BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Six Ways Writers Invest in Themselves

For some, writing is a career; for others it's a hobby. Either way, one doesn't become a great writer without a little investment. Sure, we invest in computers, software, red pens, and writing magazines, but we also need to invest in ourselves. Here are six of my favorite ways to invest in myself.

1. Buy books to help them grow in the craft.

This includes “serious” books like Cheney’s Get the Words Right to lighter but still very useful fare such as Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty.

2. Buy books in their genre.

Few things get the imagination motor running more than reading books in your genre. During last year’s World Series, a reporter found Steven King sitting in the stands. King is a baseball fan. Those around him held hot dogs and drinks; King held a book. He was reading between plays. He went on to talk about how great the book was. People like King and Dean Koontz devour books.

3. Buy books not in their genre.

To keep your creativity and imagination from becoming ingrown, read books different from what you right. If you specialize in fiction, then read some nonfiction. If you’re a book person, read magazines. If you write romance, read suspense. Doing this will exercise the mind and broaden your horizons.

4. Go to the movies.

Movies are acted short stories. Having a story play in front of your eyes will jumpstart your thinking. I have had many ideas come to me while watching a movie—ideas that have nothing to do with the movie. Being immersed in a creative medium helps me stay on my creative edge.

5. Nap.

Yup, I said nap. Creative thinking is hard work. Working at a computer tires the eyes. I prescribe the occasional nap. Several writers have told me they have a sofa or easy chair in their office just for this purpose. They don’t sleep the afternoon away, but a fifteen minute snooze revitalizes them.

6. Attend a writers conference.

Specifically, the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. (Admit it. You knew this was coming.) Few things move a career along better than good writing classes led by experienced faculty, hanging with other writers, and getting away for awhile. It is a true investment.

How do you invest in your writing? Can you add to my list?

Al

Forecast: Brainstorm

 

brain·storm [bráyn stàwrm]

noun (plural brain·storms)

brilliant idea: a sudden, exciting idea (informal)

(Encarta Dictionary)

 

Yesterday, while chatting with a friend online, I said, “I thought about you while I was in the shower.” Granted, I could have started that conversation a little better. Fortunately, my friend knows me well enough to look beyond my literary foibles and continued the conversation. My unfortunate blunder was meant to say, “Something you said got me thinking.” It just so happens the idea came to me while I stood in the shower.

 

Those moments are often called a brainstorm—the sudden arrival of a worthwhile idea. Writers train themselves to be open to such wonderful intrusions. These ideas arrive without warning and can sometimes be jarring. I have entertained ideas while driving, eating, sleeping, staring out the window, and working in the woodshop (when I had time to work in the woodshop). Every time an idea flies into my head and roosts on my brain, I get a thrill. I’ve learned that there are certain areas where ideas spring forth fully formed: the shower, in movie theaters, during sermons (even if I’m preaching the sermon), and Starbucks. I’m sitting in the latter while I write this and I just finishing a forced brainstorm.

 

What’s a forced brainstorm? I’m glad you asked. Writers are creatives. We are an odd, eclectic people who only feel alive when we’re creating. Creativity is a muscle. For centuries creatives have called upon the muses. A muse is one of the Greek goddess of the arts. That’s Greek mythology. Writer mythology says a creative can’t do his or her work until their muse arrives. There’s an ancient Greek word for that: baloney (technically, baloneyos).

 

Professional writers have no time to wait on the whims of the muse. We track them down, grab them by the collar, and force them to sit on the keyboard. One way to do this is to brainstorm—not wait for a brainstorm—create one.

 

To my right is a note pad. When I sat down in my favorite Starbucks’ chair, I began to jot down notes with no idea where it would lead me. I also looked at notes from previous brainstorm sessions. As always, I found things that are no help at all. That’s okay. When one mines for gold, one must move a lot of dirt. What matters is getting my brain to let loose of all the good ideas it’s been hiding in my subconscious. I don’t know about your brain, but mine is stingy.

 

When was the last time you set a date with a blank piece of paper? When did you last scribble your way to a great idea? If it’s been awhile, then schedule a date with a notepad. Don’t try to be a genius—try to be a conduit of ideas. Give your brain the freedom to pour out good and bad ideas. If I write down twenty-five concepts and only one is good, I feel like I got off easy. Conjure up as many dreams as possible and feel free to throw away as many as needed. Let your brain storm.

 

Al Gansky

Forecast: Brainstorm

 

brain·storm [bráyn stàwrm]

noun (plural brain·storms)

brilliant idea: a sudden, exciting idea (informal)

(Encarta Dictionary)

 

Yesterday, while chatting with a friend online, I said, “I thought about you while I was in the shower.” Granted, I could have started that conversation a little better. Fortunately, my friend knows me well enough to look beyond my literary foibles and continued the conversation. My unfortunate blunder was meant to say, “Something you said got me thinking.” It just so happens the idea came to me while I stood in the shower.

 

Those moments are often called a brainstorm—the sudden arrival of a worthwhile idea. Writers train themselves to be open to such wonderful intrusions. These ideas arrive without warning and can sometimes be jarring. I have entertained ideas while driving, eating, sleeping, staring out the window, and working in the woodshop (when I had time to work in the woodshop). Every time an idea flies into my head and roosts on my brain, I get a thrill. I’ve learned that there are certain areas where ideas spring forth fully formed: the shower, in movie theaters, during sermons (even if I’m preaching the sermon), and Starbucks. I’m sitting in the latter while I write this and I just finishing a forced brainstorm.

 

What’s a forced brainstorm? I’m glad you asked. Writers are creatives. We are an odd, eclectic people who only feel alive when we’re creating. Creativity is a muscle. For centuries creatives have called upon the muses. A muse is one of the Greek goddess of the arts. That’s Greek mythology. Writer mythology says a creative can’t do his or her work until their muse arrives. There’s an ancient Greek word for that: baloney (technically, baloneyos).

 

 Professional writers have no time to wait on the whims of the muse. We track them down, grab them by the collar, and force them to sit on the keyboard. One way to do this is to brainstorm—not wait for a brainstorm—create one.

 

To my right is a note pad. When I sat down in my favorite Starbucks’ chair, I began to jot down notes with no idea where it would lead me. I also looked at notes from previous brainstorm sessions. As always, I found things that are no help at all. That’s okay. When one mines for gold, one must move a lot of dirt. What matters is getting my brain to let loose of all the good ideas it’s been hiding in my subconscious. I don’t know about your brain, but mine is stingy.

 

When was the last time you set a date with a blank piece of paper? When did you last scribble your way to a great idea? If it’s been awhile, then schedule a date with a notepad. Don’t try to be a genius—try to be a conduit of ideas. Give your brain the freedom to pour out good and bad ideas. If I write down twenty-five concepts and only one is good, I feel like I got off easy. Conjure up as many dreams as possible and feel free to throw away as many as needed. Let your brain storm.

 

Al Gansky

 

 

 

 

 

Dis and Dat

I hope everyone had a stellar St. Paddy's day. My wife and I went out for our annual corned beef and cabbage dinner. It tasted fabulous. The best I've had. Of course, I gave her a history lesson about the meal not originate in Ireland but in the US and how it  helped feed poor and discriminated-against Irish emigrants. Bless her heart, she acted like it was the first time she had heard it. She'll probably do the same next year.

The conference is fast approaching. I bring this obvious bit of news to your attention to seek your continued prayers for the conference and the faculty. Our conference is distinctly Christian in approach and content. We are dependent upon the spiritual support provided by conferees and faculty.

This is a good time for me to encourage those of you who have yet to register to do so as soon as you're able. I know it's a tough economic time (boy, do I know), but this investment in your writing future shouldn't be missed. You can register by clicking on the registration link in the column to the right. You can register by phone or over the Internet. Easy-peasy.

Oh, and don't forget about our critiques and contest (click link on right for info).

Now, a question for you. After the Bible, what book or article has most caused you to think? I mean, really think.

All the best,

Alton Gansky

PS. In writing this brief blog, I just learned that there is a difference between emigres and emigrants. Man, I love words.

The Wide World of Writing

I’ve just sent off a freelance project for a client. It was a major rewrite that proved challenging and enjoyable. I spent weeks reworking a novel for the head of a major nonprofit. No sooner had I hit SEND launching the work to the client for review, than I switched gears to a screenplay (that I’m a little behind on). I’ve also just finished a proposal for a nonfiction book. Yes, I’m tired, but that’s not my point.

It occurred to me that over the last few months I’ve worked on a novel, a nonfiction book, and a feature film script; three very different things. While sitting on the sofa watching television, I noticed all the magazines I’ve scattered around the living room. (Yes, my wife is a saint.) I love magazines. I like the format and the content. I enjoy television and often take notice of the writing. I do the same thing with movies.

All of this reminds me how wide the world of writing is. Many writers try to focus on one type of writing. Some write novels and only novels; others write devotions and nothing but devotions. Still others focus on articles or longer nonfiction. Some do nothing but short stories, or book reviews, or blog posts, or any of a hundred styles of word-crafting.

What do you write?

Did a single word come to mind? If so, I want you to think about what other kind of writing you could do. The oldest maxim from the business world is: Think outside the box. Many of our faculty write across the borders of our craft. I’ve met writers who have created everything from children’s books to suspense novels. Isaac Asimov wrote or edited over 500 books. He wrote novels, essays, histories, short-stories, textbooks, and popular books on science. He even wrote humor pieces.

Not everyone can be as versatile but most writers are more versatile than they think. When I first began my pursuit of publications, I assumed I’d be writing articles and nonfiction books. I wanted to write a novel but assumed it was beyond my reach. The first thing I wrote that saw ink was a book review of Calvin Miller’s The Table of Inwardness published in Moody Monthly. I then wrote a small (and badly written) article for Your Church magazine. That article reappeared in another publication. My next work to see print was a—novel.

Think outside your box. You may find skills you didn’t know you had.

Two questions: What are you writing now? What would you really like to write? They may be the same thing. If so, then great. If not, then take a chance on something new.

 

Alton Gansky

 

Six Words

When I teach at conferences, I sometimes challenge my students to do something that seems at first impossible: write a story in just six words. I became aware of this sometime ago in a Wired magazine article. Long before the Wired challenge, Ernest Hemmingway wrote, "Baby shoes for sale, never worn." He said it was the best thing he had ever written. 

Here are a few more examples:

Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?

--Eileen Gunn

Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please.

--Steven Meretzky

We kissed. She melted. Mop please!

--James Patrick Kelly

The baby's blood type? Human, mostly.

--Orson Scott Card

To save humankind he died again.

--Ben Bova

He read his obituary with confusion.

--Steven Mertzky

You get the idea. Some are funny; others are thought provoking. Care to play? Post your six word story here. It can be funny, dramatic, spiritual, thought provoking, whatever your creative mind comes up with. Here's mine:

Al blogs about game--thousands play.

Alton Gansky

Annoyance at 32,000 feet.

I just returned from spending a better part of the week in Florida teaching at a conference. It was great fun. It also left me a bit weary. Those of you who have traveled from the Left Coast to the Right Coast know the three hour difference can throw off a person's biological clock. Every time I do this (as I will for out conference in North Carolina) I play a game: Find the west coast people. It's easy really. Those who live on Pacific Time are easily identified not by the bags in their hands but those under there eyes.

Perhaps that is why I spent part of the return flight mulling over something of no importance. I flew from Orlando to Dallas/Fort Worth where I changed planes. After a two hour drive to Orlando, an hour and a half at the airport, and two hours in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, I was in the mood for some mental stimulation. I had already read Time and Newsweek but articles about the failing economy didn't didn't cheer me as much as I hoped. Unfortunately, the airline I flew didn't offer an in-flight movie or even a place to plug in my Bose headset for a little music. Truth is I planned poorly.

After a quick trip to the tiny room at the back of the aircraft (my cat's litter box is larger), I started back to my seat. That's when I noticed it. Five words had been stitched into fabric of every seat and position so every passenger had to stare at the phrase. Just five words in all caps: FASTEN LAP BELT WHEN SEATED. After I was seated again, I took special note of the phrase. Why? Because it bugged me. Perhaps I felt surly because I hadn't received my tiny bag of peanuts and new none were in the offing, but the phrase began to get under my skin. I stared at the words. I had to. They were on a few inches from my face.

FASTEN LAP BELT WHEN SEATED.

I read it a few hundred times, then it hit me: When else would I fasten my lap belt. FASTEN LAP BELT WHEN STANDING didn't make much sense. Of course I'd fasten it when I was seated.

Now you must understand: some writers like me have no life. A normal person wouldn't notice such things, but I did. I began rewriting. FASTEN LAP BELT WHILE SEATED. Nope, not much better. Okay then, how about, FASTEN LAP BELT WHENEVER SEATED. Ah, much better. Still...it seemed a little stiff. I also doubted that an airline company that makes its passengers go peanutless for hours at a time isn't likely to pony-up for the extra four letters in my suggestion. It was this last observation that made me throw away FASTEN YOUR STUPID LAP BELT OR WE'LL UNLEASH THE DOGS.

Writers know that when a sentence doesn't measure up, the best thing to do is take a word or two out, but that gave me pause. The simplest approach is, FASTEN YOUR LAP BELT, but then had images of people rising from their seats to use the litter box, er, restroom and fastening the seat belt over an empty seat. That leads to FASTEN LAP BELT AROUND YOU. "Aw nuts," I said, then retracted it. I'd have to pay for them.

One part of my brain wanted to argue the more existential things like, "What's the difference between a lap belt and a seat belt?"

I gave up, pulled my lap belt snug, and drank a ginger ale.

Al