Resources for Writers

Posted by Sarah Turner

One of the most seemingly far-fetched ads I've seen is Nick Daws' “How to Write Any Book in Just 28 Days...or Less!”

I have to admit, the concept intrigues me. What writer doesn't want shortcut through the slog of writing? Who doesn't wish for easy formulas that would guarantee a successful end product?

Daws website promises a number of things, including where to buy bestselling plots for only 50 cents. What a great idea! Unfortunately, publishers say that it is much harder to predict what books will be bestsellers than it is to predict which movies will be blockbusters.

To its credit, the “How to Write Any Book in Just 28 Days” website has a long list of testimonials from writers who have supposedly used Daws' methods and published books. I've never heard of any of the authors or their books, but that doesn't mean they aren't successful.

What intrigues me most about this web offer is the “100% guarantee” offered. Working for 28 days, one hour a day, he guarantees that I can write a novel. It sounds too good to be true.

If you do the calculations, anyone typing 50 words per minute continuously for one hour for 28 days can get 84,000 words on a page. Since the average book manuscript is about 50,000 words I guess this technically counts as a novel. But is it any good?

I can't bring myself to shell out the $49.95 to test Daw's 100% guarantee. But if anyone out there has tried it, let me know what you found out.

Posted by Sarah Turner

It had always been my opinion that story generators take the fun out of writing. That they somehow rob the writer of the best part of the experience - coming up with the wild, inconceivable plot twists and making them work.

But then, I'd never been totally stuck with a story before. I'd never been completely out of ideas of what a character should do next. I don't write novels, but for people who do I'm sure that 'stuckness' happens all the time.

This week I decided to delve into the world on online story generators, just to see what's out there. There are plenty. There are fantasy plot generators, romance plot generators, and science fiction plot generators. Some story generators supply an entire plot, while others provide a single-sentence jumping off point. For example, the writers at Nanofimo, suggest, as a plot twist, "Send in the ninjas!"

There are even websites that provide lists of character names to choose from.

Of all the story generators I found online, I particularly liked Plotshot. Plotshot gives you a one paragraph story (most are funny, if pretty far-fetched) and pairs the story with images from Flickr, Yahoo's photo-sharing site. The photos are randomly selected from Flickr based on keywords in the text.

What I like about Plotshot is that even if the plot doesn't inspire you, sometimes the images will. And even if the images don't inspire you, if you click on them you end up in the Flicker database. There are enough weird and wacky things in there to spark any writer's imagination.

I don't know if I'll be turning to random plot generators anytime soon. But still, it's good to know there's lots of help to be found.

Posted by Sarah Turner

The intersection of medicine and literature is nothing new. William Carlos Williams and Anton Chekov are just two writers who were also successful physicians.

Vincent Lam, doctor and writer, won the 2006 Giller Prize for "Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures," [Random House, 2006] a book of short stories about a group of doctors and their medical experiences.

Despite this long tradition, I was surprised to learn that medical journals still publish poetry. Surprised only because I think of medical journals as dry, technical publications.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) publishes poetry in every issue. According to their website, they accept, "poems related to the medical experience, whether from the point of view of a health care worker or patient, or simply an observer, will be considered. Poems should be original, not previously published or under consideration elsewhere, and no longer than 50 lines."

The Journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ) also publishes poetry. It appears as though all submissions are done through an electronic system, but it might be best to contact the editor first.

For a taste of what they've published recently, check out the CMAJ website.

I love that medical journals are publishing poetry. It makes me wonder what other unusual poetry markets are out there.

Posted by Sarah Turner

I'm working on a small creative writing project, and thought it would great to have some illustrations to accompany the text. In my mind I can imagine exactly how I'd like it to look. But when I try to draw, I quickly remember why I nearly flunked art class.

So I start e-mailing friends. I email every artist I know – which brings my total to two people. One agrees to meet for coffee. “So,” he says as we settle in, “tell me about this project of yours. What are you looking for?”

“Well,” I stutter. “Pictures, you know. Black and white. Drawings. Like, simple ones.”

It's at this moment that I understand the complicated process of explaining creative vision.

And I suddenly appreciate the collaborative work of writer/illustrator teams such as Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake or Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko.

I stumbled through the conversation with my friend, and ended by shoving a copy of the text in his hand. “Read this,” I said. “Draw whatever you feel like.”

A few days later he emailed me a few images in different styles. Once we had a departure point, it was much easier to articulate what I wanted and what I didn't want. We're well into the process of collaboration now and I think I'll be pleased with the final product.

Anyways, here's an article by children's book author and illustrator Tammy Yee about the collaboration process from the artist's perspective. Perhaps I should have read this first.

Posted by Sarah Turner

The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour is awarded annually to the most humourous book published in Canada, by a Canadian. It includes a $10,000 cash prize, sponsored by TD Bank Financial group. This year, the award went to Terry Fallis for "The Best Laid Plans," a satirical book on Ottawa politics.

What's interesting about this is that Fallis' book was self-published. The manuscript had been circulated to several big-name publishers, but none were interested in publishing it. Undeterred, Fallis released it himself: first as a weekly podcast and then as a trade paperback through iUniverse.

Fallis, a Toronto-based communications consultant, distributed copies of his book in Toronto and Ottawa, and to the Stephen Leacock Medal judges. “The Best Laid Plans” [Terry Fallis, 2007] beat out books by humourists Will Ferguson, Douglas Coupland, Scott Gardiner and Ron Wood.

Now, of course, the publishers are interested. McLelland & Stewart is going to publish a fall edition of Fallis' book through their division Douglas Gibson Books.

So I say, if you've got a writing project you believe in, go for it. Evidently the publishers aren't always right. With publishing houses cutting back on staff and resources, self-publishing may be the best way to go.

Posted by Sarah Turner

I didn't know I was addicted to my laptop until it died. I thought I was pretty comfortable writing wherever, whenever. Doing rough drafts on scraps of paper, writing in my journal. Now I see that my laptop is the center of everything writing: it stores all my drafts, the lists of submissions I currently have out, my cv, my photos.

And what about my internet favourites? All those writing sites I've researched and favourited so I can refer back to them? My long list of possible places for submission?

I even miss my desktop image. Sigh.

The crash - of course - occurred just three months past the end of the warranty. The guy in technical services laughed sort of sheepishly, and said, "Yeah, that happens a lot." What?

Then he told me it would cost at least $400 to fix the problem, so I might as well just buy a new one.

Which is what I've done. I bought the cheapest one I could find, convinced it will also crash just past the warranty. After phoning every repair shop in town it seemed like the best idea.

Now the new laptop sits on my desk, and I sit glaring at it. It is not yet familiar: everything looks wrong. It will take a long time to feel like this computer is home. Next step: copy over all the back up files I created.

Then just start writing again.

Posted by Sarah Turner

I write all over the place. I have a writing desk in a room that doubles as our guest room, but I rarely end up doing my real writing there. My laptop comes along with me to coffeeshops, basement bars, airport lounges. The energy of a public space is great when I'm at the beginning stages of a project - I guess it matches the excitement I feel about starting something new.

I know other writers who have to write in the same place all the time, with the exact same pen, at the exact same time of day. They claim they can't write a word without that routine.

I've often wondered about where famous writers write. Do they have fancy offices with fantastic views? I imagine they have pristine work areas and golden pens from which the prose just flows flawlessly onto the page.

The organizers of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival (VIWF) are trying to set me straight about that delusion.

VIWF has just launched a new section on their website called "Writer's Rooms." Each week the site will feature an intimate look into a B.C. writer's workspace, with a photo and text by the author about their workspace. The first writer featured is Jen Sookfong Lee, whose book The End of East (Knopf Canada, 2007) received great reviews.

Writer's Rooms is an excellent way to get a glimpse into the spaces where the magic of writing happens. And a good reminder that no matter where you do it, writing is still hard work.

Posted by Sarah Turner

I am picky about the notebooks I write in. When I finish one journal, the frenzy to find the perfect replacement begins.

I need something portable - small enough to slip easily inside my bag without weighing me down. Yet a flimsy paper cover won't do - the notebook needs to be able to take a beating. I want something subtle that won't call attention to itself. I want to be able to lie the pages flat. But I detest spiral notebooks, because those metal spirals are always getting caught on things.

Last year I was given a gorgeous journal with an art deco cover. It has thick, luscious pages with rounded corners. It's so nice that I've never used it. I'm scared to sully the beautiful pages with my chicken scrawl.

Someone suggested the Moleskine, supposedly the notebook of choise for Hemingway and Picasso. Moleskine journals come in a few sizes and offer a choice of lined or unlined paper. They've got soft leather covers and thick, quality pages. They also come with a pricetag of about $20. Too much for someone like me, who writes and writes and writes.

So once again I found myself in the stationery aisle of the local dollar store. The journal I chose cost two dollars. It has a plain black cardboard cover and an elastic to keep the journal shut. It has 200 lined pages. I bought a cheap pen to go with it and I'm set.

At least until I finish this one.

Posted by Sarah Turner

I am a procrastinator. I always have been, and I probably always will be. Some people tell me this is a problem: they propose cognitive behavioral therapy or elaborate work schedules to cure me. The trouble is, I'm not convinced it's all bad.

First of all, so much gets done when I'm avoiding a writing project. I do laundry, scrub the floors, and clean the cupboards. I get a sudden urge to bake and end up churning out pies and cookies like a pro. I organize my first aid kit and replace the light bulb in the storage closet.

My productivity on everything but writing is astounding.

Second, when I finally do sit down in front of my computer to do what must be done (usually just hours before the deadline) I find that some of the work has already been done for me. Somehow, while I've been busy baking and scrubbing and walking the city streets, my brain has been busy processing the project I was avoiding. The writing comes easier.

I'm not prescribing procrastination. Sometimes it's just an excuse to not work and it can be damaging to your writing career. If you are unhappy about being a procrastinator, there are strategies that can help you.

But I truly believe that sometimes stepping away from your writing to do something else can be just what you, and your writing, need.

If not, at least you'll have clean floors.

Posted by Sarah Turner

Contemporary Verse 2, a leading Canadian poetry magazine, recently announced its Second Annual Two Day Poetry Writing Contest. Two days? Two days! At the beginning of the contest, poets are given ten secret words they must include in their poem. First prize is $350, with more prizes for runners-up.

Speed writing contests encourage a new approach to writing: get it down, don't worry about perfection, trust your first creative instinct. An approach that is in stark contrast to the excessive editing and analysing that most writers rely upon to create strong writing.

Two well-known writing contests that focus on fast writing are the Three Day Novel Writing Contest and National Novel Writing Month (known as NANOWRIMO). The winner of the three day Novel Writing Contest wins publication, the winners NANOWRIMO win the satisfaction of having completed a novel.

A few years ago, I signed up for NANOWRIMO. For the month of November I wrote furiously, fantastically, without looking back to correct as I went along. In the end I didn't meet the 50,000 word deadline that qualifies as the completion of a novel, but I did get down 35,000 words – which was probably more in one month than I've written in the entire past year.

Recently I pullled out the draft of the novel I came up with. It's not good, but it's not terrible either. There are scenes that can be salvaged, characters to work with. It contains the bulk of a story. And it's amazing to hold all those pages in my hand and see, well, almost, a novel!

If you're fighting writer's block or looking for a new challenge as a writer, give one of these time limited writing contests a try. You might just surprise yourself with what you produce.