Inspiration

There are those days – most writers I know have them – when you want to toss your pencil, turn off your computer, give up. Putting words on paper isn’t difficult. What is difficult, at times, is finding the inspiration that keeps the words flowing.

Many things around me fuel my muse: the changing Fall colors, a conversation I overheard in the grocery store, a dream I had the prior night. But, what really inspires me is when I’m able to capture that feeling of untainted wonder I had as a child.

Recently, my daughter was watching the credits roll after a movie and her face lit up like a jack-o-lantern’s candle. “Mommy, it’s Chris. And…and… John. Mommy it’s Chris and John.” It took me a few minutes to figure out what she was so excited about. She’d seen the names of her brother and father on the moving names across the screen. So simple, but it provided her with such joy.

The closest I’ve come to recapturing that feeling is when I write; when I find the perfect word, or nail the character description or figure out the best way to end the story. Whenever I get frustrated, I try to remember that feeling and knowing that I’ll be able to find it again if I just keep the words, sentences, paragraphs coming keeps me writing day after day.

Here’s hoping you find what inspires you today and every day.

Happy November!

~Cat~

Advice for the Budding Novelist

My step-daughter (the vampire obsessed one) recently told me she’s writing a novel. When she was brave enough to have me read what she’d written so far, I started thinking about the best advice I could give her. I’m still in the process of perfecting the craft – and always will be – but I’ve learned some things along the way that helped me tremendously.



The most valuable lessons I've learned so far:

Write, write, write! Sounds simple, but many writers get hung up on learning the craft and forget to ‘just do it’. (Thanks for the borrow, Nike. I’ll give it back.) You can’t learn tennis simply by watching others play or reading a book about tennis. Similarly you’ll never be a great writer simply by reading other novels and books on craft. Start writing, keep writing. It will likely stink at first, most first drafts do. But, the more you do it, the better you’ll get. Don’t edit right away, just let the words flow.

Minis are always in style. And not just if you have great legs. Try short fiction, micro fiction, flash fiction. Whatever you want to call it, step away from your novel occasionally to stretch your creative muscles. Think of it as cross training for your brain. The best tennis players run, train their core and do yoga to make sure they are fit and well rounded. I joined a flash fiction critique group early on and not only had a great time, but got in the habit of giving my writing a daily workout. I responded to bi-weekly prompts and the stories started flowing like wine. Then I joined another and pretty soon I had some publishing credits to my name. But, more importantly it trained me to 1) write every day and 2) learn the fine art of brevity 3) finish something I started.

Don’t fear the ‘Cowell Scowl’. Some of the most helpful critiquers of my writing attacked it with Simon Cowell intensity. Grow a thick skin when it comes to critique. Join a critique group. (Online is great because you don’t have to look someone in the face as they shred your work). Your friends and family may tell you your work is great. “Send it to a publisher right away,” the say. “Oh my gosh, it will be a movie staring Kate Hudson, I just know it,” they say. Roll in the praise a bit and then push it away. Other writers will give it to you straight (most will). Plus, you’ll learn a lot in the process of critiquing their work as well.

Read, read, read! Again, sounds simple but your writing will improve exponentially the more you read. And, don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. Read classics, read outside your genre, read books on craft. Even if you read something that isn’t what you’d consider high quality prose, you’ll learn in the process by recognizing what works and what doesn’t.

So, go, write that novel that’s been scurrying around in your head like the family of mice in your attic. And have fun!

~Cat~

P.S. If you had just one piece of advice to give a new writer, what would it be?

Fictional Characters in the Flesh

I’m not talking about Twilight vampires my step-daughter is convinced really walk among us. I’m talking about a character most of us have heard about our entire lives, but rarely ever see. They’re out there. I’ve met them before, but they tend to be elusive, hiding behind anonymity.

I’m talking about …. “The Good Samaritan”. So named for the good deeds they do without asking for anything in return.

Believe it or not (I didn’t believe it at first myself), I encountered one. In New York City of all places. We were in Manhattan last week, celebrating a huge event in our family’s life. My step-daughter – not the vampire loving one, although she keeps the kind of schedule that only the young and the undead can keep – graduated and got a job. We of course, are thrilled beyond belief, given the cost of college and the state of the economy. Anyway, I digress…

We were in Manhattan and somewhere between the graduation, lunch and several taxi rides, I lost my wallet. I knew it was gone for good. I called the credit card companies. I mentally went through every jammed pocket in the wallet trying to remember what I had. I mourned the loss of several family pictures that I didn’t have other copies of. I said goodbye to enough cash to buy the whole series of Twilight Books and DVD’s (for my daughter, not me!). I accepted the consequences.

Somewhere between a bad dream about a morning wasted at the DMV and a nightmare about someone buying a flat screen TV with the credit card I forgot to cancel, we got a phone call. My husband’s cell. 4 am. It had to be my nightwalker daughter, calling to say she’d been mugged on the way back to her apartment. (So, I worry about my kids – sue me!)

The person on the other end of the phone found my wallet, in the hall at Lincoln Center where the graduation was held. He was working the graveyard shift as a custodian and apologized for opening it. He actually apologized. Twice. He’d looked through the stack of receipts, expired coupons, jotted notes about my novel, to find a list I had of family numbers. He called my brother-in-law (same last name) to track us down.

The next morning he met my husband outside our hotel. John tried to give him a reward and he refused. He said he ‘just wanted to do the right thing.’

So, now you know, if you haven’t encountered the GS before, he’s out there. I promise. And I thank him and everyone like him profusely for renewing my faith in mankind. With the daily news we hear about people walking on by while their neighbor is being accosted, robbed, worse, it’s good to know that there are good people out there. Really good people who just want to do the right thing.

Have a great day!

~ Cat ~

If A Tree Falls - Belated Earth Day Flash Fiction

What’s that saying about the best intentions?

Intentions are certainly a start, but it’s all about the follow through. Whether you intend to finish a novel draft by a certain date, or intend to be more conscious of what you’re doing to the environment, it only matters if you actually do something. Where am I going with this? I had intended to post this little bit of flash yesterday in honor of Earth Day. I missed the boat. Alas, my novel draft deadline is somewhere in that same boat. I can, however, do something about it today. So, today I’m posting AND finishing up edits on the last chapter of my in-progress novel.

What’s that saying about better late than never?




If A Tree Falls
by Catherine Trizzino

"Hey, wake up! What was that sound?"

"What sound?"

"Stop rustling your leaves and listen. Sounds like something fell."

"That dry rot is messin' you up. You're imaginin' things."

"Well that fungus must be clogging your knot holes. There definitely was a sound."

"Whatever. I'm going back to sleep. Let the philosophers figure it out."

End

***

It’s never too late to follow through on your intentions. Oh, and I remembered my reusable bag at the grocery store today, too. Good start to the day!

Enjoy the day … enjoy the planet.

~Cat~

Shout Out Time!

I’m going to avoid the fact that I haven’t blogged in over a month and that I’m woefully behind on my completion schedule for my novel draft and take this opportunity to give a shout out. (I know I’m not really fooling anyone but it’s a great example of deflection, huh?)

About two years ago I joined an online writer’s workshop -- The Next Big Writer (www.thenextbigwriter.com). In my time on the site I’ve gotten unparalleled feedback, read some amazing novels and met some talented writers and now friends. If you’re interested in trying out a workshop, or a different one, I highly suggest you visit TNBW.

There’s a great competition coming up, The Strongest Start Novel Competition. All you need to do is wow the judges with your first three chapters and you have a shot at over $3,300 in prizes. The best part is, win or lose, you get feedback from some amazingly talented writers.

Check it out!

Short but sweet so I can keep from getting any further behind on my rewrites.

Write…write…write

~Cat~

Schedules, Deadlines and Planning Oh My

I have a confession. I've been anti-scheduling. Not that I don't see the benefit in them, I do. But it’s like being forced to eat broccoli everyday as a kid. Eventually you may want to feed it to the dog.

As a project manager for 10 years, the time line was my BFF. Other than finding creative ways to tell a client how to utilize our software to maximum benefit, I pretty much had to follow the rules. There was no room for loosy-goosy schedules if I wanted a project delivered on time, within scope and within budget. Once I got out of PM and started focusing more on my writing, I slipped out of the shackles that I felt bound me – no more spreadsheets, due dates, or graphs for me!

It worked for awhile, I could just let my creative side take over without any rules. I write when I want which is as often as my life allows. But, I’m starting to see where I could benefit from the old me, where a schedule and plan could enhance my writing not hamper it.

The idea that the two ‘me’s’ could co-exist started with Nano (National Novel Writing Month – if you haven’t participated and you want to write a novel, go for it). I started Nano last November with the idea that I would write the required words per day and stick to it. About one third of the way through I was behind and panicking. So, PM girl from my past jumped in. She (my alter-ego) created a spread sheet with dates, word count and even little red numbers that showed I was behind and how far. That motivated me. I wanted to get rid of the red! So, I adjusted my daily word count, pushed through and won. (Nano calls anyone who completes a novel in 30 days a winner. I like that!)


So, this week I created a spreadsheet for the “Road to An Agent.” I’ve committed to editing a chapter of my novel a day until I’m done on March 10th. Then I work on the synopsis and my plan for finding representation. There, I’ve committed to the date for all the world (or the ten people reading this blog ; )) to see and hold me to it!

Write on and read on!

~Cat~

Pure as the Driven Snow

30 inches? Washington, D.C.? Still snowing? No way! Actually…yes way!

We got hit hard with a historically heavy dose of the white stuff. It is beautiful, a ‘winter wonderland’ of blinding snow white drifts as far as the eye can see. If you can cope with no power, no water, no phones or internet for days, it is eye-catching ‘pure as the driven snow’ beauty.

So, how is this post writing or woolly mammoth related?

Well, here’s my pup, aka Armani, aka Moose aka Woolly Mammoth enjoying our ‘little’ gift from the snow fairies.

And, since I’ve already peppered this post with the red-headed step child of writing – the cliché – I thought I’d take a moment to opine on the subject.

I’m a firm believer that writing “rules” are made to be broken. Creativity reigns, in my humble opinion, when you bend the rules a bit. One rule that I would bend only on the very rare occasion is to avoid clichés when possible.

By definition, a cliché is: a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse.

Most, if not all, writers know this definition. Why then do we see overused words and phrasing pop-up in writing? Because it’s easy! It’s convenient to draw on what we already know—what’s familiar. I admit (pause to slap my wrist) I do it, too. Particularly on first drafts. I draw from the familiar databank of words and phrases, eager to get my thoughts on paper. It’s not until I start the redraft process that I focus on these little villains – eager to weed out clichés. I don’t always succeed and at times it takes someone I’ve asked to review my work to point out the unoriginal in my writing. One reviewer whose tough love I respect will bluntly say .. ‘come on, you can do better than that!’ (Thank you crazeesharon).

Keep an eye on the bigger picture as well. Clichéd characters? No-no. The meek librarian who’s a different person all together when she lets her hair down? We’ve all seen her. But why not twist it, turn it and put on a different sheen? This same librarian could take off her glasses and reveal the laser beam eyes of a blood thirsty Alien. I would venture to guess this character has shown up somewhere in some story or novel, but not so often we anticipate the outcome.

Key – fresh, new, different.

As fiction writers our goal is to entertain. If your work is full of clichéd phrasing and seen a million times characters, you’re far more likely to bore your readers than entertain them.

My ‘two cents’ for what its worth.

“See ya later alligators” (oops, I mean, Tata Macaws :))

~Cat~