the winter of my discontent

by Karen Dums

Wisconsin may be called  God's Country by some, but the landscape, especially in the northern parts, is not for the meek. I've lived here all my life. I've ridden the rollercoaster that weather brings and for the most part "weathered" it without major difficulty.

The winter of 2013/2014 is different.

It began with an inate sadness. I hesitate to call it depression -- far too clinical for my present state. There is a restlessness residing in my soul. There is a need I cannot define. Ephemeral. Veiled. Half-formed nebulous thought that needs putting to paper (or computer screen) yet I have no will. Has this long cold winter sapped me? What shall I do? After all it may be months until spring.

Am I not a writer? Am I not capable of creating a world beyond this sub-zero ice-clad snow-to-my-hips place? Of course I am. I can write sun and sandy beach and ocean waves pounding; I can write of music, how it takes me to a different time, a different place. A place where I am free! Unencumbered by mittens, hats, boots and long underwear.

When I arrive at any of those places I realize I am overthinking. I can surely find simple beauty in the arc of draped snow, defying gravity. Or the striated layers, another thing of beauty, those white mounds on deck, roof, trees. Or the glistening trees. Or a pillar of woodsmoke rising to the sky.

Hmmmm.  This long cold winter seems to be sending me off on a voyage of self-discovery. Not what I can endure, or even my limitations, but how I can stretch myself to reach those very limits and persevere. Find words, blessed words, no matter how well they attempt to stay hidden.

Here's a truth: so much of writing for me is emotion. It spills on the page as happiness, love, rage, that dark side of my psyche that oft needs to escape its bonds. I can find words for that. Easily. No matter what the weather I will find words to bend to my will. I suddenly realize they have not been hiding from me, it is I who have been hiding from them. Even in my discontent I can put pen to paper and create!

A bit of advice: Don't suppress your sense of self when you are writing. There is no need, no matter the topic. To write does not always mean to share. Sometimes we write simply selfishly -- therapeutically so to speak -- to maneuver ourselves past a bad patch, to revel in a good happenstance, to sing without music and to dance without fear. I'll be dancing as fast as I can until spring arrives. And writing all the while.


 

the craft of daydreaming

by Anna Maria Hansen


We've all been there.

That moment, that day, that week where writing seemed out of the question. Where taking the time to sit down and actually make the creative part of your brain actually work was simply laughable.

I sat down at the computer, clicked open the document and stared blankly at the words until they blurred. Quite some time later, I realized that I had sat there for close to half an hour and done nothing.

Wait.

I'd been daydreaming. Thinking. Not about writing, true, but I'm not writing a book about how to write a book. I'm writing about other people and their lives and their thoughts... and yes! I had an idea.

Getting over these blank stretches is a trick. Not always easy to force creativity (if possible at all). There is inspiration in everything and sometimes daydreaming is the best way to let your mind go.

A friend told me a quote from Agatha Christie: "The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes."  

Allow time to think, to let your mind play with characters, dialogue, scenes. I often let thoughts roll around in my head for days, sometimes weeks, before putting them down in print. By the time I take up a pen, I have a firm grasp on what I am trying to say. Other times, I let myself sit down at the computer and write whatever pops into my head. True, a lot of it is plain mumbo-gumbo, but there is sometimes a sliver, a fragment that can be pulled out and expanded on.

One thing to always remember when you reach a stretch in your story when you can't move forward... if the scene is boring you as the writer, the reader will have already set down the book. Don't write anything that bores you.

poetry and publication thereof

by Anna Maria Hansen


Poetry. It's supposed to be all about thoughts... concepts... imagery... brevity... right? People (who are not poets) imagine poets as being these long-haired, dreamy individuals who sit with a quill pen held between graceful fingertips, waiting... just peacefully waiting... for that beautiful thought that will be written down to stay in every human being's heart for eternity.

Umm.... I have news. Even if poets did idly catch poems like children net butterflies... there's another aspect to poetry writing.

Publishing.

Enough to scare anyone -- even a hard-core novelist, much less us fragile poets. The work and time that can go into publishing one poem is roughly ten times what it took to write the original poem. Cover letters, magazines, journals, chapbooks, e-magazines, editors, SASE, paid by the word, paid by the line, paid by the poem, not paid at all... it's a litany of unknown designed especially to strike fear into the heart of the would-be-published-poet.

However! Quell the beating heart, the knocking knees, the shortness of breath. There is hope. To be found in the pages of the Writer's Digest Poet's Market -- a handy guide for poets looking for publication. Published every year, with excellently organized lists of publications that accept poetry, this book is a must-have for those who fear the rocky path of publication. It includes names of publications, contact information, what the publication is looking for, how they want submissions to appear, what they pay, who they've published, what kind of poetry they want.

With a pen and paper, anyone can quickly read through and jot down names of publications that mutually suit poet and publication. A few more minutes of online research of the websites provided will get you each publications submission guidelines. In the front of Poet's Market is a section that shows poets how to write a cover letter and format their poems -- slide it into an envelope with a SASE (self address stamped envelope), address... and you've sent off your first poetry submission. Bravo!

Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!

four things a good query does

guest post by Kourtney Heintz


1) The Opening Paragraph Anchors And Introduces
This is where you tell the agent what you have and why it’s right for them. You lay out the title of your book, the genre, the word count, and why you think this specific agent would be interested in your book. Make sure you personalize it. Do some research on the agent and mention how you read on their blog or in an article in Writer’s Digest how they like x or represent y author and you think they would like your book because it has x or something like x or is similar to y author in q respect.


2) The Summary Explains The Main Plot Arc

You’re book is amazing. It’s got so many layers and themes. You are sure if you just convey all of this to an agent, they will love your book as much as you do.

But if you try to cram in every detail of what makes your book unique and interesting, including all those secondary characters and cool subplots, the agent won’t know what your book is about. And the whole point of the summary paragraph is to answer that one question--what is this book about?

Strip away the subplots. Forget about themes. Figure out who your main character is. Concentrate on what your main plot arc is for that character--what is the hook of your book? Write a one sentence summary. And then build that into a paragraph or two. 


3) The Summary Is Gripping And Intriguing Without Sacrificing Clarity

Once you’ve got that summary paragraph drafted, now it’s time to make it zing. Use action verbs. Strong nouns. Infuse the voice of your novel into that summary. Make sure it captures not just the plot but the heart of your story.

You’ve got to make it read like the back cover of a book. Reveal enough to make it clear what the plot is and what is at stake for your character, but keep it tantalizing and end with a cliffhanger. Get them wanting to read your pages to find out what happens.


4) Closing Paragraph Provides Credentials

This is the bio that is relevant to your writing this book. What makes you the person to tell this story? What are your credentials for writing? Do you have a degree in English? Do you belong to national writing organizations? Have you had anything published? Did you win any major writing contests? Is your book about ADHD and you’ve raised a child with ADHD? Here’s the place to let the agent know you are serious about your writing career and/or you have unique knowledge of your subject matter.



Author Bio: 



       Kourtney Heintz resides in Connecticut with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, her supportive parents and three quirky golden retrievers. She dreams of one day owning a log cabin on Butternut Lake. Years of working on Wall Street provided the perfect backdrop for her imagination to run amuck at night, imagining a world where out-of-control telepathy and buried secrets collide.

       Her debut novel, The Six Train to Wisconsin, is a 2014 EPIC Ebook Awards Finalist, a 2013 USA Best Book Awards Finalist and a 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Semifinalist.





One Sentence Summary of The Six Train to Wisconsin:



        When Kai’s telepathy spirals out of control, her husband Oliver brings her to the quiet Wisconsin hometown he abandoned a decade ago, where he must confront the secrets of his past to save their future.





Where to Buy:
         Signed paperbacks are for sale at the Novel Idea Book Shop in Park Falls, WI and the Butternut Area Historical Society Museum in Butternut, WI.
        You can also purchase ebooks and paperbacks at Amazon, B&N, iTunes.

you never know

by Anna Maria Hansen


A thousand times, I might have turned back. It was cold outside, with wind sharp as a knife piercing the fabric of my coat. I'd gone out seeking silence and solitude, where my thoughts could sort themselves out to the rhythm of my footsteps, crushing through the icy snow. I stopped, breath steaming in front of my face, the warm air stinging my skin. Ahead, the trail branched, turning. I'd been down here a thousand times. I knew what was around that bend. I could turn around, go home.

I whispered it like a prayer. You never know, you never know, you never know.

A deer or snowy owl might be just around the bend. The trees might be iced with frost that would only last a few minutes as the sun rose. A few more minutes in the cold and all my thoughts might fall in place.

My mantra played out like a heartbeat. You never know.

I stood still. The forest felt heavy with silence. Waiting to see if I would continue or turn back. Give up. Go home.

Sticking my cold fingers under my arms, I weighed it out. Already I had made my choice. I was just procrastinating, feet turning numb in my boots.

Ahead, there was the unknown, the untried, the unchallenged.

You never know.

I stuck my boot through the unbroken snow and started walking.

***

Write about anything. Anything you take minutes out of your life to do, is worth writing about. Every word you write takes you further along the writing path. Pause to consider, not to turn back. Then keep going, keep writing.

Because, after all, you never know.

writing on writing

by Anna Maria Hansen

October 30, 2013
Well, do you think I waited long enough to get going on this? No plot, no definite characters, no real idea where I'm headed... only that I want to laugh. I must be crazy.

That is the first entry from my NaNo journal. Yes, in addition to cranking out 50k, I also like to keep a writing journal that I update every day with word count, story ideas, thoughts, brainstorming, etc. It's a handy way for me to keep track of where I'm going in the brain-frying pace of NaNo.

I was expecting to be utterly overwhelmed by NaNo. I thought it was one short step away from impossible. In truth, it wasn't bad at all. Rather...

November 2, 2013
...it's amazing to be writing again. Creating.

That was a good surprise. The pace was quite do-able. I also allowed myself to have a few days when I went way below the required 1,667 daily words. It's a give and take. Some days, I churned out 3,000 words, some days 500. This time, I also allowed myself to go the full NaNo, and not push myself to finish a week early.


November 20, 2013
I just realized something. (This is the hilarious part of NaNo-ing; in the rush of writing you forget the most blatant things.) I'm writing a mystery... that doesn't have any really good suspects. Time for some re-thinking!

Keeping the journal lets you look at the progress of the story. As a writer, you are so busy trying to show (don't tell!), that things can go right over your head. Writing them down helps me to keep track of where I was going with a scene, with a line of dialogue, with a fragment of description -- without bogging down the actual story. Later, on revisions, I can go back and see if my "show" is understandable, or if I need to develop it more.


November 28, 2013
So many ideas! Revisions, re-writes, edits, additions, plot twists... just finishing the 50k, wouldja?!

Now that November is over, I am giving myself a week off of writing, and then diving back in to hopefully get a rough first draft of my yet-unnamed novel finished by the first of the New Year. No rest for the weary...

November 30, 2013
DONE!

like-minded people

by Terri Kaiser
 

I belong to a writer’s group at our local library.  We call ourselves The Third Story Writers Guild.  We are so much more than a critique group. These people have become my mentors, my cheerleaders, my ‘what were you thinking here’ people, and my buddies.  Lately I’ve come to realize how important it is in life to have friends of a similar interest.

Living in a small town, with an hour or two to drive to any sizeable community, finding like-minded people, I thought, was daunting.  Most people here are salt-of-the-earth types.  They work hard, play hard, and will give you the shirt off their backs.  It wasn’t until a local newspaper contributor, Karen Dums, founded our group, that we’ve come out to proclaim our love of writing.  Every year we add new and interesting members to fill out our family.  Many thanks to Karen and all her hard work.

Our addition to the community has been very well-received.  In fact, we gathered our courage and performed a reading one evening at a local bar.  I have to admit, I thought we’d be booed out the door.  To my delight, everyone seemed to hang on every word.  They clapped and laughed and sighed in all the right places.  It was very rewarding.

My advice - take a chance.  Form it, and they will come.