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	<title>If You Give a Girl a Pen... &#187; Guest Bloggers</title>
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		<title>Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey</link>
		<comments>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:04:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://giveagirlapen.com/?p=2287</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Read. It. Aloud. Confident (overconfident, perhaps) in my narrative skills, until recently I had never followed a piece of advice that I’ve heard and sometimes given. To read your manuscript aloud. I have now learned the value of this simple technique. I’ve also seen the suggestion to listen to your writing with text-to-speech software, but [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Read. It. Aloud.</strong></p>
<div>Confident (overconfident, perhaps) in my narrative skills, until  recently I had never followed a piece of advice that I’ve heard and  sometimes given. To read your manuscript aloud. I have now learned the  value of this simple technique. I’ve also seen the suggestion to listen  to your writing with text-to-speech software, but I haven’t tried that,  and don’t know that you’d get the same benefits as reading it aloud  yourself.</p>
<p>Now, I’ve advised writers to read aloud as a way to sense whether or not  the narrative they’ve crafted is doing the job of being compelling or  not. I came to this because many of the submissions I get on my blog,<a href="http://www.floggingthequill.com/" target="_blank"> Flogging the Quill</a>, fall considerably short of that mark because they  open with backstory, or you-need-to-know-this-to-understand info  dump.</p>
<p>My thought there was that if you’re reading your manuscript aloud and  your mind starts to wander, that’s a sure sign of a narrative that has  bogged down and is taking the reader nowhere. This happens to me when  I’m reading such a manuscript silently, but I can see how a writer might  not be able to do that with his own work, and it made sense that  reading it aloud could help them become aware of pacelessness.</p>
</div>
<div><strong>I think it’s a difference in how our minds process</strong></div>
<p>In reading words and sentences to pronounce them out loud, we use  additional parts of our brains, and I think that’s what makes us more  aware of the actual content of the sentences than when we’re reading  silently. Necessarily, there’s a tighter focus, too, and less tendency  to skim and skip.</p>
<p>As I mentioned, I hadn’t been in the practice of reading my stuff aloud.  I now regret that I haven’t been. This epiphany is due to creating <a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=78974569&amp;msgid=963513&amp;act=H8VA&amp;c=374324&amp;destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwrrriter.podOmatic.com" target="_blank">podcasts</a> for my latest novel, <a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=78974569&amp;msgid=963513&amp;act=H8VA&amp;c=374324&amp;destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vampirekittycat.com%2F" target="_blank">The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles</a>. The manuscript  was copyedited by a reasonably sharp-eyed colleague who performs that  function for the university where I work. It was read by my sharp-eyed  English-major wife. And I read it again and again and again before  publishing it, both in manuscript form and in book form.</p>
<p>Yet reading it aloud has uncovered at least a dozen typos and other  linguistic mistakes. Argh! Despite all the care and attention, there  they embarrassingly were. I’m almost finished with the podcasts, and  will load a revised version into the POD supplier, Lightning Source,  when I’m done. Because it costs $40 for me to make that change, current  copies purchased will have glitches in them. (Maybe they’ll become  collector’s items—<a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=78974569&amp;msgid=963513&amp;act=H8VA&amp;c=374324&amp;destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FVampire-Kitty-cat-Chronicles-Ray-Rhamey%2Fdp%2F0615261884%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1262610929%26sr%3D1-1" target="_blank">get your copy from Amazon today!</a>)</p>
<p>On the other hand, there’s a good chance the errors will go unnoticed.  After all, they escaped the beady-eyed gazes of people who were on the  alert for goofs. I also think that the nature of the narrative is a  factor. There’s plenty of humor to distract you, not to mention seeing  the world through a cat’s eyes, and fast-paced action that becomes quite  involving. Readers (not all, it does have its critics) speed through  the story, constantly racing forward to find out what’s going to happen  next in the madcap tale. I like to think that, in a way, quality of  storytelling is the culprit.</p>
<p>The goofs have primarily been just that—goofs. A typo now and then. A  word out of place. Once a description that didn’t make a whole lot of  sense.</p>
<p>Here’s an interesting sidebar: I use contractions in the narrative quite  a lot, partly because it’s in first person. However, in reading it  aloud for the podcast recording, I found that the rhythm and sense of  the words play better when the contractions revert to whole words. I’m  not going to change them in the typeset narrative, but, when I record, I  find myself de-contracting the contractions more and more.</p>
<div><strong>So now I’m reading another one aloud</strong></div>
<div>I’m still working on getting my <em>We the Enemy </em>story ready  for publication (I just rewrote the opening and some key parts thanks to  the input of a beta reader&#8211;thanks, Jami), and now I’ve embarked on  reading it aloud, though not for recording.</div>
<p>And guess what—I’m finding a word missing now and then, some hidden  echoes, and other glitches that have not been seen by the same crew that  missed those in vampire kitty-cat—the wife, the editor, and myself.  Just this morning I found a line that had a character finishing a  beer—only I’d cut the earlier reference to him having one! Argh!</p>
<p>(I’m still interested in finding beta readers for this book. Here’s ad  copy I’ve composed about We the Enemy: “Madmen, madchildren, and  criminals kill us with terrifying firepower. Revolving-door law spits  felons back onto streets uncaught, unreformed. But maybe there are ways  to change. A gripping ride in a unique speculative thriller that sparks  thought.” If you’d like to give it a read and give me feedback, email me  at ray at ftqpress dot com.)</p>
<p>On the positive side, I’m still confident of my narrative ability. I’m  finding that the prose reads well and is involving, and doesn’t need  much in the way of revision—but I am also seeing ways to clarify now and  then, which means a better read. This reinforces the lesson I learned  with the kitty-cat novel—storytelling and writing craft abilities aside,  my ability to get it right is only 98 percent accurate. Read it aloud. A  valuable and humbling lesson learned. I’m going to do it with the other  WIP that’s been “finished” for years, Finding Magic.</p>
<div><strong>If you think this advice doesn’t mean you . . .</strong></div>
<p>I ignored this advice for years, to my detriment. So why not do this?  Take a couple of chapters of something you feel is polished and tight,  right now, and read them aloud. If you don’t discover anything,  excellent. But it you do . . .</p>
<p>For what it’s worth.</p>
<p><a href="http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Ray-Rhamey.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-2288" title="Ray Rhamey" src="http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Ray-Rhamey-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a></p>
<div>
<p>Ray Rhamey is a writer and editor, and has made his living through  creativity and words for a few decades now. As a writer and then  creative director in advertising, he rose to the top tier of the Chicago  advertising scene, then left it to try screenwriting.</p>
<p>In 2001 he launched editorrr.com (now<a href="http://www.floggingthequill.com/" target="_blank"> FtQ Edits</a>), and have clients  from the Pacific Northwest to Lebanon. He&#8217;s been a member of the  Editorial Freelancers Association and the Northwest Independent Editors  Guild, and a member/board member of the Pacific Northwest Writers  Association and the Seattle Writers Association.</p>
<p>On the writing side, he&#8217;s had novels represented by a literary agent,  although he&#8217;s currently seeking a change in representation. Ray&#8217;s written  five novels that range from literary fantasy to a coming-of-age  mystery.</p>
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<div class='bookmarkify'><a name='bookmarkify'></a><div class='title' title='Use these links to share this page with others'>Bookmark This</div><div class='linkbuttons'><a href='http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey&amp;title=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey' title='Save to del.icio.us' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[del.icio.us] ' /></a> <a href='http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&amp;url=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey&amp;title=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey' title='Digg It!' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Digg] ' /></a> <a href='http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey' title='Save to Facebook' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Facebook] ' /></a> <a href='http://www.kirtsy.com/submit.php?url=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey' title='Save to kirtsy' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[kirtsy] ' /></a> <a href='http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?c=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey&amp;t=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey' title='Save to MySpace' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[MySpace] ' /></a> <a href='http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey&amp;title=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey' title='Reddit' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Reddit] ' /></a> <a href='http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey' title='Save to Squidoo' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Squidoo] ' /></a> <a href='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey&amp;title=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey' title='Stumble It!' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[StumbleUpon] ' /></a> <a href='http://technorati.com/faves?add=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey' title='Add to my Technorati Favorites' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Technorati] ' /></a> <a href='http://twitter.com/home/?status=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey+http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey' title='Save to Twitter' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Twitter] ' /></a> <a href='http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailFlare?itemTitle=Guest Blogger: Ray Rhamey&amp;uri=http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/guest-blogger-ray-rhamey&amp;loc=en_US' title='Email this to a friend' onclick='target="_blank";' rel='nofollow'><img src='http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png' style='width:16px; height:16px;' alt='[Email] ' /></a> </div></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Try writing the ending first&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/how-to-start-writing/try-writing-the-ending-first</link>
		<comments>http://giveagirlapen.com/how-to-start-writing/try-writing-the-ending-first#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:00:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Editing and Revising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Getting Started]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://giveagirlapen.com/?p=2101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Who says that you you have to write chapter to chapter?  Have you ever been stuck up to the knees in the linear process of creating your story? Sitting staring at the same chapter for weeks unable to move forward even though you know where the story needs to go? I recently discovered the ability to break this [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><strong> </strong>Who says that you you have to write chapter to chapter?  Have you ever been stuck up to the knees in the linear process of creating your story? Sitting staring at the same chapter for weeks unable to move forward even though you know where the story needs to go? I recently discovered the ability to break this stagnation by jumping ahead in the timeline.  I found it to be an excellent way to refresh the creative flow as well as an fun adventure when &#8220;sewing&#8221; the pieces of the story together.</div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Emily Sage lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her two “furry” children.<span> </span>She is a self proclaimed “student of the universe” although she is getting her formal training as an English major at Salt Lake Community College. She has been published in her school’s literary magazine.<span> </span>She has written mostly poetry and short stories until she was inspired to write the first book in the <em>DreamScape</em> trilogy.<span> </span>She is currently working on the second book in between working full time and finishing her degree.</span></div>
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		<title>Research, it&#8217;s all about learning</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/research-its-all-about-learning</link>
		<comments>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/research-its-all-about-learning#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Research]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://giveagirlapen.com/?p=2077</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear readers, It’s been such a busy month! My new book, It Happened On Night, came out on November 1, and the reviews have been fantastic! Lately I’ve been doing a lot of my writing at a café not far from my apartment. There’s no free WiFi (it’s a per hour service) but not being [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dear readers,</p>
<p>It’s been such a busy month! My new book, It Happened On Night, came out on November 1, and the reviews have been fantastic!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a rel="attachment wp-att-2078" href="http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/research-its-all-about-learning/attachment/ithappenedhalforiginalsize"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-2078" title="ItHappenedHalfOriginalSize" src="http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ItHappenedHalfOriginalSize-192x300.jpg" alt="ItHappenedHalfOriginalSize" width="192" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>Lately I’ve been doing a lot of my writing at a café not far from my apartment. There’s no free WiFi (it’s a per hour service) but not being attached to the internet while I’m writing keeps me from getting distracted by things like Twitter and email. PLUS I’ve been doing a lot of research for a third book, which is set in a coffee shop. It’s win-win-win all the way around.</p>
<p>People often want to know how I incorporate my research into my writing without making it seem clunky or distracting. While writing <em>It Happened One Night</em>, I was fascinated with wildflowers—the folklore about them, how they got their names, the special characteristics that each flower has. I knew I wanted to write a book set at a wildflower farm, so I spent a lot of time reading about flowers.</p>
<p>As a result, each chapter of the book begins with a little bit of trivia about a different flower—and the trivia is actually a symbol for the action. For example, the book’s “dark moment” takes place in December. At first I thought—“Oh no. What wildflower am I going to be able to use for the winter months?”</p>
<p>But as it turns out, the flowers made it easy for me. There’s a summertime roadside plant, called common mullein, that looks a lot like a thick, tall rod or pipe. The ancient Romans used to dry out the plant, then soak it in fat and store it. During the dark nights of the year, they could use mullein as a torch to light the way. My hero and heroine, in their dark moment, find their own bit of light to keep them going.</p>
<p>Anyway, it was a blast researching wildflowers and now I’m having just as much fun learning about the history of coffee—which is wildly over the top and fascinating.</p>
<p><strong>SO TELL ME: What do you like learning about: food, history, science, culture? One random winner will receive a free copy of my first book <em>Simple Wishes</em>. </strong></p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Lisa Dale</p>
<p><a href="http://www.lisadalebooks.com/">www.LisaDaleBooks.com</a></p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-2081" href="http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/research-its-all-about-learning/attachment/lisa_dale_pic"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-2081" title="lisa_dale_pic" src="http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lisa_dale_pic-150x150.jpg" alt="lisa_dale_pic" width="150" height="150" /></a>A lifelong bookworm, Lisa Dale is a firm believer that there are few things in life better than curling up with a novel and a cup of tea. Lisa Dale grew up in rural Northwestern New Jersey before attending McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. She worked briefly in publishing before going back to school to get an MFA in fiction at Fairleigh Dickinson University. A nominee for Best New American Voices and the Pushcart Prize, her writing appears in many literary magazines, such as <em>Fourth Genre, Flyway, Fugue, Sou’wester, The Southeast Review, The MacGuffin, Many Mountains Moving, </em>and more.</p>
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		<title>Your Antagonist</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/your-antagonist</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Characters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Antagonist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ariel Ceylan]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Every person who is familiar with stories whether they are movies, comics, or books know of the antagonist.  The antagonist is usually the &#8220;bad guy&#8221; in the story, and without the antagonist there is no story. As a writer, it is important to never forget this important line about antagonists, &#8220;They are people too&#8221;.  This [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every person who is familiar with stories whether they are movies, comics, or books know of the antagonist.  The antagonist is usually the &#8220;bad guy&#8221; in the story, and without the antagonist there is no story.</p>
<p>As a writer, it is important to never forget this important line about antagonists, &#8220;They are people too&#8221;.  This is probably the most important maxim that a writer must live by other than &#8220;show don&#8217;t tell&#8221;.</p>
<p>I put together a list of things to keep in mind while creating the most crucial character in your book.</p>
<p>1) <strong>Who is the antagonist?</strong><br />
Like building any other character, one must create a detailed history of the antagonist.  The financial background, family life, favorite food, etc.</p>
<p>2) <strong>Why is the antagonist antagonizing the protagonist?</strong><br />
What is the ulterior motive?  Did the &#8220;good guy&#8221; in the novel make fun of the &#8220;bad guy&#8221; in high school?  People don&#8217;t just do things, there is a logic behind everything that is done, whether it is sound or not.</p>
<p>3)<strong> Give the antagonist a weakness.</strong><br />
No one wants to read a book that the antagonist completely overwhelms the protagonist, making no hope or point in the plot.</p>
<p>4)  <strong>Make sure that the antagonist has a soft-spot</strong><br />
Does the antagonist have a thing for fluffy bunnies?  Make sure to keep in mind that the antagonist is a person.</p>
<p>5) <strong>Is there a chance at redemption for the antagonist?</strong><br />
As a writer, it is imperative to be clear of the antagonist&#8217;s strengths, failings, and heart.  Does the antagonist deserve redemption?  Remember that this will not be in the eyes of you as a writer, but in the eyes of the protagonist.  The protagonist has the power to offer the &#8220;bad guy&#8221; a second chance if the &#8220;good guy&#8221; is really good.  Of course, the ball will then be in the &#8220;bad guy&#8217;s&#8221; court, whether he or she will accept the offer.</p>
<p>6) <strong>Don&#8217;t be afraid to let the tables turn</strong><br />
Let the story run its course when writing without cramping the style of the characters.  They may shock you with what they have done in their past and will do with their new experiences.  Be open to having a role reversal or having the reader understand the antagonist.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing in creating an effective antagonist is remembering that they are not just objects that make life more difficult for the protagonist, the antagonist is a real person.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #ff00ff;">Ariel Ceylan</span></h2>
<p><a href="http://ceylanthewriter.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://ceylanthewriter.wordpress.com/</a></p>
<p>Ariel is a seventeen-year-old girl, a senior in high school, that has published her first book on September 24<sup>th</sup>, 2009 through Xlibris, a self-publishing company.</p>
<p>Along with writing, Ariel Ceylan hopes to become a psychiatrist or a neurosurgeon.</p>
<p>Ariel Ceylan is a Girl Scout, a Gold Awardee, a People to People Student Ambassador, and a member of Girls’ State.  In her spare time, she loves to write, draw, sew, and create computer programs.</p>
<p>Her book is entitled The Tales of Whithith: The Assignment.  This book is about Zephyr, a Sorcerer-in-Training who is given an assignment about the mythology of the world he lives in.  Zili is a Warrior who is on a mission to build a watcher-group to monitor the worlds in case anything should happen to them&#8230;</p>
<p>Her book is available on Barnes and Noble, online as well as on Xlibris’ website.</p>
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		<title>These Things are Bound to Happen</title>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anica Lewis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bound to Happen]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s talk about inevitability.  Okay, let&#8217;s talk about it in a way that doesn&#8217;t make me sound like a funeral director.  Inevitability:  When it comes to writing, it&#8217;s a good thing.  You want it.  But it&#8217;s not always as easy to get as the name implies. When the events and actions in your story are [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let&#8217;s talk about inevitability.  Okay, let&#8217;s talk about it in a way that doesn&#8217;t make me sound like a funeral director.  Inevitability:  When it comes to writing, it&#8217;s a good thing.  You want it.  But it&#8217;s not always as easy to get as the name implies.</p>
<p>When the events and actions in your story are inevitable, they are exactly what should happen &#8211; what would happen &#8211; given your setting and characters.  They are consistent with all previous events and all character motivations.  They flow naturally from what has come before.  They are the opposite of contrived.  This enables readers to stay immersed in the story.</p>
<p>The funny thing about inevitability is that, when done well, it&#8217;s nearly invisible.  When it&#8217;s done poorly, people notice.  (It&#8217;s a bit like spelling in that way.)  Readers pull back from the story, beginning to think in words like <em>unrealistic</em> and <em>illogical</em>.  They wonder how likely it is for a person to recover from a twenty-story fall but for remaining blind in one eye.  They ask themselves how a mage with the power of flight could be stranded on an island.</p>
<p>The above are over-the-top examples, but this is the basic breakdown of events:  <em>A</em> leads to <em>B</em>.  If someone asks why <em>A</em> leads to <em>B</em>, there is usually a &#8220;plot&#8221; answer, which tends to be either, &#8220;Because <em>B</em> needs to happen,&#8221; or, &#8220;Because <em>B</em> would be really dramatic/funny/thematically relevant.&#8221;  But there had better be an in-story answer, too.  Otherwise, you may have one of the following problems.</p>
<p><strong>Reality Check</strong><br />
Here, <em>A</em> is an event that causes <em>B</em>, another event, such that <em>B</em> is independent of character motivation.  This eliminates one potentially tricky element, but sometimes your plot (or super-cool action sequence, or what-have-you) falls prey to that dastardly scourge, realism.</p>
<p>Let me point out right now that I write fantasy.  Obviously, when I say <em>realism</em>, I don&#8217;t mean that readers will drop your story because werewolves &#8220;don&#8217;t make sense&#8221; or &#8220;wouldn&#8217;t really happen.&#8221;  A better term in this case might be <em>consistency</em>, but that&#8217;s because consistency defines realism within your fictional world.</p>
<p>Whether you&#8217;re talking about something that happens in real life or something fantastical, it needs to obey the rules of your world.  If you&#8217;re writing realistic fiction, those are the rules of the real world, making it that much easier to research.</p>
<p>On to the example.  Our <em>A</em> is a twenty-story fall; our <em>B</em> is the loss of vision in one eye.  Likely?  Not especially.  While it is a writer&#8217;s prerogative to have fun with unusual cases, you do have to make sure that you&#8217;re not talking <em>impossible</em> cases.  Luckily, the fix is pretty straightforward.  Either change <em>A</em> or change <em>B</em>.  Figure out which is more important to the plot.  Either Ed has got to take the plunge, even if that means more serious consequences (like, um, death), or Ed needs to be blind in one eye, in which case you might start thinking more along the lines of &#8220;tragic running-with-scissors accident.&#8221;</p>
<p>Note:  Screenwriters get some leeway on reality because it&#8217;s easier to make people suspend their disbelief when the thing that shouldn&#8217;t be happening <em>is</em> happening, visibly, right in front of them.  That, and, when you&#8217;ve got a killer special-effects budget, &#8220;It would be awesome!&#8221; tends to trump, &#8220;But it breaks all the laws of physics!&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Once More, with Motivation!</strong><br />
Here, <em>A</em> is a situation, and <em>B</em> is a character&#8217;s reaction.  Sometimes, your plot begs for a reaction that simply makes no sense &#8211; it&#8217;s out of character, or sometimes just plain dumb.  There&#8217;s little more frustrating to a reader than seeing a character do something obviously meant to move the plot.  I myself have a special angry face for characters who are unnecessarily helpless, not doing everything in their power to prevent or fix things that they really want prevented or fixed.</p>
<p>Motivation is often more complicated than regular reality.  To know whether an action is in character, you have to keep in mind backstory, as well as what the character knows and is feeling when s/he takes the action.  Remember that your reader, too, should know about whatever is justifying the action.  Since <em>A</em> here is a whole situation, it encompasses both an event that affects a character and the internal world of that character.</p>
<p>Example time!  Let&#8217;s call our mage Milly.  Milly Mage*.  Milly is bad news.  She once tried to conquer the world, but was stopped and marooned on an island.  After ten years, she escapes by stowing away on an unlucky ship whose captain didn&#8217;t know enough to avoid the dot on the map labeled, <em> Island of Milly, Who Will Totally Kill You</em>.  She then goes on a rampage, destroying cities, wreaking dire vengeance, etc.  Our protagonist finds her, initiating an epic battle in which Milly takes to the air using her magic before Patty Protagonist delivers the final smackdown.</p>
<p>Here, <em>A</em> is a situation in which Milly is stranded on an island, given that we also know that Milly is a vengeful mage with the power of flight.  <em> B</em> is Milly&#8217;s reaction &#8211; not leaving the island until ten years later, when she has the opportunity to stow away on a ship.</p>
<p>Dealing with motivations puts a twist on the change-<em>A</em>-or-change-<em>B</em> solution.  The choice is now, &#8220;change the character or change the plot.&#8221;  Some people would rather let their characters run free and see what happens, even if the result is not the <em>B</em> they expected &#8211; maybe Milly escapes the island right away, or else decides to build an evil base there.  Others will adjust <em>A</em> by tinkering with Milly&#8217;s backstory or abilities &#8211; maybe she can&#8217;t fly long without a rest, or maybe she actually likes living on the island until the ship arrives with sailors who cut down her favorite palm tree.  <em> A</em> and <em>B</em> do not perfectly parallel character and plot &#8211; for example, you can change the initial situation by tweaking plot.  If you made it clear that Milly acquired her ability to fly after her escape, then that changes <em>A</em> as we&#8217;ve determined it above.</p>
<p>In my examples here, the flaws are obvious.  You know that you don&#8217;t want to mangle the laws of nature (whatever they are in your world), or make your characters act in ways that don&#8217;t make sense.  Sometimes, though, these things are subtle.  You want every little occurrence in your story to follow smoothly, to have readers saying, &#8220;Of course!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Inevitability&#8221; is a term I got from my parents, who are both visual artists.  They use the word to describe a look that they hope to achieve in their work &#8211; a look that makes people accept the work as a whole, that says, &#8220;This is the way it is.&#8221;  For writers, it&#8217;s a quality that means readers don&#8217;t have to worry about what should happen or what could happen, and are free to trust your story as what <em>does</em> happen.</p>
<p>*Or Annie Antagonist, if you like that better.  Ed, from the first example, is properly named Edward Expendable.</p>
<p><strong>Anica Lewis</strong><br />
Anica writes YA fantasy, though occasionally straying as far as nonfiction.  She has published several short stories, mostly humorous fantasy.  Her shingle hangs <a href="http://www.anicalewis.com/" target="_blank">http://www.anicalewis.com</a> and you can read one of them <a href="http://www.spindlejournal.org/artists/alewis.html" target="_blank">http://www.spindlejournal.org/artists/alewis.html</a></p>
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		<title>People Watching for Character Development</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/people-watching-for-character-development</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Characters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shelby Rachel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://giveagirlapen.com/?p=1926</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It doesn’t matter if you have the most unique and interesting story on the planet if your readers can’t connect with your characters. Think of the books you love most; the ones you gently stroke as you walk past your bookshelf. As I write this, one book in particular comes to mind – I Know [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It doesn’t matter if you have the most unique and interesting story on the planet if your readers can’t connect with your characters. Think of the books you love most; the ones you gently stroke as you walk past your bookshelf. As I write this, one book in particular comes to mind – <em>I Know This Much is True</em> by Wally Lamb. When I finished reading this rather lengthy novel I felt as though I had lost a good friend. I lied awake missing him like he had just gone off to war and I might never see him again.</p>
<p>The character I’m referring to is a middle-aged man with anger issues and I’m&#8230; well, none of those things. It was the realness of this character; the raw truth of his story and the often brutally honest, sometimes vulgar soaked thoughts that brought his story to life and into my world, permanently etched into my memory. This effect is a major goal, but not one that’s always achieved so easily.</p>
<p>When I’m having trouble getting into the minds of my characters or struggling to picture them in my story, I go people watching. This is one of the most fun and enlightening writing exercises you can do. If you’re just starting out go anywhere, a coffee shop, a park or just take a ride on the bus. If you already have a character outline think of the places your character would go and the type of people they would associate with and go to those places, watch those people.</p>
<p>Wherever I go I notice little things about people that can lift characters off the page. I used to take the subway to work and somehow always ended up a few seats behind this guy with a buzzed haircut who always kept a short pencil behind his ear. He never carried anything with him except a black lunchbox and once or twice a trip he would take the pencil from behind his ear and twirl it between his fingers then put it right back. Every day I would try to figure out what this guy did for a living – I was intrigued. What an odd character I would think.</p>
<p>There are people who dance as they walk; the ones you always assume to be listening to music, but guess what – lots of them aren’t! Some people wear spandex when it’s obvious they’ve never worked out a day in their life; some feel that it’s perfectly acceptable to let a pregnant woman stand while they sit comfortably in handicapped seating. Some shake their foot out of nervousness while others read books with covers on them so no one can see what they’re reading (and yes this drives me crazy because I always want to know what people are reading!).</p>
<p>Sometimes a simple hand gesture or tattoo on someone’s shoulder can spark a whole new story idea or create a character that your story is missing.</p>
<p>I just read an interview with Jennifer Aniston in the newest issue of Elle and she says when she thinks about a character she thinks about the shoes. “What kind would she wear? How would she walk in them? If I’m going to put on a dress for a role – I don’t care if it’s the hardest dress to put on – I have to put the shoes on first”, she said.</p>
<p>This can be a great place to start with people watching. Find your character’s shoes and then look up to find your character.</p>
<p>Everywhere you go there will be interesting people in varying shapes, sizes and personalities, and by simply sitting back and watching sometimes, you can give your characters those true human elements that make people feel like they know them, relate to them and miss them once they’re gone.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #ff00ff;">Shelby Rachel</span></h3>
<p><span style="color: #ff00ff;"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1969" href="http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/people-watching-for-character-development/attachment/shelby-rachel"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1969" title="Shelby Rachel" src="http://giveagirlapen.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Shelby-Rachel-150x150.jpg" alt="Shelby Rachel" width="150" height="150" /></a><br />
</span></p>
<p>Shelby graduated with a degree in Media Studies and a diploma in Journalism from University of Guelph-Humber. She was trained in broadcast, radio and print media, and completed her internship as an Editorial Assistant at Outpost Magazine in Toronto.</p>
<p>As an Editorial Assistant she was responsible for copyediting, fact-checking, rewriting and writing small articles. Shelby had a number of articles published in Outpost and once her internship was finished she stayed on as a freelancer for a few issues.</p>
<p>She has taken on freelancing as a fulltime career and loves what she does more than she ever thought possible. The majority of her work has been ghostwriting blogs and articles for companies both small and large for the purpose of driving traffic to their business websites and expanding their clientele.</p>
<p><a href="http://shelbyrachel.com/" target="_blank">http://shelbyrachel.com/</a></p>
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		<title>Notation</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/notation</link>
		<comments>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/notation#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tamesha S. Hawkins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://giveagirlapen.com/?p=1872</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Tamesha S. Hawkins Writing is breath… Catharsis wrapped in self-reliance and possibility Write because it doesn’t make since not to It is adjuvant in the development in personhood Without the written word The body lies on a bed of discontentment Rigor mortis in thoughts Blood siphoned The ink that kept everything flowing Without the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>By <span style="color: #ff00ff;">Tamesha S. Hawkins</span></h3>
<p>Writing is breath…</p>
<p>Catharsis wrapped in self-reliance and possibility</p>
<p>Write because it doesn’t make since not to</p>
<p>It is adjuvant in the development in personhood</p>
<p>Without the written word</p>
<p>The body lies on a bed of discontentment</p>
<p>Rigor mortis in thoughts</p>
<p>Blood siphoned</p>
<p>The ink that kept everything flowing</p>
<p>Without the lingual quill</p>
<p>Nothing moves forward</p>
<p>Writing is breath…</p>
<p>Because when you give a girl a pen</p>
<p>You make an honest woman out of her</p>
<p>Breathing honesty with every page</p>
<p>Creating the mogul, maverick, the majestic</p>
<p>Many solutions</p>
<p>Many powers</p>
<p>Many things needed to keep consciousness spinning on its axis</p>
<p>Writing is breath…</p>
<p>The pulse for the beating heart</p>
<p>The tissues used to coddle muscles</p>
<p>Swaddle the capillaries not to be vain</p>
<p>Throbbing with creativity</p>
<p>Writing births new ideas</p>
<p>New beginnings</p>
<p>New essences from scratch</p>
<p>Without it</p>
<p>Nothing moves forward!</p>
<p>Tamesha S. Hawkins is an author, actor, vocalist and PBGP Slam Champion for 2009. She has written &#8220;Sugar Lumps and Black Eye Blues&#8221; (2007), &#8220;Confectionately Yours&#8221; (2009) and is the creator of &#8220;Cipher This&#8221; for PMZ Magazine!. A lover of the arts, Tamesha will continue to expand her knowledge by producing her first play &#8220;Beginning with Molasses&#8221; then she will be traveling to Japan to perform poetry. For more information: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tameshashawkins" target="_blank">www.myspace.com/tameshashawkins</a> or become a FAN on Facebook!</p>
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		<title>Writing, part of my soul</title>
		<link>http://giveagirlapen.com/guest-blogger/writing-part-of-my-soul</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tes Hilaire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://giveagirlapen.com/?p=1836</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A year ago I was a dreamer.  Words poured from me like a river, characters bloomed along their banks, and plot was carved from the swift waters.  My stories were beautiful. The kind of beautiful that you imagine seeing on some pretty post card or calendar scene that you looked at with a Mona Lisa [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A year ago I was a dreamer.  Words poured from me like a river, characters bloomed along their banks, and plot was carved from the swift waters.  My stories were beautiful. The kind of beautiful that you imagine seeing on some pretty post card or calendar scene that you looked at with a Mona Lisa smile and thought, <em>I want to go there</em>. Yup, those were my stories: rich in content, full of life, refreshing in their originality and never-ending in their possibilities.</p>
<p>Or so I thought…</p>
<p>See, a year ago, I stopped dreaming and decided to DO.  My stories had become too big for me.  The worlds I created were so vast that I found I was lonely.  I needed people to share them with. They had become as much a part of me as the color of my hair, the way I laughed, or my love for my family. I needed to write.  I wasn’t <em>me</em> unless I did. It was my breath, my life-giving water. When I wrote, penning words to paper, I knew: writing was part of my soul.</p>
<p>It’s hard to expose your soul.  But, for me, no harder than it had been to hide it away.  And I did. I bit the bullet, and on the advice from a recently published author I knew, I went to RWA nationals.  I bumbled through my first ever pitch session, wandered wide-eyed from workshop to workshop, and then came home at the end of the exhausting week, looked at my stories, and cried.  My tone was off, my prose meandering, my POV unclear.  My beautiful novel was out of focus and cookie cutter typical.  Hallmark picturesque, maybe? No, the cheap 99c greeting card with the bad painting on them.  Those were my stories.</p>
<p>I almost gave up right then and there.  Obviously I didn’t, as I’m here blogging on an aspiring author page. See, some good things also happened at nationals, two of which were that I met the best critique partner ever (Erin Kellison, whose books <em>Shadow Bound </em>and <em>Shadow Fall</em> will be coming out next summer, WOO HOO!), and I came away filled to the brim with new knowledge: how to construct an engaging plot, how to self-edit, how to find your voice, how to, how to, how to DO.</p>
<p>So I did.  I tore into my babies, ripping away the fat, molding what was left, filling the gaps, polishing, polishing… I wrote.  Even when it hurt. Even when I had to drag the words out of me. I wrote. And wrote. And wrote.</p>
<p>I’m still not there.  I still have a long way to go.  With nine RWA chapter finals under my belt, a semi-finalist in ABNA, a PRO status with RWA (that means you’ve been rejected by someone in the publishing industry at least once, in my case way more than once), and three completed and polished manuscripts (two of which are playing the great waiting game on editor and agents’ desks) I know I haven’t made it yet.  But, see, that doesn’t matter.  Because I still dream, but now, when the going gets tough, I also <em>do</em>.  I am a dreamer.  I am a <em>writer</em>.  And one day I’ll be an author, too.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #ff00ff;">Tes Hilaire</span></h2>
<p><a href="http://www.teshilaire.com/" target="_blank">http://www.teshilaire.com/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.teshilaire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://www.teshilaire.blogspot.com/</a></p>
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		<title>Writer&#8217;s Block</title>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amy Hourigan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writer's Block]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a seasoned one, you’ve been there: You’re typing away, or perhaps staring at a blank page, fingers poised over the keyboard, when suddenly you’re crippled by a debilitating case of writer’s block. You might have a chapter due, a feature deadline looming, a press release to dash off, or [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a seasoned one, you’ve been there: You’re typing away, or perhaps staring at a blank page, fingers poised over the keyboard, when suddenly you’re crippled by a debilitating case of writer’s block. You might have a chapter due, a feature deadline looming, a press release to dash off, or pitches to make. The point is, you’ve got stuff to do, but nothing’s flowing. You’re stuck. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">It happens to all of us. When it does, it can make you want to scream in frustration and throw your notes, computer and various other writing implements out the window. Or at your husband. Take a deep breath. I’m going to share a few hard-won secrets with you. Over the years, I’ve discovered that pushing through a block rarely helps—I just waste time and my blood pressure goes haywire—but these tips do the trick: <span> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></p>
<ol style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Read a few paragraphs of      really great writing</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">, preferably in the area you should be writing about. For me, if      I’ve got an environmental piece due, this could be Daniel Esty and Andrew      Winston’s <em>Green to Gold, </em>a clear, extremely well-written tome on      corporate environmental responsibility. If I’ve got a press release to      finish, I might check out some recent entries on PR Newswire. If I need to      write a humor piece, <em>Bridget Jones’ Diary </em>by Helen Fielding      inspires me every time. If I’m stuck in general, I might grab one of      Abigal Thomas’ memoirs, or Strunk and White’s <em>The Elements of Style. </em>Good      writing always gets me in the mood to write again. </span></li>
<li><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Get outside. </span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Sometimes just sitting on a      bench or under a tree for ten minutes, closing my eyes and breathing      deeply acts like mental Drano, clearing out the sludge in my head. I try      not to think about work. I relax. I breathe in. Breathe out. I remember that      no block lasts forever. </span></li>
<li><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Break a sweat. </span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">If you’re truly stuck, set aside      your work and go for a brisk walk. If you’re really, truly stuck, run.      Exercise always clears away the clutter, especially when I turn up the      volume of my iPod and let the Talking Heads or Rolling Stones or even,      gulp, cheesy Madonna sing in my ear. More often than not, what I’m working      on gets written in my head as I’m pounding the pavement, and I come home      and like what I write.</span></li>
<li><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Get organized</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">. Step away from your desk. Organize      your notes. Staple like pages together. Sharpen your pencils. Toss      highlighters that no longer highlight. Make folders. Label them. Fill      them. File them. Vacuum your office, neaten your piles, stack your books.      Even better? Move your desk. Change the position of your monitor. Buy a      plant or five. Write your deadlines on a calendar. Ahh. Don’t you feel inspired? </span></li>
</ol>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">As for the opposite of writer’s block—inspiration—keeping a pen and paper handy at all times is a must. The only thing more frustrating than writer’s block is constructing a great piece of writing in your head only to forget it. (One of best lines from late comedian Mitch Hedburg goes something like this: “I write jokes at night in bed in my hotel room. If I don’t have pen and paper nearby, I then have to convince myself that the shit I thought of ain’t funny.”)<span> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">I also find that my writing goes measurably better when I get to it first thing in the morning, before the day’s clutter works its way into my brain. I get up, eat a healthful, light breakfast, and go right to work. (I beg my kids to feed the dogs and hermit crabs on work days.) And it goes without saying that your writing will flow better when you’re well rested, sticking to a healthful diet (nothing clogs my brain more than a syrupy, fatty French toast and salty home fry diner fare (yum!)) and getting in some exercise daily. And, sorry Hemingway, writing also goes better when you’re sober. Good luck. </span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Amy Hourigan</span></h2>
<p><span style="color: #888888;">Amy Hourigan, Freelance Writer and Editor<br />
Member, The Society of Environmental Journalists</span></p>
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		<title>Writing Down the Nerves</title>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Guest Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Liza Salerno]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing Down the Nerves]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Sitting in a thirteen year old car with limited air conditioning, parked next to a chain link fence in an industrial center an hour before a networking interview isn’t terrible as long as you find shade. An uncomfortable highway driver, I left early enough to ensure plenty of time for possible missteps during the 70 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sitting in a thirteen year old car with limited air conditioning, parked next to a chain link fence in an industrial center an hour before a networking interview isn’t terrible as long as you find shade. An uncomfortable highway driver, I left early enough to ensure plenty of time for possible missteps during the 70 minute trip, bringing along a book to read if I did make it early.</p>
<p>My current educational literature is Natalie Goldberg’s <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Writing Down the Bones</span> which comes with short, compelling chapters. I hoped she’d calm my nerves while I waited to meet with the President of a not-for-profit mental health service provider who may have future project work for me. Thankfully, Natalie did relax me, although not as anticipated. Flipping though the pages, I wondered if I’d have enough focus to read, but it turns out it didn’t matter, because she directed me to sit there and write instead. I usually bring a steno pad with me wherever I go and I took it out after reading:</p>
<p>“Try writing under different circumstances and in different places. Try trains, buses, at kitchen tables, alone in the woods leaning against a tree, by a stream with your feet in the water, in the desert sitting on a rock, on the curb in front of your home, on a porch, a stoop, the back seat of a car, in the library, at the lunch counter, in an alley, at the unemployment office, at a bar in a wooden booth, at the airport, in Texas, Kansas, or Guatemala while drinking a Coke, smoking a cigarette, eating a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.”</p>
<p>Natalie didn’t include: “Write to calm your nerves before an employment interview,” but she could have, and I did. At her suggestion, I pulled out my pen, and in my mindset, the limbs poking through the fence twisted their leaves like worried hands in the hot breeze. I wrote about the laughing squeals of the children climbing the jungle gym in the playground at the daycare center at the back of the office, and how the building was covered in orange bricks with two rectangular windows that peered like eyes etched with brown liner. I described the freshly painted spaces and the smell of hot tar on the recently sealed lot, and the sound of a bird with a call that has been familiar to me since childhood but whose name I’ve never known.</p>
<p>Then I got down to it and wrote how the buzz of the high tension wires crossing above the asphalt could have been emanating from me. Taking measured breaths I wrote a reminder to myself that I have plenty to offer&#8211;at which point my eyes drifted to the seat beside me and I began to detail my three-ring zippered leather case holding plastic sheathed samples of newsletters I wrote in my old job, advertisements I facilitated, and my most recently published pieces. That portfolio is new.  I pulled it together last week&#8211; evidence of my past accomplishments and who I hope to become together in one professional binder&#8211;and while I documented those contents, the hour galloped past. At five minutes before eleven, I swapped flip-flops for shoes, pulled on my linen blazer, walked through the building entrance, and up two flights of steps.</p>
<p>Thanks to Natalie Goldberg, high tension wires outside were the only things left vibrating as I adjusted my shirt and smoothed my blazer, grasped the door handle and announced myself to the receptionist.</p>
<h1><span style="color: #0000ff;">Liza Carens Salerno</span></h1>
<p><em>Liza Carens Salerno is a freelance writer and former corporate professional whose position was eliminated in an economic downsizing.  Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe Magazine, Adoptive Families Magazine and Writer’sDigest.com.  She has spent the last several months focusing on her writing, and blogs at </em><a href="http://www.middlepassages-lcs.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><em>www.middlepassages-lcs.blogspot.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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        <p style="margin:0;">Sarah is writer looking for an agent. She is currently working on novel # 4, editing novels 2 and 3, and querying novel # 1. For more insight to her work, visit: <a href="http://legendoftheprotectors.wordpress.com/" title="http://legendoftheprotectors.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://legendoftheprotectors.wordpress.com/</a>   or <a href="http://legendoftheprotectors.wordpress.com/" title="http://legendoftheprotectors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://legendoftheprotectors.blogspot.com/</a> </p>
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