Month: May 2012

Living The Writing Life

On By Robert EvenhouseIn The Writing LifeLeave a comment

Earlier this year I read Annie Dillard‘s book The Writing Life. I have to say I both liked it and didn’t like it as it described the grand thrill and depressive solitude of those who cannot help but write. I am not sure how often I will revisit it because it was confusing at times as the writing life often is but, it talked a lot about being alone.

The Writing life is an honest book. It is also a depressing book. It is true that no one can produce a work for a writer and it can indeed be a lonely road. However, as I dig into this life more and more I begin to understand that writing cannot simply be done while sitting in a cabin in the woods on some lonely Isle. The writer retells life and in order to say something about living to those who live the writer must live. Though, I understand it is difficult for the writer to come out of their shell even when surrounded by people.

The Artist’s Way

A few years ago one of my friends introduced me to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I would define it as an artists guide to help unfold the creative process. The workbook contains various exercises that refill your creative well. For those who have not read it and practices the exercises It may sound silly, like some secondhand self help book but, they work, and they work really really well. I would recommend it to any one who has a desire to paint, sculpt, write, or do something otherwise creative.

However, this book also is about being alone. What I find troubling is that we want to remain relevant as writers. We want to speak out and say something to the wide world, but we do it from the desks, studies, and coffee shops with ear buds in.

So, how do we do this writers? How does the writer maintain a balance of life and solitude so they don’t slip to the brink of loneliness or neglect their craft?

Cheers,

Bob

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Writing contest2 Comments

I’d like to take my Friday post to promote an interesting short story challenge on my friend Josh’s blog. Even if you have not written anything, give it a try. It should not take a lot of time.
Also, I will try to put my entry in next week and will be sure to post it. Hurry, the contest ends on May 31st!
Cheers,
Bob

joshmosey's avatarJosh Mosey

Here’s the challenge: Write a 26 word story, using the words in alphabetical order. Here’s my example:

Can you write a story using 26 words in alphabetical order?Arthur Bellows came down effortlessly, falling.
Ground.
Hit innocently?
Jumped?
Killed?
Laughter maniacal.
Now others peered quizzically ’round Sir Thomas.
“Unfortunate,” eXplained Vicar Wilson. “Yahweh’s Zephyr.”

If you have a blog, leave a link in the comments. If you don’t, just leave the story as a comment so we can enjoy your work.

I’ll be awarding three copies of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Other Poems at random to participants who get their submissions in before May 31st.

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How to NOT Write a Novel

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized1 Comment
There are How To’s for just about anything!

Who doesn’t like a nice, “How To” post, book, or blog?

Me. That’s who.

No matter if it’s How to Make a Cake or How to Make a Fool Proof Thingamajig, I always tend to miss a step or two. I am not a detailed person by any means, though I do try with everything that is in me to follow directions before failing. I am being a bit dramatic, for some things work out wonderfully. However, when I hear about the next surefire way to write a novel, I hang my head at the many that will attempt said method and fail.

There are thousands of ways to write a novel. There are thousands of helpful writing tools. Many writers promote a certain type of writing or editing style and swear that it worked for them so it must work for you. So you, writer, like I, mimic these methods and reap none of the results. Sort of like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole, if you will.

The only sure way to write a novel is to write it, that is all. How do I know this? Because that is what the Greats say.

There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. – W. Somerset Maugham

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. – Ernest Hemingway

These are only two quotes, however I have shared them with a few writers recently who found them helpful.

So if you are in the middle of using some other writers’ notes or methods and are getting nowhere, just stop. Stop spinning your wheels, consider it your first draft, and begin anew, taking from it the most valuable experience of all: the writing part.

Cheers,

Bob

Story Themes: The 1% vs. the 99%

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized2 Comments

The late Joseph Campbell argued for a single thread of story that is retold again and again that stretches across all societies. This is depicted in what he calls “The Hero’s Journey” and articulated in several of his books, the most notable being A Hero With a Thousand Faces and is a tremendously popular theme in fiction, mythology, and even literary novels.

There are other story themes that stretch across multiple societies. If employed properly it allows the author to reach a vast audience. I will leave the discussion of The Hero’s Journey for another post but I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the idea of the 1% vs. the 99% whether socially, economically, or otherwise, in story.

We could start anywhere but I’d like to begin in the realm of cinema. One example that cannot be missed includes an Empire and an unlikely moisture farmer (is my nerd coming through clear enough for you?) from the remote planet of Tatooine. Does the Imperial March begin clashing in your mind? Well it should. Yup, Star Wars is a crux example, if you will, of the 1% vs. the 99%. Though the Empire is nearly invincible, their naked aggression and iron grip ignites a seemingly inconsequential response which leads to its downfall.

One recent manifestation of the 1% vs the 99% is represented in the Hunger Games. There are twelve districts set up to be subservient to one district and because of a failed coo, must give tribute. It is a sadistic twist on inequality centering on the lives of children to ratchet up the intensity. By no means did Suzanne Collins set out to represent the Occupy Movement, but the theme of inequality and the barbaric consequences that arise are evident.

This story theme does not reside in science fiction alone. An example in our daily lives is the Occupy Movement. The movement surrounds the idea of social and economic structures claiming that large businesses and financial institutions are set up to benefit the few (1%) rather than the masses(99%).

The 1% vs. the 99% is a ubiquitous but mailable and believable driver that can fit into any story. So if your story is flat and needs a bit of pep, consider adding to the backdrop. You very well may need something that strings it all together. Adding a story theme such as the 1% vs. the 99% might just give your story enough legs to stand up even under your own scrutiny.

Cheers,

Bob

Part Time Novel – Now on Twitter

On By Robert EvenhouseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Look out world! Part Time Novel has joined the Twitter nation. I plan to share my thoughts on writing, my writing successes, the posts from my blog, and anything else pertaining to writing. Follow me @PartTimeNovel.

Thank you for following reading this blog as I pursue the dream of publication.

Today’s challenge:

Write 500 words today.

Cheers,

Bob

The Writing Life: You Never Know What You Might Have

On By Robert EvenhouseIn The Writing LifeLeave a comment

Since I challenged myself to write 500 words three weeks ago, I did not miss writing an entry on a single weekday. Until, alas, last Thursday morning.

I was in my daughter June’s room and we had just finished playing with some of her toy animals. I usually slap  together a blog in the wee hours each morning before departing for work. For what was the first time in a long time I wrote the entry the previous evening and brought the laptop into June’s room to do a bit of light editing before I rushed out the door. What I discovered after the night of usual broken sleep was horrifying.

It was terrible. I have no idea what creature got a hold of my laptop that night while I was sleeping (perhaps it was my cat Bandit) but they destroyed the perfect gem of a blog I composed the previous evening. I remembered nostalgically, as I sipped on my peppermint tea, that it was a brilliant work, a post worth showing the world. Then, as I looked at the sad sad piece, I saw nothing of worth and nearly deleted the entry altogether.

A Happy, But Tired, Morning

My wife Cindy helps with my editing and, because I desperately need it, I shoved the computer in her direction to get her thoughts. She scanned the page with her blue eyes then looked at me with an apologetic smile.

“What do you think?” I asked knowing the answer.

“Well”, she said twisting her mouth in dissatisfaction, “It’s bland.”

I nodded, closed the computer, and went to work.

Now, someone once told me that the first three days of the work week tend to be high traffic times for blogs. If there is anything trendy or worthwhile to post, post it then so as to get the highest hits possible. This was my reason for not posting that day. I thought, hey, what’s the point? Thursday doesn’t matter. I’ll post tomorrow.

Then, in a flash, it was Friday morning and I had written nothing. I had the draft of that blog from the previous day, and no time to write something new. So, I spiced it up a bit, put in a few anecdotes, and clicked the publish button. I think it was still loading when I raced out the door.

By the end of the day, it was my second highest traffic day for my blog, ever. So the reason I put this post on a Monday morning is to encourage you, writer, to put yourself out there this week.

If you have a novel on the shelf, dust that baby off and start sending it to agents! If you have an idea for a blog, or an article, get started on it. If you have an opportunity to do something great don’t sleep in and don’t let it go to waste. For, you may never know what you might have. It might be nothing. Or, perhaps, it might be something unexpected. Something that in return receives, not that canned rejection letter, but one that says, “We are thrilled to inform you that…”

Come on. Let this be a good week for you, writer. Get devoted to your craft.

Cheers,

Bob

Why Do You Keep Writing?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized11 Comments

It’s late at night and I can barely keep my eyes open. I sit at the keyboard pondering what the next paragraph holds, trying to figure out where a comma should go, and realized I used “the” about a billion times.

Sound familiar? It should if you are a part time writer.

A writer might admit that the craft can be a bit tedious. If they are really honest they would say that it is war. Writing requires the author to be attentive to every single word that is placed on the page. It can be hard to keep your concentration as there are only a few opportunities in a day when you can momentarily swing your attention to your work.

Someone might ask you why you would even write at all? That someone might be you. And, after all, they might have a point. It’s not a viable source of income. Of course there are the Rowlings, Tolkiens, and Grishams’ who’ve make millions. But, there aren’t that many authors that can support themselves solely through writing. Just have a gander around your local bookstore to see the tens of thousands of books. Most of those authors are still working their day jobs.

Why then? If there is little or no money in it, why even write at all?

For some it might be the fact that to write, and to write well it requires honesty. Therefore it is a place to be yourself. For others the allure of a big contract is there, and let’s be truthful that is in the back of all of our minds. The reason I write is because through a collection of experiences I began to understand there was a story for me to tell and I liked it and wanted to write it. For me its that simple. It is true that writers are supposed to write for their audiences but its equally true that they write for themselves (with the audience at the forefront of their mind of course!).

So, readers, why do you put words on the page?

Writing to Music – Impossible or Essential?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Writing Tips3 Comments

At first I thought the idea preposterous. Trying to articulate a sentence using carefully chosen words, while guitars, drums, and a forlorn singer are echoing rhythmic poetry into your ears at unnecessary loud volumes. It’s like two people trying to go through a turnstile to board a subway from opposite sides. It simply does not work…or does it?

Coincidentally, I have, at least to my feeble understanding of what writing is, composed my best chapters when listening to Frightened Rabbit or one of my favorite classical movie soundtracks. I even finished a draft of a novel while doing it. I am not sure if it is the simple fact that I listened to the same music again and again while writing a particular chapter or novel, but after a while, I simply could not write without music.

There are many places to get music: iTunes, Pandora, but I choose Grooveshark. My friend Josh introduced me to it and its my favorite website for music I’ve discovered thus far. If you have other places (legal domains only please) do share.

I often write to Frightened Rabbit‘s live album Liver!Lung!FR! Why? I’m not sure exactly. While their music may be sometimes over the line, they remind me of Mumford & Sons only a bit more, well, English.

The soundtrack to Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen has been a favorite. The single movie of the trilogy that I did watch, I did not like. But the soundtrack to Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen help me finish my latest draft on The Tale of Calelleth. Why? The noble trumpets made me think of a cavalry charge and self-sacrifice, two events incorporated at the end of my book.

The soundtrack to War Horse is my new favorite. I have started my next novel which takes places at Keuka Lake in upstate New York. Its a tremendously verdant area, filled with green mountains, groves and groves of trees, and deep mysterious lakes. It is also about friendship between two kids who meet there one summer and an event that changes them forever. I hear this in the music. I can imagine the films’ landscape while listening to the soundtrack and it combines a feast of imagery that fuels my writing.

Regardless of what I listen too it must either fit the story or scene. It can also be the a random album just like Frightened Rabbit. However, I could never write about something sad while listening to a song blazing at a furious pace. For that I must have something melancholy, striking a chord, releasing a flood of mental images that pours from my finger tips and onto the page.

How about you? What music do you listen to when you write, if any? Do you find it too distracting?

Cheers,

Bob