The Most Interesting Thing: Plugging into the Creative Outlet

“Find your creative outlet and plug into it. Otherwise, you may just short-circuit.”

 --Giuseppe Bianco

Has your creative writing outlet ever short-circuited? Mine has. That's when I must plug into a different outlet. From the time I was three years old, I've had a favorite creative outlet--the piano. Maybe I mentioned it before, but I composed music most of my life. The delicious feel of smooth ivory had always been my go-to outlet whenever I need an emotional release.

Two years ago I sold a much-loved piano because I believed writing children's fiction had replaced that need. BIG MISTAKE. 

Though this move to Colorado has brought me much happiness, it has also coincided with a motherlode of writing angst. The intense desire to plug into my beloved musical outlet grew more and more intense with each passing day. But I no longer had a piano. So I pouted. Then I prayed.

Last weekend an ad showed up in the local paper under FREEBIES. See the beautiful 1908 Cable & Nelson grand piano I received? Isn't she lovely? Once she settles into her new home and gets the loving care of a technician, I'll be plugged in again. Yay!

Do you writers have other creative outlets? What are they? Please share. 

The Most Interesting Thing: First Draft Garbage

"It is perfectly okay to write garbage--as long as you edit brilliantly." - C. J. Cherryh

For all of you partaking of the insanity known as NaNoWriMo, I salute you. No one says you have to write 60,000 fabulous words, right? But you will have to edit those words some day and I wish you much success in making them as brilliant as our Colorado sunrises. 

Revising. That's what I'm working on this month. Revising a much-loved first draft that I haven't touched in six months. I spent three days working out the problems on the first page. Garbage? Yep. Most of the first chapter ended up in that pretty little silver icon on my laptop's dock. My goal is to revise this 45K novel by the end of the month. I tend to draft sparsly, so I'll most likely be adding scenes and many new words as I shuffle through this story. 

Whatever it is you're working on this month, I wish you success. 

Are your first drafts garbage?

The Most Interesting Thing: Clubbing for Inspiration

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London

Lately I've been feeling uninspired. I've been working on various projects, but because of "recent events that shall remain nameless" my enthusiasm has waned. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up one of these mornings and feel that spark again. But as Mr. London said, I can't wait around for inspiration, I must go after it with a club. So what am I going to do? I'm going to grab that club and beat the heck out of the snide monster inside my head that's stealing my creativity and joy. I'm going to set goals. I'm going to read more books. I'm going to reach out to all of you for help. Please remind me of all the reasons I should not give up!

How do you go after inspiration with a club?

The Most Interesting Thing: Am I Annoying You?

"If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing."--Kingsley Amis

Speaking of annoying, have you met my little green buddy Ace Hansen ? If you're daring, you'll follow him on Twitter . He'll pester you, but maybe he'll make you laugh. And yes, he truly is annoying. 

Have you written a book that has the potential to annoy people? I have. Several. And I'm proud of them. Last year I had the privilege of being at a conference with one of my favorite authors, Laurie Halse Anderson. In her keynote address, she dared us children's writers to go forth and disturb the universe. I love to write disturbing things. Shocking things. But there's a fine line between disturbing and annoying. And when we annoy, we run the risk of bombardment by huge balls of criticism. Can we handle that?

What do you think of Mr. Amis statement? Do you hope to annoy somebody with your writing? Do you dare to disturb the universe?

The Most Interesting Thing: When to Send

"Manuscript: something submitted in haste and returned at leisure." - Oliver Herford

Okay, okay. I know this antelope has nothing to do with submitting manuscripts, but we saw her yesterday and DH snapped her picture and I just couldn't resist posting her here. ^_^

So the BIG question that all of us face, whether we're newbies or oldbies: when is our WIP ready to be queried, or sent to our agent, or sent to an editor, or ready to go to print? I've said it before and I'll say it again: I could revise a manuscript every day for a hundred years and still find ways to make it better. Maybe I exaggerate, a little, but seriously, that's how I feel. So when do you let it go? Mr. Herford teaches a very important lesson in his humor. We never want to send our manuscripts in haste, right? And how many of us have stories of having done just that?

***Angelina raises her hand***

So my dear writers, how do you know when your sparkly novel is ready to be sent?

The Most Interesting Thing: Is Your Routine Lethal?

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It's lethal."--Paulo Coelho

For the past couple months I've been living one great adventure after another. And I love it. For me Mr. Coelho's words are dead on. Routines kill me. 

"But what about writing routines?" you may ask.

I do believe in a good writing routine, but sometimes that writing routine can turn into a deep writing rut. Then what? I have to change the routine. Change the kind of stories I write. Change POVs. Change tense. Change where I write. Change when I write. Change something. Change keeps my writing alive. What about you?

How do you keep your routine from becoming lethal?

A Great New Tool for Your Writerly Toolbox

In her first non-fiction mini-book, Denise Jaden explores the stages and outlets of grief and how to implement them into your fiction to create more interesting characters and a more engaging plot. Some topics of this book include: grieving before the loss, spiritual matters, and how grief affects different ages, personality types and gender.

                                                                                                                                                                    

Advance Praise for WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART:

"Jaden's Writing With A Heavy Heart is a must-have for any writer's craft shelf. The combination of clear guidance and practical exercises allow writers to take their manuscripts to a deeper level."

- Eileen Cook Author of Unraveling Isobel and The Almost Truth

"Writing With A Heavy Heart absolutely nails the grieving process. I love the exercises included, because, to me, they make the whole thing a tangible help in applying it to a work in progress."
- Janet Gurtler, author of If I Tell and Who I Kissed

"Writing With A Heavy Heart has a lot of really good insights on grief and suggestions on how to incorporate them to fiction."
- Lee Strauss, author of The Perception Series

"Jaden's Writing with a Heavy Heart helped me add layers to my characters who experience loss. The tools provided in this piece make it practical in my writing projects."
- Cindy Callaghan, author of Just Add Magic and Purses, Palaces and Photographic Proof

                                                                                                                                                                         

Where can you get your hands on a copy?

The paperback version is available through Amazon. (The price is $6.99)

The e-book is available for $2.99 at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Sony