Support, advice, and distractions for struggling writers
Category: Distractions
These posts are just distractions from the stress of writing. They include funny stories, photos, jokes, puzzles, book recommendations and reviews, etc.
I’m in a sombre mood today. First thing this morning, I discovered that my feisty, beloved cat, Hunter, had passed away. I had him for over eighteen years and he was almost nineteen years old. He was old, sick, and in pain but it still hurts that he’s gone. As with most people, my pets are my family and losing them has not gotten any easier over the years, even when they die of old age. Anyway, I’m not up for writing a full-blown post today but I figured I could still share a good poem with you: “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
While I lost a four-legged family member rather than a two-legged one, I still thought Thomas’s poem appropriate given my feelings about the situation. I don’t have any deep thoughts or analysis regarding the work right now, but hopefully it will resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one, either human or animal.
I’ll try and bring you a more uplifting–or at least not depressing–post next time. For now, I will leave you to rage against the dying of the light.
Hello, readers and writers! Today I have a special announcement regarding my Halloween plans, something which I alluded to in my video post for Banned Books Week. Those of you who receive The Scrapbook, the newsletter for The Writer’s Scrap Bin, already know about my end-of-October plans, but I’m going to elaborate a little more here.
So, Banned Books Week is over and Halloween is almost here. What am I going to do next? I’m going to DISNEYLAND!
No joke, readers. I’m going to Disneyland for the end of October/beginning of November. Better yet, my mom and I have tickets to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on none other than HALLOWEEN NIGHT.
In case you can’t tell by the all-caps, I’m pretty excited. I’ve wanted to go to this event for years, and my mom managed to wrangle tickets for the best night of the year for our first time attending. Sometimes the stars align just right, and that’s when you know you have to go for it.
Now, I teased in my Banned books Week video that I was preparing for some video posts at the end of this month. I’m going to be posting videos from Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party as well as the other festivities for the week that I’m down in SoCal, and readers of The Scrapbook will be able to access additional, videos after I’ve returned from my trip.
I’ll also be giving you tips about planning and executing an October/November Disneyland trip, telling you how to get around the park with the least hassle, and cluing you in on some of the big changes the Land is currently undergoing.
There’s still one part of the trip I’m keeping secret until the last minute: my costume for the big night. This is partly to have a little fun with it and partly because I’m still securing the last parts of my costume. For now, I can only leave you with this farewell: Au revoir!
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As promised, I’m here to give you a belated writing prompt to compensate for missing the Friday Fun-Day prompt. Today’s prompt is a slight offshoot from last week’s, where I asked you to look into your family history for inspiration. This time, however, I want you to use world history for inspiration.
I’m sure that none of you are strangers to historic fiction, whether in books, movies, or TV shows (TURN, anyone?). You might have even come into contact with the genre without realizing it; after all, many books are a mix of historic fiction and other genres. Stephen King’s 11/22/63 is both science fiction and alternate history. Anne McCaffrey’s Black Horses for the King, one of my favorites, is a fantasy/historic fiction hybrid. Everywhere you look, we are repeating history–both on and off the page.
Why is historic fiction so prevalent, both on its own and bred with other genres? It’s pretty simple: the vein runs long and deep.
When you use the past as a springboard, you’ll almost never run out of material. Many events have been rewritten for fiction but there’s always another angle to take; it just takes a little creativity to find a new one and fill in the holes left by available records.
That’s what you’re going to do in this writing prompt: rewrite history.
This prompt is more for brainstorming than actual writing, at least at this stage. I want you to find a historic event from any time period that, for one reason or another, fascinates you. For me, that would be the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia, namely the beginning of her reign when she overthrew her husband, Peter III. (I mostly blame the Royal Diaries series for my obsession, but heck if I know why she in particular stuck in my head. Maybe it’s a past life thing.)
After you find the event you want to explore, spend some time discovering a not-so-common perspective on it. Did you choose an event in World War II? Consider following one of the many female spies or other heroines of the time. Did you go for the Salem Witch Trials? Try for one of the accusers or a witness to the hangings. For the example I gave above, I have often contemplated writing a book about this coup d’état through the eyes of one of Catherine’s servants or one of the generals with whom she conspired.
When you’ve decided on your angle, jot down your idea as some notes, an outline, maybe even a few pages for your new story. If you’re a poet, go ahead and scribble out a rough draft of your poem. My only suggestion is to not get too far before you can get to a computer or library for some research. Trust me, you don’t want to get attached to too many details before you know if they’re even plausible.
You’ll be surprised how easily the inspiration will come once you choose your perspective. Interpersonal interactions, emotions, holes in cause-and-effect, there’s only so much the records cover, so there will be plenty of mysteries for you to explore. Just remember to back your imagination with research. Many writers have been torn a new one for extreme inaccuracies in historic novels.
Happy imagining!
Do you have any ideas for writing prompts? Drop a line in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and your prompt may be featured on a Friday Fun-Day post.
For our first fiction webinar of the year, my Master’s class discussed a form which does not often cross the modern writer’s mind: the novella. It’s not so easy to keep all the definitions straight in the writing world, so I found a rough definition of “novella” from an article on The Writer. When separating novellas from short stories and novels, word counts usually create the boundaries; typically, novellas have between 20,000 and 50,000 words.
Beyond the definition of “novella,” the article from The Writer also raises an interesting question which my webinar debated as well: could the novella survive on the commercial market?
A famous novella
Image retrieved from WikipediaThe author of this article, Jack Smith, argues for pursuing small presses when attempting to publish a novella. As hard as it is to get a larger publisher to give you the time of day as an unknown novelist, it’s even harder when you’re pushing a novella. Smith points out that more of the smaller presses are open to accepting novellas. However, he also explains that, due to financial or quota restrictions, smaller publishers can’t take anything less than an exemplary novella.
Some publishers don’t want novellas because they don’t seem to sell. Others want them because they’re shorter than a novel and, therefore, cheaper to produce; as long as the writing is high quality and compelling, it could be a very wise investment. This potential makes me wonder if the form is truly as undesirable to consumers as market trends suggest.
Consider this: a common complaint in regards to society becoming overly-dependent on technology is that it shortens our attention spans. If that complaint contains a grain of truth, novellas would be preferable to the average reader rather than the novel. The novella immerses the reader in its world as thoroughly as a novel with the writing economy and punch of a short story. What’s better for the impatient millenial reader? (I am so sorry I used that term.)
Another aspect of the digital age may also give novellas an advantage: e-books. E-books allow readers to find quick distractions when they don’t have physical books, like when they’re waiting at the doctor’s office or standing in line for a movie. Short stories and short story collections may thrive better in these shorter waits, but novellas would fill the void during medium-length waits, such as day trips and nights spent at the airport.
Another famous novella
Image retrieved from WikipediaFor both self-published writers and smaller presses, the digital revolution could reignite the commercial possibilities for novellas. That doesn’t mean you should self-publish or send out your novella willy-nilly. As with all forms of writing, you have to make your novella the best you think it can be, including undergoing several rewrites, edits, and beta readers as you find prudent (and then add a couple more sessions to be sure). Nevertheless, don’t be afraid to pitch or publish your work because it’s a novella. If you like it, if you see more promise than failure in it, proceed as you would with a novel or short story.
To get you novella writers started, be sure to check out the aforementioned article from The Writer for some small presses open to receiving novella submissions.
What do you think? Are novellas dead? Or are they just waiting to rise again? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
In an average week, I read over 200 pages. During my busiest weeks, that number can easily reach 1,000. Schoolwork, editing jobs, book reviews, and reading for this blog–not to mention reading for fun–can really add up. I shouldn’t complain; reading is, after all, one of my favorite things to do and I love my work and education. Still, there is one huge side effect common to all writers and avid readers, one which can hinder our writing and reading pursuits, if not put a stop to them: eye strain.
We’re all familiar with the headaches, burning eyes, fatigue, and other symptoms which come with eye strain. Whether it’s from reading too much or writing too much, all writers have experienced the phenomenon at least once, no matter how minor the case may seem. Sometimes it can even lead to–or be a symptom of–a larger problem. For some migraineurs, eye strain can go so far as to trigger a migraine attack.
Fortunately, Mayo Clinic claims that eye strain usually doesn’t cause any long-term damage. It’s just irritating as all heck and can bring a grinding halt to our work as we try and alleviate the issue.
Still, writers–as both writers and enthusiastic readers–can suffer much more damage than eye strain. John Milton went blind before he even wrote Paradise Lost. As I type this post, my eyes are starting to hurt and I can hardly concentrate. The digital age has brought on a new slew of sources for eye strain, the most notable ones for readers and writers being e-books and laptops.
Some people need to see an optometrist if the eye strain becomes too severe. In those cases, glasses for reading and/or screen time may be necessary. Most times, however, lifestyle changes are all that you need to prevent and alleviate the irritation. Mayo Clinic has an extensive list of these measures, but I think the following are particularly useful for writers in the modern era:
Blink often. This may sound obvious but it can be pretty easy to forget to blink. Mayo Clinic points out that people tend to blink less when staring at electronic screens, and I can personally vouch for that. How often have you blinked while reading this post? I’m guessing not as much as you would expect. Blinking often will refresh your eyes by producing more tears, which will help keep your eyes moist while staring at a computer, tablet, e-reader, TV, or phone.
Take breaks. Again, obvious but not always the first thing that comes to mind. It’s also not the easiest thing to do. We’re busy and working under deadlines, how can we afford to take breaks? Suffice to say, ten-minute breaks here and there will save a lot more time and preserve the quality of your work better than headaches, blurred vision, and eyes that won’t stay open.
Adjust the lights. My dad is particularly fond of this one, although he alternates between it being because the lights hurt his eyes and because he thinks even two fluorescent bulbs heat up a room. He insists on most–often all–lights being off when he’s in a room, day or night. This approach doesn’t help eye strain, either. Trying to see in such little light is just as bad for your eyes as lights that are too bright. You have to adjust the lights depending on your activity and what’s comfortable for your eyes. If you’re in a room with someone whose eyes are as different from yours as my dad’s are from mine, good luck. That’s all I can say.
Adjust your screen. I don’t just mean the back light, although adjusting that according to how your eyes feel can really help. You should also experiment with how the screen is positioned, the angle and amount of external light surrounding it, and even the font size can make a huge difference. On top of that, you need to keep the screen clean in order to keep dust from messing with the contrast and worsening any glare issues.
All in all, the best thing anyone can do for eye strain is to not focus on any one surface too long, especially if that surface is an electronic screen. It’s easier said than done, especially for writers. We eat, breathe, and sleep the written word (and often the moving pictures, too), and most of our days are spent staring at screens, books, and papers. Nevertheless, unless you want to get a patient relative or friend to transcribe your work like Milton did, you should preserve your sight now for your future writing endeavors.
Do you suffer from eye strain frequently? How do you deal with it? What was your worst experience with eye strain to date? Leave your thoughts and stories in the comments below!
AMUCK! Amuck, amuck, amuck, amuck, amuck! My fellow Hocus Pocus fans know what that means: it’s finally October! Halloween is less than 27 days away, 26 if you’re on the East coast or across the Atlantic. Cue the horror films, corn mazes, costumes, and, of course, candy.
With a new month we also have a new monthly giveaway. The October monthly newsletter giveaway is a special one, one which you’ll learn, in a future post, pairs perfectly with my October festivities.
By now, you’ve probably surmised that I’m a huge Disney fan. I make a lot of Disney references and I’ve dedicated a series of posts to the company and its films. I try and go to Disneyland at least once a year, and I live all the way up in Northern California. It’s a family matter, really; my parents would give an arm and a leg each to work for Disney.
The October monthly giveaway pays tribute to this obsession. For this month only, I will be giving away free, personalized guides to having a great Disneyland vacation. It may not sound like much but, trust me, it can take multiple trips to get into a good theme park rhythm. I also know that kids don’t help much (my brothers certainly didn’t). Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth, but only if you know how to navigate the crowd and explore the overstimulating surroundings.
To get your free guide, you’ll have to sign up for our newsletter, The Scrapbook, which you can do by following the link provided in the blog’s menu. Then you’ll find the instructions for the giveaway in this month’s newsletter.
I normally charge $5 – $20 for these tips on Fiverr, so make sure to take advantage of this giveaway before October ends.
Also remember to check back regularly as Halloween approaches. You’ll especially want to keep an eye out for a special announcement I’ll be making towards the middle of the month.
Until then, have a fun and festive October, my dearies!
On Thursday, I discussed why people challenge or ban books, at least what they claim are their reasons. Today, as Banned Books Week starts to wind down, I want to discuss who challenges these books. In order to understand why this censorship continues in the modern era, particularly in the supposedly-progressive United States, we need to understand exactly who is taking offense in the first place.
I have extensively examined the infographics on the ALA’s website in preparation for this post, and I’ve found that challenges, for the most part, come from the same prominent initiators year after year. Namely, the top three groups are parents, patrons, and boards/administrations.
Infographic courtesy of the ALAIn 2016, 42% of reported challenges were initiated by parents, 31% by patrons, and 10% by boards/administrations. Other initiators also challenge books, including librarians, teachers, political and religious groups, and local governments. Most of these other groups, however, individually make up smaller percentages than the top three.
The year 2016 wasn’t the only time that these initiators dominated the scene. In 2015, 2014, and even the 2000s, parents and patrons were among the most prominent initiators, with “other” or “unidentified” initiators taking the spot of boards/administrations in 2014 and the 2000s.
Personally, I was surprised that more political and religious groups had not been initiators in 2016. In fact, they only made up 2% of all initiators. How, then, do we have so many challenges based in “religious viewpoint”?
I believe that this trend points to the top two initiators: parents and patrons. Parents use their religious beliefs to keep their children from books they don’t want them to read, and religious patrons try and keep their libraries and bookstores “clean” according to their personal standards.
The fact that parents top the charts does not shock me. After all, parents want to keep their children innocent and scar-free. They don’t want them reading what they’ve deemed “filth” and yet they don’t want to take the time to monitor their children’s books themselves. Instead, they insist that libraries, schools, and bookstores do so for them.
I can see why parents may want these organizations to remove books for them. After all, you can’t watch your children every second of the day, especially when they’re at school during the week. Parents also shouldn’t have to choose between an active role in their children’s lives and their jobs/careers, and so their schedules can be tight and they may not want to waste family time.
Regardless, I still think that relying on libraries and other book-dispensing organizations to remove books at parents’ whims is unwise. Some books are not appropriate for children to access, but others are more subjective, depending on the parents’ attitudes. The latter should not be removed so that no children can get them. Such removal ignores children’s First Amendment rights and cultivates a narrow-minded, uneducated society.
Similar violations occur when patrons challenge books. These challenges try and restrict the public’s access to books, and so individuals would not be allowed to decide if they should read a certain book or not. This violation of First Amendment rights forces the views of a few on the many. If Americans are not allowed to read and make decisions for themselves, can we truly claim that we stand for freedom?
Mind you, these statistics are only for challenges which have been reported. The ALA claims that, in 2016 alone, 82-97% of challenges remain unreported. The unreported challenges could tip the scales in favor of other initiators, such as administrations and libraries, but we won’t know if they continue to fall off the radar. All we can work with, while trying to determine the causes of challenges, are reported statistics.
Based on the ALA statistics, I see two obvious changes which could help weaken the fight against knowledge: parents could more closely monitor their children’s reading habits and patrons could decide that their only business is with what they read, not what some random stranger or even their neighbor reads. Such changes would require an adjustment to societal thinking, which could take years to accomplish. However, if we keep pushing back on those who push to ban books, we may get the general public to listen.
Were you surprised by the top initiators? What do you think these trends mean for the battle to censor books? Is it something we can change? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Every time I look up the ALA Top Ten Challenged/Banned Books lists, I love to check the reasons for the challenges. It’s often the same old, same old with some variations, the most prominent of which tend to be “unsuited for age group,” “violence,” “sexually explicit,” “LGBT” or “homosexuality,” “offensive language,” and “religious viewpoint.” Sometimes we get a fun one thrown in such as “inaccurate” or “occult/satanism.” (Believe it or not, the latter of those two reasons was used to challenge Bridge to Terabithia.) Challenged books often have more than one reason listed.
Why would these reasons be the most prominent? The answer may be multifaceted: more people are offended by them, people are more deeply offended by them, and/or louder people take offense to them. A couple of reasons, namely “violence” and “offensive language,” are to be expected. That doesn’t mean that the books should be challenged or removed, but violence and offensive language are so common in rating and censorship that you can’t really be surprised. Not all of the most prominent reasons make as much sense, though.
I’ll start with “sexually explicit.” Again, this doesn’t mean books should be challenged or banned, but I know from ratings given to movies and TV shows that concerns about sexual imagery and innuendo are abundant. Some of the challenged books this reason is assigned to, however, don’t always fit the bill in my opinion, at least not to the point that they should be removed from shelves.
Take The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The Chocolate War has made the Top Challenged/Banned Books lists for decades, even snagging the #1 slot in 2004. The Hunger Games made its debut appearance on the list in 2010. Both books/book series have been marked as “sexually explicit,” among other things. Now, it’s been a couple of years since I last read either book, but I do not recall seeing anything overly sexual in those books. Yes, sex and teenaged sexuality are addressed in the books but as a part of the confusing time which is puberty. They’re teenaged/young adult books, not children’s books or even middle grade books; they’re ready to approach more adult subjects. If you don’t think your teenaged kids are ready, sit them down and talk to them about it. Others don’t have to suffer just because you won’t be a more involved parents or you don’t want to have a heart-to-heart with your own children.
Even the health book It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris has made the list many times over the years for being “sexually explicit” just because it provides sex education for its readers. Sometimes you have to push past your own embarrassment to help your kid become well-informed or at least let them know why you don’t want them reading a certain book.
Now I want to lump together “LGBT/homosexuality” and “religious viewpoint.” I know that both reasons are hot-button topics around the world, but I can only speak from an American point of view. Here are some of the books which have landed on the Top Ten Challenged/Banned Books lists for “LGBT” or “homosexuality” over the years: And Tango Makes Three, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska, I Am Jazz, Heather Has Two Mommies, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, George, and too many others for me to list here.
Fun fact: the first of those books is a children’s book about two male penguins adopting an orphaned penguin. It was also challenged for being “anti-family.”
Pretty much, if a book has a character who’s a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, it’s bound to get challenged for “LGBT” or “homosexuality.” You can probably bet on an additional reason of “unsuited for age group” if it’s for young adults or younger audiences. The people who challenge these books, therefore, are challenging them for the diversity they show.
Image retrieved from Amazon In 2015, The Holy Bible made the Top Ten Challenged Books list for one of the same reasons as the Harry Potter series in 2001.
“Religious viewpoint” can be seen as a related reason because many objectors to the LGBTQIA+ community claim to come at it from a religious perspective. A funny turn-about occurred with these reason, though. In 2015, The Holy Bible snagged #6 on the list of Top Ten Challenged/Banned books for that very reason. I still don’t think that any books should be banned or removed from shelves and I think that anyone who wants access to the Bible should have it, but I find bittersweet humor in the situation.
Last, but not least, we have “unsuited for age group.” This reason has been use to challenge books from The Catcher in the Rye to Where’s Waldo? I’ll discuss this reason more in-depth in a video later this week but I still wanted to mention it here due to its prominence. When in doubt, say it’s unsuited for the age group. This can encompass everything from sex to a differing worldview. It’s a catch-all, one which both amuses me and pisses me off.
No matter how ridiculous it may seem, book challenges always have some sort of reason attached to them. Whether those reasons are truthful or justify removing the book, that’s for you to decide. I think you can tell that my answer is a resounding “no.”
What do you think about these reasons for challenging books? Are they ridiculous or justified? Do you think books should be removed from public shelves for these reasons, or should people take responsibility for what they and their children read? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
If you have any topics related to Banned Books Week you wish to discuss, be sure to drop me a line at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.
Good day, book lovers. Today I’ve decided to test out video recording and posting, so bear with the length and clumsiness of this video. Hopefully, future videos will be much smoother and more succinct. For this video, I briefly discuss my favorite challenged/banned book series, read a quote from one of the books, and give some thoughts on why books are challenged or banned. I had to split it into two videos because it was too big to upload at once, so I hope there aren’t any problems. Enjoy!
Also, if you experience problems playing these videos, let me know. Like I said, this banned books video is my first attempt and I don’t have all the kinks worked out yet.
Good day, everyone! I hope you’ve had a great weekend. Mine has been filled with research related to Banned Books Week, and I thought it would be appropriate to start the week with a project that anyone can do to spread the love of reading. I’m talking about building your own little free libraries.
One of the issues brought up by Banned Books Week is restricted access to reading materials. Many factors can limit access to books: lack of money, lack of public libraries, and, yes, censorship which leads to the removal of books from library shelves. We have to do everything we can to help books, especially challenged/banned books, be more readily available to the public. That’s where projects like the Little Free Library come in.
You may have already heard of the trend. It’s a book lover’s dream, a 24/7 mini-library and DIY project all in one. The concept is all about taking a book, leaving a book, and building a community. There’s more to it, though.
The project traces back to an international, nonprofit organization called Little Free Library. They provide instructions and sell materials for creating little free libraries, register the libraries so that the “stewards” (as they call the keepers of the little free libraries) can access a support network, and even provide a world map of registered little libraries.
You don’t need to use the kits sold by Little Free Library. You can build one from any material you can get your hands on, so long as you make sure they’re secure and can withstand the elements. Also, make sure that you have permission to put your library where you want to put it, don’t block any pathways, and make sure to maintain it. You don’t even need to make them out of wood. People have made little free libraries out of old mailboxes, mini-fridges, and microwaves.
To register with the Little Free Library, you’ll have to pay $45, which is included in the price if you buy one of their kits. (A steward’s packet with advice and tips is also included.) There are many benefits to registering, such as becoming a part of the international steward network, getting an official charter sign, and being able to put your library on the world map so that readers in your area can find it.
However, you don’t have to register. After all, who can tell you not to put a little free library on your own property? You just won’t have a charter number or a sign and you’ll have to get the word out some other way. (If you don’t register, be careful about calling it a “little free library” for copyright reasons.)
There are a lot more details, ideas, and advice provided on the Little Free Library website, so I suggest going there before committing to any strategy for constructing libraries. You can also donate to the organization and find little free libraries near you. There are thousands of them; some have even been put up in small cities near me (not my actual town, not yet). Our county is rural and not very populated, so they really are everywhere in the United States.
Do you have a little free library? Seen any in your area? Tell us about them and post some pictures in the comments below! I’d love to get some ideas for my own little free library. Also feel free to share other ideas you have for increasing access to books, as well as any other banned books topics you wish to discuss.
