Writing – Page 12 – Write on the World

Join the Write Your Novel this Summer Challenge and write the first draft of your novel between June 21st and September 21st.

I recently wrote a blog post in which I discussed author Stephen King’s view that you should never take more than a season to write a novel. In that post, I posed a challenge to my readers to “write your novel this summer.” I’ve been thinking about this challenge, and I think it might be fun to make it a real “thing.”

How cool would it be if a bunch of us banded together to support each other in knocking out that first draft of the novels we’ve all been meaning to get around to? It could be kind of like NaNoWriMo, only we get an entire season rather than just one month. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to write a novel in one month, November is just about the worst month of the year to do it in! Continue reading “Join the official Write Your Novel this Summer Challenge” →

Novel Writing, Thesis

Facing the fiery hells of feedback

April 13, 2013 Mandy Webster

I am only sharing this picture because it is cool. | Example 1. Optical feedback (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Feedback is so depressing because it always means more work. It doesn’t matter who you are, or how good you are, every round of feedback will point out *something* that needs more work.

Unfortunately, I am not yet at the point where I can decide to call it finished and just be done with it. I have yet to finish my complete first draft, so there will be a lot more revisions to come before the work is done. Continue reading “Facing the fiery hells of feedback” →

Novel Writing

A synopsis of my work in progress

April 13, 2013April 12, 2013 Mandy Webster

I always thought it would be cool to live in a barn loft. | Brick Barn (Photo credit: cindy47452)

I just completed the synopsis of my work in progress and thought I would share it with my readers here at Write on the World. For all of you who have been following me and wondering what, exactly, I am writing about, here it is:

Into the World of Men is a dystopian science fiction novel that explores the themes of freedom and a woman’s place in the world. It is the story of M., a young woman whose family has kept her and her half-sisters hidden away in a secluded barn to keep them safe from a world where women are nothing more than property to the men in power. M. longs to escape the monotony and oppression of life in her secret barn. When King Mentor Drak discovers M.’s existence, he insists that she attend the naming ceremony of her new baby brother, thus forcing her out of exile against the wishes of her family. Continue reading “A synopsis of my work in progress” →

Novel Writing, Writers on Writing

You should write your novel this summer

April 9, 2013 Mandy Webster

A cousin-friend recently sent me the first page of a novel she’s writing and asked me if I thought it was any good. She writes some beautiful prose, but I thought she was a little too worried about the “goodness” of her novel at this stage in the writing process. So, I gave her the following advice:

I’ll tell you what I recommend (and a lot of famous published authors seem to agree): Just sit down and mind-dump your story without thinking about whether it’s any good. Stephen King wrote a really great memoir on writing, where he talks about how you should never spend more than a season (3 months) writing a rough draft. Your rough draft will probably seem like garbage, but that’s how it is for everyone (even Stephen King). Once you have your story dumped out on the page, then you can go back and start revising it to make it “good.” Continue reading “You should write your novel this summer” →

Places to Write, Travel, Wisconsin

Places to write: Perc Place, Hartford, WI

March 17, 2013March 16, 2013 Mandy Webster

Mark Twain at Perc Place, Hartford, WI — I have to love a cafe that features a painting of Mark Twain on the wall.

Perc Place, located in Hartford, WI, is one of my regular writing haunts. It has a friendly and relaxed atmosphere that is conducive to writing, if you can manage to be there during the right time of day. The walls are covered in painted replicas of old Life Magazine covers and are accompanied by a variety of knick-knacks that always seem to provide an interesting focal point while you’re contemplating your next sentence.

Perc Place seems like a coffee shop at first glance, but its main focus appears to be the restaurant business. Don’t visit expecting to use their WiFi during busy mealtime hours, as it’s only available during their slow times. While the lack of internet access can occasionally be a pain, I find that it mostly keeps me from getting distracted when I should be writing.

I like to enter through the back door and avoid the crowded restaurant section in the front of the building. If you’re here to write, you want a cushy chair or couch cushion in the back where it’s quiet. Well, quiet-ER. The old regulars can get a little rowdy from time to time! Continue reading “Places to write: Perc Place, Hartford, WI” →

Guest Blog Posts

Author Amanda Martin discusses her Daily Blog Challenge

February 26, 2013 Mandy Webster

Two Hundred Steps Home, by author Amanda Martin — Amanda Martin is the author of Two Hundred Steps Home.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to author, Amanda Martin, from the WriterMummy blog. Amanda is the author of Two-Hundred Steps Home, as well as the following guest blog post. Thanks, Amanda, for sharing your blog with us and for helping to lighten my blog load while I’m writing my Master’s thesis this semester!

Guest Post

The lovely Mandy has let me come to talk about my Daily Blog Challenge on my WriterMummy blog. Thank you Mandy! It’s always nice to get a change of scene.

I decided late in 2012 – on 30th or 31st December – that 2013 needed structure. My husband was made redundant (or laid-off, as one would say in the U.S.) in October and both my kids are still preschool age, so we lurch from day to day with virtually no plan. My ambition for 2013 is to have a novel accepted by an agent and/or self-published via Smashwords, and I hoped forcing myself to write every day would help motivate me. So I had the (crazy) idea to join Post-a-Day 2013. Continue reading “Author Amanda Martin discusses her Daily Blog Challenge” →

Blogging

I do my best blogging at the coffee house

February 19, 2013February 16, 2013 Mandy Webster

The view from my comfy chair at Cafe de Arts in Waukesha, WI proved very inspiring last weekend. — The view from my comfy chair at Cafe de Arts in Waukesha, WI proved to be inspiring last weekend.

I love blogging while sitting in a coffee shop. Whenever I meet my writer friend for a day of coffee and writing, I always end up putting my intended work aside to write at least one blog post. At our last session, I ended up writing three different blog posts before the afternoon was done.

Maybe I should just plan on going out to a coffee house once a week to write all of my blog posts. When I blog at home, my blog posts often come out concise, professional, and utterly boring. At the coffee shop, I get creative ideas and write posts I think people might actually want to read (I hope.) Continue reading “I do my best blogging at the coffee house” →

Random Rants

Are all writers slobs, or is it just me?

February 17, 2013February 16, 2013 Mandy Webster

Most of my regular clothes come from other people’s giveaway bags. They look very much like this. | Clothes for poor people (Photo credit: Maarten Utreg)

I can’t get dressed until after I’ve eaten. On mornings when I have to actually get dressed to go to work, I get up, shower, and put on fresh pajamas. I eat breakfast and have my coffee. I put my work clothes on about five minutes before I actually leave the house, so there’s no danger of spilling anything on myself.

When I buy clothes, I don’t buy clothes just to wear around the house. I can only justify the expense of new clothes when I’m buying them for work. My work clothes hang on one side of the closet. When a shirt gets too ratty for me to wear to work, I shift it to the other side of the closet into my regular wear wardrobe. I don’t eat while wearing my work clothes, ever. Continue reading “Are all writers slobs, or is it just me?” →

Places to Write, Random Writing Rants, Restaurants, Wisconsin

Dreaming, drinking coffee, and pretending to write

February 16, 2013 Mandy Webster

The Cafe de Arts has an interesting selection of artsy sandwiches to accompany your coffee while you hang out pretending to write. — The Cafe de Arts has an interesting selection of artsy sandwiches to accompany your coffee while you hang out and pretend to write.

I’m writing to you this morning from Café de Arts in Waukesha, WI. It’s a cute little café in a big, old Victorian house with a huge sunflower painted on the side. I so want to open my own business in an old house in my town and paint the house purple with a huge sunflower on the side. I even have the house picked out. It’s a foreclosure that’s been sitting empty for about three years, just calling me to buy it.

I have a dream of opening my own writer’s studio/café/bookstore where I can hang out with other writers and discuss our craft in a homey setting. I’m picturing fluffy couches with books lining the walls, and a barista conveniently stationed in a cozy corner.

I’d hang out all day, writing in my notebook in between talking story with my customers. Sometimes, I would offer writing classes and workshops for more focused work. Ultimately, I would create my own little writing community where I can plug in to my local writing scene and keep my creative juices flowing while offering the same service to others. Continue reading “Dreaming, drinking coffee, and pretending to write” →

Blogging

Do you wanna write a guest post for my blog?

February 1, 2013 Mandy Webster

Do you wanna write a guest blog post for my writing blog? — Do I look busy to you? Nah, it’s nothing. Really.

I’m teaching six courses this semester and writing a thesis. So yeah, I’m a little busy right now. I want to keep my blog going too, so I’m wondering: Would any of my writer friends and readers be interested in writing a guest blog post or two this semester?

I’m a starving artist (well, not literally, I just stuffed myself on Chinese food at dinner tonight,) so I can’t afford to pay you. But, if I publish your guest post on my blog, you’ll get a by-line and a link to your blog from mine. So, that’s something, right?

Anyway, if you’re interested, Continue reading “Do you wanna write a guest post for my blog?” →