myWriteClub: A Fun Accountability Site

So once upon a time, I was looking for a website with NaNo-like word progress functionality available during non-NaNo months. And there was nothing out there, and I was sad. 

Until recently! When I stumbled across this fabulous writer accountability site called myWriteClub. 

As of right now, myWriteClub is still in beta, so not all of the features are up and running quite yet. That being said, even in beta version, it’s been really fun to play around with.

Like NaNoWriMo, myWriteClub allows you to make projects with goals, then has a little progress chart as you progress through your goal. The chart looks like this (or at least, mine did when I wrote this):

myWriteClub also allows you to follow people, who can then follow you back and see your progress. And because writers are awesome, we cheer each other on and it can be a really nice motivational boost to have lovely people tell you you’re doing great. :)

What’s really cool about the site is you can customize each of your projects and goals to your needs. You set the word count goal, the deadline, the name of the project, etc. and if you need to adjust it, you can.

In the future, myWriteClub plans to have word sprints organized within the site, so you can race your friends and see their progress in real time as you sprint, which I think is completely amazing and I’m super looking forward to that feature going live.

For more information, check out myWriteClub’s about page. 

All in all, I’ve had a really positive experience with myWriteClub so far, and I look forward to using it more in the future. If you join, definitely let me know and feel free to follow me!

Have you tried myWriteClub? 

Twitter-sized bites:

Writers! Looking for NaNo-like progress charts & accountability? Here's why @Ava_Jae suggests trying @my_write_club. (Click to tweet)  

Have you tried @my_write_club? Here's why one writer says you may want to give it a shot. (Click to tweet)

Guest Post: The Myth of Normal

Photo credit: Lil Larkie on Flickr

Normal people are weird. 

Normal people: in our definition, anyone who is not either writing a book or talking about writing one while attending every Con in the proximity of 500 miles. All those accountants, stockbrokers, engineers, car mechanics, and (God love ‘em) the people who clean your hotel room. Someone who does not know what a TARDIS is, or the proper way to address Elven royalty.

They are the ones who ask us to take out the trash while we are furiously, tearfully trying to finish that chapter that we’ve been agonizing over for the last week. We chain ourselves to our keyboards, pouring our souls into a story that will change lives, and they loudly ask when we’re getting a real job.

Sometimes we don’t like normal people.

And we let it show. We make barbed comments about them on social media. We avoid coming into contact with them whenever possible. We treat them like an inferior species, a lower rung in the evolutionary process. Because we are Writers, and they are normal people who cannot possibly understand or appreciate the complex workings of our lofty and inspired minds.

I thought this way once. I still struggle with thinking this way. But I’ve come to a realization in recent years, as I’ve come to know the people around me a little better.

There is no such thing as a Normal Person.

Writers, artists, and creatives are not the only people who feel insecurity and self-doubt. Or anxiety, or inadequacy, or crushing loneliness. We are not the only ones who feel like we don’t fit in.

Basically, everyone is a little bit weird. They’re just weird in different ways. And because we don't “get” each other's weirdness, we slap around labels like “artsy hippie-ish weirdo” and “boring engineering major weirdo.”

I’ve read so many books and blog posts talking about how you shouldn’t be apologetic about your writerly needs or idiosyncrasies, that the people around you need to come to accept and understand you as you are. And I agree with that. But how often do we try to accept and understand the people around us?

We as writers and creatives have a tendency to burrow away from the rest of humanity. It’s partly fear, partly an elitism complex, and often because we have been legitimately hurt by “normal people” who don’t understand how our minds work. But can I just say that I think burrowing is one of the worst things a storyteller can do?

Because we’re not just writing stories for other writers. We’re also writing for all those accountants, stockbrokers, engineers, and burger-flippers, those quirky, messed-up bundles of human weirdness. And if we don’t understand those people—what turns them on, what makes them tick, what makes them cry—we’re not going to write stories worth reading.

So go find some normal people. Get to know them. You may need them way more than you think.

Braden Russell is an aspiring author and music instructor who writes weird speculative fiction from his wilderness home in Oklahoma. You can find him blogging about writerly things at his website The Storymonger.

Twitter-sized bites: 

.@Story_Monger reminds us "we’re not just writing stories for other writers" on @Ava_Jae's blog. What do you think? (Click to tweet)  

If we don't try to understand others "we're not going to write stories worth reading." (Click to tweet)

Guest Post: Not So Fast

Photo credit: CarbonNYC on Flickr

I think it’s safe to assume we’ve all heard about not comparing ourselves to other writers. 

And for the most part, I think I do an okay job. Oh, sometimes, the envy bug bites and I think, If only I could write something that amazing. But I shake it off with reminders that just like I can't tell that author’s story, the same is true for me—no one can tell mine.

What I want to talk about today though, is comparing not the story, but the speed. When I hear of writers hammering out a draft in a month, I want to pull out my hair. Or maybe pull out their hair. Yes, I know, that’s low of me. ‘Cuz the fact of the matter is that I am a slow writer. I am the tortoise in this race. Except…is it really a race?

Sometimes I feel like it is. I have tons of story ideas rattling around in my brain. They all want to be told, all want their time in the lime-light of my computer screen. But here’s the thing: It takes me a year to get one story out. And that’s completely written and only so-so revised.

I don’t want to be sixty and writing a story that I conceived when I was twenty-five. And despite the urgency of telling myself this, I can't make my brain compute the words any faster. Oh, I can get better at time management skills (I can, I can!) but any attempts to dash words onto the page for the sake of speed just results in a steamy pile of word blubber that needs extensive revision time. Trust me, folks, it’s not pretty. Nor readable.

I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that it's okay if I'm a tortoise and not a hare. This is my style, the way I write. I need time to find the right combination of words to show that snarky interaction between characters, yet with an undercurrent of attraction. To find the best words to describe the belly-flipping fear of being thousands of feet in the air with the hard, hungry ground waiting below (pretty sure when I get done writing my aerial acrobatic novel, I'm going to be terrified of heights).

All this isn’t to say that I don’t want to become better at writing more quickly. I do. My goal is to eventually work that year down to six months with practice and determination. Because even if the tortoise isn’t quick, it never stops moving forward. It gets there, friends, and that's what is important. 

Leandra Wallace is an IN girl w/a love for vanilla in her pop, old buildings, ampersands, and sparkly things. She can be found blogging weekly at www.leandrajwallace.blogspot.com and on Twitter @leandrajwallace.

Twitter-sized bites: 

.@leandrajwallace talks coming to terms with her writing speed on @Ava_Jae's blog. What do you think? (Click to tweet) 

Just how important is writing quickly? @leandrajwallace discusses coming to terms w/ her process on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)  

Vlog: 5 Writer Problems

It's Tuesday! And I have a vlog!

I thought it might be fun to talk about some problems writers frequently have. Or at least I sometimes have and assume other writers have too. Anyway.

Enjoy!



What writer problems would you add to the list? 

Twitter-sized bite: 

Writer @Ava_Jae vlogs about five problems writers often have. Have you experienced any of these? (Click to tweet)

Guest Post: The Importance of Layers

Photo credit: @Doug88888 on Flickr

A workshop discussing how to pitch your book to Hollywood was a big hit at RT14, but it got me thinking: how many of those books are truly ready to make the leap? Even if the concepts are commercial and the characters castable (meaning the roles are juicy enough to attract good talent), is there enough material there to sustain a film or television series?

“I need someplace to take the characters,” said a successful screenwriter friend when we discussed adapting books for episodic television. “What are the main characters’ dark sides? What are their Achilles’ heels? How do you inspire a writers’ room to find fresh stories to tell about a character’s psyche season after season?”

The answer, of course, is giving your characters layers that a screenwriter can gradually peel away. It doesn’t require an info dump, or even going beyond what most of us do already. Those complex breakdowns many of us write for our characters are the only road map you need. What are their hopes, dreams, and flaws? What do they love, hate, and fear? Dig deep, and give your characters secrets that will subtly or not so subtly influence their dialogue and actions, depending on how far down those secrets are buried.

To illustrate, a character in my current manuscript is a rule follower, one who is driven to always do the honorable thing. That’s not a bad trait in a hero, but he becomes a cartoon character if there is nothing beyond a sense of honor motivating his actions. Only I know of the shame that informs his every move, one that will be slowly revealed. He will never come out and say, “I do X because of Y,” because this isn’t a story of a guy in therapy. But hopefully, if I plant the seeds correctly and compellingly, both my readers and a potential screenwriter will sense the darker dimensions that simmer beneath his shiny exterior.


Kes Trester is a former feature film development executive and television commercial producer. Her (hopefully) soon-to-be published YA thriller 7 DAYS is currently under option for a television series. She is represented by Dawn Frederick of Red Sofa Literary. Check out her website at www.kestrester.com and you can find her on Twitter (@kestrester) as well. 

Twitter-sized bites: 

Do your characters have layers? @kestrester discusses why it's so important on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)  

.@kestrester says "Give your characters secrets that'll...influence their dialogue & actions." Thoughts? (Click to tweet)

On Writing Flashbacks

Photo credit: NativeBacon on Flickr

It’s been a while since I’ve answered an e-mail with a blog post, probably because most of the time I’ve already blogged about the topic, but every once in a while one of you fabulous readers points out a topic I haven’t covered. Yay! 

Today's lovely e-mail is...

My question is what is your opinion about flashbacks? When and when not should you use them-or should you use them at all? And what should you do and not do?  

Some people I have talked to said that they dislike using and reading flashbacks, but I have found that I cannot get rid of the flashbacks without completely changing the story, and making longer than I wanted.

Flashbacks! So this may actually surprise you guys, but I actually like flashbacks…to a point. 

As with most writing-related topics, the key is balance. I think, depending on the situation, flashbacks can serve as a really great way to show some background information without info-dumping, particularly because the whole point of the flashback is to show the action. I tend to use flashbacks in my own writing quite a bit for that purpose. 

However, if you’re not careful, you can definitely overdo it. 

I’ve compared stylistic elements in writing to spices in a stew in the past, and I definitely consider flashbacks one of those stylistic spices. A dash of flashbacks here and a splash of flashbacks there can be a super effective way of revealing information about our characters backgrounds in a way that feels immediate and interesting. Too much of it, however, and the flashbacks lose their effect and the rest of the manuscript can drown in nostalgia. 

So when should you use flashbacks? Personally, I think the best use of flashbacks are to reveal a very significant event in your character’s life in a way that feels as important and immediate as the rest of the plot. These should be events that the readers need to know to really understand the plot and your characters. It also needs to be an event that your character remembers, assuming you’re not writing from an omniscient POV. 

So, for example, your protagonist’s birth is probably not going to be a good flashback because a) if we’re in your protagonist’s POV, they’re not going to remember it and b) it’s probably not an event significant enough to flash back to. PROBABLY. I mean, there are always exceptions, but anyway. 

An example of a potentially good flash back is a traumatic event from your protagonist’s background—one that has relevance to the plot, of course. 

Basically, when thinking about writing flashbacks, you want to ask yourself, is this event/information absolutely vital to the plot? and is this the most effective way to show this information? If you answer “I don’t know” or “no” to either of those, you may want to do some more brainstorming before jumping into a flashback. 

So there you go! Keep your flashbacks balanced, don’t overdue them and make sure they’re vital to the plot, and I say happy flashbacking. 

Do you use flashbacks in your writing? How do you feel about writing or reading them? 

Twitter-sized bites: 

Do you use flashbacks in your writing? Writer @Ava_Jae shares some tips for making them effective. (Click to tweet)  

How do you feel about writing or reading flashbacks? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet) 

How to Set Up Writing Goals in Scrivener

One of my favorite aspects of NaNoWriMo in my pre-Scrivener days was it’s ability to calculate how many words you needed to write a day to complete your NaNo goal. This was something I’d always calculated by hand before, so to find a program that did the math for me? Awesome.

You can imagine, then, my joy upon discovering that the very same auto-calculate feature is on Scrivener for Mac. Except it’s a tad bit better, because you can customize it to your needs.

Unfortunately this feature, as of this writing, is still a Mac-only feature. But my hope is this will someday change and I’d guess that when it does, the process will be pretty similar. So.

For my Mac friends with Scrivener! Here’s how to set up your very own writing goal within the program:

1. Go to Project > Show Project Targets.
   
   
   
2. Select the word goal (highlighted in blue) and type in your word count goal for your manuscript.
   
   
   
3. Go to “Options…”
4. Select your deadline.
   
   
   
5. Check “Automatically calculate from draft deadline.” 
6. If you won’t be writing every day of the week, choose what days of the week you plan to write on.
7. If you want to write on the day of your deadline, make sure that’s checked off. 
8. Click OK.

And that’s it! Now every time you write, you can check how many words you need to keep to your goal by looking at “Show Project Targets” (which is under the Project menu, in case you forgot). And at midnight, it recalculates every day (assuming you did step 5) to keep you on target.

I especially love the auto-calculation, because when you miss a day, it adjusts for you so you can easily see what you need to do to make it up over time. And on the other side, when you write more than you need to, it’s pretty gratifying to see the number of words you need to meet your goal slowly decrease over time. :)

UPDATE (6/20/14): I've been told while Windows doesn't have the full functionality shown above, it DOES have a project target section that allows you to set a word goal. So everything before Step 3 works in Windows. Yay!

Do you use this feature on Scrivener? 

Twitter-sized bite: 

Do you have Scrivener for Mac? Writer @Ava_Jae shares how to set up your writing goals within the program. (Click to tweet)