “Hey! You have my vampire novel. What did you think?”

Instead of assuming that she hadn’t liked it at all. Rejection is a bad teacher.

In fact, Amy told our story to the group on Zoom and said, “Kasie and the rest of you should know that if an agent asks for your manuscript, the ghosting part of your relationship is over. Now it’s about follow-up.

Don’t be afraid to ask.

WRITING GENDER

By Sharon May

There must be numerous badly developed characters written by the opposite gender, considering there are lots of posts online of examples and spoofs of them. Both are comical. What I hope are beginning writers ask in writing forums how they can/should write characters of the opposite sex. All mean well, as they only ask so they can avoid stereotyping. But it makes me wonder what they think characterization is all about.

A few weeks ago when discussing this topic, a writer friend told me she liked Steven King’s works, noting the novel Gerald’s Game showed he could “write women well.” We didn’t discuss particulars, but the comment bugged me just a little. Why wouldn’t he? I really expect writers to be able to write any type of character as we are supposed to be observant. Of course, it is difficult to understand the opposite gender if we don’t spend time with them so we can listen and learn. If that’s not possible, we can learn through reading.

I think I write both male and female characters well. I don’t believe it’s because I’m a lesbian, though that does provide interesting opportunities to learn from both genders. I have no secret knowledge of either. Rather, my ability comes from my belief that we are all humans first. In fact, gender is not even the second defining trait of my characters. They are not interchangeable, but I wouldn’t have to change everything about a character to transform one from male to female.

Honestly, men and women worry about the same issues, have the same troubles, and pretty much want the same things. Yes, our languages may be different, and we may view the world differently because of biology and differing cultural expectations. We should be able to recognize gender in a character, especially if the writer understands society’s expectations in a particular time and place and the characters’ responses to them. (Unless of course, we are bending genders in our work.)

Recently, I heard that the actor currently playing James Bond in the soon-to-be-released version believes there should not be a female Bond because (and I paraphrase) “it would water down the character.” Is he really saying Bond would be less if a woman? I would have thought a female would become Bond. I supposed the actor thinks that Lady Bond would be having a shootout with the bad guys and gals, but have stop to take cookies out of the oven. Actually, I might find it more amazing if she carried out Bond’s feats while cooking, cleaning, and rearing children.

Let’s definitely not fall prey to stereotypes when writing characters who differ from us for any reason, not only gender. We should use common sense about character development. The gender may be different, but the writer’s task is the same: explore the character and their purpose for existing in your work, and then let him or her speak their truths.

I WANT MEANINGFUL QUESTIONS, NOT JUST ANSWERS

By Raegan Teller

If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you know I’ve refocused my attention on writing and studying short fiction for the next year or so. Making the transition from writing five novels to penning short fiction has been nearly as challenging as it was to move from business writing to murder mysteries nearly eight years ago.

Part of my developmental plan is to read a short story a day. I’ll admit, I sometimes miss my goal. I’m also trying to read as much variety as possible: Hemingway, Stephen King, Alice Munro, the New Yorker’s contemporary stories—and everything in between. Some of the stories have been enjoyable but not memorable. Conversely, some stories some I didn’t particularly like have stayed on my mind. What makes a story memorable for me isn’t whether I like it but whether I engage with it. For example, I’ve read hundreds of well-written novels I enjoyed but then soon forgot. In a novel, loose ends are generally tied up at the end and because it’s typically spread over 300 or so pages, the impact is diluted. My conclusion: short fiction’s magic lies in what’s not said and its concentration of meaning.

When I read a story, I want to use my imagination. Since every word counts in short fiction, the writer must ration each word and sentence, which leaves a lot for readers to create for themselves. I believe this co-creation between writer and reader is critical. What is this story really about? How does it make me look at the world differently? And I love stories with ambiguous endings that engage my imagination. Of course, I’ve read some stories where too much is left unsaid, causing confusion. But when this delicate balance is achieved, I engage with the story at a deeper level—and it stays with me a long time.

Two examples of engaging stories different in length, structure, and tone are “The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository” by John Connolly and “Sticks” by George Saunders. Both are award-winning stories I encourage you to read if you haven’t already. Connolly’s delightful short tale created so many enticing questions for me. I wanted to know more about these odd characters who came to the bookstore, so my imagination worked full tilt and continued long after I finished. On the other hand, Saunders’ flash fiction is a paradox because it tells us so much, and yet so little, about this father and his family.

At this point, I would be remiss if I didn’t state the obvious: not everyone reacts to short fiction in the same way. A friend of mind read “Sticks” and felt it lacked a tidy ending. Yes, of course it did. That’s why it was memorable. If it had been tied up neatly with a bow, I would have forgotten it long ago instead of reading it several times a year. You see, as a reader, I want meaningful questions, not just answers.

CUE THE CONFETTI

By Kasie Whitener

I don’t get nervous for Zoom events even when I’m hosting them. I pour a glass of wine and tuck my pajama’d legs underneath me and tune in like the meeting is a television program.

But last Monday night I was nervous. The Southeastern Writers Association was holding their awards event on Zoom and my novel, Being Blue, was a finalist. The entry was an unpublished manuscript and this one, up until now, had only been read by my critique group and a developmental editor.

In contrast, my first novel, After December, has been out since 2019 and has over 50 ratings on Amazon. My second novel, Before Pittsburgh, released last month and earned a dozen 5-star reviews from the vast world of #bookstagram. My short story “For the Win” was in the summer issue of The Showbear Family Circus and my story “The Shower” is set to be printed in Fall Lines. I blog weekly across multiple platforms. I have authored two textbooks at use in my classrooms.

I’m being read on the regular and not just by people who know me.

Entering the Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Novel with the Southeastern Writers Association also meant I’d joined the organization. Logging into the Zoom, I saw strangers’ faces, not my usual SCWA crowd. The nerves had begun much earlier in the day, though, when I thought about what it meant to be a finalist and what it would feel like to have to show one of those fake-Oscar smiles when they didn’t name me the winner.

Any other acceptance or win has come as an email or phone call notification. Congratulations, your book is a finalist in the Indie Excellence Awards. Congratulations, you’ve won the Broad River Prize for Prose.

I’ve applied and submitted and been refused and rejected. We’re sorry but your work does not fit our needs at this time.

I’ve queried and entered and been ignored and ghosted. My novel After December was in a first-novel contest for female authors and lost to a book about the experience of a young Latina immigrant. So, yeah, my white-privileged male protagonist never stood a chance.

Never have I minded the rejection. Putting my work out there means accepting defeat. And Monday night I wasn’t rehearsing my, “Good for you!” expression because I’ve been spoiled by the wins.

Buzz Bernard, who sponsored the award selected five entries to honor. Two received honorable mention and three took prizes.

The screen said, “Third Place – Being Blue by Kasie Whitener,” and I smiled and unmuted and said, “Thank you.” I thought of our bronze-medal winning athletes and the looks on their faces knowing they’ve come so close and come up just short. Then I finished my wine.

Bronze is hard because it’s not a win exactly, but it’s not a loss, either. It’s somewhere in between. Congratulations, your work is above average.

So, thank you. I might just stick with this writing thing. I have some work to do.

REVISION: A NECESSARY EVIL

By Sharon May

“I’ve just finished my novel. Do I need to revise it?” asks one more person on an online writing forum. I know where the inquiry is coming from. You’ve written for weeks, months, or years to produce a first draft, sweating over each carefully chosen word, which could be confused with revising. You’re dead dog tired, and a little bored with the project. You think you’ve given everything you have in your mind and soul. What more can be done?

Actually, more than we can imagine after we first complete a draft. Revising is as necessary as drafting in its requirement to step back from the manuscript and out of ourselves so we can re-visit our work objectively. Revision is decorating the room we just built because without paint and furniture, it won’t be a finished nor enjoyable space.

It is not editing, which should be a final pass for grammar, mechanics, and punctuation at the sentence level. Revising entails some work with sentences, but good writers reconsider plot and sub-plots, character development, organization, structure, themes, voice, coherence, cohesiveness, continuity, etc. The list is endless, meaning that revising is a lot of work and could take as long, if not longer, than drafting took. Who wouldn’t prefer to skip this step?

Proud of our brilliant moments, we really don’t want to take a hard look at our less than brilliant writing. We carry around enough doubt and want to avoid more. Instead of doubting ourselves, we should be proud that we recognized our weaker words and ideas, and yes, even mistakes. Not everyone can objectify their own writing and grasp it from the reader’s perspective.

I don’t consider myself good at revision. A few years ago, I finished my first draft of a novel in progress, and was at a loss. I knew I wasn’t done writing but I just didn’t know what to do. So, I found a professional editor who had worked for a company I’d be proud to have publish my work and hired her to do a developmental edit. It was not cheap, but the help has been priceless like the MasterCard ad says.

The editor asked questions and made comments that piqued my creativity. My reactions to her reading made it possible for me to see what the work in progress could become, which is the point of revision.

With that experience as well as joining Cola II Writers Workshop, I am learning how to see my writing from outside myself, without all the emotional attachment to the words. They really are just words. They may create a wonderful and beautiful mosaic, but they can be tinkered with and improved.

Don’t sell your work short. Revise to discover the best of what you have to offer the reader.

SORRY, NOT SORRY

By Kasie Witener

I like the sex in the story.

I read romance novels almost exclusively and I’m not embarrassed to say I like the sex scenes.

The characters are important, of course, and the tension leading up to that point when they finally give in, but it’s the intimacy of the sex that keeps me reading.

I’ve been known to stay awake into the early hours of morning reading romance novels.

I’ve abandoned books that had terrible, awkward, or clinical sex scenes.

I’ve read entire series of books by authors who made dozens of sex scenes seem original every single time.

I’m not alone. Romance is the most popular genre on Amazon. It’s the single biggest genre of fiction accounting for 23% of the overall fiction market in 2016 and growing exponentially. While 83% of the readers are female, Romance Writers of America estimates 16% are male, with the average age between 35- and 39-years-old. I’m 44 and I’m not the oldest romance junkie I know.

Like most genre fiction, romance is governed by reader expectations, chief among them is the HEA (happily ever after) which is what separates the romance from a love story. Split into dozens of subgenres, Romance also meets readers where their desires are: contemporary, erotic, historical, dark, paranormal, “spiritual elements” or Christian romance, romantic suspense, sweet or “clean” romance, and young adult with teenaged or early-twenties characters.

Writers have also embraced the tropes: billionaire, boss, athlete, rock star, outlaw (motorcycle, mafia), and military. Like I said, they meet readers where they are.

What this teaches me, as a writer, because I don’t write romance, is to focus on those moments in the book that I want to become the reader’s favorite.

For example, in After December, my first-person male protagonist has a couple of really great moments. There’s the time he cold-cocks a former high school rival for calling his ex-girlfriend a slut. Then he takes the bartender home and … well, it’s a moment some readers have said made them throw the book across the room. Writing important moments—the scenes that will stick with the reader—that’s what I want to do. I don’t write romance, but I don’t back away from the sexuality of my characters, either.

My second novel, Before Pittsburgh, is out this week (August 17) and I have dozens of favorite moments. One of them is when Brian is teasing his ex-girlfriend with a cookie in his hotel room. It’s not sex, but it’s a sexy scene. One of dozens.

Revision, for me, focuses on solidifying those scenes. Making each moment impactful, meaningful, memorable. So, when my readers flip through the book, they’ll know what it was they loved about it.

Maybe it will be the sex. But I hope will be the vulnerability around Brian’s mental health, the deep forging of friendship bonds, forgiveness of his parents, or the delicate untangling of bad decisions.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course it’s the sex. And I’m not even sorry about it.

LIKES, SHARES, SMILES, AND SALES

By Jodie Cain Smith

Yes, this is a marketing post.

We all know that authors must market. The hustle is part of the job, but the marketing hustle is daunting. Questions: How do I begin? How do I market a book? Do I need a hook? Can’t I just post my book cover and all my adoring fans will buy it? Answers: Begin with yourself, build relationships, yes, and uh…no. 

Ye0s, start with yourself, especially on social media. You are the brand. Post about you. Readers want to know you, your personality, your interests other than your writing. Your friends and families really don’t want their feeds filled with only “Buy my book!” posts. That’s a sure-fire way to get snoozed on Facebook and unfollowed on the Gram. 

That brings us to building relationships. You’ve all heard that social media marketing is about building relationships, but I believe all marketing is about relationships. On social media, interact with your commenters. Comment back, comment on their posts, comment on posts that speak to you (keep the rage on low), spread the love. Even if you dedicate only 15 minutes a day to interacting on social media, it will pay off in increased followers and higher visibility for your posts. 

And, building relationships isn’t just online. Holding a book signing? Stand rather than sit. This is a much more welcoming, less intimidating posture than sitting behind the great barrier of the table, desperate not to look like a friendless loser with 100 unsold books in front of you. 

Make your book an experience. For upcoming events, I have made selfie props that play with the hook of my latest book. On the book table, a jar decorated to coordinate with my brand color palette holds the selfie props. Anyone who buys a book receives a magnetic bookmark with NO BRANDING on them (bought dirt cheap in bulk). Another jar holds stickers for kids who happen to approach the table. Yes, I am that person—lure the child to the table with a sticker, mom or dad will follow. 

I work with libraries, museums, and community centers offering workshops. For these events, I offer the organizers three 45-minute writing workshop options to choose from, depending on their patrons needs. Admission is free with the option to purchase a book. I have never failed to make sales at one of these events. At the last one I held for the launch of The Woods at Barlow Bend I sold out—40 copies to attendees and the last ten to the museum director for the gift shop. 

Now, for the hook of the book your promoting. For Bayou Cresting: The Wanting Women of Huet Pointe (July 31, 2021, Crowsnest Books), I created the social media campaign “Which Huet Pointe woman are you?” Each woman has a featured post with very brief description, picture, and call-to-action. These posts align with the selfie props and a poster collage of all the women displayed alongside the books at events. 

So, with these tips, get out there and market your work. Build your readership by building your community. Build this writerly community by sharing your marketing tips below in the comments.

FEMALE PHILOSOPHERS WHO HELPED SHAPE MODERN THOUGHT

By El Ochiis

Some of the greatest literary writers wrote philosophical fiction. I took a philosophy course in Athens, in college; actually, the reason I had travelled to Greece was to study philosophy, but, I did not need to venture that far to learn any more about, Socrates, Plato or Aristotle. No, I journeyed there to find out about some of the most famous, or, should I have said, infamous philosophers that interested me:

“What - who are you talking about?” Demanded Professor Skoplitius, when I raised my hand to ask about Aspasia of Miletus’ influence on Plato. 

“Her house became a center for intellectuals in Athens,” I stated, breathlessly. 

“Are you a Moroccan, no, you couldn’t be, where are you from?” Mr. Skoplitius queried. 

“My passport and birth certificate officiated in the states,” I offered, uneasily, since anyone I had ever met in Europe considered me anything but American. I wasn’t sure if I should have been insulted that he had estimated that I couldn’t be from Morocco, however. 

“This is most strange, I, I never met no one who speak of this, for which you are so passionate, tell us more,” he challenged, pushing his glasses further down a nose that appeared as if it had been carved onto his face. 

“Ahem, well, there were three I find quite intriguing: Aspasia, Clea and Thecla, I rattled off from my notebook, barely pronouncing their names correctly."

I had written my final paper on the largely unknown female philosophers of Ancient Greece, it was that paper that got me nominated to take the trip to study in Athens. The professor at the university in New York was not happy about my choice of subject matter, however, he did not know enough about these women to add much pros or cons.

Professor Skopltius, on the other hand, tolerated my intrusion of his class in the classic males of Greek philosophy; He half-heartedly read to the class, in an acerbic monotone: 

"Aspasia was born in the Greek city of Miletus (today’s providence Aydin, Turkey). Her family must have been quite wealthy due to the excellent education the young woman received. It was uncertain just why she came to Athens – however, her house became a center for intellectuals in Athens. It was assumed that even Socrates spent much time discussing in her home and, that her teaching would have influenced Socrates, the most important of all Greek philosophers. Though little is known of her, she appears in the writings of Plato, Aristophanes, of Miletus Xenophon and other Greek philosophers. 

Clea was the teacher of Pythagoras, the great philosopher-mathematician from Samos, who has been called the ‘father of philosopher’. It has been also claimed that Pythagoras may have derived his ethical doctrines from her. 

Thecla first appeared on the scene, in the Acts of Paul and Thecla, leading a normal middle-class life, sequestered at home and about to make an advantageous marriage. But leaning out of her balcony, she hears the dynamic preaching of Paul and decides on a radically different path. As priestess at Delphi, she held a highly esteemed political and intellectual role in the ancient world – religious practitioners at the shrine received frequent requests from world leaders for divine advice about political matters. She found many opportunities for in-depth philosophical conversations with Plutarch, the most famous intellectual of his time.

There were a few more: Sosipatra; Macrina the Younger; Diotima of Mantinea; Hypatia of Alexandria; Leontion; Theano; Arignote; Arete of Cyrene; and, Perictione." 

As writers, we should be mindful of the women who shaped modern thought and who influenced the well-known philosophers – the next time you are quoting what you believe are male Greek philosophers, you may just be quoting a female: “I dream of a world where there are neither masters nor slave.” Arete of Cyrene.

 

 

 

MORAL AMBIGUITY

By Bonnie Stanard 

There are those of us who call ourselves writers based not on the number of books we have written or sold but on the hope that we will make a difference to some reader somewhere. But what sort of difference are we aspiring to? 

I can say that my books have made a difference to at least one person, and that’s me. Each book has been a learning experience. They have forced me to explore worlds of the antebellum South and Medieval France. As a result, I’ve learned to appreciate the adage that the past is a foreign country. 

As I sit at my desk and think about my surroundings, I ask myself, what have I contributed to this place where I find myself? Did I make the chair I’m sitting on? Did I sew the shirt I’m wearing? Build the room? The house? Did I hammer a nail or install electricity? Build a street? Did I make my iPhone, create the internet? What have I actually done to bring about virtually everything I encounter and use every day? 

The answer of course leads me to realize my debt to our forefathers. The sweat and anguish of many individuals who worked together for centuries produced the advancements that give me the comfort and safety I take for granted. Perhaps this realization is one reason historical fiction appeals to me. It gives us a peep-hole through the concrete that divides us from the past. 

I’ve noticed that we criticize our ancestors based on expectations of the present with little notion of the cultural and moral differences that separate us from them. Today, historic heroes lose status regardless of their good intentions if they don’t conform to the sensibilities of the 21^st Century. They were products of a time when the meaning of good wouldn’t be found in a dictionary today. Our century is not just physically different from any other, it is emotionally different. 

It’s no exaggeration to say that our culture has been changed over time by gifted writers. Jane Austen pointed out that patriarchy is oppressive (it’s taking a long time to sink in). Charles Dickens told the world of child labor and the abuse of the poor. Dostoyevsky questioned our view of morality. Mark Twain, notably a humorist, took on politics. These writers have prompted us to look at ourselves critically. 

It takes genius to be as clever as canonic authors, but that’s not to say our writing doesn’t affect readers for better or worse. Even romance, sci-fi, mystery, or whatever the genre, has moral moments. It may be one sentence. It may be an inconspicuous tone. 

Our attitudes and values are daily shifting in directions based on what we see, hear, and read. In what direction are we going? We assume progress is positive, but the word is coveted as a marketing tool to sell good and bad ideas. “Improvement” may come at a cost that results in harm.

Will our novels throw light on destructive trends? Plots that exploit drugs, violence, erotica, and mayhem are exciting. However, without redeeming value, they impoverish our intellect and compromise our sense of right and wrong. 

I’m not talking about polemics as a plot, not about what we “ought” to do. I mean novels that surprise us with courage, honesty, and toleration. Will we give readers a reason to question what is going on with our world? 

MEASURING ALL THE THINGS

By Kasie Whitener 

When I joined the My Name is Not Bob Writers Platform Challenge in 2012, I had no idea what I would even tell people about myself. The purpose was to build a platform for your writing life – a digital platform primarily – and to put yourself into the writing community as a new voice. 

Fast forward to 2021 and I’ve been recognized as a Fresh Voice in the Humanities for South Carolina and I wrote this blog about the irony of being called “fresh.” Because, let’s be honest, I’ve done all the things. 

I started with blogging. I blogged weekly. Then monthly. Then sporadically. I guest blogged and I shared, liked, commented, and promoted blogs. I even gave people advice on how to write blogs and have served as the editor for this blog for several years. Currently my work appears on six different blog sites. 

Then came social media. I have Instagram and Facebook and Twitter. I like Twitter best and have been running a weekly tweet chat (#wschat) every Tuesday at 6 p.m. for eight years. I’m a reluctant Facebook user and they know it. My posts are buried in everyone’s feed because I don’t post often enough or show enough engagement. Did you know it does that? Facebook rewards you for being present by making what you post more visible to others. It’s a mysterious thing called an algorithm. 

I started the radio show Write On SC in 2018 and we’re going strong with over 150 episodes, several patrons, and a good listenership. Each week we discuss various topics around creation, craft, and publication. It led me to Wattpad, where I’ve been serializing a YA novel all summer. The Full Moon in Neverland is my third novel. The first two were published by Chrysalis Press. 

So, I did the writing. I wrote After December, took it through workshop and developmental edits, and got it with Chrysalis and published it. I built a marketing plan, leveraging my platform and reaching out to book clubs to adopt and evangelize the work. It’s found success. Forty-seven reviews so far and a four-star average. 

The follow-up, Before Pittsburgh, comes out in August and I’m working the platform now to promote it and get those pre-sales, reviews, and Want To Read adds on Goodreads. It’s amazing the things I’ve learned to measure since I joined the My Name is Not Bob platform challenge. 

I’ve done all the things. The profiles, the engagement, the presentations and appearances, the promotional work (giveaways, ads), and the book club visits. I’ve built my email list at the urging of my publisher and I’m building audience every day. And I’m still managing to write. 

But I’m exhausted.

Only reading the proof copy of Before Pittsburgh over the weekend has lightened the mood around here. Knowing it’s a good book. Being happy with the product. Glad to share it with the world. All those measurements—like smiles and hugs—are hard to quantify.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: WRITING TOOL OR THREAT?

By Raegan Teller

My introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) was the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the story, HAL is an AI computer that controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship's astronauts. At the time, it was mere science fiction.

Fast forward to 2021: AI is now a reality. Some applaud its evolution; others warn us. The late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking said in 2014, "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." Strong words.

But I want to discuss the more immediate effect of AI on writers and editors. In 2019, the first AI-written textbook was published, Lithium-Ion Batteries, a machine-generated summary of current research. And in 2020, approximately 50 freelance news editors at MSN were dismissed and replaced by AI-driven robots that optimize content by rewriting headlines or adding better photographs or slide shows. Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University, believes AI-generated writing represents “a real threat” to writers.

Since AI runs on algorithms, it can effectively produce non-fiction writing, especially formulaic news reporting or other data-driven content. But what about fiction writing? Or poetry and other creative writing?

Creative writers are driven by curiosity and imagination. We draw on our human traits—empathy, anger, love, and determination, to name a few. We look for deeper meaning and express ourselves through writing. A computer can’t do that . . . can it?

Experiments using AI to write novels and poetry demonstrate that AI pulls from existing text and expands on it. Most of these experiments begin by feeding a first line or first paragraph to AI and then it completes the writing using an algorithm. For example, AI can be programmed to associate love and joy, or death and sorrow. For now, at least, AI can’t start with a blank page and produce original, inspiring prose or poetry (a problem some human writers share).

In a 2021 New Yorker article, novelist and essayist Stephen Marche said, “Whatever field you are in, if it uses language, it is about to be transformed.” Also in that article, Amit Gupta, a former science fiction writer and co-founder of Sudowrite, an AI writing app, predicts writers will use AI to produce copy and then edit it to provide deeper meaning where needed.

Before you dismiss all of this as mere science fiction, consider this: commercial fiction is written using a story structure similar to an algorithm. Certain things must happen in the first act of the story, other things in the middle, and so forth. And if you’ve ever studied a story arc or a character arc, it’s basically an algorithm. Even the rhythm and patterns of freeform poetry can be learned and emulated by AI. The New Yorker article referenced above has an interesting example of an AI written poem.

So, is AI a threat or a tool for writers? It depends on whether we decide to jump on board, or in front of, this seemingly unstoppable train.                                                         

SERIALIZING for FUN

By Kasie Whitener 

In this week’s episode of Write On SC, we talked about serialization. To “serialize” is to release your story in smaller chunks for the purpose of building an audience willing to purchase the entire work. It’s at once marketing and production.

Classics like The Count of Monte Cristo and Uncle Tom’s Cabin found readers through serialization. At the time, publishing a single volume was really expensive and many readers couldn’t afford to collect books by purchasing them. So, publishers used serials—magazines, journals, even newspapers—to reach a wider audience.

Additionally, authors building an audience didn’t have the advantages of social media and internet followers we have today. Publishing a taste of the work was a way to prove your skills not just to readers but to would-be publishers as well.

Authors like Hemingway and Capote leveraged serials to introduce work that had not found favor with their traditional publishers; work the publisher didn’t want to publish in its entirety, didn’t want to take the risk on, might appear in a magazine or other periodicals. Authors have used serials to try new styles, new genres, and other risky efforts that publishers worried might alienate the existing reader base. But it’s also a low-risk audition for the author. Readers who enjoy the periodical can find the author within its pages and decide to pursue additional work.

Recently, Amazon launched Vella, a serialized deviation of Kindle Unlimited. Its specifics are reader-friendly: subscribers receive a certain number of tokens, can audition the first few installments for “free” and then spend tokens for future installments. The specs are less friendly for writers. This article breaks it down.

First, you cannot publish anything there that’s already been published elsewhere. That self-pubb’d novel that hasn’t gotten any traction? Nope. Second, you can’t put up anything that is freely available elsewhere. That novel you put on your personal blog that’s gotten four visitors in the last 30 days? Nope. Third, you cannot publish the book elsewhere without first removing it from Vella. So, when a publisher falls madly in love with your characters and wants to traditionally publish your amazing work? Nope.

These rules aren’t that different from what we know of competing platform Wattpad. Publishers don’t want to see your work on a “free” platform like Wattpad before they get to revise, edit, pre-sale, and market the hell out of it. Most authors who have serialized work on Wattpad have done so knowing the piece would never be published elsewhere.

So why give your work away?

Maybe because you’re building an audience. Maybe because you’re not sure where the work is going. Maybe to get real-time feedback. Maybe to be part of a creator community. Or maybe, just maybe, because your pre-teen daughter loves Wattpad and can’t read your actual adults-only books. So, you put this up there for her. Like I did.

Check out The Full Moon in Neverland. My effort at serialization available now and free to a good home via Wattpad.

MAYBE THE RULES FOR WRITING FICTION IS TO IGNORE THE RULES

 

By El Ochiis

I once read an article about the “Ten Rules of Writing Fiction” and one of them was to never begin the story with the weather. What if the very thing you needed to write about was central to the story you are about to tell? I meant, if your character is stuck on a road in a remote part of the Yukon, in the dead of winter, weather will be central to the plot. And, a great opening would be: “It was one of those white-outs in Yukon Territory where the blizzard fought for dominance over the impending wind and freezing rain.” Would you not get a visible image of that scene – even if you lived in Bali?

Dorothy Parker once famously quipped, “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”

Rarely is a Parker quip a compliment, but, speaking of the “Style” Bible, it’s been over one hundred years after the birth of E.B. White and good number of years after I first encountered his classic style guide (originally written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918 – but much expanded by White), it may be time to admit that it’s not all it is cracked up to be.

"Don’t use active voice, paragraphs should be more than one sentence, place yourself in the background, avoid foreign languages; stay clear of accents"... Nabokov’s novels are full of foreign languages, and if Nabokov did it, it can’t be that wrong.

Then, there is Rule Sixteen which implores the writer to “prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract.” The book presents two examples, the first, in each, being “wrong:”

A period of unfavorable weather set in.
vs.
It rained every day for a week.

and

He showed satisfaction as he took possession of his well-earned reward.
vs.
He grinned as he pocketed the coin.

Excuse me, but I prefer “a period of unfavorable weather set in,” if only because it’s less usual and banal.

Recently, the New York Times attempted to explain Jane Austen’s enduring popularity by unpacking her word choices – what they discovered was that Austen had a propensity for words like: quite, really and very – the sort that writers are urged to avoid if they want muscular prose. So, writers are to avoid the very language that has made Jane one of the most beloved writers of all time?

Professional writers probably won’t be tied to any rule book, but, students will need to be taught that clarity is king – still, rules learned early on can be tough to shake, and most of us learned, at least a little, from Strunk & White. I understand that writing teachers know that most people need to master the rules before they can break them. But, as a reader, I prefer the offbeat to the standard – in word choice, in subject matter and in structure.

I think my greatest rule is that a piece of writing should follow a path – if readers don’t have a path to follow, they will get lost. Truth is paradox – in the greatest story ever told, the universe was created “as something out of nothing” – the first and most basic creation metaphor. Opposing ideas form the tension of its very premise. My point, there is no writing guide that can teach you style with any skill – it is in choosing which rules to learn and which to break – to what end – that you can begin to construct your own.

BAD FICTION

By Bonnie Stanard

American Book Review has posted online “Top Forty Bad Books.”  However, this is not a list. Rather, numerous college professors discuss what makes a book bad. They get beyond subjective opinions, at least in the sense that theirs are educated subjective opinions.

Does “badness” belong to the book, the reader, or the situation of reading? John Domini of Drake University asks, “Why isn’t bad in the eye of the beholder? Why should a reader go with anything other than their gut?” Readers should go with their gut, but when it comes to giving a book a reputation, one opinion’s not enough.

Terry Caesar wrote, “Can we conclude today that there are no more bad books, only bad readers? Such readers don’t know how to make even the worst books productive.” What? Blame the readers? I can’t buy that. It’s taken me a long time to overcome reader-inferiority. For most of my life, I’ve thought myself a bad (read that moronic) reader if I didn’t like critically acclaimed books.

Terry Caesar also says that Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is wondrously bad: stylistically precious, lavishly sentimental, ludicrous of characterization, and incoherent of theme. However, he excuses these problems with “Whether from the point of view of feminism or African American culture, Their Eyes is a damn good book.” Huh? Did the word bad just collide with political correctness and end up on the trash pile?

Though our workshop critiques sometimes get into technicalities, good or bad writing isn’t found in sentence structure or word choice. So what does make a book bad? These are samples drawn from the college professors.

• Does not have inherent empathy.

• Does not take risks. Is not curious.

• Makes direct and obvious attempts to call forth an emotion.

• Romanticizes two-dimensional, cutout characters.

• Plot is obviously manipulated.

• Its “message” remains obscure.

• All story is all pointless. Emotions give the story meaning.

• Makes mistakes in its representation of the material world (realistic fiction).

You could write a book on each of these weaknesses, which apply to concepts. It’s not the details they’re talking about. These mistakes originate with an author’s approach, even with their way of thinking. According to Christine Granados, “The novel is a blueprint into a writer’s soul. When I read what I consider to be a bad book, I notice that it is usually written by an arrogant person.” She explains with examples from Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses.

Even books by celebrated authors have ended up on bad-books lists. For instance, novels by Kerouac, Hemingway, Jane Austen, and Milan Kundera are on Nicole Raney’s list, “14 Books We Give You Permission Not to Read.” 

Looking at the sampling of American Book Review’s list of fatal flaws, I see criticisms that suggest character goals for myself as a person. I need to have more empathy, curiosity, and subtleness. I need to be unbiased, spontaneous and audacious, principled, unafraid of emotions, and accurate in perceptions. Does this mean that if I improve myself, my writing will be better? Now let me see. Where to start?

Below are samples of books the professors dared to list as bad books.

Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence - It’s like someone put a gun to Nietzsche’s head and made him write a Harlequin romance.

The Genius by Theodore Dreiser – Dreiser had a mind so crude any idea could violate it.

Pierre by Herman Melville - so extravagantly mannered as to be barely readable.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - protagonists’ tribulations attributed to their alcoholism.

The Great Gatsby - manipulates conventions in order to be a “charming” book.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – formulaic knock-off of fascistic conspiracy theories.

FRUSTRATION with WRITING

By Sharon May

I have had a tough time writing a blog. In fact, I wrote half of one and trashed it. Figure if I was bored writing it, you’d be bored reading. Instead, I decided to just spew forth my mixed feelings about writing and delve into why I am struggling to keep my butt in the seat.

I love to write. You know, the actual time and energy spent putting words on paper throughout the process, or even just thinking about the characters, plot twists and turns, nice turns of phrase, and spiffy dialogue. I find both great peace and renewal when I can concentrate on playing with language.

Since I am getting closer to finishing my novel, I decided to learn more about what I needed to do to get published. Unfortunately, what I learned was I hate the “business of writing,” which means everything I have to do to publish and sell my works.

Of course, I want to be published, sold, and enjoyed by readers. I don’t want to do what it takes to make that happen. Every time I find myself thinking of “fan base,” “Internet identity,” and “query letter,” my shoulders tense and I squirm in my chair.

It’s the same reason I didn’t get an MBA. Not the least bit interested in reading about business. I learned accounting at my father’s knee, and spent almost 20 years working in the field. I enjoyed it and stopped only because I knew my true calling was teaching composition.

While learning about publishing, I lost my motivation to write, especially for my long works in progress. I have written some shorter pieces so it’s not like all my drive is shot. But time is a-wasting, as people say in the hills of Kentucky.

But it’s not like I can ignore as aspects of the business of writing. Some work needs to be done in the late stages of writing a longer work to be positioned to publish and sell the work. That’s the
quandary. How do I do just enough of the business end without interfering with my writing?

Obviously, I need a staff to help with or even do those tasks, preferably who works pro bono or who will gamble on my future. Of course, I’ve considered having Peggy do more than be an early-draft reader, but she’s so busy I hate to ask more of her. However, her “politicking” should require less of her time. A millennial friend of mine needs to learn how to do what I need done on the Internet, and we are in negotiations.

Intellectually, I know what to do overcome my frustration. I have to write and ignore the future or there won’t be anything to publish. The advice to live in the moment can’t be overstated.

Write on!

BREAKING WRITER’S BLOCK

By Sharon May

Writer’s block is one’s inability to move to the next phase of the process. The writer is stuck. Is it a mental or emotional problem? Really doesn’t matter unless we believe deep analysis will fix it. By the way, it may help but it won’t cure us. Actions help us break though the block. 

Remember that job you hated? Did you ever get blocked while at work and unable to perform the next action regardless of what was going on in your mind? Probably not. We turn on auto-pilot and do our best. 

Auto-pilot and acting as a writer break a block. If you have a writing routine, you need to follow it, and if not, create one, at least temporarily. Routines are important because they train us to respond in a certain way. In this case, we start to write despite ourselves. 

Whether I produce words or not on a given day, I follow my routine. Hygiene, breakfast, set goals over a glass of unsweetened tea, go to the office, sit at the computer, and type. Something. It really doesn’t matter what during the first few attempts to break through to good writing. Just keep writing. If you can’t write at that moment, maybe it’s time to organize your pens. Any mindless task will help prepare for writing. 

Most writers try to avoid writing when they are blocked. That’s like trying to learn how to play the drums without ever touching the drums. Others wait on the muse to provide them with magical writing that doesn’t require revision, editing, or the hard work required for good writing. We all need and have a writer’s toolbox to rely on when the muse isn’t cooperating. The tools writers use include everything from reading to writing exercises to brainstorming with other writers. 

The longer writer’s block goes the more writers doubt their talent. This is when we need to separate skill from talent, and focus on practicing skills as you draft. Apply your talent in revision and editing. 

When stuck, writers want it to be a linear process. At times we have to think in other geometric forms – circles and spirals are good. Draft a character study. Plot out the end though you are miles away from it. Such plans are not set in stone. They are goals. Sometimes they get replaced by better plans along the way to the end. 

A key to overcoming a block is accepting what words do come. Maybe it’s an idea for a new story, not the novel you have been working on for years. Don’t fear, taking a respite from a project is good, giving the mind time to incubate and resolve issues. You will be re-energized to come back to the earlier project. 

The worst idea for curing writer’s block is to stop writing. Sometimes you have to spew garbage to purge the system. A block can lead to renewal if you don’t let it destroy you.