Tag: Writing

3 Day Novel Throwback

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized4 Comments

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

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized10 Comments

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

Remembering the 3-Day Novel Contest

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Writing contest6 Comments
The Weaklings – Our Photo For The Grand Rapids Press

It started out as the most outrageous statement I had ever heard. “So we need to try this sometime. Can you imagine writing a novel in three days?” thus said Matthew Landrum as he discovered the annual 3-Day novel contest over Labor Day Weekend. I took it as a sort of joke at first. After all I had been working on a novel for three stinking years. There was no way I could do that, I thought. Could I?

Then I was creating an outline. My writer’s group The Weaklings (a play on C.S Lewis’s and Tolkien’s Inkings) began to discuss logistics. Where would this take place? What would we eat? How long would we have to write to complete it? What would we write? Slowly but surely each member looked at this Mount Everest of novel writing contests and began to believe that it was something we could finish.

The three day novel contest is exactly that: Start at 12:01am on Saturday and write until 11:59 on Monday evening. You cannot type a single word before or after that time frame and a person must sign and date a form saying you have not. Outlines are okay, but other than that, its just dreaming up as much of the novel in your mind ahead of time before you begin.

Obviously the novels composed during this weekend are not your average novels. No eight hundred page tomes are penned, but eighty to 100 pages are within reach if you are prepared.

The 3-Day Novel is a juggernaut. Once you are in it there is no stopping. And after that brief moment of despair or trying something new you cannot allow yourself to think twice about it, you must highlight, delete, then begin a new sentence in one continuous action.

Through the contest we went on walks, shared the occasional meal, and for motivation I called my wife, talked with a fellow Weakling for a moment or read the article that made it into the Grand Rapids Press and on the Mlive website.

During the two years I did compete, I wrote two novels. The first is titled For the Glory of Nequam. It is my attempt at exploring the evil in my world and how it began. It is the story of a promised young boy who seeks fame, fails and then attempts to restore the glory of his city no matter the cost. 

The second novel is titled Dacia. It’s about a language expert who is commissioned to travel to Romania to help sway them to join England’s cause during WWI. He falls in love with Katia, a native Romanian and after she goes missing while hiking, discovers a society of werewolves that have lived in the Balkans for centuries.

The contest was so much fun that I am getting filled with the thrill of competing in it once more. Not this year though, but perhaps next. Now I am focused on getting published.

Please enjoy other 3 Day Novel memories below:

If you are participating this year, good luck!

Cheers,

Bob

Combating Writer’s Block

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized6 Comments

When working on a novel I typically move through four stages: The Eureka Moment, Orienteering, Heavy Lifting, and Brain Dead. They are described below.

  1. The Eureka Moment– When the final cog in that baby novel, poem, short story, blog post – you name it, is put into place. Its like a rocket launch – pure energy.
  2. Orienteering – This is when the fuel runs out and you gather your bearings. Sometimes it takes going back a few pages to find out where you were headed or editing a little bit. Here there is still measurable progress.
  3. Heavy Lifting – This is when you are near the end of a draft and fleshing out the last bit of your work. The pressure is mounting and you push through with your friends cheering you on (at this point your friends might be of the imaginary sort).
  4. Brain Dead – After the final final final final FINAL final final! draft, this sets in. You can no longer see the trees but only the forest. Each word and page blend together and if you have to read that chapter with the sappy love scene even you cannot believe you wrote one more time you’ll vomit.
Hercules Mugging Nesso

Writing has a tendency to drain you. No, at times it’s more like being mugged. If you are telling a honest and good story you are constantly dredging deep into your creative well until you are living on fumes.

I believe this is where writer’s block sets in. When you have written too much or have other stressers in your life that snuff out the flame of your creativity.

So, how can the novelist avoid writer’s block? There is no formulaic answer, but there are a few listed below.

  1. Live – Go outside, meet with friends, exercise, do something other than writing.
  2. Write at an even pace – This might sound familiar to the runners out there. When running a 5K, you don’t try to run as fast as you can at the beginning or you’ll end up keeled over at the end of the race.
  3. Send it to a friend – If you cannot handle editing it one more time, print it off and give it to a friend for review. This might be a sign that you are teetering toward the Brain Dead stage where all momentum stops. This will get your mind off your novel.
  4. Take a break – Grab a good book that you have always wanted to read and read it. Give yourself permission to allow your book to grow. Don’t simply churn out a book, only to spend hours reworking it where a simple break would have allowed the space you needed to write the book want.

How about you, have you ever experienced writer’s block? If not, what are your tricks for revitalizing the writer in you?

Cheers,

Bob

Using the Passive Voice Properly

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Verbs are the precious jewels of writers everywhere. It does not matter if the writer composes poetry, hacks away at a novel, or spills out memoirs. If verbs are employed correctly, they leave a resounding impression that lingers long after the page is turned and the book is closed.

So as writers, what are the best ways to utilize these beauties?

Today I would like to relay a few examples to help you safely avoid the passive voice. Many writers struggle with this and I write this post for myself just as much as my audience. Sometimes it takes going over a subject multiple times in order to get it right. Like for instance, writing a blog post about it.

He thoughted, no he was thinking, no thoughting? Hmm.

The difference between active and passive verbs – Verbs tell us who receives the action in a sentence. It can also help the characters stand out instead of disappearing to the side of the action. See the example below:

The foul ball was snagged by Johnny.

Johnny snagged the foul ball.

Both of these are grammatically correct, but in the first sentence the ball appears to be the subject even though we want Johnny to be the center of attention.

There are many ways to be direct when using verbs to keep the action churning. For instance, try cutting a sentence in two:

Hailea was following Kellen when a brigade on horseback galloped past.

Hailea followed Kellen. A brigade on horseback galloped past.

Passive voice can be appropriate in certain situations. For instance if your character must take a step aside to relay some of the setting:

While most farmers turned in for the evening, a few in the distance were finishing their plots.

If the passive voice is not your kryptonite, search for something that is. This way when you engage an agent and they accept your novel, you don’t have to hire a professional editor. Mastering your writing weakness could go a long way to realizing your publishing dreams.

Cheers,

Bob

Writing Above Your Means

On By Robert EvenhouseIn The Writing Process4 Comments

When my wife and I were looking for a house, we decided to get one we could afford. Shocking, I know. What I mean is, we agreed to buy something within our means and have realistic expectations about this purchase. We knew it would be silly to try to have what our parents have now in regards to a house and the things in it as they have had thirty plus years to accumulate them.

That got me thinking. Do I do that with my writing? What sort of expectations do I have for my novel? Are they unrealistic? Do I give myself time to grow and become the novelist I want to be? Or am I working too fast and too hard trying to get there? Do I compare myself with Patterson, Dickens, Rowling or the next millionaire author?

Something to think about.

Cheers,

Bob

My Family Loves Books!

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized4 Comments

My daughter June loves books. When she first started walking, her favorite book was Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon. I know this because she kept swiping it off the shelf and biting it.

Now as she is older, she likes to take them off the shelf and distribute them about the house. Sometimes she puts them in our bed. Every night she has at least a dozen scattered across her as she sleeps when I go to check on her before bed.

Earlier this week my wife and I moved our youngest daughter Clara into June’s room. Clara is almost eleven months old and they get along fairly well. I also believe Clara will share the same passion, as you can see it clearly displayed below. Okay, her sister might have helped.

Happy reading and writing.

Cheers,

Bob

Finding Characters

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Characters in novels are not usually boring. However, if you are writing your first novel you might find yours to be dull. I’ve been writing for a while now and realize believable and lively characters are key for a good book, no matter what the story is about.

The idea from this post came from a conversation my wife and I had with a neighbor. She and her daughter invited us to their house for a party. We’re new to the neighborhood and some people have been here for forty plus years. Our neighbor who is throwing the party said she invites every one every year. She told us that she invites a neighbor four doors down from her and each year he says “you cut down my trees”, then shuts the door.

You see, she lives in a row of houses built sixteen years ago and they mowed down his view of the forest to do it. That got me thinking, he could be a great neighbor in a story.

Here are ten places you might find characters. Although don’t be too odd and stare at the poor person forever. It might be a comment or a brief interaction, but characters are everywhere. Obviously, tread lightly when doing this and never use a character to insult someone. We all have our subtleties of personality that could propel a story.

  1. Family
  2. Friends
  3. Work
  4. Supermarket
  5. Gas Station
  6. Restaurant
  7. Neighborhood
  8. Church
  9. Books
  10. Movies/Television

If you are struggling to find the right character, pay attention to them in your daily life and the media you consume. I am sure they will pop up somewhere.

Cheers,

Bob

Short Story from Julia’s Place “Would Seven Prove To Be Too Much”

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized5 Comments

I put a post about this word challenge on my blog last week without much of an introduction. This post is an entry in a writing contest at Julia’s Place called the 100 word challenge. It is a wonderful way to hone your skills, be choosey in your word selection, and try to be compelling in a brief amount of space. It’s sort of like tweeting a story or a writing sprint.

Titled: Don’t Be Like This Guy

Dirk put the phone down wondering if he was jeopardizing his chances of landing an agent.

He’d been calling all day asking for Mrs. Swenson of Swenson Agency Limited. However, she did not return his calls nor did Veronica her assistant.  He wondered if Veronica was actually taking his messages because he could hear her drumming her fingers along the desk, especially after the sixth call.

But this is what being an author is about, right? You have to do this to get published, don’t you?

So, Dirk pick up the phone, breathed a heavy sigh, and dialed again wondering, would seven prove to be too much?

Write today!

Cheers,

Bob

Get Serious About Your Work, Writer

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Writing Tips6 Comments

Today is Monday, the start of a new week that will be filled with success and failure. The key for the part-time writer is to find, well, time.

There are many distractions that can stop you from reaching your writing goals, or any goal for the matter. There are places where you will want and need to give time: family, friends, and work (maybe not!). There are optional activities that will require time eventually: Laundry, dusting, cleaning out the garage, power washing the house or car. And finally there are those things that suck us into the whirlpool of time wasted: television, internet, movies, and other mindless (but tremendously fun) entertainment.

Stop here. I am not trying to be a motivational speaker, but perhaps I am being one now. There are many times I have to remind myself what I am. There are days when I have to seek out a hour to write, whether that is in the morning at 5:30am or at night from 12am until 1am.

I write this not to make you or I feel guilty but to focus on the task at hand. Time is irrevocable. Once spent, there is no getting it back. While Mr. Phelps’s or Mr. Bolt’s Olympic events will be tremendously entertaining, I am positive that they did not get to where they are now by watching the latest episode of _____ every night.

So today, take television, sleep, and even reading off the mantle. Take writing, if it is your dream, and put it in its proper place.

Write sometime this week.

Cheers,

Bob