Tag: (business) Conventions

O is for Other: On the Other Side

Erin Penn 2 Comments

Meme created by Erin Penn

During the SAGA Professional Writer’s Conference in 2023, Gail Z. Martin quoted a motivational speaker, saying the words changed her life. I webcrawled until I found the original speaker then made a meme with the appropriate attribution. It was the first of the memes I envisioned during the conference, down to what the picture should look like.

That is always the problem with meme creation, finding the right picture. I was ecstatic when I found the fissure against the fire background. Exactly what I wanted.

Now onto why acknowledging fear is good writing advice. “You can’t write a novel.” because it will impact your social standing, or your ability to make a living, or is too hard and there is a chance of failure. Each of these arguments are based in fear. Because, really, you can write a novel.

It might not be a good novel, but if you want to write a novel, stringing together enough words is the only requirement. Making something good enough to sell is a different issue, but if you WANT to write a novel, there is no deadline, no judge, just time spent doing what you WANT to do.

Anything you WANT to do is possible. Want a new job, then job hunt. Want a vacation – maybe Cancun isn’t in the budget, but a beach vacation is within reach.

Now, you might not WANT to do the work. Writing a novel is lot of work, but don’t let anyone say you can’t when you are capable of writing.

Also remember writing is a learning process. No one masters a job in one year. A person goes through years of training in normal school, then months of specialized training, then “probation” on the job. And still it is three-to-five years before you are really, really good at it. The first novel will suck – it may be possible to polish it to good – but the first draft of the first novel is going to be bad as the first picture you ever drew. You know, the one with your mom’s arms growing out of her neck.

Still, first that first draft of that first novel.

If that is what you WANT.

Meme created by Erin Penn

M is for Make: Better Verbs Make Better Writing

Erin Penn 2 Comments

Meme created by Erin Penn

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know about copulas – the “to be” verbs which are harbingers of passive writing. Being a good writer’s conference, the topic came up a couple times at SAGA (sagaconference.com). Michael Mammy captured its essence during the afternoon presentation on Pacing and Structure with “Better Verbs Make Better Writing.”

He also said “More problems, more better.” Which is the essence of Give Your Characters Trouble, but not every piece of advice is a gem, or meme-worthy.

Back to BVMBW: verbing makes better writing because the verbs drive the action. Don’t be “run fast” – instead “dashed” or “rushed”. Don’t go all “spoke softly” but “purred” or “mumbled”.

That being said, don’t spend the First Draft figuring out the perfect word. That is for Draft Three. Draft Two is getting all the scenes to actually flow together, adding and subtracting or just moving large swaths of the manuscript. Once you know what is actually happening, verbs can be polished.

Two fixes are (1) do a search on “was” and “were” for the entire manuscript and cut that number by a third. (2) every paragraph switch out one verb/adverb for something stronger or more specific.

Below is another meme I made a while back. Write with Style. Because, you know, better writing is just sexy.

Write with Style

Meme created by Erin Penn

G is for Give Your Characters Trouble

Erin Penn 6 Comments

Meme created by Erin Penn

During several of the Craft of Writing courses at the SAGA Writer’s Conference (sagaconference.com next one scheduled for July 2024), the Faculty describe many things to give your characters: a solid background, emotions, friends and enemies, goals. But most of all, Trouble.

When things slow down, blow up their lives. Physical and emotional bombs – mix and match appropriately to genre. “I’m pregnant.” changes everything as much as a car explosion, especially when the character saying it is male. Explosions. Obstacles. A child who is sick at school and needs to be picked up ASAP, while the hero needs to stop a vampire coven before they wake at nightfall.

Every three chapters or so stop and brainstorm five to ten things of “What is the worst thing that can happen?” Pick one or two things from the list. And give your characters a gift that keeps on giving.

Below is a previous meme I made when I was offering advice to a young writer. Since all writing is in the author’s head, making problems can be difficult for young authors. It’s like they are attacking their alter egos. Until you can distant yourself from your characters, Giving Trouble can be challenging. But Giving Trouble is absolutely necessary.

Meme created by Erin Penn

E is for Enter Late, Leave Early

Erin Penn 5 Comments

Meme created by Erin Penn

During the March 10th weekend this year, I attended the SAGA Professional Writer’s Conference in Winston-Salem NC (http://sagaconference.com/). A lot of good advice was to be had, and several of them had me making memes the minute I got home. I am a hands-on learner and making a visual memes helps things to stick.

I normally post three days a week, which leaves me twelve days to fill in for the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge for April. I’m going to post the five writing meme I made during my non-standard days complete with why the writing advice is important.

Both Dr. Hartley and Dr. Leverett, in two different presentations at the conference, gave a piece of writing advice stolen from the movie industry: Get in a scene as late as you can and leave as early as you can. Distill the action as much as possible. Obviously the advice is very important when two different people present the same information, and the advice works in different storytelling mediums.

What “Enter Late, Leave Early” means is focus the action. You don’t need the camera (or the written narrative) following the person climbing out of the car, going in the house, ringing the doorbell, getting welcomed, receiving a drink, taken into the family room, and the conversation starts. The important bit, distilled down, is when the visitor says, “The results came back with anomalies.” Heck, you can even push it back a couple of more seconds to the home owner responds with a shocked “Anomalies?”. “Yes, anomalies. I know we said it was a standard test but…”

At the other end, “Leave Early,” cut out of the scene the second the last bit of important storytelling data is presented. Only at the very end of the book, when providing closure, do you need to end a scene with all the bow-ties and swirls. Until then, push, push, push the storyline forward.

Should there be extraneous data beyond the mainplot line? Of course, there is backstory, character development, the emotional storyline, the action storyline, the series overarc seeds and advancement, and, my personal favorite, worldbuilding. All these things make a story layered like a good baklava.

But each individual scene needs to only have what is happening for that scene, and rarely does that include walking through doors.

Oh, that would be a good piece of advice too: Don’t Walk Through Doors

Other Cool Blogs: Magical Words (Self Care)

Erin Penn

87660978 © creativecommonsstockphotos | Dreamstime.com
Self-Care Everywhere
It’s con season, or would be if the COVID wasn’t an issue. I thought I would touch base on a few of the things we need to do to keep healthy at conventions (and at other places too).
1. Drink water – We don’t do it nearly enough, especially on long con days followed by a bar tab night. Do not start the night dehydrated, otherwise day two of the con is really gonna suck. And if it is a long convention, like DragonCon, you won’t make the distance.
And remember, it is also important to drink water when typing or longhand writing your manuscript. Drink water while editing, etc. We are bags of mostly water, and we need to replenish is constantly. Water is a primary go juice for your brain, beating out even sugar.
Additional note: When flying, the air on planes is being dehydrated, therefore dehydrating you. Pour water down your throat to recover, otherwise you will have a travel dehydration headache. Not a happy place to be when you hit the ground running into the first panel of the convention.
2. Eat regular – At a con, with panel after interview after contest, it is easy to forget to eat. Put it on your schedule. Pack snacks. The candy at the artist alley is not enough. Protein and other long-time digestive substance is required. A good protein-laden breakfast will push you further than coffee and a box of donuts.
And, again, while writing, EAT. Do not skip meals to find more writing time. The brain chews through about 20% of the day’s calories even though it is only 2% of the weight. Active use kicks up the calorie count, just like muscles burn more when actively used. And while it is tempting to pour sugar on it – that is a surge-and-crash method. Long-term at the keyboard needs fiber like apples and protein like cheese.
3. Make friends – The publishing industry is a tough gig. You need friends. Especially in the middle of a pandemic. Build that support network. The network is both keeping in touch with the industry – finding out about changes in self-publishing, when anthologies are looking for submissions, and what agents have openings – AND keeping in touch with humanity. The first is silver and the second is gold. The first allows you to be a writer, the second allows you to live.
Other self-care and attending convention tips can be found in the following Magical Words:
9/6/2011 – Misty Massey – Eating at Con –
5/20/2015 – Tamsin Silver – Con-Prep (aka organized chaos) –
6/4/2016 – John Hartness – Making Money Mondays – Mental Health & Money 
6/13/2016 – John Hartness – Making Money Mondays – More Revenue or Lower Overhead? –