Andrew, great reasons for attending Breathe or any writer’s conference for that matter.
Author: Robert Evenhouse
Novelist. Blogger. Founding Member of the Weaklings Writers Group & JOT Writers Conference. Loves Encouraging Writers and Reading Books.
100 Word Challenge for Julia’s Place – Those Putrid Sunny Days
Here is my entry for the 100 word challenge for Julia’s place to titled: Those Putrid Sunny Days.
Enjoy.
Malcolm Belfore was a child of study and thus hated summers. While all his classmates celebrated the newly won summer, Malcolm pulled out his calendar and crossed off the first day of summer.
“humph!” he growled when a joyful student rushed past shouting jubilantly.
“Bah!” he barked when he saw two high five.
“Malcolm, are you alright?” Mrs. Appleton asked while eyeing him over her glasses.
“I hate summers,” he muttered.
“But Malcolm, children love summer,” she returned.
“Not all of them.” He said pouting. He lamented every single putrid sunny day until the children began returning to the routine.
Submit your entry HERE.
Cheers,
Bob
Kurt Vonnegut On Short Stories
My friend Josh loves Kurt Vonnegut. If you know him it should come as no surprise. I bring him up today because I recently unearthed a few short stories to submit to a local writing contest. If you are a Michigander go HERE for details.
Whenever I begin a new project whether in writing or on the house I read and watch videos about how it is done. Obviously, short stories are more compact and can even be more complicated than a novel. You have to be precise in every single word in order to avoid wasting the readers’ time.
Below is a video of eight principles Mr. Vonnegut employed to write successful short stories. I am glad for his sage advice.
Cheers,
Bob
3 Day Novel Throwback
Though it is done and over I wanted to share I post I wrote about the 3 Day Novel contest before I participated in it for the first time four years ago. I hope you will enjoy it. Rereading it makes me want to attempt it next year. Perhaps I will.
Sweaty palms, thoughts racing, constantly distracted, and trying to clear my mind. Sounds like a first date, but it’s actually a mental swirl occurring eight days before The 3 Day Novel Contest begins. Last night The Weaklings took a step forward into the public spotlight and my mind kicked into the “I’m late for work during rush hour” mentality. Photos were taken, interviews conducted, and soon we will be in the local newspaper. Exciting? Certainly. Terrified? Unequivocally. The panic can begin.
The 3 Day Novel Contest is a fantastic opportunity. I have never attempted anything of this sort. My first novel, which I am currently writing, will take me at least two years to complete. Obviously, this test will be a stripped down attempt, but nonetheless daunting. My original idea was to write a thriller set in a fictional communist country. I have since scrapped it (with much encouragement from my brother weaklings) to stay close to that with which I am familiar.
I have decided upon a prequel describing the events that catapulted my existing novel into motion. It has no overlay and is devoid of any characters pertained therein. This gives me the chance to understand the history of my novel better and practice my abilities as a writer. An outline will be posted shortly.
Through this experience I hope other people around me (namely you who are reading this) are encouraged to write and will discover the adrenaline rush that is overtaking me. Three years ago the thought of writing a novel, much less one in three days, had not even begun to formulate in the dusty corners of my mind. Now, with discipline and constant badgering from the weaklings, I will be well on my way to completing the first two books in a series! It is not too late to register. Visit The 3 Day Novel Contest for details and start stockpiling food.
I shall now return to pacing in front of my computer. Waiting. Thinking. Hoping, that the splendid dialogue and clever plotline that circulates in my mind will make it to the page intact.
Until next year.
Cheers,
Bob
Writing with Passion and Persistence
This is a short piece from YouTube about the late great Ray Bradbury. He talks about his passion for writing, how he wrote a short story a week, and slowly became a published author.
He discusses the turning point in his career – a short story titled The Lake which is based on a true story. At the end of the piece he says it took him ten years to write something beautiful. I realize now, at times, how impatient we are with our inner authors and how passion and persistence pays off.
Rest in peace Mr. Bradbury and thank you.
Cheers,
Bob
Why Do You Follow A Blog?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post asking what makes a good story good. Today I’d like to ask a similar question. There are tens of thousands of blogs out there in the blogaverse and we all have our favorites. Some of mine are in my blogroll. But there are some blogs that we follow more religiously than others.
So, I ask you, why do you follow a particular blog?
Thank you for your participation!
Cheers,
Bob
Writing Is Not Formulaic
Striving toward publication is like being in a maze. And, occasionally, somewhere in the void above there is a cackling voice telling you the end is just around THAT corner or just beyond THIS chapter. Then, you turn the corner only to find another dead-end and a chorus of maniacal laughs.
Okay, more seriously, if you have been writing for a while you will know writing, good writing, takes time. There are mountains of work and it takes more than merely plopping down in front of a computer and penning the greatest novel of all time. There is research. There is plotting. There is putting together a list of believable characters and their back story. There are thousands of words that are written that have nothing to do with the work in its finished form but helps the author gather their bearings whether they are composing a novel or a collection of poetry.
Some writers point to a particular systematic approach of writing short stories and getting them published. Then after the writer has struggled out those smaller pieces a larger work takes form and they write that then pursue an agent. Other writers might tell you to self publish first. Or they might say to do what you are good at, writing a novel for instance, and skip all of that short story business. Even more insist on getting that must have MFA from such and such a school.
Honestly, I don’t think everything works for everyone. I believe the most important thing is to discover what you are good at and saturate yourself with it. If its poetry read about it, write it often, and share what you have written with other poets. The same goes for writing articles or putting together a novel. Writing is not formulaic, but ignoring that maniacal laugh and diving into the world of writing can go a long way to fulfilling your publication dreams.
Write well.
Cheers,
Bob
Rising Early To Write
I don’t know about you but when I don’t get the opportunity to write each day, I begin to feel the nag of writer’s guilt. This writer’s guilt is no subtle little poke, but a blaring scream. Everything reminds me that I need to write, but life rushes on. When I don’t write I end up half-engaged in all of my daily activities until I get the time to get the words out. It’s like I have programed myself to judge a day’s success on whether I put words on the page or not.
Now, I love to write but I also love my family. I don’t want to be that distant husband or father figure whose wife and kids know only by reading his work. I want to be present. That means I must sequester my writing time to the tail end of the day or early in the morning, which means I cut out an hour or three of sleep.
My peak writing time is usually in the morning. I LOVE early mornings where nothing is about but my mind. When I can get up, write in my journal, read my Bible, enjoy a cup of coffee with a five minute slice of peace and write five hundred words, life is bliss. There is almost nothing that can happen in the day to break this shield of accomplishment. I like to roll out of bed around 6:30am to accomplish all of this. However, when I had kids, this changed.
Finding time to write is hard. In the world of parenthood sleep is not guaranteed and like most real life humans when I am robbed of it I get cranky. However, I must write. Such a conundrum, but one that offers a harsh answer. Keep going, get up, and write. For the writer there is no rest. I had better get used to that.
Cheers,
Bob
Another fellow Weakling put a post together about the 3 Day Novel contest. Please enjoy Andrew’s post below. And, if you are a competing, good luck!
This weekend is usually filled with the thrills and craziness of the 3-day novel contest. But the Weaklings, my writers group, are unable to participate. We did write posts about our experience yesterday which I will reblog through the weekend. Please enjoy Josh’s tale in the following blog. Write hard 3 days writers. Don’t give up.
Cheers,
Bob
Normally, Labor Day Weekend brings about thoughts of family reunions, cookouts, and the beginning of school (not to mention the economic and social contributions of workers). But for the last few years, it has had very different associations for me. I think of long nights, early mornings, and typing until my fingers ache and my eyes dry out. You see, Labor Day Weekend is the official time-frame for the 3-Day Novel Contest.
It was shortly after the formation of the Weaklings, my writer’s group, that one of our members told us about the 3-Day Novel Contest.
“You write a novel in three days,” he said, as though that were something that could be done. Some of us had already been working on novels for three years at that point.
“What?” said the rest of us.
We looked up the information online. Sure enough. One novel, three days.
Of course…
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PART-TIME NOVEL 