Stepping into the forest of my mind

Stepping into the forest of my mind
Just as every journey begins with a first step, every story begins with the first word.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Insecure Writers Want to Know: Do You Have Any Rituals to Help You Get into the Writing Zone?

Rituals to help me get into the writing zone? I don’t know if these are rituals, per se. But chocolate and a fresh hot pot of tea go a long way to help me write. Now if they could only give me the structure of the story and the words, I’d be good. To find those, I usually need to go for a walk in the woods. By myself! That’s the hard part. Especially now with everybody home.   
http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com/


            And even when I’m in the zone, hammering away at a YA short story, hoping with all my heart this story might bring in another published clip, Cricket Magazine cuts me down with a form rejection email. Each time I think it will get easier to take, but for me, rejection still stings.

            So another walk ensues to talk to the Lord about why I try so hard and seem to get nowhere. It’s better than yelling at my family. It’s not their fault no one’s waiting for my stories. But I always come crawling back to my computer to begin again. That’s the courage we writers need to find again and again. And it’s not easy to find!

          
http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com/
A hot pot of tea and chocolates!
 
But if we’re lucky, we get a yes for publication. I have a Cricket story coming out in the June 2020 issue, if they can get the magazine out with this pandemic. Sometimes we may receive positive feedback from editors or critique partners about our stories. This truly helps to build our confidences as writers. At least it does for me.

            My college memoir editor told me I’ve found my voice in the story. When we speak of voice in story, we are talking about the character’s voice, which shares much with its author—even in fiction. I’ll talk more about voice and narrator in my Author Toolbox post later this month. But for now, I wanted to mention what my editor shared with me. She explained that my memoir character’s voice is how I would normally speak, especially the wry wit part.

As a highly insecure writer, I needed my editor to confirm--and she did--that my memoir story held:
tension,
obstacles,
questioning of what I was doing,
wondering if I'll succeed.

But it needed to be interesting, and what makes it interesting, the editor says, is hearing me tell it in my own way—in my voice, with all the funny parts with family and classes that made the editor smile and root for me.

You see, I thought for a book-length project [this is my first], I needed to fully paint a scene, to delve deeply into the why of the story, to stress over the needed tension, and worry that I’ve solved my problems too early. But my editor let me know it is all there. Not perfect, but it is there. As I continue to revise, I hope to be ready for beta readers by fall 2020. I’ll keep you posted! Let me know if you are interested in beta reading for me. This is a short memoir. I’ll be lucky if it is 60,000 words. Please contact me with your email address.

As for now, I’ll be interested to see how you’ve tackled this month’s question. It’s great having a topic to share our thoughts on each month. I am extremely thankful for all of you for being my sounding board and advisors in this writing and publishing journey.

Thanks so much for visiting! Please follow Adventures in Writing if you haven’t already and connect with me online. Leave your blog link in your comment so I can be sure to do the same for you.

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. We post on the first Wednesday of every month.  To join us, or learn more about the group, click HERE.  

30 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the one story! Keep after it and keep talking to God.

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    1. Thank you, Alex. I need to hear this. And I'll never stop talking to God. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your weekend!

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  2. This post truly inspirational!! I have always wanted to have a children's book published..tried years ago,, I don't like rejection! You have inspired me to revisit.. Congratulations to you on your story.

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    1. Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Anne! I'm so glad you stopped by. Writing is a tough gig filled with rejection. But if we never send out our work, it's always a "no." Go for the "yeses" Anne. You can do this.

      Thank you for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing. I truly appreciate them. Have a beautiful weekend!

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  3. That's great that you have a story being published in June. And awesome that your memoir is going so well too.

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    1. Thank you so much for your good wishes, Natalie. I truly appreciate them. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your weekend!

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  4. Congrats on your magazine story and best wishes on your memoir. Rejection is a fact of life for writers. Reading the rejections now-famous authors received is encouraging. Hang in there!

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    1. Rejection is an intimate part of my writing career, Diane. Thank you so much for your encouragement here at Adventures in Writing. I certainly appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend!

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  5. I also like to walk. And, isn't it weird to see so many other people out there, especially during the day?! It's taking some getting used to. Sounds like you're doing well. Keep on writing and walking.
    Mary at Play off the Page

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    1. Yes it is interesting to find many people out walking, Mary. This is a good thing, I think. I will walk and write until I can't anymore!

      Thank you for sharing your encouragement here at Adventures in Writing. I certainly appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend!

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  6. You definitely inspire me to keep writing! I've only submitted a piece for publication once and that one got accepted, but I know that if I submit more, I'll no doubt need to deal with rejection. Congrats on getting a story published!

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    1. Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Astrid! I'm so glad you stopped by. Bravo to you, submitting and getting published the first time. Well done! The trick is to keep submitting no matter what. Go for it!

      Thank you for sharing your experience here at Adventures in Writing. I really appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend!

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  7. Walking and quiet time are blessings.

    Congratulations on your magazine story! That is awesome. :)

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    1. Yes they are, Chrys! And they should be cherished. I hope you are well. And thank you so much for your good wishes. I truly appreciate them. It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Thanks so much for your note. Enjoy your weekend!

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  8. I LOVE (!) your brand and the fact that you're a non-traditional student. I, too, was that student. Best of luck on your projects.

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    1. Hello and welcome to Adventures in Writing, Diana! I'm so glad you stopped by and left a note. And thank you for your kind words. They are appreciated more than you know. Enjoy your weekend!

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  9. It's amazing how many writers include chocolate in their rituals. Glorious, isn't it?

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    1. Yes it is, Jacqui. Chocolate is a necessity when creating! Thank you for your note here at Adventures in Writing. I really appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend!

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  10. I got my copy of the May/June 2020 issue of Cricket Magazine with your story. Wonderful. So very happy you're done your memoir and that it's ready for beta readers!! I can add my two cents as one of your readers if you want to send it to me. I've waited for this time since you started talking about writing your memoir. Does my excitement show!!

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    1. Yes it does, Dawn! Thank you so much for your offer to read my memoir. I'm hoping to have it ready by fall 2020. And I can't thank you enough for all your support and kind words. They mean the world to me. Believe it or not, I'm still awaiting my "complimentary copies" from Cricket for this story.

      It's always a pleasure seeing you here at Adventures in Writing. Enjoy your weekend!

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  11. Sounds like your editor is very supportive. The story sounds great too. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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    1. Yes she is, Anna. I'm so lucky to have her. She understands me and how I work and my story.

      Thank you for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing. They are appreciated more than you know. Enjoy your weekend!

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  12. Congrats on your story publication and finding your voice in your memoir! Walking has long been my go-to for clearing my brain and releasing tension.

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    1. Thank you, Lee! Yes, I'm a walker and hiker by nature. I feel it's the only way to clear my brain and ease my tension.

      Thank you for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing. I certainly appreciate them. Enjoy your weekend!

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  13. Hi Victoria - rejection is a pain ... but it comes with life doesn't it - ups and downs all the way through ... our journey of yays and nays. I do find blogging helps enormously as each post brings an endorsement and that helps boost my morale. Good luck with finishing the Memoir - ready for beta readers. Take care and stay safe ... while getting out into the great outdoors a bit during this time. Hilary

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    1. You are so right, Hilary. Life is full of ups and downs, or yays and nays as you say. Having someone interested enough to actually read what I have posted on my blogs keeps me going. And yes, I truly need to go outside for walks…just to keep me sane!

      Thank you so much for your kind words here at Adventures in Writing. I certainly appreciate them. Enjoy your week!

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  14. Hi Victoria! One step at a time. And, rejection will - probably - always be there. Sorry it still stings. I’m pretty used to it; it follows the trend of my motto “No is what you have. Yes is what you can get.” :-)

    Thanks for sharing the info about your editor. I’m glad to read that you are making good progress with that and you received positive validation. Do you mind sharing the name of your editor? You can send me a separate email or PM... Thanks! And, keep plugging away on this big project. I am surprised you estimate the final version to only be 60,000 words!

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  15. I'm hoping it will be longer. We'll have to see. My developmental editor is Michele Orwin. You can find her here: http://www.micheleorwin.com/

    Seriously, she is helping me see how to go deeper in this college memoir. My pages are sent by email. Good luck with everything, Liesbet! Be safe!

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  16. Hi Victoria,

    A truly inspirational post, Thanks for sharing about your process.

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  17. My pleasure! Thank you so much for your note here at Adventures in Writing. I certainly appreciate it. Enjoy your week!

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