Are You Sure You’re Doing The Wrong Thing?

 
Life should not be comfortable; it isn’t to a person’s advantage to have it so.  Nor should art.  Never have the masterpieces of life or art been pleasant or easy.  They are always rugged peaks to be ascended by the few. ~Nikos Kazantzakis

About 30,000 years ago, the earliest examples of the cave art of our ancestors began to appear. And from that moment in history, we sought to express strong feelings through imagery. This proved a great intellectual breakthrough for our species. And I’m sure those first artists were lauded and offered the best food the tribe had to offer. This breakthrough was of paramount importance to everyone.

In effect, man could ‘freeze’ part of his environment long enough for his powerful intelligence to think about it, to manipulate it, to understand it fully. ~ Readers Digest, The First Two Million Years.

This led to teaching aids, toys and tools. Therefore, art has played a quintessential part of our evolution. A friend raised a great topic the other day on Facebook. She asked a question which set me to thinking for days afterwards.

I love Facebook. There, I said it! Sometimes, the discussions that start there are the best conversations I have in a day. They’re wonderfully honest.

            Back to the great question posed. My friend has been going through some of the more stressful events of life in recent times. Then a colleague went away, and sorely missing her, my friend was left questioning her course in life. An artist and writer, she posted this status update:

I’m not even sure why being able to draw has a purpose these days...it doesn’t seem to have any artistic or financial merit. I always thought it was a divine gift. What should I do with it? Please discuss

I thought, wow, that’s such a thought-provoking topic. People chimed in with ringing thoughts like, It is a really simple and cathartic way to channel your juju and to process whatever it is inside you which needs to be processed.

Another commenter shared this quote: "Art is not about making a living it is about making a life." The wise words of Paulus Berensohn

 

 

Fired up, I commented, “My oil paintings will outlive me. I kind of like that. However, leaving legacies aside, a world without art and artists of all kinds I would not want to live in. Our purpose may not be expressed in the same clearly linear format of hours done/recompense given/living earned sort of thing as other people get to do. The arts are about much much more than that. They're about spiritual, emotional, mental, physical expression and transmutation and magical processes. The arts provide the rest of mankind with those most important of elusive experiences: hope, and inspiration, and aspiration and joy.”

They're about the alchemy of being reminded to look up and remember the bigger picture.

 

Where would any of us be without it? I’m quite sure that art led to the development of the written word. We don’t just want the arts, we depend on them. As the world becomes more burdened and soulless around us, we need our artists and creatives more than ever. So, if you were chosen, and have that destiny, bless you, and keep going. You're 'remembering the universe' for everyone. Don’t ever give up!

 

My pal, the writer PJ Reece and I were having an email back-and-forth once on the topic of being transported by our work (as lowly writers). In signing off, he said, “Ah!  The eastern sky is lightening.  I gotta go.  An hour from now my best interests will be hijacked by appearances and the everyday mind, and I will be buried under gravel, again.”

            And that’s it. Life railroads over us with demands and needs. We're earthed by the fact the bills have to be paid, the toilet scrubbed, the son’s nose wiped. This week, I go to see my dentist, my car needs a panel beater, and take middle child to have the gunk sucked out of his ears. If I couldn’t read, or see a movie, or look at a painting; if I didn’t have my ‘art’, my books to write, I would not survive. For me, as a creative person, these channels of expression form my outlet and wonderfully, they have the potential to uplift others as well one day. That’s sublime. Transformative.

 

“Where There Is No Vision, the People Perish” The phrase comes from the Bible’s book of Proverbs, and it expresses an important truth: Humans, in order to live effectively and happily, need a goal—a vision—to pursue. ~ Paul Rosenberg

 

Yet these days, the artist, the writer, the singer, is no longer at the top of the food chain. The ‘artist’s way’ as Julia Cameron coined it, is not for the faint-hearted. No. You must have courage in your heart and steel in your spine. You must 'have your stirrups on', as my sister would say. The arts are not generally regarded as a high status profession. Admiration is saved for the famous. No one, not your family, not even your spouse will respect your choice to go the artist’s way unless you’re making money. For writers, there are a small tier of authors on the top shelf, the bestsellers, who make a good living out of writing fiction. The rest of us  will only ever do our writing alongside our ‘real job’. It’s unappreciated, underpaid, and I have to say, a fairly thankless path.

 

 

 

As PJ Reece said, I guess all outsiders are symbols of failure in the eyes of the mainstream. It reminds me of Leonard Cohen’s long-ago mentor who, concerned for Leonard’s onward path, asked him:

“Are you sure you’re doing the wrong thing?”

 

 

I know I am. I’m happily following my muse, thirty five years later, I’m still writing for children - despite everything - still doing the wrong thing. And it continues to light up my life. How about you? Mojo intact? Are you doing the wong thing? I love to hear from you...

 

See ya’ in the funny papers!

Yvette K. Carol

http://www.yvettecarol.com

The Melee of Marketing for the Modern Writer

 

 

             I'm running late, don't tell me, I know! I've been chasing my tail all day, trying to get to this post. Here I am, scraping in for the 1st of October in the U.S.A. It's 11 p.m. here right now, and in accordance with the wonderful Insecure Writer's Support Group, I'm posting on the 'first Wednesday of the month'. And this is a special Wednesday, because it's an opportunity to post possible entries for an anthology the IWSG is putting together, advice for writers.



The Oxford Dictionary describes ‘melee’ as ‘a confused, noisy struggle'.
 

I saw the word melee in my thesaurus under ‘Disorder’ and thought; wow that describes the minefield of marketing for the modern writer very well.

I read a lot of blogs (I try to keep up with about thirty-five a week). In the last few years, there’s been a jump in the wealth of information on how to market oneself and one’s books. It’s a rapidly evolving field. Advice that may have worked five years ago, is no longer applicable now. Even in 2011, Alan Rinzler said, ‘That $50K space ad in the New York Times? Forget it. It’s only for the author’s mother. The twenty-city bookstore tour with first class airplanes, limousines, and hotel suites? A waste of money. Not even an appearance on the Today Show can guarantee more than a brief spike in sales....The old ways don’t work.’

The old ways of self-promotion don’t work! What does? For the writer battling to write their masterpieces, and keep up with the business of self-promotion, the competing voices of advisors are a whirlwind. The key to this maelstrom is that a lot of the advice is conflicting, sometimes even coming from the same source.

Take for example the advice of the greatly esteemed writer, Bob Mayer, who participates in ‘Slideshare, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. all from home,’ as a form of self-promotion. He said, ‘I used to not be a fan of book trailers, and while I don’t think they do much direct selling, they increase your digital footprint. And they’re cool.’

So, I felt reading this, that he was advocating we writers participate in most forms of social media. Yet, in the same breath, Bob also said, ‘Focus on craft; not marketing and promotion. You can’t promote crap. The best marketing is a good story; better marketing is more good stories.’

 

It’s hard to know which way to go.

 

Did I mention that one definition of melee is ‘noisy’? I’ve only been looking into the question of how to do subtle self-promotion the last few years, and I’m overwhelmed with the conflicting opinions. Everybody has one.

 

It's easy to get swayed this way and that. Then, the danger, if we do too much self-marketing, is that we get absorbed into doing the daily rounds to the extent that we never get back to our manuscript! There was a stage there for me, where I found myself awake chatting to people on LinkedIn at one in the morning. And yet, I hadn't edited the chapter I needed to finish. I knew I had to work out a better balance. 

           I heard a famous author had once said of the differences between published and unpublished writers, ‘Published authors see marketing as part of their mission to entertain, help & inspire others. Unpublished authors see marketing as their publisher’s job.’ It's my duty to build my platform. My brand is my responsibility. It's an inescapable part of being an author today.

I went back to the trenches and started digging. I found a wonderful book with solid guidance as to how to navigate self-promotion in the digital age. ‘We Are Not Alone’ by writer and social media guru, Kristen Lamb. I applied myself to all her principles, and I'm gradually working on my platform. 

           Of marketing, Ms. Lamb recently updated this book, 'The Rise of the Machines', and said on her blog, '1) discoverability is a nightmare 2) less than 8% of the literate population are devoted readers 3) the remaining 92% equate reading with homework and a chore. Thus, we have the task of convincing 92% of the population to spend time they don't have engaged in an activity they believe they dislike…and spend money to do it.'

 

Sometimes just the thought of what I need to do next makes me feel tired.

 

I like Jane Friedman’s simple approach too, ‘When writers ask me what the most important thing they should be doing to further their career—aside from write—it’s almost always start your own website.’ If only things could be this simple.

My dear friend, writer and YouTube queen, Maria Cisneros-Toth and I discussed the thorny issue of how to work on our brands while keeping it simple. We decided that the best way would be to restrict ourselves to the forms of social media we enjoyed the most. The forms that were never a chore.

         I chose our online group over on Wanatribe, Writing for Children, and my website, Facebook page and Pinterest, my blog and newsletter.

I’ve found since then, that I can sustain these sites, which as Bob Mayer says, increases my digital footprint. I’m also still able to do the important business of writing.

I say, find what you’re comfortable with in terms of social media commitments and accept that that’s your limit.

         As for the melee of voices on marketing advice, at this stage, I like to see what they’re saying and course-correct only when absolutely necessary.

 

 

It’s a matter of survival. Sanity. Yours. Mine.

Till next time,

Keep smiling!

 

 

Yvette Carol

 Anne R. Allen ~ ‘We writers tend to be a delusional lot. Most of us know the average writer doesn't make a bunch of money, but we secretly believe our own efforts will bring us fabulous fame and fortune. Or at least pay the rent. When we start out, we're certain our books will leapfrog over all the usual obstacles, and in record time, we will land on the NYT  bestseller list and the cover of Time. Don't be embarrassed. The delusions are necessary. If we accepted the reality of how hard it is to make a living as a writer, we'd never get that first sentence on the page.’

 

Turning agony into ecstasy....

 

‘Pain is the difficult doorway to hidden generosity.’~ David Whyte

I wanted to write a blog post about something inspirational. When you only post twice a month, it should be worth the effort. But then my middle son, Sam, got very sick with that nasty coughing virus. I’ve been consumed by caring for him, as we dived down towards and then narrowly avoided pneumonia. I began to feel the opposite of inspirational – in fact, more like that embarrassing stage of tiredness and desperation where you start to break down a bit in front of people. All creativity seemed to temporarily flee.

Some weeks ago, I had written a short non-fiction story about the arrival into our family of my middle child, and my subsequent first experiences with Down Syndrome. I submitted the story to the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology, Hope and Miracles. This was my way of dealing with the past.

 

Sam turned twelve on Tuesday. It’s hard to believe it’s been twelve years since he crashed down the walls around my heart. I know I haven't been the same person since meeting him and thank goodness. It's true what the Maori say, that people with Down Syndrome have more 'wairua' (spirit) than other people.

 

One morning this week, my youngest son, complained. "Does Sam get to stay home again? It's not fair!"

I said, "Sam is really suffering."

"No, he isn't, he's just faking."

 

But this is one of the amazing things about Sam, is that he's never 'faking'. He doesn't know the meaning of the concept. Sam is himself, as he is, how he is at all times.  He's pure. I love that. What winds me up is there's so much misunderstanding about these people, and it just makes life more difficult for us as the parents and caregivers.

 

I’m moved to write about this  topic because two times during the nightmare of the last four weeks, as I’ve nursed Sam around the clock with the coughing virus, I've come up against the dragon of ignorance that exists around Down Syndrome.

 

 

The first time it happened, a nice doctor at the Emergency Department, prescribed medication. We got home and I read the instructions: they required Sam to ‘hold a teaspoon of the medicine in his mouth for a few minutes’. I laughed and threw the box away. I felt surprised the doctor would think Sam was going to “hold” anything in his mouth for a few minutes. I thought, ‘perhaps this guy has never met a special needs person before.’

The second time happened after we were discharged for the second time from the ED this week. The spunky young doctor sent us home with a prescription for Sam’s sore lips. I read with horror, the instructions asked that Sam keep ten mils of the gel in his mouth, gargle it and then spit out. I mean, c’mon! You did just meet my son, doctor, didn’t you? You were there? Do you really think he’s going to be able to hold the gel in his mouth and then gargle and spit it out? Seriously!

 

That’s when I began to get a bit steamed, and moved into a state of consternation.

It isn’t rocket science, folks. This sweet pure soul who is Sam, is like a small child in a big child's clothing.  Think of him as a five-year-old in a twelve-year-old's body. He needs medication that is simple to use and tasteless to take – please don’t prescribe big tablets that I have to grind up into powder, because Sam can’t take tablets. Please don’t prescribe gels that require a flaming degree in science, and a meth lab to use!

 

Sam has taught me a lot about Down Syndrome. And because of Sam, I got to enter the amazing fraternity of parents of special needs kids. This is a deep group. These mums and dads have been through the fire, they’ve done their warrior tests, and they’ve been enriched for their trials. A more incredible group of people you couldn't hope to meet.

 

Sadly, folks with special needs are often a misunderstood, overlooked section of the community. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. I see a much better, brighter future ahead. And I feel it’ll be paved by sparks like my son, and all the other amazing, bright, young things (and not-so-young things) like him.

 

As a writer, I can’t help but be affected in the way that comes most naturally...the story seeds are being sown...I don’t know how, or when, or what the fiction will be. I only know that the feeling becomes more certain. I will write story about them. Something wicked this way comes.

 

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ― Ray Bradbury

 

Ttl,

Yvette K. Carol

 

 

 

 

 

What’s your Golden Wheelhouse?

 

In accordance with the guidelines of the Insecure Writers Support Group, where writers share their insecurities and thoughts, I’m writing my post to coincide with the first Wednesday of the month. My topic for this post is the Golden Wheelhouse.

 

These little sounds and symbols are often triggers that set off emotional bombs. But what matters are the meanings of words and the truths they express, not the symbols themselves. ~ Paul Rosenberg.

 

All writers are in the business of these little sounds and symbols called words. But apparently, when we’re writing in our ‘golden wheelhouse’, our words become more heavily freighted with meaning and significance. I rather like this newly coined term which I’ve read in various articles and blogs on the interweb of late. I believe the term means when a person writes about the subjects and characters that hold the most meaning to them, the resulting book becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

 

 

 

 

How do we find what we should be writing?

I've always heard that you know you’ve found the zone which works for you when the subject matter and genre excite you, when the hours vanish and time has no meaning. I’m drawn to write about the big questions and ‘high concept’ fiction for children. Then, further, I'm the most interested in the fantasy genre and mythology. Those places are where the words flow for me, where it feels as if the prose comes from my heart and soul, so those things must comprise my ‘golden wheelhouse’.

 

Decide what’s important to you.

I’ve realized you can tell when a writer is working in their golden wheelhouse–that depth of feeling and experience comes across in every word. There’s an accompanying sense of the effortless in a story written this way as well. It has an uplift effect, and more importantly, the story has a beating heart. It’s alive.

 

A few years ago, I read a manuscript for someone, in which they had deviated totally from their golden wheelhouse to a new genre and the story came across as sterile and unappealing. It didn’t come across as authentic. The story had lost the usual soul and resounding impact.

 

Our task as writers is to engage our readers from go to whoa. In order to do this, it seems to me to be paramount that each writer decides what is the most important to them. Not what they think will be popular or will sell books, but what moves them to their core? What do they need to say? That's the key.

 

 

How about you? What’s your golden wheelhouse? Have you discovered it yet? I'd love to know!

 

See ya' in the funny papers!

Till next time,

Yvette K. Carol

 

"The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If it comes at all it will come because it is deserved, not because it is sought after." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Not So Accidental Blog Tourist Hop

Hi guys,

Thanks to Catherine Johnson for tagging me in the Not-so-accidental blog tourist hop started by Crystal Collier

Catherine Johnson is the author/illustrator of two poetry books for children, Weirdo Zoo and The Everglades. Zompoemz coming soon.

So these are the questions:

1.     What am I currently working on?

I’m working on the first book in my ‘tween series, the Records of Aden, called, Aden Weaver & the Or’in of Tane Mahuta.

What drives some people to greatness?
An ordinary boy has a score to settle against those who killed his parents, and a vicious warlord wants the boy dead. No matter what you do, Aden Weaver, don't lose your head.

2.     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My books will fit in under the Amazon category ‘Shape-shifters and werewolves’ although there are no werewolves in the story! It's also called 'Alternative Universe Fantasy'. That’s where the work is similar.

 

Where it differs is that the shape-shifters switch between insects and humans with the residual features of their insect selves. So the dragonflies retain smaller, shorter wings in their human form. In human form they can still fly but for shorter distances.

 

A lot of people have said as they’ve edited my books, ‘Why insects?’ but to me, it’s a whole new world that is seldom explored. Why not insects? We get to see the world (in this case, the Planet Chiron) from their perspective, that of the small critters. Most scenes take place inside caves and trees and flowers, places within nature and underground. It holds an endless fascination for me, one that hopefully creates a magical and unique reading experience.        

 

3.     Why do I write/create what I do?

 

I tried writing for adults and it was boring! I’d far rather write to the unfettered imagination of young people.

 

As Nathaniel Hawthorne put it so eloquently in 1853, Children are now the only representatives of the men and women of that happy era (the golden age) and therefore it is that we must raise the intellect and fancy to the level of childhood, in order to recreate the original myths. 

 

4.     How does your writing/creating process work?

It’s a bit of a mix of the practical and metaphysical. When I’m in the ‘genesis’ stage of a book, I stick to a routine established from doing writing workshops with the wonderful New Zealand writer and lecturer, Kate de Goldi, who insisted on ‘non-stop writing’ for a prescribed time every day.

Then, I pay close attention to my dreams. I sleep with a pad and a pen by my bed because once I’m writing a book, the muse will strike at all hours. And I find that my best ideas and flashes of inspiration blow in through my dreams. They also will often hit when I’m out walking or running. Then I have to hang on to the words and race home to get them down onto paper before they blow away on the ether!

 

~~

Now, I have a confession to make. I admit that while I've managed the questions and the acknowledgement side of this blog hop, I have managed to fail wholesale on the 'hop' part. Of the ten or so bloggers I invited to take part, not a single person said yes. Folks are busy these days, that's all. Sorry, Catherine, I did try, but my part of the hop trail ends here. It was cool getting to answer the questions though!

 

 

 

See ya' in the funny papers!

 

Let me know, what do you think? Why do you create/write what you do?

 

Yvette K. Carol

 

 

http://www.yvettecarol.com

How do you protect your unique voice in the critique group experience?

In accordance with the guidelines of the Insecure Writers Support Group, where writers share their insecurities and thoughts, I’m writing my post to coincide with the first Wednesday of the month. My topic for this post is critique groups.
I remember many years ago when I joined kiwiwrite4kids, the organizer, Maria Gill, advised me to join a critique group.

Myself and Maria Gill at last year's Storylines Children's Literature Festival.

 

As Anne R. Allen said,‘Joining a writing group is one of the easiest ways to learn your craft. And it's way cheaper than hiring an editor.’

 

It’s taken me a long time to find the right critique group. Along the way to finding the group that really works best for me, I went through a disastrous experience with a writing partner who slowly undercut my confidence and reduced me to questioning whether I even wanted to be a writer. I’ve been in groups where it was all ‘take’ and no ‘give’ and groups where I was the only experienced writer on board.

 

As Anne R. Allen said in her recent blog post, when you’re in a group you’re not sure is right for you, ask yourself, ‘Do their suggestions give you an "ah-ha" moment, or make you want to toss the baked brie in the critiquer's face?’ 

 

And if the latter is the case, and these people appear to be more vicious than helpful, realize, ‘People like this are operating from a place of envy and fear. Nothing they say can help you, because they're only half-listening to your piece. They're too busy rehearsing their bitter bon mots. The fix: Run! Get out while you still have the will to live.’ 

 

Thankfully, I have finally found a group this year that fits my needs and my lifestyle and is peopled with others who give and take in equal measure.

The issue for me now is how do I utilize all their great suggestions while still retaining my style and protecting my voice? And this is an issue I’ve been discussing lately with other writers. It’s a real conundrum.

With one piece recently, I followed every single person’s suggestions to the letter, and the resulting story was neat as a pin. Only problem was it didn’t sound or feel like me anymore.

After a similar experience, my dear friend, the author, Maria Cisneros-Toth said, ‘I began to read aloud starting at chapter one. Horrified, I stopped. My character's voice was gone. I panicked, jumped up and went straight to my computer and began dropping in those parts that I had been told to delete. They were still fresh in my mind, thank goodness. And from there I fleshed out the story. I remembered my counselor's words and I still live by them even in my writing...sift and choose your information.’

My friends over on Writing for Children and I are about to critique one another’s stories for an anthology we’re putting together. I decided to address this issue with them, so I wrote this letter:

 

'This is what I want to say about critique, which I've just been learning recently, these are purely my thoughts, you don't have to take them on if they don't resonate with you. We're all different. Maria & I have been discussing this lately. It's just that if we take every single critique, even when we don't agree with it, then we may end up with a piece that's not authentic to us. Only take on board that which in your gut feels right. So feel free to use or discard my comments. It's up to you.'

Do you agree? What critique group experiences have you had?

See ya in the funny papers!

Till next time,

Yvette K. Carol