When I Don’t Write, and When I Do by S. L. Carlson

 

I am S. L. Carlson, a proud and grateful BWL Publishing Inc. author. My books can be viewed and purchased by visiting https://www.bookswelove.net/carlson-s-l

 

WHEN I DON'T WRITE AND WHEN I DO  by S. L. Carlson

I am an author. I have been telling stories since I was a kid, with captive audiences wherever I could find them – siblings, cousins, friends, gullible adults. I have been writing down my stories for decades. I love writing. I love observing. My husband once bought me a T-shirt which read, “Be Careful! You may end up in my Novel.” <Raising my eyebrows about the truth in this.>

 

One time I was in Mississippi helping with hurricane relief. While our crew was taking a break, one man came up to me leaning against the tree shade to ask what I was scribbling: writing gobs of notes on things I saw, heard, and felt. It was all for potential future stories. He seemed relieved, as he thought I was some sort of spy keeping an eye on the group. Not quite sure if he was kidding or not. Not quite sure he was wrong, either.

One neighbor used to greet me from across the street with a dog howl. It wasn’t until after said neighbor returned from a long trip, that I told him I missed his howling greeting. He looked so hurt. “It wasn’t a howl,” he informed me. “It was a train whistle.” <Raised eyebrows again.> Yes, that one actually got rewritten into a book.

 

I write when I get an earworm – an idea, a conversation, an entire scene unfolding, etc. That used to happen at night until my husband complained of the clicking of the pen. When I switched to a pencil, he complained of the bed jiggling when I scritch-scratched on the paper on the nightstand. I then used to wake and type on the computer, but these days I mostly just sleep.

 

I love the pathways of outside adventures and experiences.

Subbing something (up to 3,000 words) once a month to my critique group keeps me writing during my darkest or most hurting times. We’ve been together a long time, and I’d hate to disappoint.

 

Three on-line writing groups I’ve been involved with are NaNoWriMo, the Goodreads 750 Group, and a now defunct BIW. That doesn’t count the several online critique groups I’ve been in for periods of time. I’ve done six rough drafts of novels during National Novel Writing Month, trying to keep up with the 1,667 words per day.  In Goodreads, all writers who sub less than 750 words to topic, then vote on the best story of the month. I won 1^st place several months in a row, so that it got boring and I stopped; but I will probably do that exercise again. I loved the personal encouragement of Book In a Week. You set a goal of so many pages to write, and then the first week of the month, tried to reach that goal.

 

I find it quite difficult to write while on vacation, or the holidays, or playing with the grandkids, or when there are major house or yard projects going on, or a tornado, or when there’s a pandemic (and moving in the midst of that), or when I get injured. These past 3 years have been difficult on the writing side of life.

 

Yes, there are several reasons why not to write, and I’m sure other writers can continue that list. But there are many more, very pleasant reasons why I do write. Now…off to revise chapter 16, which I sent to my critique group last week. Will our hero be able to save his village against all odds?

 

S. L. Carlson Blog & Website: https://authorslcarlson.wordpress.com

BWL Inc. Publisher Author Page: https://www.bookswelove.net/carlson-s-l

The Necessity of New Year’s Writing Goals by S. L. Carlson

 

I am S. L. Carlson, a proud and grateful BWL Publishing Inc. author. My books can be viewed and purchased by visiting https://www.bookswelove.net/carlson-s-l

I’ve had the honor to have been in an on-line critique group since the early 2000’s. Every year we send each other our writing goals for the coming year. We started this annual tradition in order to keep ourselves on (writing) target, and also to be held accountable to fellow writers. Many Januarys, we end up laughing about our previous year’s impressive goals, unreached. Some Januarys, we give each other e-slaps-on-the-backs and e-hugs or e-high-fives for accomplishing a stated goal. Each new year is eye-opening to what we can and cannot, or do not, complete in a year. And each January, we refine our goals to become more realistic and attainable to our complicated lives.

I find this yearly habit encouraging and strengthening. More than that. As a writer, I find it vital in order to see and find my writing way.

Each year, I keep a file for the critique group. So this new month of the new year, I looked up the file of our 2021 writing goals. Couldn’t find it. I figured it was such a chaotic pandemic year (with me moving a little over a year ago to a new state), that I simply hadn’t pieced all our goals together like I’ve done the previous years. But when I searched my emails, lo and behold, not a single 2021 writing goal popped up.

I was stunned. I stared at my computer screen for the longest time because 1) I hadn’t sent out a request for goals (so unlike me); 2) no one else in the group made comments about it (so unlike them); and 3) I was struck with how much this pandemic and move has kicked my writing butt!

This new year, however, our house is finally in order, including furniture, and pictures on the walls. All our family have been vaccinated. It’s a new year. New beginnings. Time for new goals.

If you have not made writing goals for this new year, I admire your time, dedication, and tenacity to continue writing on your own. An author’s life can be very solitary. As for me, I need others. If I didn’t have a time-limit of when to have 3,000 new words written to sub to my critique group each month, I know I’d make excuses to fill my time with things other than writing, and there are always other things.

I’ve been in other on-line groups, like BIW (Book-in-a-Week), where you’d post on Sunday night however many pages you think you’d be able to write for the week, then report in on the following Sunday. I’ve also participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November for ten years. THAT is a rush – writing 1,667 blabbering words each day!

If you don’t have (or even if you do have) a writing group to share you goals with, share them in the comments below. Let’s make 2022 a spectacular year for writing.

 

S. L. Carlson Blog & Website: https://authorslcarlson.wordpress.com

BWL Inc. Publisher Author Page: https://www.bookswelove.net/carlson-s-l

Colors of Autumn/Writing Colors by S. L. Carlson

I am S. L. Carlson, a proud and grateful BWL Publishing Inc. author. My books can be viewed and purchased by visiting https://www.bookswelove.net/carlson-s-l

 

(Autumn in Wisconsin)

I read a recent meme online: “A friend asked me how I was preparing for the fall, and it took me a while to I realized she meant autumn, not the fall of civilization.” This especially cracked me up because I once wrote a dystopia novel, and could easily see from where that thinking had come.

Because of my busy past couple months, I am grateful that this year fall (autumn colors) have come later so I could enjoy them. Some chalk the delay up to climate change. The change in foliage color certainly does have to do with climate and the coming cold. I don’t really care when it arrives, I look forward to hiking and dancing each fall among the crispy colors.

Colors are very much a part of writing description. It helps the reader see what and where we write.

For War Unicorn: The Ring, I’d paid a NY editor to look over the novel before subbing it to BWL. I vividly remember her comment that by the end of the book our hero had no physical description. Yes, it came through that he was an innocent, strong-but-bumbling, country boy, but he had no eye nor hair color. I defended that, thinking that with no description, anyone could relate to him. Wrong. Readers need colors, even if it’s not their own.

And depending on the culture and time, would depend on what a color is. Red River, in the afore-mentioned book, came as a result of blood flowing down the river after a battle. It was named such considering the peasants who lived in the area, and a way to remember their history. There are many other more sophisticated words for red, e.g., cherry, vermillion, crimson, wine, cerise, to name a few. For outdoorsy, tree-loving me, sugar-maple red (especially on a sunny day) is quite spectacular.

If you can’t ramble into the fall woods, and are in need of more descriptive reds, check out paint colors in a store which explodes with the naming of reds, or whites, or greens, or yellows, etc. Post the color swab near your computer to help you visualize the color you are writing about. Also, when you, the author, make up the name of a place (or river), keep in mind the people and culture who would name it.

What colors have you, an author, described? What colors do you, the reader, remember from books, leaving a vivid memory?

S. L. Carlson Blog & Website: https://authorslcarlson.wordpress.com

BWL Inc. Publisher Author Page: https://www.bookswelove.net/carlson-s-l

Forced Word-Count Writing - The NaNoWriMo Word Race by S. L. Carlson

http://bwlpublishing.ca/authors/carlson-s-l-ya-fantasy/

November is the month for novel writing. Actually, for the writer, every month is the month for novel writing. But each November comes around with that wonderful push for writing 1,700 words per day during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The great thing about NaNoWriMo is that you know you aren't alone. There are thousands of people world-wide participating online, and you can follow many others, encouraging and being encouraged to write-write-write.

Forced daily word-count writing is not intended to be polished. It's totally about getting the rough draft down. Revisions, edits, and critique groups follow over the next few months.


First off, November only has thirty days, so that's one day less than seven other months to meet the 50K goal. One day can make a huge difference. Also, there are holidays (in the States) with family gatherings to prepare for and attend. Right off the bat, I hate the idea of November being novel-writing month. But writing is about persevering, running the word race to the end of the book.


The first week of NaNoWriMo is exciting, and the game is on. That first week is enthusiastic pouring out of words on your new novel. The second week, other life priorities sneak in, and you stumble over the hurdles and fall behind. By week three, you figure you're too far back to ever catch up, so feel like giving it up. Many do at this point. There are writing suggestions to keep you writing, like throwing a birthday party for your main character, plan it and write it all out. At the end of the month, it will most likely become fodder and deleted, but you're inspired once again. And if you push on...week four can be just as exciting as week one.


Writing the rough draft of a novel doesn't have to happen in November, but I find the process whenever I write just the same: initial excitement of the race, lagging behind, thinking what you've written is garbage, wanting to quit, then catching your second wind and finally crossing that finish line.


So, don't give up. Join with others for writing encouragement. Get your story down. Afterwards, take a breather, then get back to it, hacking and revising and editing until your trophy is in hand. Keep on writing!