Tag: exercisingmywritingskills

Writing – A Marriage between You and the Screen

April 16, 2019 / Chiara

It takes many drafts to make one beautiful, messy masterpiece.

Writing and authoring novels is like dating to get married. It’s a big commitment. A casual affair won’t work for the writer. Sure, some of you have tried writing, but dabbling in it is not the same as being dedicated and writing for a living.

Terrible drafts unlike awful dates can be massaged and salvaged. Think of all the copies stuffed in some drawer never to be looked at again. It’s doubt that is the killer. Or, maybe you are just a poor writer. It’s okay if this endeavor is not your thing, or what you expected it to be.

Expected? A simple word that holds a lot of weight, so much that a paper towel couldn’t absorb this amount of liquid.

Let’s define expectation…

Expectation:

noun

The act or the state of expecting: to wait in expectation.

The act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

An expectant mental attitude: a high pitch of expectation.

Something expected; a thing looked forward to.

Often expectations: a prospect of future good or profit: to have great expectations.

The degree of probability that something will occur: There is little expectation that he will come.

Most young girls dream of that perfect wedding. A handsome prince that will sweep them off their feet and together, they will live happily ever after. Ah, let me be blunt, I think today’s women and men have realized those days are slim. Chivalry in both genders are depleting. We are too preoccupied and self-absorbed. Screen-time has replaced face-time. Even the age for marriage has gone up. The average age is now 27 years old for women, and 29 years old for men.

With that being said, most people after a certain age choose not to marry. Why? Too much work, set in their ways, they can do everything themselves, and are financially stable. Why take the plunge of marriage when in the U.S. alone, the statistic of divorce is 40-50% for every one marriage.

Some folks I’ve spoken with have said they’d like to write a book. Great, go for it. Wait till they realize how difficult it is. One doesn’t just sit at a computer and type away, and BOOM, you’ve written a book. Yes, that’s how it starts, but you have to keep writing and rewriting until there is a semblance of a storyline. There are rules, such as grammar and punctuation. I’m not talking about emoji’s or abbreviated words. I’m talking about real sentences with commas and periods, and structure, as in a story having a beginning, middle, and end.

The initial draft of a story can be compared to a first date, often awkward. I’ve also heard from some writers that their early manuscripts are some of their best works. Best, as in original, emotional, descriptive, and carefree. Why? Because it’s the very first draft, the first impression, and why not make it your best?

But, that first (draft or date), can be improved. To do so, you have to be willing to share and be open, or else how do you know to continue on?

If a first draft is your FIRST date, what is marriage? Marriage is the countless rough copies/versions of the same story. I can confirm that statement. It took me nine years and 27 versions of “Love’s Perfect Surrender” before the final copy of the story. It took me a year and a half and fourteen versions of “Petrella the Gillian Princess,” and six months and seven versions of “A Tribute to Tulipia”.

I know what you’re thinking. Your drafts keep going down in numbers. True. If you practice writing long enough, you will make progress, but, Petrella, the Gillian Princess and A Tribute to Tulipia were much shorter in book length, and that makes a difference.

I’m currently working on a novel, “Make it Right; Make it Matter”. It has taken me roughly twelve years to write it with 34 versions to date. Eh, who’s counting? I keep tweaking and tweaking because I know it’s not quite finished, yet. Why do all that work? Because it is my “sophomore” full-length novel, and I sincerely believe in the tale so much, I want to make sure it’s done as best as it can be.

Back to marriage. In long-term relationships, people change, and if you believe in the “us” then you will understand that those changes affect the ebb and flow of a union. However, if you are open to growth, are sincere, and devoted, those changes and differences can be overcome. It takes many drafts to make one beautiful, messy masterpiece.

For the first time writer, or the writer who has been at it for years, and this is your TRUE desire, stay the course. Some days and years, the writing will be euphoric and will flow out of you like water from a garden hose. Other times, writer’s block kicks in and that flowing hose, well, it will get rock sediments in there. That is marriage. Keeping the “I do” at the forefront of your relationships and continuing to pour love into each other even if there are pebbles along the way.

Remember to love those days, these days, and all the days because seasons of setbacks can often lead to seasons of soaring.

I’m going to leave you with something. In writing and relationships, you’re going to have to:

Just like marriage vows, writers need a vow too. Make a copy of this and post it on a wall in front of your work space. Let it be a reminder to commit in your writing endeavor.

I_________(your name) take thee pen and paper (or, keyboard and computer) to use as my imagination tools for writing each and every day. I promise to trust the process and persevere no matter what.

Until next time…

References

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/expectation

https://bestlifeonline.com/average-marriage-age-united-states/

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a19567270/average-age-of-marriage/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reasons-not-to-get-married_n_5274911

https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-some-people-get-married-or-decide-never-to-marry

https://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/

https://www.divorcemag.com/articles/us-divorce-statistics-and-divorce-rate-2000-2017/

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-first-draft-of-any-novel-is-always-shit-and-bad

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/fruitless-first-draft-struggles

https://lithub.com/7-methods-for-writing-your-first-draft/

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/perfect-first-draft/

https://medium.com/startup-grind/why-you-should-not-write-a-book-c34d260d4550

https://wordskies.wordpress.com/2015/07/05/everyone-wants-to-write-a-book/

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/28/opinion/think-you-have-a-book-in-you-think-again.html

The Back Story for “A Tribute to Tulipia”

August 28, 2018 / Chiara

Be the model that propels our kids to be strong, courageous, kind, and never back down on their morals and beliefs. We have one chance in life. Let’s all be Tulips in the wild brush.

#BeATulip

It started with a picture, a picture of a tulip standing tall and confident surrounded by tangled brush and shrubbery. The greenery in the background accenting its beautiful pink petals caught my eye while on a hike with my daughters. The sun poking through the trees cast a glow of holiness about her that no camera could ever capture. She reminded me of a female, I named her Tulipia.

It had been a tough season of bullying incidents at school for both my girls, so I tried instructing my children about standing up for what’s right as well as doing the right thing for others. This sudden inspiration was God’s gift of another means of explanation. And so a story began to stir in my mind, one that cannot be ignored. I knew I had to write this down.

A tale that was supposed to be a little school project turned out to be so much more. This reading gem can be enjoyed by kids and grownups alike. A Tribute to Tulipia is a feel-good story about a tulip and her family who live in an oasis surrounded by tangled vines, brush, and shrubs. Bullied and picked on, the reader journeys with the alienated family who never backed down in their fight to unify a changing forest. It is a great lesson and reminder on what it takes to be a true friend, what sacrifice means to lay down one’s life in order to save another, and to always, always do the right thing no matter what.

As a writer, I never set out to write words with symbolic meaning. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. The more I thought about this story, the more I’ve realized just how important it was to share it with my kids. I hope you’ll do the same.

Don’t ever be afraid to be a Tulip!

#BeATulip

For the FREE sample story in PDF format, click here.

Ebook available via Amazon and Smashwords.

Paperback below is available via Amazon.

ALERT***ALERT***

For each A Tribute to Tulipia paperback purchased, I will donate a portion of the proceeds to Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying organization that travels to schools to address the issue of bullying with an engaging, factual, and emotional methodology. Their mission is to inform students and staff about bullying awareness along with the real devastation it causes. Let’s keep the “I AM SOMEBODY” Stand for the Silent © program alive. For more information, please check out: https://standforthesilent.org/.

Buy your copy NOW! Don’t wait! Help stop bullying. #BeATulip. Go to Amazon.

To All the Words I Loved Before

April 23, 2018 / Chiara

“To all the words I’ve used. To all the words I’ve had to do without. To all the words I’ve not used yet. You are loved.”

This blog was inspired by Willie Nelson’s song: To All the Girls I Loved Before. Click here for the video.

Words. I love words. I fell in love with words back in middle school, reading books like “The Hardy Boys” and “Nancy Drew”. In high school, Danielle Steele was the queen of words, and she still is today.

I’ve written poetry, short stories, novellas, and novels. In all those writings, words have been with me. They offer an emotional outlet for creative expression. I can’t get enough of words. But, sometimes I’ve been without.

For example:

“I’m speechless.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There are no words to describe this.”

“I’m at a loss for words.”

Getting me now?

A very important step I’ve learned to use when I’m editing is identifying and removing meaningless and redundant words that don’t necessarily move the story. Over the years, I’ve kept a running list of words from my previous publications: Love’s Perfect Surrender, and Petrella, the Gillian Princess. This “word list” has helped me create more concise content especially since I’m working on my third novel, Make it Right; Make it Matter.

I’d like to share that with you. Click Redundant and Meaningless Words_List.

I am not one of those gifted writers that can pump out an imperfect, error-free draft and call it “final”. I am a writer who is learning to recognize her flaws, identify and use the correct words to capture the tone, emotion, and description whether it be in a scene, a chapter, and a paragraph.

“Anyone can write, but it takes a lot more to be a storyteller.”

A Food Storyline – Stirring the Pot of Creative Writing

November 15, 2017 / Chiara

Author Note: I’m a firm believer that “writing” inspiration happens all the time. As writers, we should be open to those blessings and seize the creative bursts when they happen. Inspired by a recent event in which I had made Chili, here is “my creative burst” of energy.

It was a cold and dreary day in Foodville, USA. The whole farm town had come out to a “Chili” management meeting inside the Federal building at the intersection of Thirsty Street and Hungry Drive.

It was a big night for the town and the stakes were high. Standing room only, all the local organic vegetables were present. There were the Green Peppers, the Black and Kidney Beans cousins, Ms. Baby Carrot and her children, Mrs. Yellow Potatoes, the Onion twins, the Garlic triplets, along with the Ground Beef family. The temperature outside may have been 32 degrees, but inside the conference chamber, there they stood simmering in tomato sauce at a blazing 95 degrees.

Just outside the meeting room doors, were Mr. Javier Jalapeño and his girlfriend, Ms. Cathy Carrot Stick. The committee was going to vote on whether or not to let Javier Jalapeño be part of their Chili recipe.

“Move out of my way, baby. I’ve got to talk some sense into them. I’m diving in there.” Javier flexed his muscles.

“It’s too dangerous, please don’t go.” Cathy pleaded with him.

The chili pepper continued to stretch from side to side. Small in stature, he had a reputation of bringing in a hotter taste to any dish. In recent years, he heard that the Chili was losing its flavor. Turmeric couldn’t cut it anymore, and tough and rough Ground Peppercorn had lost all his corns.

Javier was pleased to have friends like Cayenne Pepper and Sriracha Sauce present in the conference room fighting for him, but the others, Onion powder, and “Hot” Chili mix, well, they were resisting. There was a conspiracy against him. They didn’t want change the current Chili recipe, they didn’t want to add any new flavor, and they certainly didn’t appreciate what a little green chili pepper had to offer. But, Javier had to do something. He was putting it all out there, seeds and stem. He had no choice but to try to convince the farm, the spices, the meats, and the tomato sauce that he was there to enhance the Chili, not replace anyone. Together, they could be stronger, tastier, and more flavorful. And by golly, he was going to do it.

Back at the doors, Cathy Carrot Stick shivered in fear. She knew the drill. It had happened to her. For a long time, she was the best thing since diced tomatoes, but then the Baby Carrot family moved in and she was ousted out of the Chili recipe. As much as she loved Javier, she was old-school and liked how things had been with the “Original” Chili recipe, though; Ms. Carrot Stick wouldn’t ever tell him that.

Torn between love and the mainstream mentality of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Cathy chose her side. It was her heart throb of two years, sexy Mr. Jalapeño himself. With his emerald-green eyes and smooth complexion, their relationship was burning hot, and she vowed to never go back to bland relationships.

“It will be okay. I won’t be long, I promise.” Javier explained.

“Be careful, they’re crazy. They don’t want to change. They’ll eat you alive, if you go in there,” the orange tanned beauty begged.

Mr. Jalapeño pulled his love interest close and planted his lips hard on Cathy. When he stepped back, a veil of smoke arose from her cheeks.

“Babe, no need to worry. I’ve got this. New things are coming and I’m no longer afraid because I’m packing heat. Lots of heat.”

And with that, Javier Jalapeño sprung into the meeting.

#toomuchtimeonmyhands, #sillylittlestory, #Chiliinspired, #Jalapenomakeseverythinggreat, #amwriting, #exercisingmywritingskills, #Afoodstoryline, #writing

Writing – A Marriage between You and the Screen

The Back Story for “A Tribute to Tulipia”

To All the Words I Loved Before

A Food Storyline – Stirring the Pot of Creative Writing

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