Say It With Fewer Words

Writers Dare Not Speak Its Name

10/31/2014

Unattributed Comic from Google (if you know where it's from, let me know!)

I don’t like to think about writer’s block. I’m not even sure it’s a real thing. I just know that sometimes I have trouble finishing a story. Weeks can pass when even though I think I want to write the story... I just don’t. I have a writer friend who believes that even when you’re not working on your story, your subconscious is. I don’t know if that’s true for me.

I’ve tried to understand if this stalling period follows a pattern. The only thing I’ve figured is that I usually stop (if I’m going to stop at all) on page four. My stories tend to be between 12 and 20 pages, and for some reason, when (and if) I get to page four I get a rush that tells me I really have a story. But that’s when this thing that I don’t want to call writer’s block can set in. It’s happened this past month. The story is there in my head. I want to write it but something is holding me back. I’m editing, teaching my adult ESL students, and doing other things. Mainly, I’m taking comfort in the fact that I already have four pages.

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Ms. Ford (and Ms. Barnes) Go to Washington

10/28/2014

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On Saturday my friend Jane Barnes and I went to Washington D.C. for a forum on independent publishing sponsored by POETS & WRITERS Magazine. It was pitch dark when we set out from Charlottesville, and pitch dark when we returned. The time in between was filled with enlightenment. We left suspecting the word “platform” meant something other than a wooden stage. We returned knowing we had a lot of work to do if we were to continue being published writers in the internet age. Our return trip was punctuated with sighs when we thought about the staggering amount of change that had occurred in publishing. The sighs alternated with bursts of brave talk as we told each other we could learn what needed to be done.

The POETS & WRITERS LIVE program featured authors and editors from “innovative independent publishers." Despite the diversity of the presenters, one message came through: writers need to be actively engaged in the publishing and marketing of their work. Jane and I were especially grateful for the panel entitled “The Savvy Self-Publisher.” It was led by Debra Englander who gave an overview of the self-publishing process and directed a conversation with award-winning author Jeffrey Blount, literary agent Anna Sproul-Latimer, and Bradley Graham of the book store Politics & Prose.

Jane and I have been in the same writers' group for 30 years. She recently wrote a book about Joseph Smith, which you can read more about on her site: http://janebarnesauthor.com/.

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Sometimes I Really Enjoy Cutting

10/25/2014

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Sometimes I get pleasure from cutting -- really slicing -- a story. I think it has to do with proving to myself that no matter what the word count, I was right to think there was a story at the heart of all those words. I wrote a story about a World War I soldier and magical ghosts. It was 4,342 words and I loved it, but in order to submit it to a contest, I cut it to 1000 words. I loved the shorter story too, and then I heard about another contest so I sliced it to 300 words. You wouldn’t think there would be much story left, but now I’m cutting it to 100 words for (one hopes) the final contest. Cutting to that micro-fiction length is hard but there’s a weird feeling of accomplishment in taking a story down to its real kernel of “storiness.”

My daughter, J., has been after me to start a blog. I’m still trying to figure out the digital responsibilities of the modern writer. This is my short start.

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Writers Dare Not Speak Its Name

Ms. Ford (and Ms. Barnes) Go to Washington

Sometimes I Really Enjoy Cutting

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