Happy Friday Fun-Day, Scrap Binners! And happy last night of Hanukkah to those who celebrate! It’s hard to believe that we’re already reaching the end of those eight holy nights, six days away from Yule and the Winter Solstice, and ten days away from Christmas. With all these winter holidays going on, I think it’s time for another holiday-themed Friday Fun-Day writing prompt. This time, I want to turn the spotlight on the big man himself: Santa Claus.
We’ve seen a million different stories—especially movies and TV specials—starring Santa Claus: The Year Without a Santa Claus, Fred Claus, and Disney+’s latest streaming sensation, The Santa Clauses. Honestly, at this time of year, there is no shortage of the cookie-eating, gift-giving, home intruder. It can get a bit tedious to see so many different versions of the man in the red suit year after year, especially if you have children.
However, there is a plus side to this dilemma: his origins, as a character, remain an enigma. We do have the historical origins with Saint Nicholas, even if those are questionable as well. As a character, though, Santa Claus has a wide variety of origins. Whether he’s a mythical being, a man who became an immortal being because of his good deeds, or a man who picked up the mantel in a long line of red-suited gift-givers, Santa Claus’s roots are forever changing.
That’s what I want you to do with today’s writing prompt. Explore Santa Claus’s origins. All myths have their beginnings—what are Santa Claus’s?
Where was he born? Does he have a family? How did he start giving gifts to children? How did he start breaking into houses without facing any backlash? Who exactly are the elves, and how did Santa Claus fall in with them? Why did Santa Claus choose to go to the North Pole, and how does he survive up there?
The questions are limitless.
Since the questions are limitless, give yourself five minutes to jot down notes and let your imagination run wild. Then use these notes to create a short story about the origins of Santa Claus. The story can be a whimsical children’s story, like “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, or a hysterical yet sometimes tragic story of familial dysfunction, like Fred Claus. The only real limit here—beyond the five minutes for your notes—is your creativity.
I highly encourage you to make Santa Claus as well-rounded a character as possible. Remember, this is an exercise in seeing how well you can take an already flat character—a well-known one, at that—and make him into someone with a truly fleshed-out background. However, don’t forget to have fun with it. It is your story, your version of Christmas, after all.
Share your vision with the world!
Feel free to share your experience with this exercise and the resulting short story in the comments below. For an extra writing prompt, don’t forget to join my paid Patreon membership at this link.
My mom got me the best holiday gift possible: a Cameo video from Mark Sheppard, the genius actor behind Supernatural’s Crowley. It’s easy to say that this gift did not just make my day or my week; it made my year. (For those who don’t know, I am a big Supernatural fan, especially Crowley.) Yet it’s not just the fact that it was Mark Sheppard who appeared in the video that made it so special. It was the message that he left for me that really lifted me out of the doldrums.
My mom told Mark Sheppard that I was having writer’s block. And it’s true. I’ve been having the worst writer’s block of my life recently. I’m especially having a hard time writing for my ghostwriting project. But Mark Sheppard reminded me of a basic truth of writing: writers just have to write, even if it turns out to be rubbish.
It’s advice that we, as writers, hear often. Just sit down and write. It doesn’t matter if it’s rubbish, so long as you get some writing done. However, that’s easier said than done.
Oftentimes, we say it’s because we don’t have time. Most of us have jobs outside of our writing, you know. We also have our families and social obligations, not to mention when we get sick (I just recently got over Covid myself). Yet even when we do have the time, we still can’t seem to find the inspiration. There’s too much noise, too many social media posts to get caught up on, too many TV shows and movies and books to dive into, too many distractions…
The truth, though, actually goes much deeper than that.
We are afraid of the rubbish.
Many of us writers are perfectionists. You could say that all artists are. We have a paralyzing fear of our writing not turning out perfectly the first time that we get it down onto paper, and so we just don’t write anything at all. Alternatively, we do write something, and then we rewrite that little something again and again and again, rather than marching forth with the rest of the piece.
There’s something that we need to realize, though: there’s no such thing as a perfect first draft. In fact, all first drafts are probably rubbish. That’s why we get feedback, revise, and edit, after we have finished the first draft.
If we want to make it as writers, if we truly want to push past our writer’s blocks, we need to embrace our rubbish, not run away from it. We need to get past the fear of imperfection and just write. Even if it’s just a little bit of rubbish every day, we need to write something.
After all, one word soon becomes two words. Two words become a sentence. A sentence becomes a paragraph, a paragraph becomes a page, a page becomes a chapter, and a chapter becomes a book. It just takes persistence. The polishing of the turd, so to speak, can wait until later.
Yes, we have our obligations that we must tend to before our writing. That is the way of life. However, we should not let a fear of turning out rubbish keep us from writing at all. It is our passion, and we cannot allow anything to stand in the way of us pursuing that passion, let alone ourselves.
Now, in the words of Crowley, let’s go raise some Hell.
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Happy Friday, beloved readers! It’s hard to believe that it’s a little over two weeks until Christmas, huh? And Hanukkah already started last night! (Those are just the holidays that I know of.) It’s hard to believe how quickly the holidays are going by. Hopefully, even with all the hustle and bustle of this time of year, you are taking some time for your writing. Whether you already are or you need some inspiration to help you get started again, here is a writing prompt that will (hopefully) get your writing gears going.
For this prompt, I want to do something to go along with the increasing darkness of winter and to complement my “All Summer in a Day” writing prompt. I’m calling this one the “Eternal Night” writing prompt.
Imagine that, one day, the sun suddenly goes dark, and all electricity goes out. The sun has not died out, but for whatever reason, all light has disappeared from our planet but for the stars and fire. What do you think would happen to humankind? How would we handle being stuck in such a dark, primitive state? Would we panic? Turn on each other? We would come together and try to survive in this brand new world? Or we would just die out, as T.S. Eliot once said, not with a bang, but with a whimper?
Like with the “All Summer in a Day” writing prompt, I want you to spend about five minutes thinking over this scenario and jotting down your notes for it. Then turn it into a short story, piece of microfiction, or a poem. It can be whatever you want–horror, science fiction, fantasy, apocalyptic fiction, whatever fits the notes that you came up with. The only limits are your imagination!
This writing prompt will stretch your imagination. You might even be tempted to go beyond what would happen to humanity to explain why the light went away, which would probably take far more than the five minutes allotted to the note-taking in this exercise. Great! If you feel so compelled, bend the rules of this exercise and let this exercise take you where it will! Remember, these writing prompts are just to get you started writing. There are no strict rules to them, so if you need to be flexible to follow your imagination and creativity, so be it.
Let me know how this exercise turns out for you in the comments below.
For a bonus Friday Fun-Day writing prompt, be sure to join my Patreon page.
Happy holidays, everyone! It has been quite a while since I’ve written on here. I’ve been busy with my beta reading, editing, and related work. I even started ghost writing over the summer. (Not an easy job, I’ll tell you that much–but I’ll save that for another post.) I plan on revitalizing this blog, though, starting with some big news: I have started a Patreon page for The Writer’s Scrap Bin and my own writing.
I’ll be the first to admit that this is a bit of an experiment for me. I’ll be testing out different incentives on the Patreon account to see what the community wants, starting with exclusive writing advice like what you see here on The Writer’s Scrap Bin and my own fiction and poetry. There will also be updates as I start on my journey towards the ultimate goal for any fiction writer: writing my first full-length fiction novel.
Don’t worry; this doesn’t mean that I will be discontinuing The Writer’s Scrap Bin. As I said earlier in the post, I will plan on revitalizing the blog to bring it back to its former glory. Instead, think of the Patreon page as supplemental material that will–hopefully–help to keep the blog going.
As I stumble through this new experience, I will share on here my obstacles and lessons so that you, my regular readers, can benefit from my pitfalls and successes. After all, what use is going through this Patreon process if I don’t share the wisdom that I earn from it?
So, come! Join me on this next part of The Writer’s Scrap Bin’s journey and become a patron on Patreon. Just follow this link. You might just find some interesting content or meet some new, supportive community members along the way.
Warning: The subject of today’s review, Eternal Love by Nived, contains content of a sexual nature. If you are not over 18 years of age, please leave this page. If you otherwise wish to avoid such subjects, please proceed with caution.
Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope everyone’s having a great weekend. We might still be in a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t find ways to entertain ourselves at home. After all, we’re readers and writers—what more could we ask for? Well, in case you want another book to add to your to-read list (and everyone here does), I’m bringing you a review for a fantasy romance novel called Eternal Love by Nived.
Devin Elliot is entering her final year of college with dreams of exploring the world, her camera and her two best friends by her side. Now that years of a horrid on-again/off-again relationship have finally come to an end, she has sworn off women…and dating…for now. Of course, that was before she met the new student: Amirah. The strength of her attraction to this woman is irresistible, embarrassingly so. The more time they spend together, they more that Devin thinks the attraction might be mutual. Whether Amirah is genuine or just using her for pleasure, though, Devin cannot tell. If only Amirah’s abusive boyfriend Todd weren’t in the way.
Yet there’s something else about Amirah, something beyond her seductiveness that seems so familiar. All Devin’s friends gravitate to her, even Devin’s dog likes her, and—wait. What was that language that Grandma Ava was just using to speak to Amirah? The closer the full moon and Devin’s 25th birthday approach, the more it seems that everyone else is in on some big cosmic secret, and Devin is at the center of it all.
From shapeshifters to nymphs, past lives to soul mates, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.
Eternal Love by Nived is an intriguing new take on the typical coming-of-age tale. Rather than taking place when the character is 13, 16, 18, or even 21—all traditional cornerstone ages used in popular coming-of-age fiction—this story uses the more mature age of 25 as the turning point in Devin’s life. Given how more recent generations are making life’s bigger decisions and starting to come into their own around this age—often later—nowadays, I must commend Nived on making the theme much more relatable for today’s Young Adult/New Adult readers. Instead of facing the challenges of finishing high school and going off to college as the “real world” growing up problems, Devin faces finishing college, still not finding love in her mid-20s, and realizing that even at her age, she knows nothing, not even who she is. Nived has successfully shown something that writers are only starting to truly explore with the developing New Adult genre: 18 is not the end-all age of growing into who you are meant to be.
Of course, this socio-cultural implication is not the only thing to love about this book. The main character—in fact, the vast majority of the cast—is unabashedly LGBT+. Moreover, the characters do not hide their sexuality in any way, and the only character that seems to have any issues with it is developed as an overall jerk (to put it very mildly) anyway. These characters are not just in sexual relationships but genuinely in love. There are a couple times when LGBT+ characters act more on sexual instincts that are not really to any emotion, but those moments seem justified by the plot and/or character development of these and/or other characters. The fact that the characters are lesbian or bisexual (perhaps pansexual, but that possibility is never really explored) never feels forced, and the LGBT+ community is just as natural a part of the book as is the heterosexual community. There is acknowledgement that issues could still arise, such as the fact that Devin’s act must open bars that are specifically gay bars and negative comments are made by the jerk male character. Still, that only makes the book feel more realistic while also allowing these characters to feel just normal as the heterosexual characters—as they should be.
Above all else, though, Eternal Love’s best characteristic is its world building. This book has a vivid, imaginative world with strong creative energy. I don’t want to go into too much detail as much of the world building occurs in the second half of the book and I don’t want to give away any spoilers. Nevertheless, I should say that I have never seen such a unique intersection of shapeshifters, portals, cosmic beings, and past lives. I am especially glad to see that the shapeshifters are not canine shapeshifters but feline (for the most part). Popular fiction focuses so much on canine shapeshifters, wolf shifters in particular. Don’t get me wrong; I love wolves and dogs a lot. However, I also love variety in my fiction, and I know that there is much more shifter lore out there than just wolves and other canines. So, seeing that Nived decided to use feline shifters in Eternal Love made me very happy and very eager to read it. I think that Nived has successfully pulled off her own distinct twist on this shapeshifter lore, even more so than making them felines. From their origins to their continuation, she has me fascinated enough to learn more.
Regardless, the book isn’t perfect. The writing itself is, for the most part, solid. Still, it could use another round of editing for consistency in tense since I noticed unjustifiable shifts between past and present tense and some other minor issues. I also noticed that the pacing is a bit awkward. The first half, when the relationships are being built and only one or two fantastical elements are introduced, passes by rather slowly. In contrast, after the fantastical elements are more completely introduced to the story, the narrative pacing picks up rapidly. I felt as though the story was really picking up just as it was ending, in fact. Perhaps, with the world being so intricately build and beautifully complex, more space was needed to develop the second half to its full potential and balance out the pacing of the first half. As it is, it’s almost as though I’m reading two shorter novels, one that deals with the beginning of the relationship and one that deals with the end and begins Devin’s journey of magical self-discovery. They can’t truly be without each other, but right now, they aren’t fully fitting together, either.
There is also an element of the book as a romance novel that some readers might not be comfortable with: sex scenes. As with most stories in this genre, there are both sensual and love-making scenes in Eternal Love. They are always appropriate for the plot and for the development of the characters involved. However, I would have preferred if they could have been a little more spread out throughout the second half of the book. Some of them feel clustered, most likely due to the rush narrative pacing of that section of the book, which does make them feel a little overwhelming. Regardless, they do not hinder the reading experience or take away from the story in any way, so I think that if a reader does not normally have problems with sex scenes, these ones should not stop them from enjoying this book.
All in all, Eternal Love by Nived is a great read. An unexpected combination of fantasy, science fiction, and romance, it has a little bit of something for every speculative fiction lover. Based on the ending, I know that there is more to come, and I can’t wait.
You can buy Eternal Love by Nived as an eBook or in paperback on Amazon. Also be sure to follow the writer on Instagram @nivedthegifted and Twitter @mi_nived.
Happy Thursday, readers and writers. It’s sure been a shaky few months, to say the least, huh? All I can say is that whoever wished to be a part of their own apocalyptic fiction story line better find that genie and unwish this fast. Until then, we’ll have to make do with our reality and carry on as normally as we can. For my American readers, that includes filing taxes in time for the new July 15th deadline. To stay on theme with that deadline, I want to bring you a new review today, this time for a book about everyone’s favorite subject (sarcasm intended): the American tax system. Today’s review is on Rational Tax Reform: Using the Systems Engineering Process to Fix America’s Broken Tax System by Jim Hartung.
Liberal, Conservative, or Moderate, there’s pretty much one thing that all Americans across the political spectrum can agree upon: our tax system is messed up. How? That’s debated—long, loud, and often. We do agree, though, that it’s broken, and we want it fixed. Now. Yet anything worth doing is worth doing right, and that includes the complete reform of our tax system. So, where do we start? Tax break? Tax stimulus? Tax the rich? According to Jim Hartung of Rational Tax Reform, those are just Band-Aids. For the real solution, we must complete an overhaul, not just a quickie resolution to appease the raving masses temporarily. Moreover, we have to find the right execution, and for that, we can no longer turn to politics and policy. We can’t even turn to economics. We must think outside of the box and try something that the bigwigs have never tried before: the Systems Engineering Process.
In Rational Tax Reform: Using the Systems Engineering Process to Fix America’s Broken Tax System, Jim Hartung presents a thorough argument for reforming America’s broken tax system not based on ideology but on facts and logic through a process known as systems engineering, or SE. Hartung takes readers through the SE process as a way to come up with multiple tax reform plans, decide which plan most satisfies our country’s needs, and review the tax system on a regular basis in order to adjust it for America’s ever-evolving needs. To demonstrate the way in which this common sense approach would work, Hartung even details his own plan for tax reform—not the only or even necessarily “right” one, he emphasizes, but one of many viable reforms which could resolve several of our country’s problems in one go.
I am a liberal with liberal parents living in one of California’s few conservative counties where people would much rather shoot first and ask questions later. To say that politics is not one of my favorite topics is an understatement. I have very strong opinions on certain social matters, but with other subjects, I am more willing to look for a compromise based on facts. That is why I find Hartung’s fact-based, rather than ideology-based, approach to taxes so appealing. He uses a method that has been proven time and again by an industry that has countless lives relying on its success (airplanes). With simple, easy-to-understand language, he explains how this same method can be used for the tax system and demonstrates it step-by-step with a viable example based on his own research and several rounds of beta reading/feedback. Most importantly, instead of ignoring or trying to reassign blame when something has gone wrong, as is often the case in ideology-driven politics, Hartung acknowledges catastrophes involved with the use of SE (the Boeing 737 Max crashes) and shows how that is a part of the SE process, not something that disproves it. Honestly, it was just refreshing to see an argument for a tax reform that did not involve degrading anyone based on their income bracket.
As someone with only minimal knowledge of the American tax system, I fully expected this book to be hard for me to follow. I was pleasantly surprised. Everything felt very logical to me, as though the use of SE and many of the ideas in Hartung’s tax reform should have been obvious solutions even before I read this. In fact, it’s very similar to things I have seen used or used myself quite often. SE closely resembles the scientific method as well as the project management template that my high school teachers made us follow during group projects. It’s even like the writer’s process of getting feedback, rewriting, and repeating until the manuscript is ready for editing. The more that I read about SE, the more that I realized it was quite intuitive and so logical that the only surprise is that the government hasn’t used it for policymaking before now.
There are many terms and concepts which I did not know going into this, but thanks to Hartung’s writing and the glossary at the end of this book, the blanks I had were filled in quickly. Several graphs, tables, and examples also helped clear things up for me, and I think that visual learners in particular will appreciate these aids which the author has provided, some from outside sources and some made himself. He also provides multiple visuals just for the fun of it, including political cartoons. While Hartung’s writing is never dry, the topic is still not everyone’s cup of tea, and these fun visuals help rekindle the excitement for those who might struggle staying interested until the end.
If you are looking for a rage-fueled tirade about “liberal snowflakes” or “gun-toting conservatives”, I must emphasize that this book is not for you. Rational Tax Reform is a calm-headed, well-organized work attempting to promote genuine change, and not only in tax reform. After he finishes talking about how SE can work for tax reform and details his own tax reform proposal, Hartung briefly explains how the SE process can be used to resolve America’s twelve most serious problems: healthcare, war and terrorism, climate change, economic inequality, social inequality, the justice system, the immigration policy, education, governance policy, international relations, environmental stability, and, of course, the topic of this book, tax reform. (Note: This book was written and beta read before COVID-19, George Floyd’s murder, and the most recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests, so one must keep that in mind while reading it.) Whether the SE process can truly apply to the other eleven issues as well as it does to tax reform has yet to be seen. I personally have some concerns about the human factor and our ability to set aside our ideologies, biases, and prejudices in these areas to face the true facts so that the SE process can work as it should, but I will remain open-minded.
Overall, I think that Rational Tax Reform by Jim Hartung is the best shot we have at fixing our tax system and our federal budget at the moment. Even if you don’t agree with Hartung’s proposed tax plan, you will find it hard to argue against the use of the SE process. At only 128 pages, it’s a relatively quick read for the subject matter, but you will find yourself returning to it again and again and passing it on so that you can discuss it with those around you.
You can buy Rational Tax Reform as an eBook or in paperback on Amazon. Also make sure to visit Jim Hartung’s website for supplementary information, a seven-minute video, and a free twelve-page booklet (available on PDF).
WARNING: The Professor by T.A. Evans contains some scenes of a sexual nature and accidental overdose. If you are under 18 years of age, do not continue reading. If you are triggered by accidental overdose or sex scenes or otherwise wish to avoid such depictions, proceed with caution.
Happy Manic Monday, everyone! It’s been quite a busy few weeks for me, but what else is new? (Organized chaos works with writing, but not so much with freelance work.) Anyway, to kick off July, I have decided to bring you another book review. This time, I’m going to be talking about a slightly steamier work: The Professor by T.A. Evans.
Clare
Brenton is a fresh-faced college student. After a life of emotional abuse from
a narcissistic mother and constant fighting between her now-divorced parents,
she is ready to dip her toes into the outside world. Independence.
Self-reliance. Freedom from a dark, twisted past. Clare wants it all. When she
meets the charming and devilishly handsome Andrew, she also becomes ready to
nurture a couple other neglected parts of her life: love and sex. However, love
and sex are rarely ever so simple as meeting that special someone—especially
when that special someone is your professor and twice your age.
As she and Andrew grow closer and their fling is taken to the next level, Clare must face the inevitable and introduce her lover to her family. Old wounds are opened, manipulation tears into relationships, and long-buried secrets threaten to rock Clare’s entire world. With mommy dearest right there to pick up the pieces of her crumbling life, Clare has to wonder, who is really pulling these strings? From dodging creepy coworkers and selfish mothers to the tangling of hers and Andrew’s shady pasts, this beautiful and intelligent college freshman has her work cut out for her. Can her relationship with Andrew survive?
I
found Evans’s work to be engaging and entertaining. The plot is not unusual for
contemporary romance novels, but Evans manages to add enough twists from the
typical “difficult” relationship as depicted in this genre that it kept me on
my toes. Clare’s unhappy childhood and family life along with Andrew’s life
before meeting her provide a variety of bonding moments and tension for them,
some bringing them together and others nearly ripping them apart. I even found
plot elements that could be pursued further and complicate characters’ lives in
the future, should the author choose to make this novel into a series. In fact,
I would highly recommend it. Some of these elements leave a tantalizing thread
that any writer should follow, lest they do themselves and their readers a
disservice.
However,
what really hooked me in this story were the characters. While there are a
couple characters that I dislike all the time, there are none that I like all
the time, and to me, that’s a good thing. Even the protagonists have flaws that
complicate my feelings for them as I hope that everything will turn out well
for them. Clare is not exactly my favorite (that is reserved for her best
friend and coworker, Evan Reed), but she is a character that I can relate to,
empathize for, and judge all at once. I do not approve of all of her choices,
but I also feel for her when it comes to some of the more unsavory parts of her
life. (I can definitely relate to the fights between her parents—albeit on a
slightly less violent level—and the discomfort caused by her creepy, perverted
coworker, Collin.) Andrew sometimes borders on the stereotypical “Mr. Right”,
but Evans manages to right that with revelations about Andrew’s past and rumors
about his present.
Now,
as the work is contemporary romance, there are some scenes that are not
appropriate for younger readers. However, they are neither crude nor overly
explicit. Rather, they are sensual and passionate with just enough details to
ensure that the reader can picture what is occurring. In a way, there is more
of a thrill from this underdeveloped imagery that would be missing if the
reader were told exactly what is going on. If you dislike such moments in
novels period, you’ll probably want to avoid this book. Those who appreciate
tasteful, subtle lovemaking scenes, though, will certainly appreciate it.
Of
course, as with most works, this book isn’t perfect. The plot itself and the
characters, even with the occasional slip into the stereotypical, are solid.
The writing, on the other hand, could use a little work. On a superficial
level, some additional editing and proofreading would help the work
tremendously. In particular, the narration sometimes switches between past and
present tense without any clear reason for it, even midsentence. While a minor
fluke, these switches can be distracting and cause some confusion in the
timeline. There is also some confusion in the timeline that does not have to do
with the shifts in tense, but this becomes less frequent after the first
chapter.
The
pacing is also uneven at times. The narrative is a relatively quick read
overall, but the problem more arises with scenes such as Clare and Andrew’s
first night together, which gets into the passion too immediately for my
liking. Sometimes slow pacing bogs down the story as well. The first few pages,
for example, presents too much backstory for Clare too soon, which delays the real
start to the story, i.e. when Clare first sees Andrew. Nevertheless, these
scenes are typically easy to overcome, and the plot and characters are enough
to want to read the book from start to finish.
Overall,
The Professor by T.A. Evans is an enjoyable read. The story is
compelling, the characters are realistically flawed but relatable, and family
drama and plot twists keep readers on their toes. While around 250 pages long,
the novel goes by relatively quickly. The writing could be improved, but those
just looking for a good, sensual story will want to give this book a try.
You can buy an eBook or print copy of The Professor by T.A. Evans on Amazon. Also make sure to check out the author’s website at www.taevansauthor.com.
Happy Friday (almost Saturday), everyone! The countdown to my dissertation due date has begun; only twelve more days to work on my creative writing portfolio and hope that all my hard work from the past three years won’t go to waste. Of course, that’s not all that I’ve been up to. With Fiverr’s addition of a beta reading category for gigs, I have gotten a drastic influx in orders the past few weeks, so I’ve been keeping busy reading and critiquing other aspiring writers’ work. It might sound tedious, but performing such a critique can actually be invigorating. I get to read potential new works, give my feedback on them, and become a better writer in the process. That brings me to today’s Friday Fun-Day writing prompt: critiquing a classic.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “How can critiquing someone else’s work in progress help you become a better writer?” It’s simple, really. By reading and providing a critique for someone else’s work, you practice identifying what works and what doesn’t work for you as a reader. You also learn better how to identify grammatical and spelling errors, plot holes, inconsistencies, etc. Of course, critiquing someone else’s work isn’t quite like critiquing your own, but the more you do it for other writers, the better you’ll be able to apply it to your writing.
For this reason, today’s writing prompt does not actually involve writing–creative writing, anyway. Instead, you will pick a classic piece of literature–preferably one you’ve enjoyed in the past–and go through and critique it as though you are that writer’s beta reader. For example, let’s assume that you chose to critique “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. You would read through the story with a pen and a notebook, making notes as you go. If you have a copy of it on which you can write, you would leave line-by-line notes as well, commentary in the margins discussing what is working, what isn’t, and what doesn’t make sense. After reading the story, you would then go and write at least one page of feedback to Poe as though you are speaking directly to him, letting him know in which ways the story is doing well and how it can be improved.
I know that this sounds quite similar to writing a paper for an English class. In fact, it is very much like that but with several differences. It’s not graded, you’re not restricted to some rubric, and you don’t even need to make profound insights. The whole purpose of this exercise is to fine-tune your critiquing skills, not to craft a well-written essay. Don’t feel the need to be deep or perfect. Whatever strikes you, either positively or negatively, comment on it. This is all to train your eye to find the strengths and weaknesses in other people’s works so that you might be able to find them in your own.
The ideal approach to this prompt would be to critique a work which you wish to emulate, i.e. the same genre, target audience, and/or writing style as you wish to work with. For example, if you’re writing poetry, choose a poem to critique. If you’re an essayist, choose an essay. For time’s sake, you will probably want to choose something shorter. So, if you’re a fiction writer, you should probably read and critique either a short story or a few chapters from a novel rather than a novella or novel in its entirety.
Now, it’s very possible that you are working in a genre which is never considered among the “classics”. Speculative fiction, for instance, is not often grouped into “classics” despite the fact that there are highly popular and critically-acclaimed writing in that genre. If you are working in genres not usually considered classics–science fiction, fantasy, romance fiction, etc.–then ignore the “classics” part of this exercise. Instead, critique a work which is popular or held in high esteem in that genre. In science fiction, that might be stories and books by the likes of H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Anne McCaffrey; in horror and Gothic horror, that would be H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Stephen King; for children’s fantasy, Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and Rick Riordan would be prime examples. The point is to critique what is considered the best of the best in the area of writing in which you want to work. If you can identify the strengths and weaknesses in those–especially if they are works that you like to read–then you will have a much easier time at critiquing your own writing.
Don’t just do this exercise once and be done with it. There’s really no point in that. Instead, repeat it as often as you can. This would even make a great excuse to break from writing or editing your WIP long enough to keep you from going insane. That’s why I suggested a shorter work; it will be easier and quicker to get through, and so you’ll be able to do it during your breaks from writing and everyday life. Who knows? You might just find yourself reinvigorated and anxious to get back to your WIP by the time you’re finished.
What has been your experience with beta reading and critiquing other writers’ works? Has it helped you identify issues with your manuscript? Share your stories in the comments below!
Procrastination: it’s a writer’s worst enemy. Any worker’s worst enemy, actually. We put things off and continue to put them off until we realize that the deadline is looming or our project’s been in the back of a drawer for years. Creative types in particular fall victim to this trap. After all, we can’t force inspiration, can we? At least, not all the time. However, procrastination doesn’t always hinder our progress. In fact, it can be helpful. I’m talking about productive procrastination.
Productive procrastination is rather self-explanatory. Essentially, there are two ways to procrastinate: counterproductive procrastination and productive procrastination. Counterproductive procrastination is the negative form of procrastination which we normally imagine when we hear the term: browsing social media, binge-watching Game of Thrones, playing games on your phone, etc. It’s when you truly do not get anything done; you just do anything possible to put off whatever you’re avoiding.
Productive procrastination, on the other hand, involves doing things which may not appear productive but still help you get something done. So, rather than browsing social media, you’re answering work e-mails; instead of binge-watching Game of Thrones, you’re finally cleaning out the fridge; and in place of playing games on your phone, you’re calling the optometrist to make an appointment to get the new glasses you’ve needed for months. It’s possible that none of these activities are directly related to the task at hand. However, one set of activities involves getting something done that needs to be done eventually, and the other does not.
Don’t get me wrong, counterproductive procrastination can be as necessary as productive procrastination. Sometimes we really need to just kick back, relax, and recharge. At least in modern American culture, we encourage working until you drop, and that puts such a strain on you physically, mentally, and emotionally that there is no way to keep up that pace forever. If you don’t take a break once in a while, you’ll burn yourself down to a pile of ashes, forced to start over like a Phoenix reborn from the dying flames. Trust me, I’ve been there far too many times.
Regardless, if counterproductive procrastination were the only kind of procrastination we utilized, nothing would ever get done. This is especially true for creative types. We have a tendency to run into blocks–there’s a reason “writer’s block” is such a common term–and we must take frequent breaks to reboot our creativity. However, due to these breaks being so frequent, they cannot always be counterproductive. It would truly be a waste of time. But how can we turn this time into productive procrastination?
Consider this post I’m writing. It’s actually my way of procrastinating. I have several deadlines for freelance projects coming up, and my creative writing master’s dissertation is due May 22nd. Lately, I’ve been blessed with a steady stream of work which I hope will stay that way. However, that also means I have pushed my mind and my eyes to the point of exhaustion. I have also been working my butt off trying to complete and edit my dissertation. Unfortunately, I am so anxious and stressed about everything that I have severe writer’s block. Rather than sitting around, playing games on my iPhone and retreating into myself as I so desperately want to do right now, I have decided to redirect this nervous energy into writing some posts I’ve had lined up but never completed.
For me, this procrastination is productive. More blog posts gets me more exposure, and more exposure gets me more freelance writing, editing, and beta reading gigs. On top of that, I get to support other struggling writers with my knowledge and experience. While this doesn’t necessarily advance my career or education, it lifts me emotionally to think that maybe I’m helping someone somewhere going through a similar situation, and that’s productive in helping me keep my sanity.
So, how can procrastination help writers be productive with their projects? That depends on the writer and the project. Still, there are some ways to procrastinate which typically help all writers:
Reading – One common piece of advice for writers looking to improve their writing is to read. Why not use your procrastination time to do just that? Preferably, read something which is related to the content, writing style, or genre of the project you’re taking a break from. This will help inspire you and strengthen your writing as you see what works for you and what doesn’t.
Research – This is one of my personal favorites, although I know it’s not always well-received. Research related to your project can help spark the imagination and get the creative juices flowing again. Rather than making yourself focus on one topic, as is usually advisable when completing “on the clock” research, let yourself go down the research rabbit hole. Start with something you know is related to your work and then follow whatever catches your eye. You might end up hopelessly off-topic, or you might just find a piece of your project that you didn’t even know was missing–or both.
Doodling – Believe it or not, absentmindedly doodling can really help with your writing. However, you cannot approach it with the set intention of drawing a particular image. Instead, put pen or pencil to paper and let your subconscious take over. Perhaps you’ll draw something related to your writing, although you’ll most likely not. You will, though, refuel your creativity. The lack of focus while still engaging your motor skills will allow your mind to wander, and soon you’ll find yourself daydreaming about your writing. Before you know it, you’ll be writing notes in the margins rather than doodling. It’s not a guaranteed result, but I can tell you that that is how I have gotten many story ideas and fixed many plot holes. Besides, you might just doodle something cool that you didn’t know you could draw.
There are countless ways to productively procrastinate, and I will be covering more of them in future posts. For now, though, leave this post with this in mind: procrastination is not a waste of time. If you need something unproductive to relax and recharge, it’s not a waste to goof off for a bit. If you have a never-ending list of to-do’s waiting for you, work on those to procrastinate. You just have to learn to assess your needs at that moment, and you can make your procrastination work for you and your writing.
How do you procrastinate? Are you productive, or do you need to procrastinate just to get a break from your chaotic life? Leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
Hello readers. I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I’ve been taking a brief hiatus from blog posts to focus on an essay due this Wednesday (but I’ve already bent your ear enough over that in previous posts). Unfortunately, schoolwork must take precedent over my other pursuits. I should be finished with this essay by Wednesday, possibly Tuesday night, and I’ll be more active after that. I will also be posting a new book review in the next couple of days. If you want to get a jump on it by starting the book before my review, I’ve provided an ad for the book in this post.
Well, I’d best get back to all the work I’m putting off. Happy reading and writing. I’ll be back soon.
