tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.comments2023-06-11T09:40:47.400-05:00ADR3NALIN3Jordan Danehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comBlogger1718125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-62048816338442022742014-03-26T11:44:27.396-05:002014-03-26T11:44:27.396-05:00Thank you so much. It was a labor of love. I hope ...Thank you so much. It was a labor of love. I hope to meet Carol one day. She's a sweetheart. Happy writing/reading!Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-40576064547836762592014-03-26T10:59:12.824-05:002014-03-26T10:59:12.824-05:00Thanks for all your thoughts & observations th...Thanks for all your thoughts & observations these last few years & special thanks to Carol Tanzman for letting me know you exist. Write well.CS Perryesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01011651595792156574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-66793676366065564112014-03-04T17:25:26.371-06:002014-03-04T17:25:26.371-06:00Another Jim Butcher fan? I am so big picture I can...Another Jim Butcher fan? I am so big picture I can't even see details. It's true.They make me itch all over.And then I get forced into them by editors and copy editors! Every time i vow I will be more organized and pay attention to the details. Every time I vow it again.<br /><br />A Jim Butcher fan?Maureen McQuerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07875437661944977609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-15911979877259182672014-02-28T16:00:58.542-06:002014-02-28T16:00:58.542-06:00Jim Butcher called that middle third "The Gre...Jim Butcher called that middle third "The Great Swampy Middle." So true.Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-89171565056264957932014-02-28T12:43:21.860-06:002014-02-28T12:43:21.860-06:00What Jordan said. I find that whenever I hit that...What Jordan said. I find that whenever I hit that wall, it's because something's not right and I just don't consciously realize it yet.<br /><br />Unless I'm in the dreaded middle third of a book. Then I know it's because I'm in the middle third when everything seems to suck.<br /><br />But a flat-out stop, the kind where you break your nose . . . it's about the story.Ilsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547422320007180924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-29135615710943474742014-02-28T12:17:30.782-06:002014-02-28T12:17:30.782-06:00Thanks, Jordan! I figure I'm mentally healthy ...Thanks, Jordan! I figure I'm mentally healthy as long as I can turn the dials up and down on the nit-pickyness. I wasn't born a perfectionist, so it might show how much a person can reprogram their own brain over the course of a lifetime.Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-71541874215292970082014-02-28T07:18:23.321-06:002014-02-28T07:18:23.321-06:00Good morning, Sechin. Interesting post. If you nit...Good morning, Sechin. Interesting post. If you nitpick in a phase, like a draft edit, then it's normal. You're a perfectionist which is a good quality for a writer. We often toil over word choices and certainly over visual research & diagrams. But if you talking about hitting a wall where you abruptly spend hours or days obsessing over a detail, that might be procrastination with purpose. Some writers wrongfully call it Writers Block (because you're not writing), but I firmly believe it's your brain sending you a signal that something isn't working in the story. It happens to me and I trust that feeling. I stop writing until I figure it out. My brain works on it, independently, even while I sleep. It's a weird thing writers do. I'm dealing with a touch of it now as I puzzle through the twists of the end to my WIP.<br /><br />Good post, Sechin.Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-29367738786624862912014-02-27T23:29:33.747-06:002014-02-27T23:29:33.747-06:00We can all use a little more Gandalf in our lives....We can all use a little more Gandalf in our lives. Thanks for the great quotes and a reminder that dragons can be defeated. S Stephen Wallenfelshttp://www.stephenwallenfels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-28017360223013148862014-02-27T08:36:31.606-06:002014-02-27T08:36:31.606-06:00Great post, Maureen. What a fun way to get kids &q...Great post, Maureen. What a fun way to get kids "imagining" a bigger story. The "what if" question is magic. Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-3019350094279978602014-02-26T13:06:40.642-06:002014-02-26T13:06:40.642-06:00Thanks,Sechin. Myth was woven into many of the boo...Thanks,Sechin. Myth was woven into many of the books I loved as a kid and still love now.Maureen McQuerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07875437661944977609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-29232821123293539872014-02-26T09:58:32.326-06:002014-02-26T09:58:32.326-06:00What a beautiful post! I wish I could see what you...What a beautiful post! I wish I could see what you did with that class because it sounds like a great lesson.<br /><br />I'm doing a myth unit now with my alternative school kids and they absolutely love it. There's something deep inside all of us that responds to myth.Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-35161169155690036612014-02-24T21:16:17.720-06:002014-02-24T21:16:17.720-06:00Heh. Thanks, Sechin.
On a more serious note... I...Heh. Thanks, Sechin.<br /><br />On a more serious note... I really think you should take a look at Franco's post. He addresses the narcissism issue. In his mind, that's not selfies are for him. OTOH, this is a guy who makes his living getting us to look his way--*really* look so we recognize *him*. <br /><br />I'm with you: not into narcissism, and selfies are, for me, just that. Sharing what I *care* about feels different. Of course, you could make the argument that Franco is, too...except what he cares about is himself. Again for him--and Swift, too--the selfie is just another actor's/entertainer's venue for people who spend their lives encouraging that direct gaze.<br /><br />By contrast, you and Jordan have chosen media that highlight waht writers do best: calling attention to themselves with their words.Ilsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547422320007180924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-49619705421552503472014-02-24T13:18:01.061-06:002014-02-24T13:18:01.061-06:00And you look great in that selfie! Taylor Swift wo...And you look great in that selfie! Taylor Swift would never dare to pose with a killer rabbit.Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-72427146067012346832014-02-24T13:17:29.572-06:002014-02-24T13:17:29.572-06:00Another extremely thought-provoking post! Thank yo...Another extremely thought-provoking post! Thank you, Ilsa.<br /><br />I'm hesitant to do selfies because a) they seem so narcisitic, b) I worry about security if I'm posting about how much fun I'm having away from my empty house at this minute, and c) my internal life is AMAZING but my external life is pretty routine (Look, here's me at the same keyboard I was at yesterday!)<br /><br />Still, one can do the Swift Equation even without crossing the line by the "I'm doing X because of my project Y." I think that's an important key. WHen I first went onto twitter I posted things like "check out my book!" but those are aweful. (I wish someone would tell all the other people on twitter how awful they are). Now I look at it as a chance to geek out with new people who share the same interests. I don't live tweet shows because I almost never get to see shows when they air, but I do things like it and it's much more fun AND effective.<br /><br />My biggest trouble, I suppose, is the lack of time. I don't do nearly as much social media as I'd like, but this writing gig is my second job so I have to pick carefully how I spend my minutes, and, as you point out, the writing must get the priority.Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-31324631440977188482014-02-24T09:30:23.207-06:002014-02-24T09:30:23.207-06:00Yeah right. Various platforms. Yeah right. Various platforms. Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-45060155101140438382014-02-24T09:25:52.487-06:002014-02-24T09:25:52.487-06:00I tweet fun one liners to hone my humor & Brit...I tweet fun one liners to hone my humor & Brit speak in character of Icabod Crane to have fun with voice. I also critique show eps from a writer's point of view. Some people now follow every tweet & ask my opinion in private DMs. They RT my author tweets too. So if you don't push, people can be quite generous--and it's fun Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-17752101079786358212014-02-24T08:45:34.815-06:002014-02-24T08:45:34.815-06:00And this is why I'm more active on Facebook th...And this is why I'm more active on Facebook than Twitter because I like the medium better. Having said that, since I like snapping shots of the cats and such, I've just started on Instagram, and so cross-post to FB and Twitter from that.<br /><br />I had someone once tell me to vary my posts between the various platforms. That's bullshit, frankly; the same people who are on one aren't necessarily on the other. And--to be honest--then you're making it all into work again. Hell with that.Ilsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547422320007180924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-31343238940140638142014-02-24T08:43:41.326-06:002014-02-24T08:43:41.326-06:00Yup. I think having fun is key here. As I said, ...Yup. I think having fun is key here. As I said, I can't live tweet during shows because I'd miss half the bloody show (and I rarely watch anything in real time now). Whatever works for you. I think what would be interesting, though, is to see if any of that translates into sales of your work. What you're doing is similar--sort of--to Truman Capote dropping in on a cocktail party. The thing is, the conversation coalesced around him because he was Truman Capote (and also entertaining). But it was very clear that he was using these are venues to remind people he was a writer. <br /><br />Here, what you're doing is like going to Trek convention and you and all the other fans are watching Kirk or whatever and talking about it, being fans . . . so, of course, it doesn't feel like work because it's not. You like something; you're sharing the love. I bake cakes and pies, and share the love, and it's not work either.<br /><br />So, all that's fine--but does any of it translate into people becoming curious about us and our work? Or is our work beside the point? <br /><br />There's no way of knowing, and certainly I'm not suggesting you should stop, especially if you're having a good time. But it's like anything else: good time or not, all things in moderation because every moment we spend on any social media platform is a moment we're not producing a book.<br /><br />Again, it comes down to whether or not, eventually, any of this online self-promotion translates into a boost in sales. Ultimately, that's unknowable, because one's not directly tied to the other (as, say, a giveaway might be).<br /><br />So, unlike Truman Capote, you just gotta know when you've had enough to drink ;-) Ilsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547422320007180924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-84323457372951619322014-02-24T01:10:32.613-06:002014-02-24T01:10:32.613-06:00I like this. Bottom line the focus has to be on th...I like this. Bottom line the focus has to be on the writing. During this last year I've shifted to social media where I have the most fun. I have basic platforms & do RSS blog feeds to make facebook, goodreads, & other sites appear active, but I have more fun on Twitter & pinterest because I post my humor & things that interest me. <br /><br />I have writers follow me because I promo author craft posts for ADR3 & The Kill Zone. But I also have an eclectic combo of peeps who HLN court trial coverage, sleepy hollow, ripper street, justified, & hannibal, some of my fav TV shows. I live tweet during these shows & get huge ongoing interactions with fans, show creators, show writers, and even some stars. I'm having a blast & it doesn't feel like work. People are following me on twitter & pinterest & RT more. I have regular followers who make it more fun, from all the diff fandoms & venues.<br /><br />Right now it's working for me & its fun. Nice post.Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-75856309570986404642014-02-21T21:04:47.912-06:002014-02-21T21:04:47.912-06:00I frequently find solutions to plotting while abse...I frequently find solutions to plotting while absentmindedly watching TV or a film. The mind works problems even when you don't think you're dealing with an issue. Weird.Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-56637983395008529782014-02-21T16:29:07.198-06:002014-02-21T16:29:07.198-06:00Yes! A lot of the elementsto story structure hold ...Yes! A lot of the elementsto story structure hold true accross many different media. What really helped me with story crafting was studying Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had never encountered a show like that before (or since).Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-24731757499344741362014-02-20T06:18:03.395-06:002014-02-20T06:18:03.395-06:00Sechin, that's me. Totally me. Three steps f...Sechin, that's me. Totally me. Three steps forward, two deletes back. All day long.Stephen Wallenfelshttp://www.stephenwallenfels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-6634891203834414532014-02-19T17:33:43.106-06:002014-02-19T17:33:43.106-06:00I watch old (& really terrible) Christian Slat...I watch old (& really terrible) Christian Slater movies. A dose of: Slatertosin.<br /><br />I firmly believe the mind works the problem, so I don't sweat it when I feel the urge to stop writing. I trust my instinct on something not working. I'd rather stop than keep writing into a worse situation.<br /><br />Love the humor. Definitely needed Jordan Danehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350761658156085280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-62637982475490947712014-02-19T14:32:58.861-06:002014-02-19T14:32:58.861-06:00Thanks, Steve.
A dose of humor always helps!Thanks, Steve.<br />A dose of humor always helps!Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14541063678406252574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817438941023006688.post-10101539043766483582014-02-19T10:36:42.161-06:002014-02-19T10:36:42.161-06:00I think you're right that there are many kinds...I think you're right that there are many kinds of blocks and each needs to be treated differently. Well done, Stephen!<br /><br />I would add a psychological malady that stems from paranoia of not producing a perfect draft on the first go. For this, I suggest purging the system by allowing yourself a bad rough draft. You can even turn off the screen if you find yourself getting sucked into what's already been written rather than what you're writing.<br /><br />That might not be as succinct as Stephen's pharmacology, so I salute you for inventing this approach!Sechin Towerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705634396099150916noreply@blogger.com