Category Archives: Writing

Writing Lessons from Angry Birds

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Angry Birds Image

I’ve heard about Angry Birds for years, but I had no interest in it until my four year old came home from preschool sharing stories about the game from his friends. In the name of good parenting, I had to download it. Who am I to deprive my preschooler of an apparent rite of passage, right?

As I feared, I’ve spent more time playing it than I should. In the game, you use a slingshot to fire birds at pigs that are either on or inside structures. The goal is to destroy all of the pigs, and I’m addicted. Getting bumped up to the next level is as gratifying as getting my Master’s degree.

I’ve been knocking off the levels like gangbusters, and that kind of success requires a strategy: If I’ve tried to destroy the pigs a few times and failed, I switch gears and try a completely new way of doing things. If aiming the bird low doesn’t work, I aim high. If I’ve been aiming high with no success, I aim low, even when it doesn’t seem like the most logical approach. But you know what? It works. As I’ve been thinking about it, I realize I apply the same tactic to my writing.

If I’m stuck on a story, I often will save the file under a new name and begin experimenting until I find my stride. I’ll strip the piece down to its bones. I’ll rewrite the lead with a whole new angle and completely reorganize the story. I cut out large chunks of info and save them in a file labeled cuts. More often than not, trying something completely new is exactly what the story needed.

In writing, you can’t be afraid to kill your darlings. You also have to be willing to change your strategy when you find your approach isn’t working. Sometimes a slightly different approach can yield big results.  

The same applies to life. Experimenting with Angry Birds or a Word document is far easier than switching gears within your career or family life, but it can sometimes be just as necessary. Although the new year is officially underway, I’m still thinking over my goals for 2012 and I’m especially pondering the small changes that will allow me to work smarter and find more time for more projects.

I’m curious. Have you ever made a change that seemed small that ended up making a big difference? 

Goings On

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Kids opening Christmas gifts
 

— We’ve spent the past week or so Christmasing with family in Utah. It has been a wonderful time (even though everyone in my little family got hit hard with the flu) and I hate to see it come to an end.

— During my trip, writer and solopreneur Alexis Grant featured me in a Q&A about freelancing on her blog, which is a valuable resource about writing and striking out on your own. It was great to be a part of her site. Thanks, Alexis!

— Also while in Utah, an editor reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in providing regular support for a few sections within his magazine. I am so excited to take on the project and I’ve already been plotting how I’m going to re-organize my desk to create room for my new responsibilities.

— As part of my Christmas gifts, my husband gave me a Kindle, and I’m becoming an e-reader convert. It is super easy to buy a new book at any hour of the day. I think it was 2 a.m. when I downloaded Christina Katz’s The Writer’s Workout. This quote by Stephen King within the book resonated with me: “If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.” I love little reminders that I am finding success as a writer. 

— We still have a few more days before the kids start school again and life returns to normal. I'm hoping to soak in a little more of the Christmas spirit before we start packing away all the decorations and find places to put all of the wonderful gifts we received. I hope you're enjoying the holidays as much as we are. 

Why Journalism Matters

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Even as a journalist, there are times I get frustrated with the media. Let’s be honest. Twenty-four hour news coverage means non-newsworthy stories can get beaten to death and even those that are newsworthy can get blown out of proportion. But then there are days when I pick up the paper and read a story that leaves me saying, “There. That is why journalism matters. That is why the press is and should be the fourth estate.”

Last week, the front page of the Washington Post detailed the story of the Air Force secretly dumping the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a landfill without the families’ knowledge or consent. The Post first revealed the practice last month and is continuing its push for information.

Read the story here. It is appalling, and this is exactly the type of story the media should grab onto and fight tooth and nail to uncover. It is the reason the first amendment exists. It is why I am grateful "Congress shall make no law…" 

I’m sure we’re all guilty of cursing police officers when we’re caught speeding yet we want them to be at the ready when we need help. The same goes for the press.

There may be times when we roll our eyes or change the channel because we’re tired of seeing the same story over and over again or we just can't take any more of a particular anchor. But even so, let’s be glad the press is there. It really does serve a greater good. Plus, you never know when you may need the media to come to your aid. It can happen, and I bet that while the families who are just now learning their loved ones’ remains were dumped in a landfill are devastated, they’re glad to know the practice was uncovered and the military will be held responsible for its actions.  

Navigating Creative Delays

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November is NaNoWriMo or, for you non-writers out there, National Novel Writing Month. The idea is that you write fast and furious for 30 days and at the end of the month you have a novel ready for all of the edits and re-writes that take a first draft to a final one. For the past two years, I’ve had the best of intentions to take part. I’ve created a profile and done lots of pre-NaNoWriMo inspirational reading.

Then we get into November and life somehow takes over. There are paying work projects, a loving family (pictured above) and a sweet toddler that needs twice-daily doses of pink amoxicillin that all demand attention. Then toss in Thanksgiving, Christmas cards and kids’ activities and before I know it, it is November 28. Unfortunately, I still haven’t put any words on paper.

While writing an entire novel in a month is a challenge, writing one in three days is impossible. So, I concede defeat and stick NaNoWriMo back into my someday file. But I don’t beat myself up too much. Deferred dreams can still come true.

Anna Quindlen, one of my favorite writers, said, “You probably can have it all. Just not at the same time. And, you might have to make certain compromises when your children are small. But you children are going to be small for a very short period of time.”

Life brings creative delays, but in the end, those delays may make us even better at what we do. Novelist Anne Tyler said, “It seems to me that since I’ve had children, I’ve grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from.”

We all have commitments and learning how to pursue our dreams while meeting our obligations is a fine art. Fortunately, no matter what our passions are, we can all work at our own pace. For me, it is a marathon and not a sprint. 

On Assignment

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Last week I packed up my notebook and pen and flew to West Virginia for a reporting assignment. I was there to cover the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Deborah Hersman. I loved being somewhere new and getting to have lunch with the chairman. I walked away with a story, a few additional story ideas and plenty of photos. Plus, I totally want an official NTSB jacket.

Heading out of my home office is always a fun way to get my creative juices flowing. A few years ago I wrote this blog post for The Editorial Advantage titled Bring Back the Field Trip. I talked about how my stories grow richer when I get out from behind my desk. As a write-at-home freelancer (and mom), most of my research is done via telephone interviews and e-mail correspondence, but there is a lot to be said for going on assignment. 

 

Home Office Revamp

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The days have been flying by lately. Between a slew of work projects, a hubby who has been burning the midnight oil and my two little ones, time is passing quickly. 

I’ve been so fortunate to have a steady stream of freelance projects since hanging my own shingle about two years ago. The past few months have been especially busy. It has reinforced the need to dedicate a set workspace to my work. As a write-at-home mama, it is easy to pack my laptop from room to room, but I find I am more efficient and focused when I sit at my desk. 

So, I’m in the midst of a re-vamp of my home office. I’m on a budget, but I am going to splurge on a few tools that I think will help boost my productivity. Today I ordered a new wireless keyboard and mouse and a laptop stand. Tomorrow I’m heading out to pick up a fancy-schmancy desk chair. Whoo hoo. 

As part of the re-vamp, I’m in the market for a desk for my little guy. There was a time when he was happy to play on the floor while I worked, but now we have a power struggle over the desktop (and laptop, but that is another story). I’m hitting a few consignment sales this weekend in hopes of finding the perfect new-to-us addition to the office.  

We’ll be moving some furniture around, re-purposing items from other rooms and pulling a few things down from the attic. There has also been a steady hum coming from my shredder as I purge the filing cabinets and clean house. 

I share our office space with my hubby, so we keep the space pretty gender neutral and our first priority is the functionality of the room. Luckily we both have our own desks. 

I have been online looking for inspiration for our space. I found an amazing home office while blog hopping this week, but I can’t for the life of me remember the blog! I hate when that happens. I love this corner workstation on Oh Happy Day. I hope we can add an armoire for storage at some point—but that is probably pretty far down the line. 

So tell me— what are your must-haves for your home office? How have you arranged your space? Do you have any inspiration rooms or home offices you covet? 

The Byline

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I once had a woman tell me that only journalists notice bylines. She may have been right. But, no matter how many times I’ve seen mine, I still get a kick out of it. The first time I saw my byline in something other than my college or high school paper was when I was interning for a weekly newspaper in Salt Lake. I walked into a bagel shop to grab a sandwich and saw a stack of the issue my story was slated to run in. After weeks of managing the calendar that ran in each issue, I’d finally been trusted with a real story. I grabbed a paper, flipped through the pages and saw my name. I wanted to point it out to everyone in line with me, but I didn’t. Instead I grabbed a stack on my way and hand delivered them to all of my relatives within a 120-mile radius.

I don’t get that excited anymore, but now it almost means more. It reminds me that I am earning my living as a writer—something that had been my plan since I was a teenager. It also reminds me that the leap of faith I took when I decided to hang my own shingle has paid off. I’ve been a full-time freelancer for two years this month and I’ve worked harder for myself than I ever did for anyone else. Of course I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Having my byline arrive in my mailbox also reminds me that, with the particular publication that arrived this week and is pictured above, it also arrived in the mailboxes of just over 25,000 other people. I like knowing something I researched and wrote has been sent out into the world. I just always hope that people like what they read.

The best part of my job is when people read an article takes the time to visit my website and leave a comment saying they liked what they saw. I can’t tell you how big of a smile that puts on my face.

So for all of you non-byline-reading folks, give them a gander once in a while. And, if you like what you read, let someone know! I bet it will make his or her day.

Reading: My Love of Short Stories

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There is just something about short stories that I have always loved. Now that I’m a mom and my pleasure reading time is limited, I appreciate them even more. Short stories are there for me when I only have a few minutes to read and even if I’m running on empty, they never seem too overwhelming. 

 
I think the other reason I love short stories is that I know how hard it is to write them well. With limited space the authors have to keep the action moving, have precisely the right pace and pull us in right from the start. 
 
I just discovered Joyce Carol Oates’ 1966 short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” In just over 4,000 Oates tells a gripping story of Connie, a pretty typical teenager, and her encounter with a bad-boy type who turns out to be someone she did not expect. 
 
Oates said she was inspired to write the story after reading a story in Life magazine of young man who had enticed and killed three girls in Tucson, Arizona, during the early 1960s.
 
There are all kinds of analysis and study guides for the story online—just do a quick Google search. The story is a great example of fiction writing at its best and is, obviously, worth being studied. But, more than that, I think it is just a great read. So, if you have a few minutes, check it out here.  

Ten Commandments for a Happy Writing Life

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I always have fun flipping through The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood. It is a little book full of big inspiration and writing advice. My favorite entry is the Ten Commandments for a Happy Writing Life. Here they are: 
 
1. Don’t wait for inspiration; establish a writing habit.
2. Take time off.
3. Read voraciously.
4. Shut out the inner critic.
5. Claim a space. 
6. Claim some time.
7. Accept rejection.
8. Expect success. 
9. Live fully.
10. Wish others well.