#WriterWednesday: WriterlyLinks And #WritersLife 22-01-20 - #AmWriting

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.
~Kurt Vonnegut

The week started out badly as regards writing progress, but got better. I thought I was going to be saying I hadn't gotten much writing done during the past week, but I actually ended up finishing a rough - very rough, with more telling than showing, probably about a million typos, and no way am I going to be showing it to anyone - draft of the story I hope to be publishing in a couple of months (I'm hoping for a May release) as well as writing a few new poems. So, yeah. It turned out to be a very good writing week. I'd have been pleased with any kind of writing progress after how little I've made in the past couple of months, but I'm especially pleased with how much I managed to get done this week. I mean, I now have the rough draft of the story to work on revisions of, as well as about half a dozen new poems. Definitely can't complain about that.

Speaking of poetry, do you write poetry too? Then you may like to take a look at this post that demonstrates the difference between haiku and senryu poetry forms, as well as this one on rhythm and meter.

Also, if you write the kind of poetry that rhymes, or rhyming picture books, and are struggling to find the right word, don't forget you can find the perfect rhyme by using the rhyming dictionary.

Anyway, whatever you write, are you struggling to get motivated to write? Then perhaps you need to build a writing habit with YouCan TouCan.

One word after another. That’s the only way that novels get written
~Neil Gaiman

Next, here are some quick writing tips for beginners, and anyone returning from a long break - just in case you need those.

OK, let's assume you're writing regularly. So, it's stories you write? Do you write fantasy stories by any chance? If you do, you might want to take a look at these tips to putting robots in fantasy - in case you were kind of hoping to find a way to do that. You're welcome, though it's not really me you should thank, since I didn't write those tips. I think it's a neat idea though, if done right, so it feels believable for the story, of course.

Robots or not, no matter the genre you write in, and who' - or what - is in your story, how do you go about naming characters? Personally, I do something similar to the author of the post I just linked to, and find names with meanings that I feel suit the character for one reason or another. Like the name of the main character in my "Zeena Dragon Fae" series. If you're curious: "Zeena" is an African name meaning "Beautiful" - a name I felt suited the spirit of the kind-hearted fairy dragon. All you need is a bit of an online search, or some browsing time on baby name sites, and you can easily find the perfect name for your character, regardless of the genre you write in.

Regardless of the name of your character, think about how he or she might react in a situation; will your chracter fight, flee, or freeze? Not sure? Watch real people in real situations to help you decide how the type of character yours is might behave.

A good writer is always a people watcher.
~Judy Blume

By the way, don't forget to use suggestions like the ones in this sensible approach to senses for authors to set the scene for your readers, and help them feel like they're really there.

It's OK if you miss stuff out during the first draft though. After all, once you have your first draft written, you'll need to revise it, and you can add all that stuff then. Speaking of which, here's a writing workout to help you with that.

The first draft is a skeleton… just bare bones. The rest of the story comes later with revising.
~Judy Blume

Remember: while it's great if you can have characters from different backgrounds in your stories - assuming they fit with the story - and would be great if you could offer your books in other languages, you shouldn't rely on tools like Google Translate to translate your words for you. This post is a perfect example of why you should never use the Google translater to do your translations for you, and should check with someone who speaks the language if you want to use a language you aren't familiar with yourself, otherwise your story might be full of mistakes you don't even know you're making. So, use a professional translator, ask a native speaker of the language in question, stick with a language you know, or take classes to learn the language. Unless the words and phrases are in some kind of made up fantasy/alien language, in which case you can do what you want (though if you're making up a language, please make sure the words are pronouncible).

Speaking of potential mistakes though, it's time to think about editing, so here are some editing tips for writers, which you might find useful, especially if you're a self-published author who self-edits.

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.
~Pablo Picasso

No matter how you plan to do it, before you publish, you want to think about readability. Yes, even if you don't write for children. With that in mind, here are some reasons to consider readability.

Regardless of its reading level, before you can publish your book, you'll need a book blurb. So, check out these tips for writing a book blurb in 4 easy steps, and give your book baby the best chance you can at attracting readers.

The majority of book-babies grow slowly, just like human babies do. Their audience slowly expands, from family and friends and those in the know, to people their parents never met, to people they couldn’t have known as young book-babies, to people they’ve never met, to people they will never meet, to people who will outlive them.
~Kris Rusch

OK, I know we're already quite a way through January, but here are some possible resolutions for writers, and ideas for if you need a new writing goal in 2020, in case you wanted to be making some, and haven't yet. Or maybe you have? If so, what were they, and how are they going so far?

Do you really have to set writing goals? Technically, no. It's highly recommended you consider it though, especially if you want to achieve any kind of writing success. So, here are some lessons about setting goals, which might help you if you decide you are going to set any for 2020.

Regardless of what writing goals you may or may not have, beware of new projects. Especially if they might stop you working on existing ones, otherwise you're just going to get burned out, and never finish anything because of not having the energy to put in the work it needs. So, here's what to do with the new story idea you never asked to meet while you work on your current projects.

Naturally, when the shiny new feeling wears off, or you have other shiny ideas begging to have your time and attention instead, this is when you're most likely to lose interest in a writing project (and how to keep going).

Talent's cheaper than table Salt. What separates the Talented Individual from the Successful One is a lot Of Hard Work
~Stephen King

Remember though, when it comes to writing, love, and self care: you don't have to choose just two. You just have to figure out which will be your priorities today. I highly recommend making self care your priority more often than not though... Just saying. With that in mind, here's a reminder to care for your instruments.

A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.
~E B White

Despite the words of the above quote, it's possible you might be scheduling your writing time all wrong. Different routines work for different people, so figure out what works best for your own schedule, and don't try and force someone else's to work for you, no matter how many times they try to tell you it's the only way. It isn't. It might be the only way that works for them - in which case, good for them for figuring out what it is - but there's no one-size-fits-all in this situation. The only constant is that a writer needs a place to write.