Back in 2015, I wrote a short story titled “The Pawn Shop of Intangible Things,” approximately 1500 words then, and approximately 1500 words now. I had a very clear inspiration, vision, and shape for this story almost from the get go.
It was about a mystical pawn shop, one where you could trade in intangibles such as emotion, memories, and ideas. The vibe I wanted to impart was something a la Twilight Zone and Welcome to Nightvale. Despite knowing how polarizing it was, I knew it had to be in second-person. Yes, second-person, where the pronoun of the story’s protagonist was the vague and strange and damning ‘you.’ I’ve always believed in the possibilities of second power narration. I did edit that first draft, mostly to make the beginning hook better and the ending clearer, with the core middle of the story, the part with the main character in the pawn shop, staying mostly untouched save for a few nips and tucks of language. A deadline for a lit mag that I believed the story would be a good for had a looming deadline, so I sent it off. I also sent it to my closest friend for feedback. The feedback bantered back and forth, and more from my own insecurities than my friend’s suggestion, I rewrote “Pawn Shop” in a much safer, more conventional third person perspective. I sent that third person draft off to a number of lit mags. Form rejections poured in. Then, that first magazine I applied to, the one where I had sent my rough, second-person draft, responded. They really liked it. The editors didn’t have room for it in the nearest issues, but they would like to consider for a future issue in 6 months’ time. I learned something in that moment about trusting my storytelling instincts. In the case of “The Pawn Shop of Intangible Things” third person could never catch the vibe, the aura, the strange-twilight-zone otherworldliness I was aiming for. All that spark, that clear-sighted inspiration I had the beginning of the project had been sanitized away for a version of a story that might tick off the correct checkmarks of conventional writing wisdom (don’t write in second person!), but lose everything that made it unique. While that initial interest and hold for further consideration from the first magazine didn’t pan out, I started sending out my second person draft again. I received plenty of form rejections, but I also received a number of personalized recognitions, more than I was getting for my other circulating stories and way more than I ever received for my third person draft of “Pawn Shop.” There were some almosts and some ‘we really liked it but it wasn’t the right fit for our magazine and/or issue at this time but we’re going to list it as an honorable mention.’ (No lie.) Two years later, in June 2017, I submitted said story to Baltimore Science Fiction Society’s Amateur Writing Contest. In August I received notification my story was a finalist. In September I learned I had won second place. On October 7, I got to go to a real life awards ceremony where I was invited on stage and had people shaking my hand afterwards like I was super important. The award from the Baltimore Science Fiction Society is not attached to publication when it comes to second and third place (but it had come with a nice monetary prize), meaning ‘The Pawn Shop of Intangible Things’ had yet to find a home to be published. However, it’s a winner. While second-person might be polarizing, might not be mainstream or conventional, and while I primarily write in third and sometimes in first, it was the right choice for telling this particular story. And winning, and getting those ‘almost’ personal rejections meant that there are people out there who are getting it, appreciating it, liking it. The moral of this story is… do not give up after a few rejections, or a few years of rejections. Taken feedback in consideration, but make sure that you are staying true to your instincts and be willing to take the unconventional risks. Ultimately the vision of a story is yours, and sometimes success and finding the people who ‘get it’ takes time, but taking time is worth. And while you’re waiting, keep writing.
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Here is a very simple but very effective tactic I use to overcome writer’s block, and it something I do by sidestepping and ignoring the boulder that has dropped down in front of me and blocked inspiration for my story.
Here’s the trick: Write something else. I usually have at least two, sometimes more, ongoing writing projects at a time. One very often has priority and the most of my attention, but the others are things I’m interested in and excited about as well. So, when one of my stories is giving me trouble, I hope on over to something else that day or two or a week, and then hop back to my priority story later. This is actually a wondrous case where ignoring the problem sometimes just… fixes it. Sometimes you really do just need some time away to think and breathe to figure out whatever was blocking you -- a plot point, a character motivation, just overwork on the same story -- and giving time away lets your subconscious surprise you with solutions when you're driving home from work or taking a shower or just about to fall asleep. (Isn’t it great how the human mind works?) Another benefit is that you are still writing even when the focus is off your main writing. All writing, even writing that’s never seen but by your own eyes, is good for your writerly life. It’s practice, it’s experimentation, it’s fun, and most importantly, keeps you writing juices flowing. So when writer’s block hits you, move on to write something else. If none of your ongoing projects are getting you jazzed, try starting something else. Maybe that little piece of whimsy that has been wiggling in your head to get out or that piece of self-fulfilling fanfic you’ve been burning to write. Heck, sometimes you have writer’s block for one story, because a new idea is demanding your attention like a screaming toddler. Give it attention and then it will stop! Writer’s block can be so frustrating and I, a perfectionist, find not being productive frustrating on top of that, so as long as I am writing something, I am much happier. So go one, flip between different writing projects and kill writer’s block with abundant productivity. Having writer’s block? Switch up the way you’re writing: typing, by hand, by dictation, by smoke signal…
For example, I primarily type on a computer when it comes to writing, but when I get stuck one of my surefire battering-rams to take out that writer’s block is to switch to pen and paper. When we change the method we are physically getting words down, we are also changing the process of our thinking. I’m a fast typer, so it is conducive to my thoughts coming in fast. When I’m blocked, it’s frustrating to sit at that screen with nothing to write. It takes me longer to write by hand, so usually by the time I finish up jotting down my current thought, another has already gotten to form. Because handwriting is harder to alter, I think ahead more to get the scene put in the correct order. Writing on a computer means I can jump around. Never mind that the notebook I’m writing in doesn’t have any internet connection to distract me. This is probably very individual depending on which method you usually write, and which methods are slower and faster for you, but I bet the principals will still apply. A change up from the norm will help jog some ideas loose.
For: Writers and others interested in writing, the publishing industry (traditional, indie, and self-publishing), book stores, and other parts of the book world as a whole.
By: “The Passive Guy” (a lawyer) This blog is a great aggregate, but personally-picked aggregate, of articles and news from around the web about publishing industry news, hot topics, and opinion pieces. Although the banner of the blog profess this space to be “A lawyer’s thoughts on authors, self-publishing, and traditional publishing,” I don’t see the blogger himself doing a lot blogging, but tends to offer. However, this blog is a very nice resource for keeping abreast with the publishing industry and writing business in many facets and from many angles. I believe it’s good for emerging writers to be aware of the economic climate around their work. Because the articles are handpicked (and not just everything with certain SEO tags) you can’t get too overwhelmed by browsing through it. Link Back when I was a book nerd in high school (as opposed to now, where I am a book nerd in my mid-twenties) and was researching career fields and different degrees in anticipation of attending college, I looked up what degree was needed to be a librarian. After all, working surrounded by books sounded absolutely ideal.
So when I looked up what degree you got to become a librarian, I was shocked to see you needed a Masters Degree in Library Science (MLS). This is sometimes also called a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) or a Masters in Information Science (MIS). This MLS requirement seemed like a lot for a job I wasn’t sure I wanted. I went to college and got my undergraduate degree in creative writing. My first job out a college was part time at a public library. I now work full time as a librarian. I do not have a MLS. So, what gives? Do you need a MLS to be a librarian, or not? The answer: yes and no. Let me explain. Make a Reading Goal
One of the best ways to succeed in reaching in an accomplishment is to set a goal. Not just a vague notion of wanting to ‘read more’ but something more definitive. Did you know you are more likely to accomplish your goal when you write it down? Come up with a measurable amount of what reading more means to you, whether it is in number of books or time spent reading. Your goal can be weekly, monthly, or yearly. The most popular way to track a reading goal out there is the goodreads yearly reading challenges, where you can pick a number of books you want to read. Once you make a goal, you need to make a plan on how you are going to achieve it. Below are some tips and tricks to make the most of your time and resources and the different forms of books to increase your reading. More Tips Under the Break For: Writers, Indie Publishers, Self-Published Writers, Writers thinking about indie and self publishing
By: Dean Wesley Smith, a career science fiction author and indie press publisher Hop on over to the ‘Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing’ page of Dean Wesley Smith’s website to get some advice from an author who has been in the publishing game for decades. He gives perspective that many advice givers on the internet can’t, because his comes from a wealth of experience. This is a combination of creative and business advice that has changed my perspective on the writing process and my potential publishing future. I regularly revisit this series of posts, and also have followed up by purchasing some of Smith’s writing advice books and checking out some of his youtube lecture series videos. As you will see, these blog posts were later arranged into books you can purchase, but Smith kindly left them up for visitors of his website for free. Furthermore, there is one series still (slowly) ongoing. You can also check his daily blog on his main page for other shared insight. Link to Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing Like many a book enthusiast, I love using goodreads to track and rate what I read. I especially love the yearly reading challenges that keep me on pace with reading throughout the busy year. When I was a child and teenager, I didn’t any external tracker to keep up my reading pace. However, once I got into college and then a post-college job and 20-something ‘what am I doing with my life’ stress, I found the challenge a great way to keep reading as a priority in my life.
My usual goal was 50 books. In 2015, I raised that to 60. (I read 68.) In 2016, I raised my challenge to 75. In 2017, I will be lowering my challenge. Why am I and Why Should You? When I focus on number of books read as my goal, I find myself shirking away from reading longer or more difficult texts due to how it will affect my pace. For example, I’ve been interested in giving Les Mis, the thousand page book, a shot for many years now, but I have not. This may be either a conscious or unconscious choice of your own, when reading to hit a target number of books. You resort to quantity with shorter or easier books. Now, there is certainly a lot of great shorter works like novellas or faster reads like graphic novels that should be mixed in your year of reading. As a children’s librarian, I read a good deal of children’s middle grade novels for my own professional development (and interest, there is some great work in that genre). So, let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with a short read, and they can indeed be of great entertainment and artistic quality. On the flip side, I believe we should use the goodread challenge, other internet challenges, and new year’s resolutions to do exactly what is in the name. Challenge ourselves. Stretch ourselves. Resolve to do better. I am at the point that I know I can get a large number of books read in a year on top of my other obligations and interests, so my real challenge this year is to try tackling the larger, challenging books that have been on my mental to-read list. When I was an undergraduate earning a creative writing degree, we were challenged in a literature class to define what made literary fiction... literary. A classmate's hand shot into the air. “Sad endings” he said to the amusement of the class. And followed was a rousing debate about the definition of literary fiction. I don’t remember the end conclusion. Perhaps that is one of those unanswerable questions.
Although that question or similar was probably proposed in many classes during my educational career, I remember this class in particular. It was a comic book and graphic novel literature class. So, all in all, a pretty cool class. We learned about the history of comic books and graphic novels and read examples of different genres, from superheroes to manga to memoir to informational, but also some literary graphic novel fiction. These literary graphic novels didn’t have sad endings. They had ambiguous endings. There is a lot said about sad endings and happy endings, but ambiguous endings? My question -- to you and to myself -- is: Are ambiguous endings a cop out? |
Margery BayneInsights from the life of an aspiring, struggling writer; a passionate reader, and a working librarian. Archives
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