Thursday, February 28, 2013

Thursday's Thought: When Should Someone Attend Their First Conference?



Writing conferences give a writer the opportunity to learn more about the craft, meet other writers, make connections, and pitch your project(s) to agents and editors. It's the best place to start for any person who is hoping to get their feet wet in the industry. I have been to four so far; each one of them has been an incredible experience and stepping stone for my writing career.

However, I have heard that it is best to wait  until you have a project to pitch before attending your first conference. While I might agree on some levels--especially since money is definitely a factor--I would never discourage anyone who would like to attend a conference and may not have a finished manuscript quite yet. I have been to conferences a few times when I did not bring anything to pitch, yet I was still able to gain much from each individual experience.

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What do you think? When should someone attend their first writing conference?

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Thursday's Thought: Do You Prefer to Write Fast or Write Slow?



Many authors are able to write their books fairly quickly; especially since they're on a deadline. There are some—such as bestselling author Karen Kingsbury—who can write an entire novel within a two week period. This is very beneficial for those who would like to keep coming out with new books for their readers. I've also heard that writing fast can help a writer to stay in the "flow" of the story. It can also help those who may become distracted easily, or those who seem to never complete their books once they start.

Personally, I have never tried to write a book fast. I've found many benefits to writing slow as well—such as having time to brainstorm, coming up with new plot elements, and not becoming burned-out from writing so much. Usually, when I do go through a period of time when I am able to get a lot of writing done, I feel drained afterwards. I am often left with no inspiration to work on the story for a while. And while it is important that writers learn how to write even when the inspiration is not there, I have found that I can think a lot more clearly when I take my time on a story. However, I hope to—some day—become one of those authors who is able to write multiple books in one year.

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What about you? Do you write fast or slow? Do you think one is more beneficial than the other?

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Thursday's Thought: Do You Listen To Music While You Write?

You will hardily ever find me without headphones in my ears or my Pandora station playing while I'm writing. For me, music and writing seem to mesh together perfectly. Not only does listening to music as I write help to block out the outside world--when I have my headphones in, I am even more determined to concentrate on the words that I'm writing. Obviously music is a great tool that filmmakers use to infuse emotion into a scene, so why can't writers as well? I also consider music to be very inspiring, and I often come up with a completely new story or scene idea just by listening to one song.

However, there are many writers who prefer to write in complete silence. Often, when the words just aren't coming as easily for me, I do find it helpful to put my music on pause and focus on the words I'm writing rather than the lyrics I'm listening to.

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What about you? Do you listen to music as you write? Do you find it helpful or distracting?

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

What Will You Decide?

Did you know that each of us make about 35,000 choices a day? That’s 12775000 per year. The thought alone overwhelms me; I’ve always been indecisive. Last year especially was a bit difficult for me, with all of the “big” decisions I had to make as a senior—such as which college should I attend… should I even go to college… and if so, what should I study… what do I even want to do for the rest of my life…

There’s a lot of pressure when you know that the course of your future lies on the decisions you make at that age. Especially when you have no idea if you’ll make the right one.

But why is it that we are always so determined to make the right choice with those kind of decisions, yet often fail to consider the choices in smaller areas of our lives? (Continue reading)