FIRSTS (We all start somewhere)

Mazzy Adams

Like any worthwhile endeavour, becoming a writer begins with firsts.

Lots and lots of firsts.

First sentence, first rhyme, first story, first chapter, first re-write, first risky reveal, first rejection, first encouraging response, first submission, first blog post … 

(Speaking of which, have you considered joining the CWD blog roster yet? Note: I’m smiling sweetly, dusting my ulterior motive as a member of the CWD Admin team with optimistic innocence. 😊)

Firsts. We all start somewhere.

Strangely enough, becoming a confident writer begins with …

More firsts. Lots of ‘em. 

And the willingness to embrace those frustrating, fiddly, finicky, fickle, sometimes foolhardy, but always brave, seconds, fourths, fifths or fiftieth factors and phases which facilitate and finesse one’s development as a writer. I acknowledge that confidence will always be an elusive beast—it’s in the nature of writers to doubt and second guess themselves and their work—but please don’t let that stop you because, ultimately, the rewards are amazing and often unexpected.

For some of us, the first of our writing firsts happened way back when we were children.  

I wrote my first truly memorable sentences in Year Five: 

Montague Meringue was a quiet but intelligent fellow, small of stature, with an olive complexion and hazel-brown eyes. Around his oval face was a mop of shiny black hair, and his button nose was just like that—a button.

I use the term ‘truly memorable’ because, fifty years later, I can still remember those two sentences verbatim. I doubt my year five teacher gave them a second thought once she’d left her tick at the end of the story—which my ten-year-old self considered a masterpiece of ingenuity when, after numerous failed attempts, Montague, my intrepid scientist discovered the cure for hypervitaminosis after a storm smashed the window of his laboratory and blew a Moreton Bay Fig (the fruit, not the tree) into his test tube. I’ll admit my conclusion lacked plausibility but, at 2:55pm with the school bell about to ring, I needed a quick exit strategy for both story and me.

We all start somewhere.

My first brief flash of poetic brilliance arrived when I was in Year Seven:

Rushing, like a fiery dragon,

Tongues of flame leaping from its mouth,

Stronger than Orion with his mighty bow and arrows,

Conqueror of Leo the Lion,

Swallowing the stars and the moon,

Chasing the darkness away,

Dawn has come.

With some trepidation, I showed this to my older sister. Rose had, for years, thrilled me with her own creative writing (my favourite being a scripted ‘radio play’ where the listener’s faulty radio randomly flipped between channels, creating a hilarious compilation of absurd sentences like … ‘My heart bleeds for / Parsley.’ 

Given my undisputed admiration for her writing skills, receiving her tick of approval was a massive encouragement. Sadly, my secondary school writing efforts produced more spurious, ignominious results. 

 Compilation of StockUnlimited Images ID2047567 and ID1891056 (Licensed)

Like the day we had to write a song parody and an epitaph during a Year Nine English class; I came up with:

How tasteth that froggy in the dinner? (Croak Croak)

The one with the waggly chin, (Croak Croak)

To put that dear froggy in the dinner, (Croak Croak)

Is little better than a sin. (Croak Croak croaked!)

And:

Here lies my English teacher.

Before she died, she had the hide

To ask me to write an epitaph. 

Not my finest work, or hour, I admit, though my English teacher (whom I adored) did stifle a grin. When it comes to spontaneous creativity, my first drafts (then and now) have been decidedly hit-and-miss. I choose to see my firsts as steppingstones; the shakiest ones invite a dunking, but others lead me (even precariously) towards a delightful destination.

We all start somewhere.

James A Michener, author of over forty books, said, “I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.” Considering his first book, Tales of the South Pacific was adapted as the popular Broadway musical South Pacific, by Rodgers and Hammerstein—one of my all-time favourites—I’m glad he kept writing, and rewriting, many firsts. 

It took me decades to discover I had a knack for writing song lyrics, drama skits and puppet plays which opened opportunities to rope in and nurture budding performers of all ages within our church. 

When an acquaintance from the local Speech and Drama Teachers Association pressed me to compete in a local bush poetry competition to boost competitor numbers, I agreed to have a go, had a lot of fun, and met an affable, genuinely encouraging group of Aussie bush poets from all walks of life who welcomed me into their fold. Even the most competitive among them took time to befriend, encourage and nurture the newbies. When you’re starting out, a little derring-do, and a spark of encouragement, can ignite a roaring fire if you’re willing to give it some passion, time and nurture. To my surprise, later that year, the Australian Bush Poets Association included Welcome to the Brotherhood—a poem I’d written commending the good-humoured camaraderie of the writers and performance artists I’d met—in their magazine. Literary larrikins one minute, serious purveyors of powerful words the next; those contemporary balladeers continue to break new ground whilst keeping the Aussie spirit alive.

Like I said, we all start somewhere. Even when we doubt our own preparedness to put our words out there, God can, and does, use our willingness to try, to bless others. Yes, we need to hone our skills, but the sharpest sword, if left in its scabbard, remains ineffective. Edward George Bulwer-Lytton has been called “one of the worst writers in history”*, his most notorious example being the opening line, “It was a dark and stormy night ...” Yet we're inspired by his (oft-quoted) line from Act II, Scene II of Richelieu: “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

 

More than a decade after my bush poetry dalliances, I started formal degree studies in creative writing externally through Tabor Adelaide. The encouragement of Christian lecturers cemented my passion for literature and creative writing. In 2012, my submission to Tabor’s “Christmas Tales” anthology (Pantaenus Press) was accepted and Twelve Miles to the Sea, a rhymed and metered ballad inspired by my eldest sister’s recollections, was published in a hold-in-your-hand, real life print anthology. That was an exciting first.

Then in beach clothes dressed and ready and excitement high and heady

‘n Grandad driving, slow and steady, they’d set out upon their way,

though the road was dirt and dusty and the car was old and rusty

and the springs of that old trailer had seen brisk and better days.

... 

So they splashed and sploshed and spluttered while the beach umbrella fluttered

with the Grand-ums and Aunt Lottie perched precariously underneath,

wearing long sleeves, hats and stockings, (was it melanoma mocking?)

in the tradition of the English, never minding Queensland’s heat. 

(From Twelve Miles to the Sea; Stanzas four and six of twelve)

Thanks to sporadic but timely early encouragement, the ongoing, mutual encouragement of writerly friends, several slightly more forceful and persistent nudges from a true friend, and the often-dull-but-daily decision to nurture the call and persevere, I'm still tackling firsts. And fiftieths. My novel edits have probably exceeded that number; blurb is still a first to be facilitated. Firsts are still scary. But …

Start here. Go there. We all start somewhere! Or we go nowhere.

While it’s exciting to hold a printed book in your hand, online opportunities give writers other ways to reach an ever-increasing audience. Our CWD blog roster provides opportunities for both guest bloggers and regular contributors who are active, engaged members of the Christian Writers Downunder Facebook group to make a positive difference. (Nudge, nudge.)

 

I added my first tentative contribution to this blog, Writers are Artists, in November, 2013 (before I adopted my pen name). As a naïve newbie daring to join bloggers with greater skills and experience and wisdom and knowledge than I, I needed a solid nudge. I’m glad Nola Passmore (who was, at that time, a CWD co-ordinator) nudged, because it is a privilege and a blessing to contribute to this encouraging writing community. It’s a privilege to share words that inform, inspire, and encourage others to grow in their writerly gifting and pursuits. It is a grace empowered by the knowledge that it is not our perfection (or lack of it) that matters most, but our heart’s desire to diligently pursue our God-given calling to write and be a blessing to others. 

Is this a privilege, a blessing, a grace you’re ready to receive and use? If so, please let us know by commenting below or in the Facebook group; we really do want others who share the vision and values of Christian Writers Downunder to join our blog roster as guests and regulars. 600 - 1000 words. That's all it takes. No need to be longwinded (as I've been today - reputedly one of Bulwer-Lytton's worst faults). 

As for those ‘firsts’, anyone else dare to share some of their famous, or infamous, writerly blunders and beauties in the comments? Go on. After all, we all started somewhere. 😉

* see http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/03/pen-is-mightier-than-sword.html

Mazzy Adams

Author, Genre Rebel

Intrigue and Inspiration with an Upmarket DownUnder Vibe

A contented Aussie wife, mother, grandmother, business manager, creative and academic writing tutor, and encourager, Mazzy maintains her passion for words, pictures, and the positive potential in people.

www.mazzyadams.com

maz@mazzyadams.com

Read Outside the Box by Nola Passmore

Author:      I’ve just written a groundbreaking novel that’s bound to be a bestseller.

Publisher:  What’s so innovative about it?

Author:      There’s this teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire.

Publisher:  Um … it’s been done before.  You’ve heard of the Twilight series?

Author:      Is that a TV show?

Publisher:  It’s a series of young-adult novels that’s sold millions.

Author:      I don’t read much fiction.  Most of it's not to my taste.  But my novel is different.

Publisher:  How do you know it’s different if you’re not reading in the area?

Author:      Just take a look and you’ll see what I mean.  

                  (Author shoves manuscript under publisher’s nose).

Publisher:  Oh it’s an historical novel?

Author:      No, contemporary.

Publisher:  Then why does the teenage girl sound like someone out of an Austen novel?

Author:      I like Pride and Prejudice and I thought I’d do something similar.

Publisher:  With vampires?

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that if you’re a writer, you ARE reading in your genre.  If you’re not, you may face the pitfalls of our hapless wannabe-novelist. 

Now I’m going to go out on a bigger limb and suggest that you should also be reading OUTSIDE your genre.  If you have eclectic tastes in literature, that won’t be a problem for you.  However, a lot of us tend to stick within the confines of our preferred style.  We only read murder mysteries or romances or Christian biographies or Amish steampunk.  It’s comfortable in our little genre box.  We know what to expect.  We don’t have to do any unwelcome stretching.  We don’t get lumbered with a book we’re not going to enjoy.  Why try the baklava when you can eat the lamington?

But what if you peeked out of your genre box and sampled a different taste?  There are at least three benefits.

It exposes you to other possibilities.  You may find another genre or sub-genre that you enjoy reading.  You may even try writing in that genre and discover you’re good at it.  I spent eight years struggling with watercolours before stepping out and doing an acrylics workshop.  I had instant success and have even sold one of my paintings.  If I’d never looked beyond by watercolour palette, I wouldn’t have discovered that I’m better suited to acrylics and mixed media.  You could make a similar discovery with your writing.

It helps you to engage with a broader readership and learn what sells.  Do you have a Christian message that you want to get out to a mainstream audience?  How are you going to do that if you don’t know what themes and styles are popular in mainstream literature?  Do you want to write a fantasy novel with universal themes?  How are you going to do that if you’ve never read a novel set in a different kind of world than your own? A popular catchphrase at the moment is ‘join the conversation’.  If you read outside your genre, you’ll be able to participate in more of those conversations. 

It can help improve your writing in your preferred genre.  Here are some of the strengths of different genres that we can apply to our own manuscripts.

• Suspense/thriller – hooks the reader by getting straight into the action; has good pacing that keeps the story moving; ends each chapter with a page-turning sentence or phrase.
• Romance – develops characters we care about; delves into relationships and family issues; offers hope.
• Science fiction/fantasy – stretches the imagination and shows what’s possible; builds a world that supports and enhances the story.
• Literary fiction – uses beautiful language; adds layers to the plot through nuance; explores deeper themes; provokes thought.
• Historical fiction – uses background research to enhance a story; shows how to use setting to create the story world; explores the past through the eyes of the present; experiments with alternative interpretations of history.
• Memoir – shows how to take the main character on a journey; connects with the reader emotionally; explores universal themes.
• Creative non-fiction – shows how to make facts entertaining and accessible.
• Poetry – reduces ideas to their essence; expertly uses language and imagery for maximum impact; allows for expression and exploration of different forms.
• Humour – relieves stress and entertains; provides lighter moments for more serious works; can be used to critique and question systems or ideologies (e.g. through satire).
• Children’s literature – stretches the imagination; shows how visual and textual material work together; helps us to get in touch with our own inner child; explains key concepts simply; explores values.

This list is certainly not exhaustive and many of the strengths cross over into different genres.  Can you think of others?

Set a Goal

You’re more likely to read outside of your genre if you have a specific goal.  You might identity a couple of genres or sub-genres that you would like to try and then set yourself a goal to read a certain number of books in each.  Although you might want to start with something close to your literary home, I’d encourage you to aim a little broader than that – fiction, non-fiction and poetry; contemporary and historical; realist and speculative; Christian and mainstream; bestsellers and award winners; books for adults, young adults and children.

There are also many established reading lists you can use.  For the last two years, I’ve participated in the Popsugar Reading Challenge in which you read books from different categories.  Some are specific (e.g. an espionage thriller), but most of the categories are quite broad (e.g. a book with a red spine), so you have a lot of scope in your selections. I’m part of a Facebook group that discusses books we’re reading and it’s been a great way to learn about different genres and styles. I’ve come across a few duds, but I’ve also discovered many gems I wouldn’t have read otherwise.  If you’d like to try this year’s challenge, you can find the 2017 list here.

Set Boundaries

While it’s good to read widely, it’s also wise to determine the types of books that you’re not going to include.  I don’t read erotica, but I wouldn’t necessarily rule out a book with one or two sex scenes.  It depends how they’re done and their importance to the story.  I don’t read grisly horror or books with strong occult or paranormal themes because I know they affect me negatively.  However, I’m not averse to the odd ghost, werewolf or magical twist. The list will be different for everyone, but you should still be left with dozens of genres and sub-genres that you can happily explore.

Do you read outside your genre?  Has it helped in your writing?  What pearls have you discovered?  I’ll be back later to respond to your comments, but right now I have to check out steampunk titles on Goodreads.  Will I choose Beauty and the Clockwork Beast or stick with a classic like H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine?  Perhaps I’ll read them both.

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 140 short pieces published, including devotionals, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her writing tips blog at their website:  http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au  

You have to be there

I was giggling at my computer this afternoon. Real throat chuckles with a couple of good snorts thrown in.

My husband, sitting out of sight, could hear me.

“What is it?” he asked.

I tried, between breathless guffaws to describe the video clip I’d just watched.

“…And then he kind of let go of the ball and the whole thing went into the ceiling… ha ha ha!” Tears of laughter ran down my face, but my husband seemed unmoved.

“Huh,” he said. “Guess you had to be there.”

I didn’t answer him. Actually, I couldn’t. By this time I had slid off my chair and was writhing on the floor. (Yes, I’m committed to my humour. When something’s really funny and I’m with other people I have to leave the room or risk embarrassing myself by being unable to control my giggle reactions.)

Finally, my husband walked over. I scrolled back up to the top of the list of ’37 Fails’ so that he could see the whole collection of clips. By number two he was laughing. By 15 he was snorting. When the guy finally threw the bowling ball into the ceiling he yelled with delight.

It turned out he was right. You definitely had to be there.

* * *

At the close of the day I’m usually in the kitchen with my mind on pasta or chicken or whatever-the-heck-I’m-going-to-feed-the-kids-today. One night last week my eight year old son came running through the back door, beaming with excitement.

“Mum, mum!” he said. “Come and look at this! You have to!”

“What is it?” I said, half-heartedly, checking the boil of the pot on the stove.

“It’s a sunset!” he said. “It’s amazing.”

“Lovely!” I said. My enthusiasm was minimal. I mean, I’ve seen lots of sunsets. “That sounds great.”

“No! You have to come and see it!”

He dragged me outside, reluctant, apron-clad and busy. But as soon as my eyes saw the palette of colour and light spread across the sky, I was uplifted, enriched and overjoyed. There were no words for the enveloping beauty my son had taken me to be part of that evening.

* * *

Here’s the point. You’ve got to be there.

To be overtaken by the joke and laugh until you’ve nearly wet your pants, you’ve got to see the clip, sit in the audience, be in the room. It’s not the same to try to picture what someone’s relaying to you. It doesn’t allow you to wince or cringe at the really bad bits or read that double-meaning typo again and again, giggling more each time.

To be moved and transformed by a sunset, you have to put your apron aside, walk out the door and lift up your eyes. It’s not the same to imagine a sunset in your head. It doesn’t bring with it the sparkle of the light or the gentle fatigue of the evening breeze.

You have to be there.

But what happens when you flip this around?

I’ll be honest. I don’t like hard things. If I could organise my own life, I wouldn’t choose a year of being bullied at boarding school as an eleven year old. I wouldn’t choose 30 years of constant grief and goodbyes. I wouldn’t choose to parent a child with a disability who for 6 years only communicated via impressive meltdowns.

I’d prefer an easy existence. Most of us would, I’m sure.

However, I’m also pretty convinced that most of us would prefer books that include some challenges. Where’s the learning, the suspense, the thrill or the adventure in a story where the main character has no issues, and an idyllic childhood, perfect friends, a snug, middle-class home and a lucrative career to boot? Yeah. Boring.

To be a good, even a great writer, you’ve got to create challenges for your characters.

It’s pretty hard for me to create a scene where my character is suffering intense embarrassment if I’ve never been embarrassed. It’s difficult to write about bullying if I’ve never been bullied. It’s impossible to write the deep, dark nights of the soul if I’ve never had to claw my way out of depression.

To write well, I’ve got to have been there. Or at least close to there.

* * *

God’s a writer.

And here’s the question. Is it fair for us to expect him, the master author, to create boring stories for our lives?

Yes, I’ve whinged (often and long) about the challenges in my life. I’ve been cranky, bitter and self-pitying about them. I’ve desired other things and looked enviously at other people’s apparently happier lives, thinking that I’ve probably missed out and that (my personal favourite) It’s Not Fair.

Clearly a change of perspective is needed. If you ‘have to be there’ to understand it, and if you have to understand it to write it, I’m a pretty fortunate woman.

Because I’ve been there.

Cecily Paterson is the author of the award-winning memoir Love Tears & Autism. She now writes teen fiction for girls.

(Oh, and if you’d like to see what the giggles were about, go here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/37-people-who-failed-so-spectacularly-they-almost-won)

A Funny Thing Happened …

 

 

Within 24 hours of the Pope announcing his resignation, people were joking that he would now be called Ex-Benedict!  Now that’s funny.  Well, I thought it was funny, but would some Catholics find it disrespectful?  I also smiled when reading Adrian Plass’s parody of the Toronto Blessing in which a congregation had to decide whether the Taiwanese Tickle was a move of God.  Hilarious!  Well, I thought it was, but would some Charismatics be insulted?  At least I’m being balanced by offending two religious groups at once!

Much of our Australian humour is based on sarcasm, satire, and poking fun at people, but what are the ground rules for the Christian humorist?  I’m assuming most Christians would not endorse humour that is vulgar, cruel, or steeped in Benny-Hill-style sexual innuendo.  But where is the line between harmlessly making fun of someone and hurting them?  When is satire a helpful way to confront people and when is it just plain mean?  By now you’ve probably realised that this post is going to ask more questions than it answers, but I have an ulterior motive.  I’m trying to work this out so that I do the right thing when I write humorous pieces.  So here is my initial attempt at some guidelines.

·         Avoid stereotyping groups of people (e.g., different ethnic or religious groups, mothers-in-law, blondes).  Though if Rebel Wilson tells you the blonde was staring at the orange juice because it said “concentrate”, that’s okay.

 

·         Use the “do unto others” test and ask yourself whether you would like it if someone told a similar joke about you or your loved ones.

 

·         Consider the purpose of your humour.  Is it purely to entertain and make people laugh?  Are you satirising something to confront people about an important issue?  Are you using humour to lighten a serious topic?  All are valid, but understanding your motives may help you to decide whether certain jokes or anecdotes are appropriate in a given situation.  Humour should never be used to “get back” at another person.  Some topics may also be off limits depending on the audience.  It was never going to be a good idea for The Chaser team to make fun of a charity that helps kids with cancer or for this year’s Academy Awards host to joke about dating violence. 

 

·         Be willing to make fun of your own foibles and struggles rather than just poking fun at others.  Christian writers like Barbara Johnson and Karen Scalf Linamen do that so well.  We identify with their quirks and problems and are more likely to listen to their underlying serious message.  Before passing away from cancer in 2007, Barbara Johnson was known for bringing humour into the darkest of places, including the deaths of two of her sons and her own battle with cancer.  Karen Scalf Linamen uses humour to teach valuable lessons for practical Christian living (most of which involve healthy doses of chocolate).

 

·         Don’t be too precious.  No matter how careful we are, there’ll always be someone who’s ready to take offense.  Adrian Plass would call them the “Spot it and stop it” people.  If we pander to them, we’ll be left with the bland “Christmas Cracker” type jokes that cause groans rather than smiles and I think God has a better sense of humour than that.

These thoughts are very much a work in progress.  Do you agree with these guidelines?  Would you add others?  Where is the line?  Meanwhile, back to my latest project.  A blonde, Irish nun walks into a bar …

 

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 80 short pieces published in various magazines, journals, and anthologies (including true stories, devotions, poetry and short fiction). She has a passion for writing about what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same. (Some call it "nagging", but she calls it "encouragement").

The Write Inventions!

Okay. In all seriousness, it's time we got serious about this writing business.
It's time we showed the world that we've got what it takes; not just to churn out the words, edit a tidy phrase and stimulate the imagination. We need to mechanise our processes. Speed up our production. Streamline and safeguard our creativity from the booby traps that come our way. In this age of gadgets, phones and umpteen numbers of electrical kitchen appliances I proclaim that it's the writer's turn. It's time for some serious inventing of just the write type!

For example why can't we have a DASDAS (Digital Anxiety and Self Doubt Analysis System)? You know those pegs they put on your fingers in hospital to asses the oxygen levels in your blood? Well, a DASDAS works on a similar principle. You insert your finger, ultra shiny light (please excuse the technical jargon) retrieves information from your blood relating to levels of genuine anxiety and avoidable self doubt. Writers are then able to quickly assess if their feelings of "Why bother!? Your writing is gobbly-gook!" are to be justifiably heeded, or pushed aside. A DASDAS is guarantees to speed up the writing process, eliminate otherwise unnecessary supplies of chocolate and keep writers' spouses sane (If I hear her say "Do you really think I'm a good writer?"one more time....!).

Another top seller would be the Author Facadrobe. Based on similar physics principles as the time machine and Mary Poppins' handbag, the Author Facadrobe is an adult sized, conveniently foldable pouch which upon entry turns the nail biting, bed-head, fashion oblivious writer into a snazzy, self assured, dressed-to-impress author. Useful for speaking engagements, school visits and book launches this invention takes the worry out of all public author appearances. There are, of course a variety of settings ranging from 'Casual and Carefree' to 'Professional Prominence'. This invention will streamline all speaking events, reduce cost on panicked purchases and keep writers' spouses sane (If I hear her say "Are you sure this skirt doesn't make me look boring?" one more time....!).

And what about the Never Too Busy Headband? This trendily packaged invention promises to take the hard slogged hours of a busy writer (who also happens to be a parent, cook, gardener, taxi driver, waiter, secretary and toilet cleaner) and multiplies them by factors of 3, 6 and 287 depending on the need. Worn on the head, and covered in neutral coloured hair fibres, this devise sucks ideas straight from the brain. Then, with technology similar to the scanning ability of a smart phone, these ideas are sorted. Dialogue is formatted, characters built, grammar is checked on thought and plot substance mapped. Files can then be downloaded directly to the writer's computer and immediately accessed. This invention ensures optimum power from writer multi-tasking, allows almost effortless plotting and character construction and promises to keep writers' spouses sane (If I hear him say "If only I had more time for my novel!" one more time....!).

And this is only the beginning! The Write Inventions are going to revolutionise the way we work. Authors will be winning awards left, right and centre brain. We'll be selling novels like they're iphones. And all this while doing the most important - keeping our spouses sane!

Penny Reeve is a children's author currently living with her family in Western Sydney. This week she hopes to begin planning gifts for Christmas, bake a pumpkin pie and try to live against the trend of being far too busy!