Writing The Personal: Anything But That

August 17, 2016August 16, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! I really had no idea what to write about today, so I went through a bunch of those list type blogs of “topics for writers,” which usually aren’t all that helpful. One question that seems to show up on all the lists is “what’s the hardest thing you’ve ever written?” You mean aside from all of these blog posts? I don’t know. I’ve never had a difficult time with any particular piece beyond the normal troubles a writer has. I’m uncomfortable writing in the field of science fiction and pretty much anything with a political theme, but only because I’m not used to those genres. There’s really only one thing I actively avoid in my every day writing: anything personal. I mean yeah, there’s always going to be a part of me in everything I write, but I’ll probably never write a memoir or anything like that. I’m boring. Who would want to read about my life?

Fantasy-Vs-Reality — That’s why I don’t write about myself.

I don’t care for slice of life books. Or diaries. Or journals. Never have. My life sucks enough, so I’d much rather escape into fantasy and the like when I’m both reading and writing. Happy endings aren’t entirely necessary, but adventure and magic and awe are. I’ve felt that way for as long as I can remember. I’ve never really kept a diary or journal or anything like that for the same reasons. I tried. But it got really boring really fast. Every diary devolved into a list of shows I watched or songs I heard. I’m sure that type of writing is cathartic for some people, but I always preferred to avoid it.

Of course, there were times I was forced to write from a personal perspective. You can’t take poetry writing as an undergrad without being “encouraged” (read: coerced) into writing about yourself. I always felt dirty after it. Especially if it was something I had to share with the class. All the words sounded stupid as I said them out loud. I either felt like I was bragging or complaining, both of which are things I try to avoid most of the time. At least back then I avoided them. I’m just an uncomfortable topic for me.

I still remember one assignment from my Introduction to Poetry Writing class that I ended up taking much more seriously than I ever intended to. The writing prompt was along the lines of something as simple as “write a poem speaking to God” with the caveat that we had to take a cliché and make it our own. We sat in a circle and somehow I ended up having to read last. Everyone else wrote vague and super happy poems, then it came to me. I didn’t even print out a copy because I didn’t want my mom to read it (she was snoopy like that). I memorized it and offered to email it to the teacher who totally understood. It was angry and personal and I have always thought of it when I thought of things that were difficult to write. It’s part of the reason I started actively avoiding personal writing.

if-you-talk-to-god-you-are-praying-if-god-talks-to-you-you-have-schizophrenia1 — Seemed appropriate.

What about you? What’s the hardest thing for you to write about? Is there a topic or genre that you actively avoid?

And, for anyone wondering about that poem, here it is:

Dear God

by Shawna Borman

I want to believe
That love is blind
And the world is kind
And that we all have time
To fall in love.

But that’s a lie.

I want to be loved
For who I am
Despite what I am
By someone who doesn’t give a damn
About the outside.

But that’s not going to happen.

I want to thank you
For saving me
From who I know I would be
At the price of not letting me be free
To make my own mistakes.

But I can’t.

Because…

I want to be beautiful.
I would be.
I could be.
I should be!
But this, this isn’t a matter of “shoulda, coulda, woulda.”

I want to walk
With my head held high
And turn the eye
Of every guy
In the room towards me.

I want to be shallow.
I don’t care if they love me for what’s on the inside,
Because first they have to like me for what’s on the outside.
If the outside’s not for keeps,
No one’s going to want to dig too deep.

And I want to hate you
For the way you made me.
But I don’t know your face,
Don’t know your name,
Hell, I don’t even know if you exist.

But I need you to be a part of my life,
Because even though I blame you,
It’s still easier
To believe that I’m one of your creatures,
Than to know that I’m just a freak of nature.

How Role Playing Made Me A Better Writer

August 10, 2016August 8, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy howdy! A friend of mine from the Yahoo chatroom days has been talking about “the old days” (hard to believe it was ten years ago) when we stayed up all night talking and (usually) participating in multiple role playing scenarios. Not MMORPGs or Magic or D&D or any of that. We mostly stuck with the chatrooms and a few forums. Stuff like that. I admit I wasn’t a hardcore RPer. I didn’t know all of the rules and different styles (single lines versus paragraphs and all that), but there were a few worlds I enjoyed hanging out in. Anyway, I got to thinking about those days too and realized that they helped turn me into the writer I am today. Here are the three main ways RPing helped make me a better writer:

de8e19f69e3eb33be4ad569af35702a7 — And better at faking my way through adulthood.

1. The fact that it actually made me write. I’ve never been very good about writing without deadlines, so I didn’t write much when I wasn’t in classes. Rping with people forced me to exercise the creative parts of my brain on a regular basis even outside of school. We built worlds and characters with words. Then, we put those characters through hell. And we usually invented a bunch of disgusting weapons to push everything even further.

2. It taught me a lot about character and world building. There was nothing worse than getting into a scenario and having a character “magically” beat the crap out of someone they should’ve been pulverized by. No, your character did NOT spontaneously gain the ability to shoot fire from her palms with no lead up to it. Take your beating like a man. Then there were the people who randomly put hiding places in already established open areas with no cover. Really? The importance of adhering to established world rules and character attributes was not lost on me back then.

BxG Colored copy — An old character of mine. Drawn by the aforementioned friend and colored by me.

3. I think the most important aspect of RPing is that it’s collaborative. I’m still not big on group projects, but it taught me how to work with other creators to make a world that combined our ideas. We had to work together or else everything fell apart due to petty bickering. Or, if we managed to create a world, but we didn’t agree on things, wild inconsistencies would pop up in the stories. We didn’t have to stifle our individual voices, we just had to blend them together. It makes the whole idea of future collaborations a lot less repulsive.

tumblr_nqs988gGlb1rr44ybo1_500 — Like “Didn’t we just go over that?”

So yeah, RPing really did help me become a better writer. I keep telling my friend that, while I miss the chatroom days, I still kind of RP, I just do it solo now. That’s what writing is: building worlds and characters, then putting them through hell. A solo RP.

What about you? Did you ever RP? Do you still do it? What would you say it taught you about writing? Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject here or on one of my social media pages!

Until next time!

Changing of the Seasons: A Flash Fiction Piece

July 20, 2016July 19, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! I didn’t really have anything to blog about today, so someone suggested that I post a flash piece inspired by the pictures I post on Mondays (follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or G+ to see the posts). I decided what the hell, I’ll try it. I picked a picture and wrote the following piece. It’s a first draft, unedited, so keep that in mind. I will admit that I like the idea, but I’m not sure that flash is the right format for it. Maybe a short story? Feel free to offer constructive criticism and feedback. What format do you think would work best? Advice. Or just a quick “it sucks/rocks” works too.

11204016_839188969469365_7654394586329462149_n — Photographer: Peter Brownz Braunschmid

Changing of the Seasons

Autumn leaves swirl and twirl on a breeze tinted with the scent of blood. The lifeline of thousands seeps through the soil, bathing and nourishing me as it beckons for my awakening. They pray to me, the mothers and daughters and sisters of those lost at war. Why me? Because only a woman will understand their suffering. The men pray to Him for victory, for the ability to rule, no matter the cost. But the women, they simply ask for peace. They don’t realize how peace is achieved, they don’t know what they’re truly asking for. Still, I will soon be able to grant their wish.

Once every five thousand years, as the ground becomes inundated with spilt blood, I will inevitably rise from the roots of the Mother Tree as Fall passes into Winter. The changing of the seasons allows my release, for I cannot be freed while the Mother Tree lives. Their blood slowly poisons her until she can no longer survive the first freeze. I bide my time, soaking in the nutrients they provide while the tendrils that bind my wrists slowly weaken, becoming as brittle as the dead leaves clinging to the Mother Tree’s branches.

The days pass as if each second has morphed into an hour, but it is almost time for me to rise. To bring peace back to this chaotic world. Their cries grow ever stronger. Peace. Victory. Whichever will put an end to the suffering.

Fear not, my little loves. A new day is coming. I have heard you.

Finally, a twist of the wrist shatters my shackles. Fingers pale as sun-bleached bone are free to break through the slush of soil and blood and ice crystals. The air up here is thick with a metallic, rotten scent. The frigid temperatures haven’t had time to wash away the aroma of death. It’s invigorating. Mixed with the pleas for help, some might call it downright orgasmic.

I know what I have to do.

Near the Mother Tree is a spring. I must bottle the icy water as the full moon strikes it. I will take this gift to the children of the nearest town. Once they drink of it, a deep sleep will overcome and protect them. Then, I will feed. First, the women, unprotected in the fields and the shops. The children unaffected by the elixir will come next. Lastly, those on the battlefield. I will rid the entire world of the agony perpetrated by humanity.

Once the world has been purged of this plague, I will return to the slumbering children. They will awaken and I will raise them as my own. I will teach them compassion and respect and compromise. Peace and love will reign for many years to come.

And when they no longer need my assistance to survive, I will dig my toes deep into the ground on a pleasant Spring evening on the edge of town, where I will transform into the Mother Tree. My branches will reach out to protect my children even as future generations forget my teachings. As they inevitably devolve into a world of bloodshed once again. All the while, the mothers and sisters and daughters will pray for peace, which my next incarnation, growing among my roots, will provide.

Craft Books And Why We Need Them

June 22, 2016June 20, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! A few days ago, I was bored and skimming through Facebook when I came across a friend’s post about how she had finally gotten back to writing after a pretty long break. Being bored makes me nosy, so I read through the comments and noticed someone who is admittedly new to writing ask for some tips on how to improve her writing beyond practicing each day. Let’s be honest, practicing every day is great, but if you don’t know the basics and how to push yourself beyond your limits, you’re not going to get very far. How do you learn the basics of writing? Surprise! There are instruction manuals for basically everything, including writing. We just happen to call them craft books.

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If you’re like me, you despise craft books because all of your English professors made you read the most boring literary ones they could find. When you just want to write about demons and serial killers (or dragons and fairies for the fantasy crew/aliens and far away galaxies for the sci-fi crew/etc.), these books get old fast. So, here’s my quick list of crafty type books for genre writers.

1. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. It’s based around Joseph Cambell’s Hero’s Journey (the basic structure of Western mythology and the different archetypes of the characters and all that). My favorite part is that it’s aimed specifically at genre writing, so you won’t run across any random derogatory remarks about your chosen field like I have in other craft books.

2. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. I don’t care if you’re the smartest grammar Nazi in the world, we all need a little help with punctuation sometimes. If you like dry British humor and concise explanations, this is the punctuation rulebook for you. Yes, there are certainly more comprehensive and technical books out there, but unless you’re an English professor or an academic writer, I don’t really find them necessary.

3. Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder. Okay, so it’s not your traditional craft book, but it’s helpful with things like structure and dialogue. Plus, it might just encourage you to try your hand at screenwriting. It’s one of those books that explains a lot of the same things traditional craft books cover, but it comes at them from a different perspective. So, if other books aren’t working for you, give this one a shot.

4. Danse Macabre by Stephen King. This one is more of a history of horror than it is a craft book, but there’s a ton of useful information in here for horror writers. I’ll also mention that On Writing by King is supposed to be a wonderful, more general craft book if you’re not looking for something specifically horror related. I haven’t read the latter yet, but it’s on my to-be-read list.

5. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway. I have no idea which edition I read (I believe it was the 8th), but I do know that she insinuates that genre fiction is common and lowbrow while lauding literary fiction. Why would I suggest this book then? Mostly because the writing exercises were worthwhile. Plus the technical parts are short and to the point instead of super repetitive. So, if you want a decent version of the undergrad go-tos, pick this one up, just be prepared for derogatory remarks toward genre fiction.

I’m sure I forgot a lot of great craft books, and I’m definitely trying to forget a lot of bad ones, but I think this is enough to start with. What about you? Do you have any favorites that aren’t on this list? Do you think they’re important to keep around even if you’re a seasoned writer? I admit to selling most of my undergrad craft books, but I’ve kept all of the ones from Stonecoast (even the ones I hated), because there’s always something they can teach you.

Three Things Not To Say To A Writer

June 1, 2016May 30, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ 2 Comments

Hi again! Lately, I’ve been seeing those lists of things that every writer supposedly hates to hear and decided to make my own. It’s relatively short compared to the ten, fifteen, even thirty item lists I’ve noticed floating around. This is mainly because 1) I don’t really pay much attention when I start to get annoyed by a conversation, and 2) people don’t generally ask me if I have a real job when told I’m a writer (I’m guessing that has something to do with the whole cripple thing, which I’m okay with), so I run into a lot less annoying people than the average writer. So, here’s my very short list divided up into who shouldn’t be saying it.

1. Publishers to writers (or any creative artists really) – “We won’t pay you, but you’ll definitely earn some exposure by being published here.”

If I wanted to work for exposure, I’d post my work on my blog. I suppose that’s my “popular fiction” training talking. We’re taught to start at the top (pro-paying publications) and work our way down (semi-pro, token, and as a last resort, exposure) until we receive an acceptance or run out of places to submit to, which makes sense to me. Why not aim high? The worst that can happen is a rejection. I admit that I’ve submitted to non-paying things before, but they were special circumstances. Even if I kind of understand it, I don’t really see the draw of “exposure.” And I don’t know why we (creative artists) keep accepting it as if it’s a form of payment.

2. Non-writers to writers – “You should write my life story! *proceeds in telling life story*”

Don’t get me wrong, there is probably some CNF writer somewhere who would be totally down for something like that, but I’m not that person. Unless your life involves dragons or fairies or (literal, not figurative) demons, the chances of me writing about it are pretty slim. So, maybe this one isn’t exactly a “don’t say it to any writer” thing as much as it is a “know your audience” type thing. Ask us about the type of stuff we write, then if you’re actually interested in having your story told and that writer seems interested in telling it, go for it! But, if it’s not something you’re truly interested in doing and/or the writer doesn’t write that type of stuff, it’s probably safer to not bring it up.

3. Writer to writer – “You’re still working on that piece?”

You really better be ill if you’re a writer and you’re asking me this.

Yes, yes I am still working on that piece. The question itself isn’t all that bad. I don’t get bothered when non-writers ask it, because most people don’t understand what all goes into something like a novel or poem or short story. But when a writer asks it, it comes across as rude. I’m sorry I’m not as fast a writer as you. I’m sorry I hold my work to higher standards. Go worry about your own work and leave me to my process.

Those are my three big writerly pet peeves. There are others, of course, but the annoyance levels all really depend on who says what when. What are some questions or statements that grind on your writerly nerves?

Writing Challenge Q&A: My Day

May 4, 2016May 3, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello yet again! This is the second to last installment of the Writing Challenge Q&A for anyone who’s wondering. Today’s topic is courtesy of my beautiful and crafty friend, Angela Wilson. She makes some really neat stuff, so if you’re in the New Brunswick area of Canada and spot her at a craft fair, check her stuff out! She chose number 15 (bullet-point your whole day). I will do my best to describe my usual day. I’m not really that interesting, so I do basically the same thing every day. I actually started that Daily Goal Calendar that I mentioned trying out, so here’s a visual of my April!

April DGC screenshot — It turned out to be really helpful.

So, a typical day goes something like this (please note that the times are approximations):

Noon ’til two – The process of getting up. This includes waking up, switching from my mask to the mouthpiece on my ventilator, a face cleaning, bathroom duties, making sure my Minion knows Dad and I are alive, transferring to the wheelchair, a cleaning followed by deodorant, getting dressed, and teeth brushing. It takes anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours depending on if we (we = Dad who is my caretaker and I) rush it.

Two ’til three-thirty – The breakfast routine. I check my email, try to post on all of my author pages, and play mindless games while Dad cooks breakfast and sets up my drink and whatnot. Eating usually takes 45 minutes or so (long enough to watch an hour long DVR’d show while fast forwarding through commercials).

5e5bf4d1c608cfef979ca3bf427613ada04fd928416be70e5eeb60a4cb2362f9 — There’re always eggs, so it’s breakfast!

Three-thirty ’til six-thirty – New writing routine! A couple of weeks ago, I started doing “writing stints” with a couple of friends. It’s like a writing sprint, but without the competitive element. We start at four (I take care of random small tasks or work on the crossword until then), write for an hour, take a five or ten minutes break to check in, then write for another hour and check in again. I always avoided things like that because I’m a slow typer and I feel awkward “racing” people, so we decided that we’d set our own goals and simply check in with each other to stay motivated and accountable. If we feel like it or miss our goals, sometimes we do a third stint. And we can do the stints separately if need be, then talk about them that night.

Six-thirty ’til eight – Randomness. There’s not really anything scheduled during this time. Sometimes I read. I might work on the crossword. Netflix is an option. So is revision (if I have something of my own stuff to look at) or critiquing (if I have someone else’s work to look at). I also answer emails and texts during this time. It’s really just for whatever I need to get done. If all else fails, there’re always mindless games.

Eight ’til eleven – Dinner, TV time, and more randomness. If we eat at home, dinner is usually pretty late. Then we watch a couple of hours of TV if there’s anything good on the DVR. Afterwards, I spend some time randomly checking Facebook or playing games or finishing the crossword or whatever before bed.

0lijr6 — Why does everyone die in my bedtime stories?

Eleven-thirty ’til one-thirty – The process of going to bed. Another lengthy process that includes a bunch of steps. Bathroom duties, cleaning, switching from the mouthpiece to the mask on the ventilator and getting everything set, etc. Basically just reverse the getting up process. It still takes forever. Then I talk to myself or Siri until I fall asleep (another lengthy process all on its own).

That’s my usual day. I told you I wasn’t very interesting. How about you? How was your day?

Writing Challenge Q&A: Silly Things

April 20, 2016April 19, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! Welcome to another installment of my impromptu Q&A session. This week’s topic is brought to you by my friend and fellow Stonecoaster, Veda Boyd Jones. She chose number 28, which is “Post five things that make you laugh out loud.” Only five? Okay, I’ll see what I can come up with. I guess the first thing people should be aware of is that my sense of humor isn’t exactly nice. If you’ve ever seen the following diagram (or something similar) floating around social media sites, then you know what I mean.

c399f0ea31d14f6a8f89234b65d02e50 — That about sums it up. Although, maybe the overlap should be bigger. Just saying.

1. Mildly inappropriate humor. Fart jokes, sexual innuendo, that kind of stuff. Because, yes, I am an immature fifteen year old boy at heart. I must stifle giggles when people talk about keeping abreast of things (haha… I said “breast”). I adore the candied pecan seller at Scarborough Faire who encourages women and men alike to put his nuts in their mouths. I have a filthy mind. Sorry, not sorry.

2. Stupid puns and joke memes. One of my favorite memes is the three panel picture of the dog with his chew toy who tells the stupidest punny jokes ever (see below). The tearable puns are usually amusing as well. And I must admit that some of my friends are kept around in part because of their ability to pun. You know who you are.

3. Old cartoons. Things like the Animaniacs and even Disney movies. Mostly because they have a tendency to combine all of the things my inner immature fifteen year old loves. Plus, I’m old enough to catch the jokes, now. I laughed when I was a kid, but I do so even more nowadays.

4. One of my favorite things to do is show off my favorite bands and their beautiful members. The reactions of people who find out that the gorgeous women are actually men are hilarious. Whether it’s a hanging jaw or some kind of denial, I always get a good laugh out of it. My favorite reactions come after guys run their mouths about the attractive ladies, though. Protest all you want, that person is still a man. Okay, maybe I’m a little cruel.

5. Most horror movies. Despite my love of reading horror, I don’t watch many scary movies. This is mostly because I find them more funny than anything. I’m all like “Yes! Run up the stairs instead of out the door! Go greet the axe murderer!” I just find the stupidity of the characters amusing as all get out. Don’t tell me you’ve never laughed when the cheerleader got it. I don’t believe you.

So, now you know the kinds of things that I find amusing (or at least some of them). What about you? Is my sense of humor too immature? Or are you right there with me? Please, feel free to send me your own lists! I enjoy a good laugh.

Writing Challenge Turned Q&A

March 30, 2016March 29, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ 5 Comments

Hello again! It’s that time of year again, where people start posting those weird “30 Day Writing Challenge” things. They always sound like a fun idea and every time I see one, I say that I should do it, but then I read the “challenges.” Honestly, they’re rarely creative and most often read as a list of Q&A topics. So, since I’m running low on things to ramble about, I thought I’d post one of these challenges here and let you guys pick a number between 1 and 30 (only one number per person, so choose wisely)! Each week, I’ll do one of the challenges you guys pick. I can think of a few people who will participate, so this should keep me busy for a few weeks at least.

30-day-writing-challenge-1 — It was the first list Google came up with. Pick a number and I’ll do the corresponding exercise!

To start this off randomly, I asked a friend to pick a number, but to be fair she had no idea why I asked and hadn’t seen the list, so she gets another number if she wants. Anyway, she chose 29. I suppose that means that I’m talking about my goals for next month!

Honestly, I don’t really plan that far ahead. I have trouble making up weekly goals, let alone monthly. I have my writing goals (which I’ve been struggling with). I’m trying to write at least 4,500 words a week, so I’m aiming for around 18,000 words for April. Otherwise, I want to post consistently on my author pages and of course do the weekly blog. I also want to finish the book I’m reading in the next couple of weeks. That’s about it, really.

5354927497_b50558716e_z — Maybe I should use a Daruma doll for my goals. I have a blank one somewhere.

If you’ve been stalking me, you know that I’m also trying to be better about keeping in touch with people. It’s not an easy thing, but I’m going to keep working at it. I did talk to someone last week about creating a daily goal calendar, though, so socializing does help! I already keep track of my word count, but it hasn’t been a big motivator lately. The daily goal calendar involves using stickers to denote certain achievements depending on what you want to accomplish and creating a key (example: gold star = 500 words, blue dot = half an hour of reading, purple heart = an hour of family time, etc.), then marking down what you do each day. I’m going to try to create a computer version for April to see if something visual like that helps me.

12916791_273486852983356_6246745458090268754_o — The example my friend sent me.

Anyway, my goals are basically the same as usual, but with a new way to keep track. That’s all I really have to say on that.

What do you guys think about the whole picking a number thing? If you’d like to choose one, comment here or find me on social media (Facebook, Twitter, or G+). I’m looking forward to seeing who chooses what!

See if you next week!

Grey Days

March 9, 2016March 7, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ 2 Comments

Hello, hello! I’m writing this a little earlier than usual (Monday instead of Tuesday), and it’s a really drab (cloudy and humid) day. In fact, it’s supposed to be dull and potentially rainy most of the week. A lot of people I know talk about how wonderful days like this are for writing, but I just don’t see it. Back when I did most of my writing at like two in the morning, weather didn’t really affect me. The only time it bothered me back then was during thunderstorms and that was only because of a fear of random tornadoes springing up, so I’m fairly jittery during them anyway. It wasn’t until I started writing during the day that I noticed how the sun affected my writing moods.

Stolen from Google. Maybe if this were my view, grey skies wouldn’t bother me.

People are different, I know, so I’m just saying that writing is harder for me on grey days. I feel more lathargic than usual. A headache is almost always involved. So, I’m one of those people who wants to binge watch Netflix or read manga and munch on chocolate until the sun comes back out. It’s worse if it’s super humid and warm. If it’s freezing cold (that’d be 60 or below in Texas), I don’t mind it as much. Maybe because it’s supposed to be yucky outside at that point (or at least that’s what I tell myself). Who knows. It’s just not conducive to writing for me.

On the flip side of that coin, if it’s sunny and beautiful and warm out, I also get distracted a lot. The sunny weather is energizing and all that, so it’s not because I’m lethargic and feel like crap, which makes it a lot easier to push through the writing avoidance. On those days, I simply tend to have a ton more “ooo shiny” moments than usual (also known as “Squirrel!” moments ever since Up came out). But, like I said, it’s easier to work around those moment.

squirrel-up-dog-gif — Focus… focus… SQUIRREL! Yeah, like that.

I suppose my preferred writing weather is probably sunny and cold or sunny and super hot. Something energizing, but not anything I want to be out in. The kind of weather I can occasionally glance out of the window at and be satisfied. I’m not an outdoorsy person anyway, so most days are okay for writing. It’s just those super blah days and the incredibly beautiful ones that get to me. The in between is fine.

362d3b78f44d8641fa1b8cd53f45b0f6 — At least I’m not the only one.

So, what about you? Do you find certain weather patterns to be more conducive to writing than others? Are you a sunshine or stormy day writer? What about daytime writing versus nighttime writing? Or maybe you don’t care either way. Maybe I’m just trying to rationalize my avoidance of writing on certain days. Feel free to share your thoughts here or on any of my social media links!

Until next time! Write on.

I Might’ve Broken The Rules

March 2, 2016March 1, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Happy March! How was your Leap Day? Mine was actually pretty productive. It was the first day in a long time that I met my “this is acceptable” word count (1000+ words). I broke one of my golden rules to do it, but the writing is what’s important, right? Rules are made to be broken and all that. Or maybe I’m just nuts. Or trying to rationalize things that don’t really matter. I mean, it’s not like anyone’s going to punish me for breaking my own rule, right? It’s just the voices in my head that complain about it. They’ll deal eventually. Do you have rules you stick to when writing? Or is that just something crazy people do?

Nancy Holder! Blame her for the rules thing.

I suppose the whole “rules” thing started during my first semester at Stonecoast. Up until then, I had no rules, no discipline, and all I was writing was short stories. I wrote when I felt like it or when something was due. Deadline induced panic was an essential part of my process. Then Stonecoast happened.

I was actually pretty terrified at the prospect of writing a novel, but I wanted to do it. My mentor at the time was Nancy Holder, and she’s a super supportive type, so she encouraged me to do it. There was no “try,” there was just “do it.” Of course, I asked “how?” Her response was “keep writing!” Yeah, it wasn’t helpful at the time, but she was right (as mentors tend to be). So I wrote, got past twenty pages (my usual stopping point), and kept writing. Around page fifty, I wanted to stop and work on something else. Nancy said no.

She explained that starting a new project was a form of procrastination that all writers are tempted by. If you’re constantly stopping one thing to start something else, you’ll never finish anything. It made a lot of sense, especially for something as large as a novel. And thus, my first rule (the one I broke) was born. I’d never start a new novel while one was sitting half-finished and waiting on me (aka one I haven’t given up on). I’d wait until I at least had a first draft. It only applied to novels, so I admit to writing flash fiction, short stories, poetry, etc. Basically anything to give me a break here and there, but that could be finished in a few days was acceptable procrastination.

But, since I’ve been in a slump, I finally decided to say “screw it!” and started a new WIP. It doesn’t mean that I love the old one any less, it just means I can’t get into that world right now. Same goes for the screenplay. I love it, but my heart just isn’t in it. Hopefully that will change as I get back to a normal rhythm, but for now, I needed something new that no one has seen or heard about. Something strictly mine. Something that doesn’t have any expectations to live up to. It can fail completely, I can trash it, and no one will ever be able to ask “what happened to that novel about that thing?” Does that even make sense?

I still have a bunch of other rules that I haven’t broken, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to break a rule once in a while if nothing else is working for you. So, what are your rules? Have you ever broken them? Did it help? Or am I just crazy?

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