Well, writers, being writers…. SOME of them told me straight out, “Not going to happen.” One did the assignment twice, once wrong, once right. Such an overachiver! Others, did what most writers do, ignored the damn directions and forged ahead. I love that.

Here are the first 10 writers brave enough to say YES, without even seeing the questions. Oh, so, so brave. Seriously.

Pour yourself a cold drink, or a hot mug of java and read on:

 THE QUICK FIRE: May 2012

10 questions for 10 writers… to answer in 10 words, or less

 Sarah Normandie

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Type it into my i-phone or find a napkin, quick.

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

Large Hazelnut Coffee, milk only, Dunkin Donuts.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

Ah..no one. I’ll write my way on the list.

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just: 310

Really:73

Shit: 40

Later:21

Love: 49

Total words: 86,862

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

Real: Law student, wife, mom.  Pretend: Published Author, wife, mom.

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

Authors? No. Agents? Yes. But only if Facebook stalking counts…

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

1.      MacBook Pro

2.      Popcorn

3.      Tea

4.      Novel notes

5.      i-phone

6.      Family pics

7.      Spiderman comic

8.      Chocolate

9.      Keurig

10  My children’s artwork.

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Survived childhood. Found love, had babies, worked hard, conquered death.

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s it called and what’s in it?

The Normandie: Corn beef on rye, honey mustard and coleslaw.

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

I hand over a copy of John Truby’s Anatomy of Story and say, “Read it”.  Whoops. That was over ten words. J

You can stalk Sarah Normandie here or here.

Cat Sparks

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Note dot points in the sand with shells

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

Pineapple daiquiri, somewhere just off the Amalfi Coast.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

Not fussy. Agents hire hitmen for their authors, yeah?

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just: 159

Really: 35

Shit: 3

Later: 22

Love: 7

98, 684 words in total

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

Chasing pyroclastic flows down the sides of erupting volcanoes.  Obviously.

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

Not yet but Michael Marshall is high on my list

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

Pen-filled coffee mug that says trailer trash, plastic replica Gulf Breeze UFO, plushie Moomin, small ceramic TARDIS, a pile of CDs that oughta be somewhere else, a cunning beaded nudibranch hand-crafted by Vonda McIntyre, orange Halloween coffee cup containing actual coffee dregs, my Kindle, note paper covered in biscuit crumbs and one of my cats — Nemo, the mean one.

8. Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Decades of keeping my eyes on the prize

9. A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s called and what’s in it?

The apocalypse. Contains too many kalamata olives and anchovies.

10. A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

Suck it up, Princess — then get back on your horse.

Learn more about Cat Sparks here or follow her on Twitter @catsparx

Elizabeth Seckman

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Write it down later. I don’t leave the beach for anything but rain, sunburn, or hunger.

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

At the beach side bar, I want a drink with a tiny umbrella; then when drunk enough, I can do my rendition of “Singing in the Rain”. You’ll love it! Even if I do only know the chorus.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

(Oh man, talk about trying to ruin my freaking karma!) Fine, Norah Roberts. She’s hogging all the romance slots and I want one!

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just- 355; really-67; shit-9; later-13; love-164. I must just love just more than just shit and love! (total word count: 73,402)

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

I’d be a therapist. I love hearing people’s dirt first hand!

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

Not really. I have a healthy respect for many writers (like yourself) but I like my privacy and figure they do too.

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

Scratch paper; tea cup; mouse; phone; pens; a penguin; a Barbie doll; candles; my faithful mutts; and my iPod.

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

I was born, grew up, got married, and had kids.

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s it called and what’s in it?

De-Liz-iousness. It’d be a turkey, loaded with veggies and mustard.

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

Great books aren’t written, they’re rewritten…that’s a reality all writers have to accept.

Send Elizabeth limericks here: or here

Patti Callahan Henry 

1.    You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Smile and take another sip of a cold beverage, grateful that stories and imaginary people visit me inside my head. I’ll write about them when I get back to pen or computer.

2.    I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

We are at a pool, those invisible horizon ones, that flow into an azure sea and you have just come back from the bar with a cold Mojito, dripping with fresh mint and sugar on the rim.

3.    For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

No way I’m answering this. No way. I believe too much in the power of words.

4.    Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Great question because I handed in my WIP two days ago, so it is sitting fresh and real on my computer. It is a 300 page manuscript titled FIRST THINGS. And damn, here are the results:

Just – 24. And I removed 18 of them thanks to this crazy question.

Shit – 4. And all spoken.

Really – 48 (Like totally, really, oh my God) and mostly in conversation, not in exposition.

Later – 29

Love – 152. Wow. Maybe I should do something about that. Or maybe that is what my books are all about…..

5.    Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

This might be where my imagination ends because every time I try to figure out something else to do or somewhere else to go, I end up back on the doorstep of the writing world. A million kinds of writing worlds, but the writing world none the less.

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

I’m not sure if this counts as stalking, but I was obsessed with her work. When I was in college, I was an avid, ridiculous Anne Rivers Siddons fan. I drove into Atlanta one afternoon to get her signature on a novel. I waited in an hour-long line and when I reached the table, I stuttered and asked her a question.  Her husband answered. I was sorely disappointed.

But honestly, I do a little bit stalk Vince Gill. I even have a picture with him, and it’s hanging in my writing space right now.

7. List ten things on or around your writing space.

I’m sitting in my writing space so here goes – random things – a feather I found on a walk in South Carolina; a candle; my journal (a black unlined art book); a hot cup of coffee; a speech I’m working on; photos of my kids at various stages in various forms; a painting on wood by a friend; photo of a dock, snapped during a break in a rainstorm on my birthday (by my dear friend); angel wings made of silver fabric from a flea market in Paris (but purchased in Alabama). And of course books (tons and tons, but counts as one thing, right?).

8. Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Fell in love with reading, stories, words. Became obsessed. Wrote.

9. A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s it called and what’s in it?

The PCH. Sourdough bread. Grilled vegetables and melted sharp cheddar cheese.

Spicy mustard. Vinegar and salt potato chips on the side, which you can put inside the sandwich if you so desire.

OR alternately Angel Food cake slices as bread.  Raspberries, whipped cream and melted chocolate inside. That’s a sandwich right?

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

“Oh, it took me so very long to find my voice. In fact, I’m still finding my voice and learning something new every single day. If you are obsessed with stories and the written word, don’t give up.”

Tell Patti how you feel here. Buy all her books here or at your favorite bookstore. Just buy them, then lend them to a stranger.

 Joe Schwartz

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?
Repeat it to myself until I can write it down.

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?
A Shirley Temple at the Golden Nugget.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

Rush Limbaugh. He is a despicable piece of shit.

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just – 4
Really – 1
Shit – 1 (yes, this surprised me as well)
Later – 1
Love – 9 (in all fairness, it is a love triangle)

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

I would be a lawyer in the DA’s office.

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

No, but I send emails to my favorites.

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

MP3 player, coffee cup, picture frames, headphones, bills, lighters, ref books, movies that I will probably sell to the pawn shop, laptop, and some assorted pens. 

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Joe is a failure to himself, a success to others.

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s it called and what’s in it?

‘The Angry’ A tuna-fish on pumpernickel with hot peppers.

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

You need to keep writing or you’ll always be awful.

Check out Joe’s short story collections on Amazon and Smashwords, or download for free here and here.

 Eric Sasson

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

I take out my iPhone, open Evernote and write the idea down.

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

We’re in Cuba and you buy me a Negroni. Or San Sebastian and you buy me a glass of Txakoli. Or New Orleans, where you have no choice but to buy me a hurricane.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

Only one person? Damn. Rush Limbaugh? Ann Coulter? or I  could just be safe and pick someone already dead, like Michael Crichton. Who wrote the DaVinci Code? Is he alive? Let’s kill him

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

I wish I had a WIP right now. But lately all I have time for is publicity for my forthcoming book, MARGINS OF TOLERANCE, available May 30th at my website (ericsassonnow.com) or Amazon or an independent or not-so independent bookstore near you!

Still, in my hypothetical WIP, just and really would make too many appearances until I cut almost all of them out later. Shit depends on the piece. Later is sort of arbitrary; I don’t think later tells you much about the piece. Love? Oh love is always there, even if it’s not stated…

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

This isn’t an easy question. If I had all the money I’d ever need, I highly doubt I’d be working at all. I’d just travel and soak up culture everywhere. Until that got boring, and then I’d probably find a good cause–likely something to do with the environment–and hopefully set up a fund and effect positive change in the world. But if I have to make money, then I’d probably want to be a life coach or a massage therapist or a renown yoga instructor, which is to say, I’d want to have a job where I make people feel really good about themselves but also pays well.

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

I haven’t stalked any authors but I would stalk James Franco, not because he’s an author (not really) but because he’s super cute, and I have the same taste in men as most women half my age, which is going to be a problem when I’m 60. Or maybe not.

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

Laptop. External hard drive(s). Printer. Bookcases with books. iPhone. Mail. Latest issue of Poets and Writers. Promotional swag for my book. Family photos. Dildo (KIDDING! My workspace is boring just thought I’d spice things up.)

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Went there. Did that. Wrote about it. Revised it. Sent it out. Prayed. (13 words, because I always overwrite.)

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s called and what’s in it?

The Sassy. Pastrami on homemade fennel-raisin bread with a spicy sweet mustard and a big sour pickle on the side.

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

I tell him or her that as writers we are always learning and that by just committing words to a page and putting it out there in the world, even to just one person, he/she has done something courageous and wonderful. I then find the best elements in that work and praise that as much as I can before I explain what might need some more work, focusing on just a couple of things so as not to overwhelm him/her with criticism.

 Pre-order Eric’s collection of short stories here. NOW.  Also, you can connect with him on Facebook here.

Renae Winchester

1.      You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Write idea in sand. Snap photo. Order another drink.

2.      I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

Rum & Coke. We’re discussing story idea written in the sand.

3.      For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

The Kardashians; because c’mon now, they’re ridiculous. 

4.      Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just= 50

Really=3

Shit=0

Later=11

Love=0

Word count 29,480 

5.      Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ? Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

Still working for a judge.

If I had all the money in the world, I wouldn’t be working.

6.      Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

Terry Kay. He expects me and saves me a seat.

7.      List ten things on or around your writing space.

Purple Beanie Baby (why, I have no idea)

Jar of loose change

Copy of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (stacks in the floor as well)

Fingernail clippers

Pocketknife

Plato’s Closet frequent shopper card

Watch

Appointment book

Three packets of  tomato seeds from Botanical Interests

Rick Bragg’s All over but the Shoutin’

8.      Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Small-town gal living the dream in the big city.

9.      A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s called and what’s in it?

Zippy Long stocking. Fried bologna, Cheese, Mayo, Mustard, Pickled Okra on the side 

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

For the love of humanity, hire an editor.

Connect with Renae here, or here and on Facebook and Twitter @Reneawinchester

Jemmy Farmer

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Sketch with few bubble notes

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

Double shot espresso in the Coffee house, Hay on Wye

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

Harry Potter, he’s so irritating

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted. 

Just 0

Really 14

Shit 35 ( crap need edit)

Later 0

Love 3

8500 words

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

Sort of the same except with paint.

Building my cottage in Wales just how I want it

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

No, so will answer who it would be. Val McDermid on set of ‘Wire in the Blood’

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

Radio, Lamp, Chocolate, Coffee pot, Inks, Sketch pad, Pile of research books, Taliesin the cat, Crochet basket, Picture of my girlfriend, Charlie Black perfume

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

Left the old closets behind for freedom and the beyond

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s it called and what’s in it?

Carrion Cob. Scrapings of game meat and loads of salad 

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

Highlight the good points, then say what makes it suck.

Stalk Jemmy here: My Facebook, Tir na nog (the land of the ever young poets) or on her blog, here.

Heather Houston

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

I always have a pen/pencil and one of those small notebooks shoved somewhere in a purse or bag.  I would hate to lose a thought or an epiphany because I had nothing to write with.  I didn’t always have this, one time I used eyeliner to get the bones of a thought down so that I wouldn’t forget it. Never again.

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

Well, I love a well-mixed Madras.  I however will always love a good cup of tea with just a hint of cream and a touch of sweet.  Then of course, my all-time favorite, a cup of coffee.  The Madras – we would be a bar, one of the ones that is off the beaten path, the kind where they have tables that are well worn because the patrons always return there, with candles on the tops but with lighting high on the walls to not brighten up the place but merely make it so that we can see.  The coffee or tea – a coffee shop, one of the ones that is run by a family, they probably only have one or two of them in the whole town but everyone loves it and there are enough outlets that if we wanted to sit and write awhile we could.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

Well I looked over the list and I wavered back and forth over who to pick.  But I settled on  David Baldacci,  my reasoning is I think there are so many things that make my heart sad in the world.  There is os much violence, so much pain and I look at some of the fiction being produced and I see us feeding into it with our writing.  I believe as fiction writers we have a duty to warm the heart and soul.  I believe we are supposed to heal, with either a smile, a laugh, or a good cry because the characters triumphed in such a way that it didn’t take them killing, maiming, or destroying scores of others to do it.

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just 101, really 35, shit 0, later 4, love 37 – current word count 83,122

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

I would be a Constitutional lawyer.  I love the Constitution and I think it is an amazing document.  However, my other true love is teaching overseas.  I could see myself doing that as well.  If money was no object and I could go anywhere I would travel and teach.  I would want to enrich the lives of as many children of the world as possible.

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

No, I follow them online and on their newsletters but I don’t stalk them.

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space.

A sign that says “boobies, who needs’em” [I am a breast cancer survivor], the house phone, my son’s toys [I think that can count as a few because they are around everywhere], A house plant, a 30 minute ‘hour glass’, a stack of super sharp pencils, a sweatshirt

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words.

A mother of an autistic boy teaching him to thrive. 

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s called and what’s in it?

Spicy Rain.  Pepperoni, salami, finely shaved ham, Gruyere cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, black olives, enough pepper to make you sneeze, oil, mayo, all on ciabatta bread

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

I would ask them what their motivation behind the writing was… were they trying to write about something they knew nothing of, were they trying to write with more maturity then they have?  I believe sometimes when a writing ‘sucks’ it does so because the writer is trying to write about something they have no basis of understanding for.  I would tell them that write every day, to free write, to sit and put the piece they asked me to read away for a few months while they free write daily and then return to it.  I think they would see the difference, they would see the changes they needed.  If they were old enough I would tell them to travel, bring some pens, pencils and paper along and just go.  Our ideas come from the world… go see it.

Connect with Heather here and here.

 Candice Dyer

1. You’re at the beach and get a fantastic idea for a story/character/scene. What do you do?

Find nearest Tiki Hut with cocktail napkins.

2.  I want to buy you a drink. You can have whatever you want. What do you order, and where are we?

Illicit bathtub gin at the Algonquin.

3.  For you to make the NYT Bestsellers list, someone on it has to die. Who is it and why?

       Gun to my head – Nicholas Sparks

4.  Open your WIP and do a find search for these words: just, really, shit, later, love. List many times each appear, and how many words are in WIP at the moment you counted.

Just – 20, Really – 30, Shit – 0 (too crass; used only in conversation), love — 42

5.  Forget about writing for a minute. If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing, in your real world ?  Now, pretend you have all the education and money you’d ever need for any job, anywhere… now what would you be doing?

        Gerontologist with old folks, or anthropologist with exotic tribe

6.  Have you ever stalked an author? Who and where?

      Erica Jong, at the Borders in Atlanta.

7.   List ten things on or around your writing space. 

        A pretty glass bluebird (a friend’s gift for happiness); dirty, lipstick-rimmed coffee mug; an “I Love You” paperweight from a beau whose name I can’t recall; John Prine CDs; bi-racial Cabbage Patch Kid; reporter notebooks with wine stains; a traffic ticket; a dozing cat; anti-aging cream; a shoe I’ve been missing; a sweaty scarf from an Elvis Tribute Artist

8.  Write your life’s story—so far—in ten words. 

Fun-loving woman scribbles some, parties more than she should

9.  A famous NYC deli is naming a sandwich after you, what’s called and what’s in it?

The Candy Moe (my cousins’ nickname for me) – fried green tomatoes, sauerkraut, and goat cheese

10.  A young writer approaches you and asks you to read their work and give an honest critique. It sucks. What do you say?

I find something to praise and offer suggestions for changes

Find Candice here: On Facebook. Read some of her articles on her website here, or find her words in a multitude of magazines like this one or this one

So, there you go. 10 reasons to have writers as friends. If you’re a writer and willing to answer 10 new questions, or if you want to know more about a particular writer/author/blogger/bathroom wall graffiti artist, drop me a line or place a comment below.  We have three set for June already.

We read to escape. We go to the movies to eat popcorn and live under the skin of a stranger for ninety minutes. And some of us… write to escape.

It is inevitable that the world would intervene. That we’d feel the tug of chores or daily routine pull us out of our stories, away from a world only we inhabit… and yet, we try to return everyday, every chance we can.

What if, this year… you made a true commitment to your escapism?

What if this year you packed a bag and went away, returning with not only a souvenir, but a story. One you wrote when given the place and the time and the quiet you’ve been seeking.

That’s what we’re all about. Escape with Write By The Water in 2012, and unleash yourself.

If you write, you’ve been there. You’ve stared at the computer screen, closed your eyes and pleaded for something — anything — to reignite your creativity and get your fingers flying across the keys.

Call is fear. Call if doubt. Call it distraction. Whatever it is, get used to it. It’s all part of being a writer.

So what can you do to get “unstuck”?

• Write every day. Establish a routine. Park yourself in the chair and show up.
• Stop thinking so much. Don’t worry about whether it’s good or not. Just write.
• Think about writing as a “regular” job. You’re on the clock, so work.
• Give yourself breaks.
• Take a writing workshop or attend a writer’s retreat.
• Set deadlines and goals. Reward yourself when you meet them.
• Write about a “true” experience. Just write it down. It’s a good way to exercise your writing muscles.

Looking for more tips on getting “unstuck”? Check out this great post I found this morning on Write it Sideways.

If you’ve found a way to break through your writer’s block, share it here!

image: Drew Coffman

wow. Tolstoy was, amazing. Everyone loves his work. He is a writing god. Yes?

And somedays, maybe you even think that you have that literary genius bubbling up.

You are doing all the right things… and yet?

Rejection after rejection, after rejection.  big sigh

First of all….It’s not getting the rejections that you should be focusing on, young padawan… it’s how many submissions you are putting out there in the ether.

Writing, like most sadomasochistic endeavors, is a numbers game. It’s about pushing through barriers and about persistance. Forget sleep. Forget food. Forget dust bunnies and fine dining.

And forget about Tolstoy.

You are not him. The days of writers like him are over.. can you ever imagine anyone saying anything like this… about a contemporary author?

The Soviets planted him at the top of their literary pantheon, largely because of the radical philosophy he preached amid the early rumblings of the October Revolution. The publication of “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” made Tolstoy so famous that one contemporary described him as Russia’s second czar. He used that position to rail against the church, as well as the police, the army, meat eating, private property and all forms of violence.

Lenin loved Tolstoy’s “pent-up hatred.” He anointed him “the mirror of the Russian Revolution,” ignoring his pacifism and belief in God. As the 50th anniversary of his death approached, the Central Committee of the Communist Party began preparing two years in advance, so a monument would be ready for unveiling.

Really???

Okay, so now.. your petty rejections feel a little bit less harsh. and yet?

You want to be loved. You think your story was the best thing you’d ever written. You believe your novel is perfect and needs no edits. You just know that Oprah would cry if she read it. Heck, your Mom loved it, right?

listen to this:

Ten years ago Tolstoy’s great great grandson asked the church to revisit the 1901 ruling that excommunicated his great-great-grandfather. He never got an answer.

read more about TOLSTOY’S snubbing here

So you bought a nice comfy chair…and now, in this new year? In 2011?

You have decided you will finally write. Every day.

And you can.
Don’t think you’ll write good words every day- or that you will like what you write everyday, or even that the words you write will be anything more than a list for the grocery store.

The thing is to get in the habit of having pen and paper, or computer, or smart phone handy for when those story ideas do some. That is what we’re driving for.
Writing, not as a chore, but as a habit.

Need a starting point?

Try these exercises.

If you are someone who gets easily distracted, or needs to work on a deadline, try these timers and alarms.

If you need goals and accountability? Join a local or online writing group that will keep you both motivated and on track with your projects.

And if you still need a kick in the butt?  Write to us here. Let’s get you involved at one of our coastal 5 day writing retreats, where we guarantee you will get and stay on track.

Because that’s what writers do for each other.

Maybe it’s a famous writer, like J.K. Rowling or Stephen King ? Or maybe it’s your Aunt Martha or your 6th grade English teacher. We are always going to be inspired by someone, more than one someone, and today, I’m sharing just a couple of my sources of inspiration.

First: the obvious ones. I’ll get those out of the way first:

• My husband, who is one of the most supportive, go-with-the-flow guys I know. I’m inspired by his ability to live a life of complete balance. And I wouldn’t even be a writer if I didn’t have you in my life. Truly.
• My kids, who have provided me with plenty of fodder for characters and such. Thanks for being clever, and funny, and just plain weird sometimes. It’s all good.

And, now, because I’m a giver…here are some new friends. You inspire me in different, and totally surprising ways.

I hope you enjoy reading their work as much as I do.

Colleen Friesen
In her words, Canadian-writer, Colleen Friesen is “..a cappuccino and travel junkie. Like the collages I love to hammer, glue and sew together in my Sechelt studio,my writing is often a collection of ephemera, transitory images, random thoughts and events that happen wherever I find myself  in the world.”

Colleen’s blog is a treat for me every day. I blame her, in truth, for distracting me from my own writing. Where I used to wake inspired to “write the damn book,” I now pour myself a cup of coffee and click over to Colleen’s blog to get my daily dose of inspiration. She’s an amazing wordsmith, and you’d be a fool not to take my advice and click over there — do it now I say — and subscribe to her daily posts. She’s that good.

Follow her blog here.

Dina Santorelli
I “met” Dina recently. When I found her blog, “Making Baby Grand-The Novel” this “timeline” jumped out at me: “The Making ‘Baby Grand’ blog is born as a way to chronicle the writing process and share my trials and tribulations as a first-time novelist as I finish the writing of this book. Or maybe as a creative way to procrastinate. Not sure.”

A kindred spirit, to be sure. And as I’ve followed her progress, I’m inspired by her enthusiasm, and her progress. She’s actually done it. I aspire to get to where she is now. Check out her blog to find out more and follow Dina’s next steps as she continues the journey to publishing her novel.

Linda Sands
Not only is Linda an incredible, award-winning writer – her short stories have been published in dozens of literary publications over the years — she’s an accomplished novelist and is always looking for ways to help other writers realize their dreams. You go girl!

She’s the founder and editor of scratch — “the writing contest that itching to discover new talent,” and partner in Write by the Water retreats for women If you haven’t read Linda’s ebook, Simple Intent , be sure to put it on her list, and follow the blog. Her smart and witty style will make you smile (and maybe blush a little).

There are so many great writers forging their way in this new world of blogging. And how great is it that we can share our work–ebooks, travel articles, random blog posts — with countless readers every day. Amazing.

Do you follow a writing blog that you’d like to share? Someone you connect with or who just makes you smile through their blog articles? I’d love to add them to my list. Let me know!

photo: Tom J Byrne

Long answer short: All of them.

At different times of the writing life, you will reap benefits from attending all three of these functions.

Let me break it down for you. * insert funky hiphop music here*

THE WRITING WORKSHOP
This program can start as early as elementary school. Sure, at this age, you may be more into writing love letters to the cute boy who sits behind you, or, if you’re like me, hate letters to the dork who threw mud at you in the playground and ruined your white blouse, but… Mrs. Garbus knew what she was doing when she instituted an interdisciplinary writing technique which can build students’ fluency in writing through continuous, repeated exposure to the process of writing.

And I don’t mean staying after class and writing 600 times, “I will not laugh when someone wets their pants in science class.” But, yeah, I had that punishment way too many times, and as a result, I’m a very fast, yet sloppy writer to this day.

Adult writing workshops will give you writing time, as well as social and lecture time. Most of the attendees are there to work with a particular professional. A wise workshopper will attend not only to showcase existing work and add to works in progress, but also network with peers and have one’s work read and seen by industry pros who can help you get a leg up…or at the very least… a foot over the transom.

Workshops can be found as online courses, offered through community schools, colleges, literary magazines, publishers and even writers clubs. Generally one or more professional writers/authors/poets and or screenwriters are brought in and attendees are charged a fee to attend. It generally lasts one to two days, possibly a week.

• Online and in New York City, The Gotham Writers Workshop is very popular.

Sometimes new writers get discovered at workshops like these:

• TINHOUSE Summer Writers Workshop. See last year’s agenda
• And the super fabulous 2 year program at the University of Iowa, Iowa Writers Workshop

THE WRITING CONFERENCE
This type of program is generally longer, and more social or lecture based than the workshop. You may not have any writing time at all, unless you skip the nights in the bar and at least a few of the daytime readings. But if you do either of those things, you won’t reap what you came to sow. And that’s connections.

The conferences I’ve been to are about running and gunning 24 hours a day. You may catch the tail end of Robert Olen Butler’s reading because you were in another room listening to Dennis Lehane but trust me, he didn’t even notice you slip out the back of his crowded to capacity and then some space. You’ll pitch agents over cocktails, introduce yourself to editors at breakfast and if you’re lucky, get stuck in the elevator with a famous bigshot author, whose book you just happen to be reading. Yep.

Preparation is huge at these conferences. I have taken 4 days to map out the who, what, when and where of a big time event. Your phone and planner, and a few cheat sheets are a must. Nothing says amateur more than forgetting the name of the main character in the novel the author onstage is talking about. Even worse if you mispronounce the author’s name.

Do your homework. Prepare your pitch. Learn a few jokes and have some current industry knowledge… more than who’s sleeping with whom… because we all know how fast that can change.

• For Writers and Writing Professionals, The annual AWP Conference is the ultimate gig, whether you’re a guest, hosting or sitting on a panel, or merely attending, this is one bad boy of a conference.
• Webdelsol puts on the well repected and well attended Algonkian Writers Conferences, all over the US.

Many conferences are area specific, drawing on local talent. This is a great, inexpensive way to get your feet wet.

Some of my favorites, now that the Maui Conference and Southampton are kaput include:

• The SCWW
• The Key West Literary Seminar (part workshop, part conference)
• The Eckerd College Writers Conference

Check your local colleges and become a member of a local writers club, discounts may apply.

THE WRITERS RETREAT
Some people cannot really write at home. There are too many distractions: phones, doorbells, TV, kids, laundry, Ebay auctions and the distant cry of the cookie that will not be denied.

For these writers, the solution is a retreat.

This may take the form of a solo trip to the mountains and two days alone in a rustic cabin, or perhaps a month in France with a group of creative strangers and no Internet. Or, for some of us, it’s the combination of unique locale and writing friends who know just how to motivate you.

Your retreat is an individual choice, and as you grow in your career your needs will change, so never say never to a retreat option.

I suggest you try them all.

I have kicked everyone out and made my own home retreat, have driven to a resort in the mountains and written for 2 days alone, have rented a cheesy hotel room and snuck off with a writing partner for 2 nights, have traveled to the Florida coast, solo and with groups to stare at blue, blue water and let my mind create a place a reader will one day become just as blissfully lost to reality.

If you need some retreat ideas, there are a few places listed below, but understand this. A retreat means doing the work. Whether that is the mental part of figuring out where the story is going, or what’s not working, or the pounding out of a rough draft, your retreat is from society and distractions… not from the page.

Be sure you don’t make your retreat about shopping or visiting relatives… of course, you need to eat, and some downtime is expected, but for the most part this is dedicated butt in the chair time.

Listen to that little voice in your head. You owe it to yourself to escape- at least once a year.

Read more about workshops, conferences and retreats:

• Poets and Writers
• Writers Conferences and Centers
• Shaw Guide
• American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Conference
• Writers and Editors One on One Conference
• International Women’s Writing Guild Summer Conference
• Retreats
• Scotland retreat

And of course, you can retreat with other women writers at Write By the Water ( a favorite of mine, of course!)

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to share time and space with other writers. It’s an experience that will not only provide you with the dedicated time to work on your craft, but you’ll come away with new friends and connections that will prove invaluable in your writing journey!

Have you attended a retreat or workshop? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

photo: Witheyes

We have had the most amazing group of writers on this retreat. Each one of them have brought something so valuable to our first retreat. Among our group of women writers, there are fiction writers, memoir writers, travel writers, and a writer who is searching for her own unique voice – the right fit for her. Jack Riggs has done an incredible job guiding our group during their short stay with us at Sunset Beach. He’s given them truth. He’s given them direction. And maybe, just maybe, he’s given some of them the strength to believe in themselves.

Writing can be a lonely pastime. Linda and I built this retreat so that writers could connect with each other in an environment that supports the belief of dreams. And after these five days, I feel like we’ve accomplished that. The group have not only learned from Jack Riggs, they have dug deep, in those quiet hours alone in their corner of the house, and they’ve learned about themselves–and what they can accomplish.

We spent more time together today than we have throughout the week. Nicole bellied up to the breakfast bar and clicked away on her laptop the entire morning, stopping only to chime in on a conversation or ask a question. She was in the writing zone. It felt like she had come full circle since the day she walked into our retreat, unsure of what to expect (and who to expect), weighed down with enough clothes for a week, even though she signed up for just the weekend. At the end of her weekend stay, she wasn’t ready to leave, and we were happy to have her stay with the group!

Colleen likened us to a “writerly version of Friends,” which was one of the greatest compliments she could share. We connected, during these few days together. This group of writers we brought together — different in every way possible — but similar in more ways than I can count. Bouncing ideas off each other. Reading scenes and clips from novel drafts…how could you not connect?

As the day progressed, one by one, the writers made their exit. There were lots of hugs, and it was tough to see each of them leave. With a promise to reconnect, either by Internet or otherwise, we bid farewell to our first group of attendees. What an amazing experience it’s been for all of us.

We can’t wait to welcome our next group of writers in North Carolina this February!

Josh was awesome. He shared the process for querying an agent and gave our writers some insight into the business side of writing. Valuable information that I know all the writers will tuck away until they are ready to release their finished work into the world.

Writer's writing

[/caption]The afternoon was spent writing. Writers walked on the beach. Writers hung out on the back porch and lounged next to the pool with laptops propped up, fingers flying across the keys.

This last full day of the retreat went by far too quickly. Dinner at The Red Bar – with good food, music, and more Canadians — and the day came to a close. It will be hard to say good-bye to our writers — our new friends. Facebook friend requests have been sent, and photos have been tagged. Business cards have been exchanged and websites have been linked…surely we will find a way to stay connected.

You know what they say…”You always remember your first.”