Volume 11

NaNoWriMo By Sara Halleman

As I am sure you already know it is NaNoWriMo, or for you nerds out there who do not know what that means it is National Novel Writing Month. November is the month that is dedicated to your writing! Participants, known as Wrimos, are taking the bet to write a 175 page novel throughout the month.

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Why We Write By Jessica Quillin

Metaphors and analogies are profuse whenever a writer is asked to describe his or her inspiration and purpose for writing. For Wordsworth, it was a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Other writers throughout history have taken different points of view on the passive/active nature of what stirs us to communicate our thoughts in words and sentences. Writing about writing seems to invite prosaic philosophizing inasmuch as it does sarcastic self-deprecation.

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Get Out of the Way! By L.L. McKinney

Week two for NaNoWriMo is well underway, and I hope everyone is having a good time! Not to mention meeting those daily word counts. As of right now, I’m about one day behind. Actually, a little less than that, but I’m going to use the next stretch of significant free time that crops up to get back on track. It’s not easy, trying to get down 1,667 words a day. And I’m a newbie! This is my first year participating. I’m fairly certain I’ve said that before, but it warrants repeating because it is my newbishness that inspired this week’s blurb.

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By Jessica Quillin

Metaphors and analogies are profuse whenever a writer is asked to describe his or her inspiration and purpose for writing. For Wordsworth, it was a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Other writers throughout history have taken different points of view on the passive/active nature of what stirs us to communicate our thoughts in words and sentences. Writing about writing seems to invite prosaic philosophizing inasmuch as it does sarcastic self-deprecation.

Writers are a humble yet self-serving lot. We are at once embarrassed to be talking about ourselves and completely obsessed with talking about ourselves. Yet, we continue to talk about ourselves and readers continue to ask. So, obviously, there is interest and a degree of inviting mystery in a writer’s inspiration and purpose. I’m sure that somewhere, if not in many places, Alexander Pope has something witty to comment on this subject.

Whenever I read articles about writers, particularly retrospective pieces, I am always fascinated to read about how these writers describe their motivations and overall purpose for writing. The questions of “what inspires your writing and for what purpose do you write” are so incredibly subjective that there literally are no straight answers. When I’m asked these questions myself, I’m always tempted to quip back something random like, “why is a raven like a writing desk,” simply because I’m never quite sure what to say. Anything I do say always seems cute, curt, or cliché.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, South African writer and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer commented on what drives her to write:

[T]he process of writing fiction is totally unconscious. It comes from what you are learning, as you live, from within. For me, all writing is a process of discovery. We are looking for the meaning of life. No matter where you are, there are conflicts and dramas everywhere. It is the process of what it means to be a human being; how you react and are reacted upon, these inward and outer pressures. If you are writing with a direct cause in mind, you are writing propaganda. It's fatal for a fiction writer.

Genre distinctions aside, I think that most writers would agree with these sentiments. Fiction writers perhaps have a different stance from non-fiction writers in that their fundamental purpose is to create stories, even if their narratives are based on or explore the nature of human reality.

To me, Ms. Gordimer’s explanation of her writing process is the linguistic equivalent of a shrug. Writing is at once meaningless and meaningful by nature because it is intuitive yet experiential. We write or we don’t write. But, we always write based on something that we have experienced or that we have imagined in our minds. Writing comes from the world of human thought. The beauty of writing is that it permits readers a chance to dip into an infinite stream of new and unexplored realms that someone else created.

As a scholar, I have spent years studying how writers and critics view the relationship between literature and the other arts and what these connections tell us about the art and the creative process. Since the days of Plato and Aristotle, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of essays have been written exploring the origins of art and attempting to define the links between thought and the imagination. The reason I digress on the topic of literary aesthetics is that something of the purpose of writing is in how it affects us and other people.

My favorite British Romantic, Percy Bysshe Shelley, subject of that darned book with which I’m nearly finished, presents an interesting picture of the role of a writer in his essay, A Defence of Poetry. In this work, which focuses on the origins and purpose of poetry and literature, Shelley writes:

A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds; his auditors are as men entranced by the melody of an unseen musician, who feel that they are moved and softened, yet know not whence or why.

While a writer’s role and his or her reason for writing are obviously different categories, they are inextricably linked. In this excerpt, a poet writes or “sings,” in this case, to keep himself or herself happy and occupied; and, through this activity, he or she has an impact on others, however slightly anonymously. The image of a writer as an “unseen musician” obviously somewhat externalizes the notion of authorial intention, yet I think that it is a lovely picture of how writers would like our work to be received. In short, we write in part to please ourselves but also to invite others into the world of our ideas.

The notion of writing as an invitation, of course, makes us vulnerable and opens us up for criticism. As writers, of course, we do have a degree of control over what we reveal about ourselves, even if the world of the internet makes this increasingly difficult. But, it is this sharing yet not sharing of our inner thoughts that makes writing strong and interesting.

Jessica Quillin owns Quillin Consulting, LLC, a consultancy in Washington, DC, focused on content development, research, and strategy for the public and private sectors. She holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Cambridge.

By L.L. McKinney

Week two for NaNoWriMo is well underway, and I hope everyone is having a good time! Not to mention meeting those daily word counts. As of right now, I’m about one day behind. Actually, a little less than that, but I’m going to use the next stretch of significant free time that crops up to get back on track. It’s not easy, trying to get down 1,667 words a day. And I’m a newbie! This is my first year participating. I’m fairly certain I’ve said that before, but it warrants repeating because it is my newbishness that inspired this week’s blurb.

In deciding to take up the challenge of writing 50,000 words in one month, I had no idea that I signed a contract to make all the mistakes of writing a first draft over again. It’s not that I’ve forgotten what’ve I’ve learned, or that I don’t realize I’m doing something like using passive voice instead of active. Would you believe it if I said that I was falling into first-draft pitfalls on purpose? I know, it sounds crazy, right? Here’s the kicker, during NaNoWriMo, it’s not only expected that writers make rookie goofs, it’s encouraged. Oh the insanity! But it actually makes a lot of sense.

As I’m sure most of you are learning, right along with me as I continue to edit and revise Swayed, that there are a lot of things writers train themselves to indulge in or avoid when writing a first draft. Just simple dos and don’ts that go along with the craft of storytelling. I’ve delved into several of them in past articles, but I’m not going to list them here, because the point of this article is to toss those lists aside. I’m getting to said point, I promise.

Anywho, the more we learn and grow in our profession, the more we add to those lists, all the while not noticing that—if we’re not careful—those lists can eventually become long enough to trip us up. Participating in NaNoWriMo taught me this. With only 30 days to complete a novel, or a significant chunk of one, we’re left with very little time to do anything other than write! Everything else in life: school, family, work, etc aside. Those sentences go flying across the screen at a hundred words a minute (those rare moments when I’m in the zone) and there is positively no time for searching out newbie no-nos. At least not for me, I can’t speak for anyone else.

Oh I see those mistakes, believe me, I just can’t spend any precious minutes on sitting there mulling over a way to get rid of them and still make what I’m trying to say work. I just have to accept that it’s there, that’s enough for right now and move on. Especially if I have any hope of reaching my goal by the end of the month. Not being able to use what little knowledge I’ve garnered from fellow writers and professionals in the industry is driving me bonkers, but I’m managing because I understand a subliminal message this whole exercise is whispering to me. I need to get out of the way of my work and just let it flow.

Okay, for those who may be ready to just throw their hands up at what I just said, relax a little. I’m not saying that everything I’ve written about up till now, what to watch for while writing and editing, what to try to avoid doing during both, is null and void. Oh no. What I am saying is we have to walk a fine line between “just enough” and “too much”. Just enough self-editing as we go along will help us hone that magic eye where we can spot those pitfalls in writing and avoid them, but too much can bring the entire process to a grinding halt. The practice of just letting go this month made me realize that I may have been the cause of several blocks I’ve experienced the past few weeks in my work. In having to toss my writerly guards to the wind—I’ll definitely be picking them up and dusting them off again come December—it opened my eyes to the fact that I’ve tripped over my dos and don’ts lists several times.

For NaNoWriMo, don’t be afraid to throw caution to the wind. It’ll help ground us so we can see when we may be getting a little out of hand when it comes to following the “rules”. Plus, it’s a little fun in a literary devil-may-care sort of way, and it’s one of the only times where it’s okay to backtrack and pick up those old habits we were told to drop. So long as we can put them down again, afterwards. In the end, we’ll still have a first draft we can clean up and polish like all the others, even if it is a bit more dented since we didn’t avoid the potholes. Just get out of the way of the writing, otherwise the next time you trip over those lists and face plant, your work in progress just might run right over you.

“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”-Eva Young

“If your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.”-Henry J. Kaiser

L.L. McKinney is a freelance writer, a published poet and a playwright. As an active member of First Tuesdays and YA Lit Chat, she is currently seeking representation for her young adult paranormal urban fantasy, Swayed.

At the House in the Rue de la Cerisaye
By Maggie Secara

What is she going to wear to meet him?
Garnet taffeta
Cloth of gold
Emerald satin cut over carnation—
too frivolous, no.
Velvet: black with garnets and pearls,
farthingaled and ruffed,
collared in fine lace. Yes.

He is wearing her ring on a ribbon
pinned over his heart. He stands.
His hair is greyer than she remembers,
he is too thin. But his eyes
are diamonds, and brighten
when she enters.

The sun is dying behind the darkened window.

He says her name, and bows.
She remembers her brother is standing
just behind her in the doorway.
Moves forward, lifting a hand to his kiss.
They are acquainted, after all,
some years, but no one knows
no one knows
no one knows.

Her brother is right there, and a small army of friends
and strangers
and she is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.
(pulse racing)
No one knows.

The touch of his hand is cool,
as always.
Nothing warms his blood but she.
There will be time for that after
introductions all around.
(barely breathing)
No one knows.

The Beauty Of A Poisoned Sky
By Darius McCaskey

The sun rakes
across the wrist of the sky,
spilling bloody reds
and oranges into the eye:
a self-assisted suicide.

Puffy clouds,
of black and grey,
rain hydrochloric drops
of acidic spray:
both cause and effect.

Trees send branches
to purify
the poisoned air
in the poisoned sky:
doomed to failure.

A peal of thunder,
like a tolling bell,
sounds the start
of descent to Hell:
a one-way ticket.

Turbines spin
across the sky,
lighted like a
Cyclopean eye:
too little, too late.

Diverse particulates
diffuse light,
forming a prismascope
just after night:
polluted sunrise.

By Sara Halleman

As I am sure you already know it is NaNoWriMo, or for you nerds out there who do not know what that means it is National Novel Writing Month. November is the month that is dedicated to your writing! Participants, known as Wrimos, are taking the bet to write a 175 page novel throughout the month. The website www.nanowrimo.com has set up a timeline to help you keep up with other Wrimos. You can stay connected and offer encouragement to others. NaNoWriMo is meant to get you out there and start writing. We've all thought about writing a book at one point or another in our lives. But for some people, there is always something that stops them. Whether its time, laziness, or lack of confidence, this month is set aside for you to jump those barricades and start being creative! It doesn't matter how bad it turns out because, as the website states, this month is about quantity not quality. I'm sure December will be soon known as National Novel Revision Month (NaNoRevMo anyone?). I mean what else do you have going on this time of year, right? I can only imagine how many publishers receive submissions from unedited works starting in December. Come one people don't be lazy! You just worked your butts off to overcome your own writers block to pump out a novel in a month. Now take the extra time to do the most important part: EDIT EDIT EDIT!

If you are participating in this year's NaNoWriMo I'm sure by now you are hitting some sort of wall. Well here are some helpful tips and tricks:

1. Push yourself: http://writeordie.drwicked.com/ This website offers the same kamikaze effect as NaNoWriMo. This one is a bit more intense. You set your word goal and time goal and begin writing. If you aren't keep up with your goal it will begin to erase your work gradually. Sounds like a writers worst nightmare huh? It is actually very helpful and it will get the job done.

2. Create your own time table: NaNoWriMo’s schedule may not work for you so don’t be afraid to start your own! Set your own deadlines while still keeping the major deadline in mind (Nov. 30th!) Create a calendar and mark your word count goal for each day. On days that you know you will be busier use a lower count and vice versa. Being realistic will lower your stress and allow for a better work of literature!

3. Take a break: If you are really hitting a wall maybe it is best to walk away, literally. Enjoy the last few days of the fall season by taking a walk outside. Getting some fresh air can help clear your mind and refresh your thoughts. If you prefer a more thought-based break then I suggest www.sporcle.com the website of “mentally stimulating diversions.” This will keep you occupied during a necessary break from writing.

Happy Writing!

By Carlotta G. Holton

Tana French is a literary master at creating a palpable atmosphere, a key component of this dark, sinister and almost primeval tale of murder and mystery in rural Ireland. It is surprising then, that she alerts the reader to the fact that the narrator and main character, detective Rob Ryan (aka Adam Rob Ryan) admits to not always telling the truth: "What I warn you to remember is that I am a detective. Our relationship with truth is fundamental but cracked... I crave truth. And I lie."This seems a rather odd premise when considering the fact that the book begins with the mysterious disappearance of three young children in Knocknaree, Ireland in the 80’s. Ironically enough, our narrator, Ryan, was one of three and the only one to be found clinging to a tree trunk, his sneakers filled with blood. With no memory, he was unable to lead authorities to any suspects.

Fast forward to the present when 12-year-old Katy Devlin is found murdered on an archaeological dig site in the exact location where Ryan was found – near the woods – decades ago. Is it a case of déjà vu? With descriptions that can only be described as poetic, French sets up the idea that there is a connection between the disappearances in the 80’s and the present day murder.

A member of Dublin’s Murder Squad, Ryan works with partner Cassie Maddox, who befriends him and helps him keep his identity a secret during the course of the investigation. The characters are well developed and engaging. There is enough action and unrelenting tension to please the reader and the topics of police protocol, environment vs. history, memory, relationships, child abuse, and modern Ireland are neatly woven into the fabric of this enigmatic tale of darkness.

As in many murder cases, the family of the victim is questioned. The Devlin family is indeed strange. Jonathan, Katy’s father, who we learn has a lurid past, is protesting a proposed roadway which will destroy the archaeological dig. Margaret, the mother, is a basket case of nerves attested to by the industrial sized bottle of tranquilizers in the kitchen, while the eldest sister, 17-year-old Rosalind, is unusually protective of Katy’s twin, Jessica, who is portrayed as mentally challenged.

Ryan feels the psychological pressure of solving this case as well as the hope he will remember his own mystery. If the novel has any flaws it is that the reader, hoping against all odds for at least a hint of what happened in the 80’s, or at best a solution, is disappointed on both counts. Yet I was left with the nagging suspicion that Ryan’s amnesia is a self imposed mechanism to protect him from the horror that he might have killed his friends. As the mystery deepens and Ryan’s character becomes darker, it certainly is within the realm of possibility that he can’t remember because he chooses not to. While many readers find the ending frustrating, I found it intriguing to speculate all the possibilities.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact, Touching The Dead,Vampire Resurrection, and Deadly Innocence and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

WritersNewsWeekly is proud to announce the winner of this year’s Tommy Awards: Ben Lieberman for his novel Odd Jobs. Honorable mentions for the Tommy Awards go to authors Dennis McKay, Catie Donnelly, Dennis Webster, Carl Brookins, and Paul M.Schofield. Thank you to everyone who submitted to this year’s award committee. We are now accepting new submissions for next year’s award. We look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

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Tommy Awards Winner: Ben Lieberman By Sara Halleman

Each year WritersNewsWeekly sponsors the Tommy Award for Excellence in Writing. We look for talent in the unpublished world in hopes that they will gain the positive attention that they deserve. This year’s winner is author Ben Lieberman of Chappaqua, NY. His novel, Odd Jobs was among hundreds of entries sent for consideration. Read More

"The sun is coming up, and somewhere someone is thinking how beautiful this is and what a great day it’s going to be. That’s not me..." Click here to read an excerpt from Odd Jobs.

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A Month of Writing By Jessica Quillin

November begins an onslaught of major project deadlines for my small writing business. It is kind of funny to me that this month is Crunch Month for me because it is also National Novel Writing Month (better known as NaNoWriMo). For years when I dreamed of my life as a professional writer, I envisioned that I would have plenty of time to sit down and to calmly write 50,000 words of a novel from scratch by 30 November. Read More

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Combating Negativity By L.L. McKinney

To all my fellow writers out there who are undertaking the wacky challenge of writing 50,000 words in just thirty days, I’m right there with you. I’m looking forward to this undertaking, it’ll be my first year and I’m ready for it. I’ve done my research, I’ve made my plot outline—for the most part—and I’m fired up. I’m expecting fantastic days when the story just flows and the words come flying out, but I’m looking for the days I know will come when I just want to give up. No, I’m not being pessimistic, I’m taking preemptive measures. Read More

By Sara Halleman
Each year WritersNewsWeekly sponsors the Tommy Award for Excellence in Writing. We look for talent in the unpublished world in hopes that they will gain the positive attention that they deserve. This year’s winner is author Ben Lieberman of Chappaqua, NY. His novel, Odd Jobs was among hundreds of entries sent for consideration. He first submitted his book as an unpublished manuscript but the story has since been picked up by SterlingHouse Publisher. I asked his publicist, Sarah Peduzzi how Odd Jobs grabbed her attention, “The book is a great read because it’s fast paced and there are so many situations that Kevin gets into that are completely fascinating and engrossing. Ben has a new, fresh voice that draws people in.”

Obviously I completely agree with Mrs. Peduzzi. WritersNewsWeekly chose the novel for very similar reasons. The main character, Kevin, has an incredibly strong voice that jumps off the page and into your face. The details surrounding the life of a meat processor, and other dangerous and outrageous jobs he held, have authenticity and a gritty realism. This submission was one that begged to be read during any free moment in the office here. Usually when someone reads talent like this, you have to acknowledge it in a big way – this was our big way.

Odd Jobs’ plot follows the protagonist, Kevin, who has never had the luxury of a ‘normal’ job and becomes comfortable with this unstable environment. The novel was not just chosen for the real voices or the strong and genuine characters, but the way that the story spanned. It was one where you follow Kevin around anxiously waiting on what he was going to do next. With each punch, literally and mentally, that he was thrown, you ducked with him and rooted for him to kick back, and hard. Along with the serious moments Lieberman throws in the occasion laugh giving the novel a rare mix of both emotions. What more could a reader ask for?

The connection between reader and protagonist has everything to do with the first person narrative that Lieberman boldly maintains throughout the novel. This can be a difficult task for some authors but Lieberman pulls it off with the ease of a veteran writer despite the fact that it’s his first published novel. The protagonist’s voice was strong and often littered with harsh language. All of these aspects combined to make Kevin a believable college student trying to make ends meet.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Lieberman about winning the Tommy Award and to learn more about his experience as a writer. We scheduled an interview over the phone and I anxiously waited for our appointment. I picked up the receiver with my laptop nearby to convert his words into text quickly. Coming through the earpiece was a thick, New York accent with all the right linguistics. He seemed just as eager to speak with me as I was to him, which I must say was a refreshing change. The first question I had to ask was how it felt to be this year’s Tommy Award winner. He quickly responded with a smile I could feel through the phone, “Anytime someone takes the time to read my writing and enjoys the work it’s an indescribable rush. To win an award is a multiple of that. Its surreal and I’m very appreciative.”

We quickly began talking about what got him into writing. Lieberman earned a degree in journalism, what he calls “a cousin of English,” but ended up with a finance career. Through out his time in institutional sales and trading he missed literature and began taking fiction classes at NYU and Columbia University. Authors that inspire him in his genre are James Patterson, Carl Hiaasen, Don Winslow but other voice and character driven writes like John Irving and recently Jonathan Tropper inspire him as well. He set a scheduled ritual of writing each morning before work which sometimes resulted in being late for his job. I’m still amazed at his ability to shell out such a great book with all the other agendas he has going. On top of a stressful financial career he is a father of three, an avid softball player and tri-athlete as well. Lieberman is definitely a man who wears many hats. When asked how he makes time for writing he said, “If you have time you don’t get things done. If you have no time you get things done. You have to set your own deadlines no matter how unrealistic.” These are definitely words I could live by.

I asked Lieberman where the basis for Odd Jobs came from and he responded, “I wanted to write a great crime thriller but I also always got a kick out of people looking back on the struggle that got them to good places. They look back and really appreciate that fight. You would be amazed at the crazy jobs people had in their past.” He used conversations he had with people of these experiences as his own personal research for the book. Lieberman discovered a common theme that the jobs that were so senseless and so degrading were the ones you look back on with a proud smile. “They had no purpose but they really are part of you now. While my job in the meat factory was an unreal experience - here it is years later and that meat factory is the background of a novel.” Lieberman understands that these experiences have a purpose which is to gain and learn from them. “The odd jobs that many people shared with me are virtually characters in the novel and add a lot of humor and excitement.”

With the story told in the first person narrative, a risky move by most authors, I had to ask Lieberman how much of the story was true to his life. He was quick to respond with a laugh, “This book is in no way a memoir.” He admits that he was worried that people would think it was but decided to go with his gut and remain in the first person narrative, a decision I believe worked out in his favor. He adds, “My goal was to make the reader the protagonist. What I like about fiction is that you can blow the doors off it and that’s exactly what I tried to do by using this point of view.”

Lieberman’s book has already gathered some buzz around its debut. He recently met his favorite author James Patterson, who offered to read the Odd Jobs manuscript. The result was an unbelievable endorsement from the famous author. The book even made its way into the hands of famous business man Donald Trump who also recently gave a blurb for the book. When Patterson called the author about the good news Lieberman remembers, “if it weren’t for caller ID I would have thought my friends were punking me.”

Lieberman has worked so hard to produce a real, honest story and I wanted to know what advice he would give aspiring authors, “I would basically say to not get discouraged. The process of getting published takes a lot of different ups and downs. There will be a lot of disappointment and rejection so it’s important to stay positive.” I closed the interview with the hope that there were future projects in the works. He responded, “I’ve been tossing around ideas for other novels and possibly even screenplays. I would also like to do books using reoccurring characters from Odd Jobs.” My fingers are still crossed for that sequel.

Click here to read our featured excerpt from Odd Jobs.

Disclaimer: The following solicits adult themes and language that may not be appropriate for all age groups. Please use discretion.

This is an excerpt from Odd Jobs by Ben Lieberman, this year’s Tommy Award Winner:

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Just when I thought I could pull it off, I let out a double tequila burp. I can’t stop tasting the shit. I’m in the ultimate purgatory; that place simultaneously blending being hung-over and being drunk. What seemed pretty manageable last night has a whole different view from this bus. Man, I just went out to meet Ray and Cindy for a few Margaritas at Rio Bravo and just like that, it’s two in the morning and I’m doing shots of Wild Turkey in the Blarney Stone, arguing politics with some toothless 80-year-old guy.

The sun is coming up, and somewhere someone is thinking how beautiful this is and what a great day it’s going to be. That’s not me. The bus turns left onto Industrial Road and passes a huge cemetery that is jam-packed with acres and acres of tombstones all on top of each other. It’s fuckin’ packed tighter than the six-train. Some low budget tombstones are actually outside the metal fence. I guess they got a discount. A guy is walking his dog and the dog is taking a leak on one of the exterior tombstones. This gives me a degree of satisfaction, as someone is having a worse day than me.

These buses are a piece of work. They all smell like piss. The guy next to me weighs at least 300 pounds, and he doesn’t smell too good either.

When I graduate from State and get a real job, I’m buying a Maserati GranCabrio. That’s what I tell my friend Cliff Tsan sometimes. He keeps me down to earth and tells me to start liking buses, because I’ll never have any job but odd jobs, like the one I have now, carrying beef carcasses. “You know why they’re called odd jobs?” he says.

“Because they’re really strange?” I answer.

“No, asswipe,” Cliff says solemnly. “Odd comes from an Old Norse word meaning the tip of a spear. Therefore, an odd job is a job that makes you feel like you’re being stabbed with a spear.” Cliff is an English major whose father is a famous novelist, so maybe he’s right; then again, maybe he’s just busting my balls.
The bus hits a pothole, and my neck goes right through my brain. That’s what it feels like, anyway. I don’t know why I go out drinking with my friends on a work night, but sometimes I do. Like last night. It’s not like I can even afford it; I’m supposed to be saving money for school. But I don’t want the guys to think I’m an asshole.

Through a red haze of pain I see the dairy factory on the left, pink and gold in the light of the rising sun. I wish had a job there. I could run the machine that separates the milk from the cream, or drive a tanker truck. Nice clean jobs. But no, the part of Maspeth, Queens, that I claim as my little piece of heaven is staring right at me. In front is a honkin’ big sign in hemoglobin red and raw bone white reading Kosher World Meat Factory: The highest standards in this world and beyond.

I don’t belong on this bus, and I don’t belong at Kosher World. But I don’t belong with the hard-drinking, money-hemorrhaging crowd either, like Cliff and his friends. So where do I belong? That is the million-dollar question, Regis. But first I’ve got to try to do something about my current situation.

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Odd Jobs is now available for pre-order on http://www.sterlinghouse-bookstore.com.

Click here to read our interview with Tommy Award Winner, Ben Lieberman

By L.L. McKinney

First off, Happy NaNoWriMo!

To all my fellow writers out there who are undertaking the wacky challenge of writing 50,000 words in just thirty days, I’m right there with you. I’m looking forward to this undertaking, it’ll be my first year and I’m ready for it. I’ve done my research, I’ve made my plot outline—for the most part—and I’m fired up. I’m expecting fantastic days when the story just flows and the words come flying out, but I’m looking for the days I know will come when I just want to give up. No, I’m not being pessimistic, I’m taking preemptive measures. As writers, it’s a given there’s going to be negativity heaped on top of us, from naysayers to our own insecurities. The best thing we can do for ourselves is the last thing most people want to do. Instead of waiting and hoping all of the nasty stuff passes us by, we need to assume it’s going to happen, and plan to get around it.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I’m not saying anyone should go looking for bad things. When you look for something like that, normally it jumps up and smacks you in the face. Looking and expecting are two different things. Looking for something means seeking it out, expecting it means going about your business, but ready just in case. Those are key words, just in case. And we need to be careful, because negativity is a sly devil. Sometimes it’s active and in your face, like when your computer crashes or someone is less than pleasant about your writing. Sometimes it’s passive and slips in without you realizing it, like the self-doubt that creeps up during editing, or something someone might say to you.

“When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?” That question is bound to pop up at some point when it is announced that you’ve finished your first draft. To most of us who have decided that telling stories is the calling on our lives, this is a silly question with a simple answer; “I never decided to become a writer, I was born a writer”. Oh yes, the cliché fanfare begins, but does that make it any less true? People say they were born to do this or that all the time, born to act, born to dance, born to sing, etc, and no one looks at them funny. Most of the time.

For some reason, being born to write is seen as less plausible than most of the natural gifts out there. People except ‘more’ from those with talent, something they can physically interact with by watching or listening. What I mean by this is, it’s perfectly acceptable—and even expected—for children to want to be Mariah Carey, Michael Jordan, Jeff Gordan or Angelina Jolie when they grow up. Even though the chances of becoming a professional singer, ballplayer, driver or actor are just as slim as making-it-big as a writer, those dreams are respected, for lack of a better term. What’s the last movie you saw where the protagonist had to overcome obstacles and beat the odds to achieve their dream? I bet it had something to do with sports, singing or acting, maybe ever dancing, but writing? Not many movies out there about writers, unless something else is going on in the film.

I’ve touched on the subject of combating negativity in previous articles, about how to be your own cheerleader and the importance of finding like-minded people to interact with, but this goes a little deeper. Be confident in who you are as a writer. The value in your ability is not found in what other people say about your writing, nor in what other people think you are or are not capable of, but in the reasons you know you can do this. And I don’t was this to sound like just another “believe in yourself” speech. There’s a difference between believing and knowing, and I’m saying we need to know who we are as writers. Let me explain.

I cannot remember a single moment in my life where putting pen to paper was not a part of how I defined myself. I’m a writer. I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll say it a thousand times more. Birds fly, fish swim, I write. That is the natural way of things. Now, everyone who’s reading this, take the time to say something to that affect. Don’t just take in the words on the screen and say them quietly in your head, speak them out loud! You’re a writer, you were before NaNo started, you will be after NaNo’s done, and nothing—not dissapointment in yourself or disappointment expressed by others or anything anyone anywhere has to say—is going to change that.

As a writer--“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."-Oscar Wilde

L.L. McKinney is a freelance writer, a published poet and a playwright. As an active member of First Tuesdays and YA Lit Chat, she is currently seeking representation for her young adult paranormal urban fantasy, Swayed.