by | April 19, 2011 · 7:33 am

The Restless Writers Regroup

We Restless Writers gave ourselves a long-overdue collective bitch slap at our last meeting. We had become negligent in our pages and, more often than not, we were holding meetings at a pub rather than our houses. This was very conducive to discussing the state of our butts, jobs and marriages, but our writing? Not so much.

In addition to laying down some serious ground rules (heads up, Wordbitches: we’re timing ourselves now!), we discussed what exactly each of us is hoping to accomplish at our monthly meetings. This is what we came up with:

Maria:
Our short story maven and resident smarty pants. Maria is an excellent editor and enjoys brainstorming elements of other people’s work to make them better. She’s hoping to turn one of her many amazing short stories into a novel, but is happy to act as sounding board/coach/motivator until she finds her writing groove.

Beckie:
BJas continues to kick some serious query ass on her completed YA novel and has also started a new project. This is particularly exciting for me (Lori) because when I met Beckie, she was already revising her YA novel. Being involved in her process during these early stages has been very fun and inspiring.

Lori:
I, too, am in a querying hell phase, so it’s great to have fellow writers with whom I can commiserate/celebrate. I’ve embarked on a new project for children and having Beckie’s experience in the genre is proving invaluable. Between her savviness and Maria’s editing prowess, I may just get something on the shelves.

We also decided that a writing retreat is in order this summer – the objectives of which can be summed up thusly: B&B; laptops; and wine.

LD

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by | April 12, 2011 · 6:49 pm

Tax Tips for Writers

“Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors…and miss.” Robert Heinlein

It’s tax season, and for me that always means the necessary frustration of figuring out what I owe the government on my freelance earnings. (I make enough to have to pay them something, but not enough that I can pay them quarterly throughout the year. Go figure.)

Doing my taxes is made even more interesting because my mother is my accountant. I thank her for her help when I can’t figure out what a capital cost allowance is, and bite my tongue when she chides me for spending so much on reference books.

As a freelancer with a day job and some surprisingly complicated tax scenarios, I’d like to share some key lessons I have learned when it comes to doing my taxes. (Keep in mind, these are my experiences only! Get advice from your accountant or tax preparer, or visit the Canada Revenue Agency website. I am certainly no expert.)

  • DO claim your office chair. DO NOT claim your cat’s basket just because it happens to be in your home office and your cat is your muse.
  • DO keep track of your costs from that writing conference out west. DO NOT think that you can claim the in-room massage you splurged on the first night.
  • DO consider how much of your home is dedicated to your professional activities and for what portion of the day. DO NOT say your whole house is your office just because you write in the kitchen, laundry room or TV room, depending on your mood or where the fridge is.
  • DO calculate how much of the costs of your new hardwood floor can be allocated to your home office. DO NOT assume that your accountant will agree with claiming the cost of your mammoth new walk-in closet because your “work clothes” live there.
  • DO realize that doing your taxes takes a bit of brain power and elbow grease. DO NOT giggle and say “Oh, I’m no good with math,” so your nebbishly cute tax preparer will give you a break.
  • DO file on time and as accurately as possible. DO NOT assume that because you’re not bringing in a big freelance income the feds won’t audit you. The Canada Revenue Agency likes to take a closer look at the self-employed.

I’d love to hear some more tax-related “lessons learned” from our fellow restless writers.

Maria

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by | April 9, 2011 · 9:04 am

Link Envy

It’s that time of week again and if these links were margaritas, we’d all be in rehab by now.

Restless Lori:
Everyday Fiction
This online magazine specializes in bringing you fine fiction in bite-size doses. Every day, they publish a new short story of 1000 words or fewer that can be read during your lunch hour, on transit, or even over breakfast. This is a great way to get some publishing credits. And to keep things interesting, readers vote for stories (although nobody is voted off the site).

The Good Greatsby
Here I thought I’d discovered the greatest humour writer and I see that Ironic Mom already has dibs on him. Dammit! Go and read about the things he carries in his pocket for the sole purpose of confusing the police in the event of his untimely death.

Restless Maria:
Online Etymology Dictionary
This website draws on classic sources such as the “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) and “The Dictionary of American Slang.”

A Writer’s Guide
Check out the word origins posts, like a recent one for the origins of the word April.

The Grammarphobia Blog
The authors respond to questions about the origins of words and phrases, like “the cat’s pajamas.”

Restless Bjas:
EcoPressed
Kinda loving this new portal highlighting the best environmental blogging across the WordPress community.

TreeHugger
On the green theme this week. Check out TreeHugger’s up-to-the-minute blog dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Check out BookHugger while you’re there!

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by | April 5, 2011 · 8:46 pm

Taking a Vacation from Myself

I spent last week in a drunken stupor with my family and some friends in a rented condo on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. It was away from the touristy all-inclusives and my kids were thrilled to spend every day in the pool (fun fact: I totally could’ve taken them to the Hilton in my hometown for a week and saved a few bucks). My point being, I had some free time on my hands.

I expected to make progress on outlining my current WIP, but had zero interest in pursuing it. I’d scheduled some prewritten blog posts and even managed to scribble some off-the-cuff blog entries, but those were done in under ten minutes while my kids showered. It wasn’t writing as much as a public e-postcard.

For the first few days I was like an antsy college student the week after school ends, when your brain won’t turn off and you feel guilty for not studying or finishing a paper. Although I had my journal with me at all times should the muse strike, a funny thing happened: it didn’t. At all.

Instead I read a ten-year-old John Grisham novel I found in the nightstand.

It’s not like I was too relaxed to write – too drunk maybe, but only after five o’clock (p.m.) – I think my brain just needed a break. From me.

I’m back now and it’s not like I’m suddenly invigorated with dozens of new ideas. I’m not even that relaxed (anyone who has kids or watches Modern Family knows how stressful vacations can be…for the moms, anyway). But it was nice to get out of my head, put the iPhone away and stop tweeting for a few days. Focusing on other things (i.e. does a Mojito taste the same with Splenda?) may be just what I needed to re-focus on my writing.

What about you? Does getting away help you connect with the muse? Tell us all about it…

LD

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by | April 1, 2011 · 10:38 am

Link Envy

Here’s this week’s catalogue of blogs, websites, resources and other things that make our socks roll up and down.

Restless Lori:

Lori is on hiatus this week, and will be back next week, after she has eaten her weight in guacamole.

Restless Maria:

If you write short stories or essays, you get that literary journals are important as a place to break through as a writer. There are so many journals in North America that writers can submit to and enjoy. Here are three Canadian journals that are on my reading pile right now. To learn more, consult the current Writer’s Market, or read the featured profile in Writer’s Digest.

The Antigonish Review
Founded in 1970 and supported by St. Francis Xavier University, this “eclectic review” features poetry, fiction and book reviews. Also watch for their annual poetry and fiction contests.

Descant
Descant is a highly acclaimed quarterly journal, founded in 1970 and published out of Toronto. Watch for book news, launches, contests, and even intern opportunities.

On Spec
I’ve been a subscriber to this “Canadian magazine of the fantastic” for years. On Spec is the perfect mix of stories, artwork and interviews.

Restless Bjas:

New Scientist
This mag is an obsession of mine. If you write any kind of sci-fi, check this out. It will inspire the heck out of you!

Literary Rambles
If you’re writing Middle Grade (MG) or Young Adult (YA) fiction, you may already know about this site. If not, you totally should! Casey McCormick is an aspiring author, agent intern, blogger, wife, and mom. She’s an awesome part of the kidlit community and a founding member of WriteOnCon. Best part about her site is the popular Agent Spotlight series.

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by | March 29, 2011 · 8:25 am

Faking True Grit

I am surrounded by exceptional women. Within my own writing group and among the spunky Wordbitches out west, I see plenty of examples of women who have achieved truly amazing goals. They have completed novels; they have run marathons; they have travelled the world; they have borne children.

So when I read the article about “true grit” in the April edition of Women’s Health magazine, I immediately thought about my writing girls. They all have what this article calls true grit, or the drive, persistence and fortitude required to set a goal and take all the steps necessary to achieve it.

What is true grit? If you’re a marathoner, it’s what keeps your legs pumping when all you want to do is collapse into a puddle of goo. If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s what keeps you working when everyone says your idea is crazy. If you’re a writer, it’s what keeps you picking up your pen or starting up your computer everyday and wrestling with those voices in your head.

How do you know if you have true grit? You can read more about it in the article in Women’s Health. You can also take the Grit Test.

Writing a novel is an apt illustration of true grit because it is a long-haul kind of a project that requires passion, motivation, skill and persistence to finish.

Yes, I took the grit test. As I suspected, according to the experts, I don’t have true grit. (No surprise there. I’m notorious for starting up new projects and abandoning others.)

So what does that mean? That I’ll never finish a novel/paint the bathroom/start my own business? Since true grit, or stick-to-it-iveness, is a trait rather than a skill, I imagine experts would tell me not to quit my day job.

But I won’t despair. If I don’t have true grit, and I can’t learn it, I’m going to fake it. Here’s how:

Define my goals: And by this I mean both my long-term goal (e.g. to publish my novel by January 2013) and my performance goals (the milestones I need to reach to achieve my long-term goal, like writing 1,000 words each day for the next 6 months).

Visualize my finish line: Okay, it’s a bit on the woo-woo side of things, but picturing myself signing a contract with my newly minted agent or drawing an audience at a reading can’t hurt!

Commit to my goals: I have to make sure they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Yes, SMART. And I have to work towards those goals like it was my job!

Practice, practice, practice: This means reading and writing constantly, even if I’m not working towards for a day’s specific word count. All writing counts, because it keeps me in the habit of writing daily.

Don’t stress about setbacks: If I miss a day, or there’s a snag along the way, all I can do is keep going. How I bounce back from setbacks is just as important as achieving success.

Lean on my support group: They’re the ones who motivate, inspire, cajole, harangue, entertain and teach me. I will look to their awesome examples to keep me progressing towards my goal.

Hmm, goal-setting, visualization exercises, commitment, hard work, and support. You know what? That looks pretty close to true grit to me.

Maria

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by | March 25, 2011 · 7:12 am

Link Envy

Here are some links that make us swoon like a forty twelve-year-old at a Bieber concert:

Restless Lori:

Four Chicks and a Muse
These chicks are hardcore. They are blogging (and vlogging!) their way through Julia Cameron’s “Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity.”

Here’s how it works:

  1. The 4 Chicks read a chapter.
  2. The Chicks meet and discuss the chapter.
  3. Over the next month or so, the Chicks do the tasks in the chapter and blog about it along the way.
  4. You’re invited to do the same and/or comment on the blog, sharing your own experiences and Chick Stories.

Men With Pens
We love pens almost as much as we love men, so obviously this is a site for us. I recently enjoyed a piece focusing on what to do when you forget to post on your blog. I was thinking to myself, “Typical male forgetfulness,” until I realized that it was written by a woman. #ironic

Restless Maria:

Full disclosure: I’m a capable and unflappable communications manager by day, and a rambling Restless Writer by night/weekend. Both roles mean I need to have a way with words. Sometimes I’m at a loss, so I defer to the following pros.

Grammar Girl
She’s the one to whom I turn (is that right?) when I can’t figure out if I should use a dash or an ellipsis, to get validation on my efforts to eradicate the old-fashioned habit of putting two spaces between sentences.

Copyblogger
The insightful and entertaining writers at Copyblogger offer bang-on advice for writing excellent content that keeps readers coming back. Plus their post titles and analogies are cool.

Ragan.com
Although the site and its newsletters are geared to professional communicators, I find the writing and editing tips to be helpful when I’m wearing my Restless Writer hat as well. I also enjoy reading about PR gaffes and social media snafus.

Restless Bjas:

The Liar’s Club
This is a blog by people who lie for a living (a powerhouse marketing partnership) of 13 Philadelphia-area authors, including two New York Times bestsellers, who basically lie for a living. These dudes are just plain cool.

Afternoonstorm
A beautiful blog about one woman’s journey in search of an inner calm. Every post—thoughtful and poignant; it might just make you cry (in a good way!). Read her latest post: Focusing on the Light.

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by | March 22, 2011 · 10:17 pm

Music to write by

Like writing, music is a big part of my life. I am married to a musician, and that means plenty of song, heaps of sound, and loads of (real) rock band. I have consequently become a “drummer-in-training” for accompaniment purposes. Yes, my (writing) life is a melodious one.

When it comes to writing, there is always music playing in the background (in some form or another), and I’d probably be lost without it. As I write this, I am listening to Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), their “sprawling but intimate new album.” Some other faves from the soundtrack to my writing life, are: MGMT, Weezer, The Cardigans, and (forgive me for this), Vinyl 95.3.

According to research from the University of California, listening to music creates new neural pathways in our brains that stimulate creativity. Music can train the brain for higher forms of thinking (bonus!). For me, music definitely inspires and sets a mood. It can also unleash writer’s block, relax the brain, jump-start a session, and infuse fiction with rich emotion. Music might just be my perfect muse.

How to use music as part of your writing practice:

  • Claim a starting song: Okay, this is vaguely similar to Pavlov’s famous experiments with dogs. Sound the bell. Play your song—every time you sit down to write. Consider Aerosmith’s Back In The Saddle Again.
  • Reflect the time period: Connect with your characters in every way possible. Are you chronicling the 1980s disco period? If so, you should, like, totally fill your writing brain with M-a-d-o-n-n-a.
  • Set the mood: Play music that reflects what you’re writing. If it’s action, how about some Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, or even Guiseppe Verdi’s, Stiffelio.
  • Keep it light: If this is all too much for you, give Mozart or Vivaldi a try for background music. Higher brain function will be yours.
  • Silence is golden: Use your starting song to get going, and then turn it off.

I. Love. Music. I am always surprised how quickly my brain responds to music. Give it a try. Do it often and be consistent; consistency is, after all, the age-old practice of successful writers.

What is YOUR music to write by?

Bjas

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by | March 18, 2011 · 8:40 am

Link Envy

A week ago today we posted our favourite links and started our day unaware of the devastation being unleashed on the Japanese people. The most important link you can click on today is this one, for the Red Cross Society of Japan. Money will immediately arrive where it is most needed. Another great link is this one, where you can order the shirt pictured. All proceeds benefit Save the Children: Emergency Response, Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund: A GlobalGiving Project, Hands on Tokyo, and the American Red Cross, giving you basically no reason not to order one. Now go give a hug to someone you love.

Restless Lori:

A Working Mother’s Guide to Writing a Novel

I wish I’d read this piece by LA Times Television Critic Mary McNamara three years ago, but better late than never.

Ten Rules for Writing Fiction

The Guardian gets advice from such literary rock stars asMargaret Atwood (Take something to write on. Paper is good. In a pinch, pieces of wood or your arm will do) and Neil Gaiman (Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.).

Restless BJas:

Because I write middle-grade fiction and I’m a huge fan of the genre, I’m sharing a few of my fave MG sites:

From the Mixed up Files (http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/)
Awesome site and a terrific community for middle-grade authors, published or not.

Middle Grade Ninja (http://middlegradeninja.blogspot.com/)
Yep, more middle grade because that’s where it’s at! Plus awesome interviews with agents.

Class of 2K11 (http://www.classof2k11.com/)
The Class of 2k11 is a group of 19 debut middle grade and young adult authors working as a team to promote our books and reading in general. Very cool and happening site!

Restless Maria:

Maria is out carousing with our favourite Word Bitches in Calgary, probably wearing this t-shirt.


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by | March 15, 2011 · 7:22 am

To Write or to Blog: That is the Question

I started my blog last summer; almost a year to the day after the Restless Writers’ blog was launched. Dipping my toe in the blogging pool through this one gave me the confidence to strike out on my own. As an aspiring fiction writer, I knew that branding myself online (alas, it’s much less kinky than it sounds) was essential.

I contemplated daily posts but quickly realized I could never keep up such a schedule (finding time to brush my teeth every day is pushing it). I decided that Monday, Wednesday and Friday would be my days to post, in addition to a weekly post on this site, as well as continuing to revise my WIP, not to mention the corporate writing I do part-time from home.

After a few weeks of my grandma and friends reading my posts, I was Freshly Pressed and had close to six thousand views in one day. Suddenly the pressure was on and blogging took over my life: it wasn’t just a place to put down the stories that were too long for a Facebook post – it was my calling card for agents, potential employers and ex-boyfriends.

Perfectly crafting every blog post became my focus, plus I discovered that I really loved creating short stories about my ridiculous family. I put off sending queries. I had no new ideas for my next WIP. I dogged it at the day job. I simply didn’t have the energy to write.

I recently took the advice of Rachel in the OC (aka my Fairy Blogmother) who recommends posting twice a week and keeping them fewer than five hundred words – enough to give people what they want while avoiding blogger burnout. My blog is my portfolio and I can’t risk an agent (not to mention ex-boyfriend) dropping by only to read a sub-standard post.

The results have been immediate: I’m working on a middle grade idea that has me crazy excited; I’m getting to bed before midnight; and I have more time to exercise. I realize that this last point has little to do with writing, but it’s helping to combat another side effect of too much time online: excessive blogger butt.

How do you balance a blog, other writing and life in general? To the comments!

LD

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