anmousewrites

[anmousewrites]

Pillowfort.io

I’m on Pillowfort! I probably won’t be around much after the 17th, but I might still crosspost to this page occasionally. Whether you follow me as TempoPrestissimo or A.N. Mouse, you’ll find both kinds of content on my new page: https://www.pillowfort.io/Anmousewrites

I also made a Words After Dark writing community, because why not: https://www.pillowfort.io/community/Words%20After%20Dark

As always, we’ll be on Facebook and Twitter, so we’re not hard to find. Come and say hi!

[anmousewrites]

Words After Dark is going to be at @conaltdelete !

We have five panels, because we’re masochists and because Anime Con staff are always too good to us.  Here’s where you can find us and when, and a breakdown of what these panels are about! Creativity and Mental Health When: Friday 2 PM Where: Panel Room 5  What is it: Alexa Windsor’s panel on creativity and wellbeing. A lot of creative people struggle with things like writer’s block and procrastination, as well as more serious medical issues like depression. Their panel talks about why some of these things happen and the techniques that can be used to manage them.  You can find her slides here: https://www.wordsafterdark.net/creativity-and-mental-health

How To: Characters When: Friday 8 PM Where: Panel Room 4 What is it: Exactly what it says on the tin. Whether you’ve made 1 or 100 OCs, whether you write fanfic or original stories, if you aim to publish or you write just for yourself, if you want to learn more about making characters this is the place to do it. Backstories, motives, descriptions, how to handle writing perspectives that don’t come naturally to you and, of course, how to write villains. We do it all!

Meet The WAD When: Saturday 11 AM Where: Panel Room 2  What is it: We get a lot of questions at other panels that don’t always exactly fit those panels. Why did we self-publish? How do you find an editor? What’s it like working as a group? What’s a beta reader and where do you get them? Come hang out with us as we talk about our experiences in the business, and also while we have a good time making fun of ourselves.

How To: Plot and Worldbuilding When: Saturday 3 PM Where: Panel Room 4  What is it: The second of the How To panels, focused on... everything else! How to make a plot, different kinds of outlines and why they suck (but you should still make one), things to think about when you’re making your world, and how these things can impact the story overall are all things that we cover in this panel. Even if you’re already an experienced writer, it never hurts to learn a few more tricks!

Writing Grievances When: Sunday 11 AM Where: Panel Room 5 What is it: Every read something that made you as salty as the Dead Sea? Maybe it’s a comic that the writers took in a different direction, an anime adaptation that shafted your fave from the manga, a trope you see used all the time that just makes your blood boil. Grab your morning caffeine of choice and come scream with us about stupid things writers do, and talk about how we can all try to handle our stories a little better. 

[anmousewrites]

Indie Author livestream!  Come talk to me, Alexa Windsor and Ace Layton about your plans for NaNoWriMo, about your writing woes, or ask us questions about writing and publishing. It’s a pretty low-key little get together, so feel free to come say hi!

[anmousewrites]

I LIED ABOUT THE DATE AND TIME This one is correct. My apologies for any confusion. 

Words After Dark is going to try something new! On Saturday, October 27th at 7 pm Central, we are going to have our first livestream on Facebook. We always try to get together on Halloween anyway so we figured we would extend that invitation to all of you. Come and ask questions, talk to us about your favourite spooky things, listen to us pester each other relentlessly about NaNoWriMo. It’ll be a good time.

[anmousewrites]

I was interviewed by Joseph Carrabis, and I had a lovely time.

Joseph is an author in his own right, and much like me, he’s curious about how other authors do what they do and likes to talk craft. This interview is half us having a pretty interesting discussion about writing with intent, networking, and media influence on work and half terrible jokes and me laughing and being outed as a huge nerd. 

Listen to us hang out and maybe have a few laughs, too.

[anmousewrites]

Words After Dark is going to try something new! On Saturday, October 27th at 7 pm Central, we are going to have our first livestream on Facebook. We always try to get together on Halloween anyway so we figured we would extend that invitation to all of you. Come and ask questions, talk to us about your favourite spooky things, listen to us pester each other relentlessly about NaNoWriMo. It’ll be a good time.

[anmousewrites]

“Getting” yourself to write

Yesterday, I was trawling iTunes for a decent podcast about writing. After a while, I gave up, because 90% of them talked incessantly about “self-discipline,” “making writing a habit,” “getting your butt in the chair,” “getting yourself to write.” To me, that’s six flavors of fucked up.

Okay, yes—I see why we might want to “make writing a habit.” If we want to finish anything, we’ll have to write at least semi-regularly. In practical terms, I get it.

But maybe before we force our butts into chairs, we should ask why it’s so hard to “get” ourselves to write. We aren’t deranged; our brains say “I don’t want to do this” for a reason. We should take that reason seriously.

Most of us resist writing because it hurts and it’s hard. Well, you say, writing isn’t supposed to be easy—but there’s hard, and then there’s hard. For many of us, sitting down to write feels like being asked to solve a problem that is both urgent and unsolvable—“I have to, but it’s impossible, but I have to, but it’s impossible.” It feels fucking awful, so naturally we avoid it.

We can’t “make writing a habit,” then, until we make it less painful. Something we don’t just “get” ourselves to do.

The “make writing a habit” people are trying to do that, in their way. If you do something regularly, the theory goes, you stop dreading it with such special intensity because it just becomes a thing you do. But my god, if you’re still in that “dreading it” phase and someone tells you to “make writing a habit,” that sounds horrible.

So many of us already dismiss our own pain constantly. If we turn writing into another occasion for mute suffering, for numb and joyless endurance, we 1) will not write more, and 2) should not write more, because we should not intentionally hurt ourselves.

Seriously. If you want to write more, don’t ask, “how can I make myself write?” Ask, “why is writing so painful for me and how can I ease that pain?” Show some compassion for yourself. Forgive yourself for not being the person you wish you were and treat the person you are with some basic decency. Give yourself a fucking break for avoiding a thing that makes you feel awful.

Daniel José Older, in my favorite article on writing ever, has this to say to the people who admonish writers to write every day:

Here’s what stops more people from writing than anything else: shame. That creeping, nagging sense of ‘should be,’ ‘should have been,’ and ‘if only I had…’ Shame lives in the body, it clenches our muscles when we sit at the keyboard, takes up valuable mental space with useless, repetitive conversations. Shame, and the resulting paralysis, are what happen when the whole world drills into you that you should be writing every day and you’re not.

The antidote, he says, is to treat yourself kindly:

For me, writing always begins with self-forgiveness. I don’t sit down and rush headlong into the blank page. I make coffee. I put on a song I like. I drink the coffee, listen to the song. I don’t write. Beginning with forgiveness revolutionizes the writing process, returns its being to a journey of creativity rather than an exercise in self-flagellation. I forgive myself for not sitting down to write sooner, for taking yesterday off, for living my life. That shame? I release it. My body unclenches; a new lightness takes over once that burden has floated off. There is room, now, for story, idea, life.

Writing has the potential to bring us so much joy. Why else would we want to do it? But first we’ve got to unlearn the pain and dread and anxiety and shame attached to writing—not just so we can write more, but for our own sakes! Forget “making writing a habit”—how about “being less miserable”? That’s a worthy goal too!

Luckily, there are ways to do this. But before I get into them, please absorb this lesson: if you want to write, start by valuing your own well-being. Start by forgiving yourself. And listen to yourself when something hurts.

Next post: freewriting

Ask me a question or send me feedback! Podcast recommendations welcome…

[anmousewrites]

Featuring the WAD, friends of the WAD, and some other really cool people who we would probably be friends with if we knew them.

Check it out!

Mathematician Transmission Volume 2 is out now!

MT is a free online magazine full of art, poetry, flash fiction, and photography. This quarter is the Spoopy Edition. You can find some fun stories by myself, @anmousewrites, Alexa Windsor, A.J. Baker, and Ace Layton.

Mathematician Records also has postings of current and new releases at the end of the mag, so give it a read to see what’s happening! :) I’m proud to be part of such a creative project. Happy reading!

[anmousewrites]

The Words After Dark character-building panel is here!

This was from Anime Midwest 2018, and it was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful questions.

Still one panel left to subtitle and upload but, we’re making progress!

[anmousewrites]

As usual, I’m going to recc:

My editor, above, Azalea Forrest.  She writes great fantasy books. One is out (Witch in the Lighthouse is like if a cup of tea was a book, I cannot recommend it enough) and one of which is in pre-order (The Underground is the vampire/werewolf book for everyone who is tired of contrived, angsty romantic subplots).

And Alexa Windsor, my partner in crime and the only author I’ve seen to write texting the way it actually happens. Also, cozy murder mysteries with dogs (the dogs do NOT get murdered). Read indie authors, share your love of them. We’re all in this together!

Friendly reminder: Indie authors deserve to be paid for their work.

Yes, word of mouth is important. Yes, reviews are important. All of these things are very good, and indie authors are grateful. But they also want to be able to afford food, and clothes, and even books of their own! And the sad truth is that they can’t do that on goodwill and well-wishes alone.

Now, you shouldn’t feel guilty for not buying a book if you can’t afford it. We’ve all been there. But can you go to your local library and ask them to buy a copy? Can you ask for the book as a birthday present, or something similar? These are just some ways that you can support indie authors financially.

And if you can afford to buy an indie author’s book, I greatly encourage you to. Most of them sell amazing books for ridiculously low prices. And they do this because they love their story, and they want other people to love it, too. But they also do it because they want to make a living off of writing.

They deserve to be paid for the effort and time they put into their craft. And I think it’s more than worth saving up the money to do so.

Let’s all remember to celebrate and support our favorite indie authors!

[anmousewrites]

On being understood.

Whenever I open my mouth, I run a 50% chance that whatever I say won’t be understood. It can be a little frustrating.

Part of this is undoubtedly my own responsibility. I’ve worked very hard on the way I communicate and always seek to be more easily understood.  I clearly still have some way to go. 

Usually, I just let these things go, because it’s much easier than trying to show someone they have misunderstood you when they are certain they haven’t. I just try to focus on doing a better job next time. But, it was pointed out to me that I might not be solely responsible for this.  Realizing that is kind of a relief.

But, it isn’t all bad news. I like to think that my skills have gotten better, and when I am understood, it means a lot. That’s actually why I’m writing this.

It’s one thing to be understood by friends, and I’m lucky enough when that happens, but to be understood by a READER is a rare treat. 

I’m thankful for every reader. Even if they don’t tell me they’ve read it, I’m still thankful for their interest and their time. Of course, when I get to hear about it, it’s even better, and getting feedback from people is always wonderful. But, I’ve recently had a reader come back to me with really insightful commentary on my work, and more than that, testaments about how much some of my characters have meant to them. 

I write from my heart a lot, and that, plus the fact that it’s a book and will be inherently interpreted in a hundred ways, means that I’ve never had much hope that someone would necessarily read my work the way it was meant to, let alone have it mean anything to them.  For me, writing has always been a response to trauma, so it’s always kind of super-personal and I don’t expect people to get more than a decent story out of it.

So, to be told that not only was I understood but that ALSO, these characters that have helped me have helped someone else, is the most amazing thing. I’ve been having a hard time lately managing my mental health, so this was an incredible gift. 

Readers, you are such a gift to authors. When you enjoy our work, when it means something to you, that’s pretty much all we can ask.

Thank you. 

[anmousewrites]

Full disclosure: I haven’t checked this out myself, but I plan to in the future. I’ll do a follow-up post about anything I find out.

ATTENTION WRITERS

Google BetaBooks. Do it now. It’s the best damn thing EVER.

You just upload your manuscript, write out some questions for your beta readers to answer in each chapter, and invite readers to check out your book!

It’s SO easy!

You can even track your readers! It tells you when they last read, and what chapter they read!

Your beta readers can even highlight and react to the text!!!

There’s also this thing where you can search the website for available readers best suited for YOUR book!

Seriously guys, BetaBooks is the most useful website in the whole world when it comes to beta reading, and… IT’S FREE.

[anmousewrites]

Azalea Forrest, my editor and beloved friend, is taking questions over on Facebook in preparation for the release of her next book! I really enjoyed The Underground and I think other people will, too. 

You can find her page on facebook if you want to find out more about this upcoming supernatural novel!

[anmousewrites]

So I’m participating in LGBTWIP over on twitter and I made my first aesthetic post for my WIP.  I still have a lot to learn about this stuff (such as finding a way to apply filters without a watermark!) but I’m pretty pleased with it. 

This is for The Cliff’s Edge, my current project that takes place in the same universe as The Ashen Path.

[anmousewrites]

I think all writers need a friend who will encourage their desire to write absolute garbage. Not necessarily something that is badly written, but like, stupid self indulgent bullshit. “Cringey” aus or crossover fanfics. Aus or crossover fics of your own ocs. 

Writing that stuff is fun and is great practice, but sometimes I feel like “wow, this is hardly productive, why am I even writing this, who else would ever want to read this?” The answer is your friend who encourages your trash writing, that’s who. Write it for yourself and for them.

[anmousewrites]

Words After Dark just applied for panels at AMKE 2019

So, we just put in for our panels! We've never done AMKE before despite it being practically next door, so we're very excited.

Right now, our con rotation looks like it's going to be

Anime Midwest

Con Alt Del

Anime Milwaukee

And Youmacon

Not this year for Youma as we missed the deadlines, but that's pretty much what happens the first time we hear about any con. Four a year was the goal, so hopefully this works out! Can't wait!

We'll hopefully be running our usual 'How To: Characters', 'How To: Plot and Worldbuilding' and 'Creativity and Mental Health'.

[anmousewrites]

Psst... Writers....Yeah you...

This is me cheerleading whatever project you are working on. You can do it. I believe in you! YOU GOT THIS.