Journal Writing

by Morgan Barnhart

I am subscribed to an e-newsletter about freelance writing. I quite enjoy it since it's a very real account of the freelance world and how to better ourselves as a freelance writer.

However, today's email made me want to unsubscribe real quick. He was mocking people who write in journals simply because he did not understand why people had to write every detail of their life onto paper. He made fun of it repeatedly which really made me question this man's true ability to write.

Whether someone chooses to write in a journal about their daily lives or not is completely up to them. Personally I find it rather freeing. In one part he states, "You’d have to be pretty self-unaware to get your first inkling about your mental state from writing it down."

This statement is false on so many levels. It's not that we're self-unaware of what we're doing or how we're feeling, we just like to write it down because it helps us get our thoughts out on paper and focus instead of having it trapped inside our heads. Writing down your thoughts is a cleansing experience, one that most psychologists will tell their patients to perform.

Not only that, but sometimes I just want an account of my life, just so I can go back and read about it later, in case I had forgotten it, since my memory seems to be failing more and more these days (and I'm only 25! How bad is that?).

He also stated this, at the very end: "The danger is that you become so convinced that your writing is helping that you don’t actually take any steps to put things right. You think the simple physical act of writing will work the oracle on its own, when it doesn’t."

That coming from a man who hasn't even done it. He makes it seem like such a horrible thing to write down how you're feeling. I get the feeling he wasn't given many hugs as a child.

I don't know how many times I've come to a revelation by writing down my thoughts. Did I think the problem was fixed just because I wrote it down? Oh frick no. I would have to be crazy to think that. But I did act on the decision right then and there. That's how writing it out helped me; to act on a decision.

To be closed minded as a writer is a tragedy. As writers we need to be as open minded about every form of writing that there is. We don't have to understand it or do it ourselves, but we should at least be aware and understand that it works for some. But to blatantly make fun of people who write in this form makes me truly wonder about their own writing ability.

But hey, to each their own, right?

Under The Influcence of Emotion

by Morgan Barnhart


Life has been hitting harder than ever lately. Sometimes it's almost impossible to get my head straight. I used to just sulk in my bed and watch Grey's Anatomy while eating an entire bag of Cheetos.

However, lately when I've been in such a mood, I turn to writing. I focus completely on a totally unrelated story, something to take me away from what I'm currently feeling and to help me clear my head. It works, too. After writing 2,000 words in a straight shot, I fell back into my chair and stared at the computer screen, feeling refreshed and ready to handle any problems that I was currently dealing with.

I find I write the best when I turn to writing while in a depressed state. All of my energy is now directed right into writing instead of down a Cheetos bag.

Try it the next time you're in an unusual mood, whether it be depression, anger, annoyed, etc., Find out if writing while under the influence of a strong emotion helps you write any better than usual. It may be difficult to get started, it may not be, but stick with it, direct that energy towards a greater good.

Lesson # 26 Pearls of Wisdom & Peas of Inspiration

by nm boliek

When I was a child my mother was constantly telling me to “stop staring”, she would say “it’s impolite” and give me a look that let me know worse things were to come if I didn’t stop.

Later, when she discovered that I was writing about the people and things I was staring at she began to take a different approach. She still maintained it was impolite but she began asking questions and allowing me to discuss what had caught my eye - It was in these brief conversations that  I believe she learned I was not staring at the obvious and that my ability to embellish would have made O.Henry blush. I’m pretty sure this is how she eventually devised the game ‘Car Story’ - because we were always in the car when these conversations took place.

Car Story went like this:  on any given day winding our way around country roads, soft drinks clutched in our thighs, hands out the windows dipping and rolling like little birds in the summer heat she gave us each, my brother and I, fifteen minutes to tell a story. She made up the rules which were simple and fun: #1- You must lie (this was the ONLY time we didn’t get in trouble for lying) and #2- you must ‘bring on the buckets’ – this was my mother’s favorite term for lots of drama.  Whoever told the best story was ‘Car Famous ‘for that day and got to choose dinner that night. It was in my best interest to win – I hated peas.

Since I never knew when my mother was going to holler out “Car Story!”  I was constantly prepared to give my best at a moments notice.  Everything I saw or witnessed became a potential story and consequently, out of necessity, I became a writer.  I began carrying a tiny memo book and a pencil everywhere I went and my mother who somehow understood, no longer scolded my staring. She simply moved me quietly along after a few moments, nodding and shrugging politely to the offended.  Now I’m  not sure my mother knew exactly what she was doing with that little game, to her I’m sure it was just fun and she was all about The Fun. So I don’t think she ever really believed those silly afternoons in the car could possibly turn into my life long pursuit in the art of writing. Though later, when I was falling in and out of college she was the one that said “…..  Why don’t you write? You have always been a writer, don’t you remember?”

And when I remember the words fall to the page like Rains of Imagination - threats of  Idea Flood loom large upon imagined horizons - words - my tiny Calibri ships- rock and toss adrift between great waves of winking Ideas - Heaves of Adjectives and Synonyms my mounting, pounding wail of  Verbiage - Emotional Release reduced to  a simple distaste for peas.

And when I don’t remember and nothing works, when the page stares blankly back, taunting me into believing I am only a dreamer. I get in my car, drive to the nearest convenience store and buy a bottle of soda. I roll down the windows and speed dial my mother. We talk about my job, my grandmother’s new found dementia, my father’s surliness and my brother’s children. Sometimes she tells me stories of her childhood or she will say: “Come for dinner, we’ll have peas……. Hey Nan? CAR STORY!” 

Somehow she always knows.

And I will win again, me and my Peas of Inspiration amusing her Pearls of Wisdom.

How to Survive a Peer Review

by Linda Yezak

If you’re like me–and heaven help you if you are–you like to get occasional feedback on your current project just to see if it’s as wonderful as you think, or if it would be well-received, or to garner some much-needed encouragement. I thrive on the encouraging words of others; they spur me to write more and write more often. However, I get slapped with “Your writing is great, but . . . ” so often that I spend way too much time wound-licking and not enough correcting my errors.

I admit that I tend to submit my work for review too early, something I wouldn’t recommend to just anyone. I do it because someone else can catch things I’m not seeing, and the sooner I discover the problem the sooner I can fix it without having to do a major re-write. Since I write by the seat of my pants, fresh eyes on my work are necessary. But don’t be fooled–the reviews can also be painful.

Free peer review sites are wonderful primarily because they are free (there are tons of them in cyberland; one choice is AuthorNation). But they also come with built-in hazards: too many people saying different and sometimes conflicting things, too many who are honing their critiquing abilities at your expense, too many who don’t know how to express themselves without being rude, and way too few who actually know what they’re talking about.

Here is what I’ve learned from being a peer-review junkie:

1. Be gracious. The people who are honing their skills, who are learning how to write and how to critique, may not be the best sources of advice, but they are readers: Readers know what they like and what they don’t. Since they’re the stuff an author’s bank account is made of, it isn’t wise to blow them off–they may have a point you shouldn’t miss. Always be thankful for the time a person spends reading your work.

2. Put on your Teflon jacket. Like those who are honing their skills, those who are seemingly rude often have a point worth heeding. Lick your wounds if you must, but spend time analyzing what they wrote to see if they’ve given you some roses among the thorns.

3. Stick your ego in your pocket. This pearl of wisdom came from my writing buddy and critique partner, K.M. Weiland, and really should’ve been #1 on this list. If you view the words of a critique through the eyes of your ego, you’ll never grow as an author. The craft of writing is never learned entirely. It’s honed over the years, it’s organic in its changes, but it’s never fully mastered. Even the best of authors find ways to make themselves better.

Peer reviews are necessary. They can make the difference between a well-written book and a passable one--between one accepted by an agent/publisher and one destined for the self-pub route. I advise having your project subjected to review and critique, but let me remind you: Always be thankful for the time a person spends reading your work.




Linda Yezak teaches creative writing in Texas. Her novel, Give the Lady a Ride, was a finalist in the 2008 ACFW Genesis Competition and is in the editing stage. Linda is a frequent contributor to Christian Romance Magazine, an independent editor, and a critique partner/writing coach. She co-hosts AuthorCulture with two other authors. You can contact her at pprmint155@yahoo.com.





(Flickr illustration, "Peer Review," by Gideon Burton.)

Free Advice - Inquire Within

by Frank Hulse

What would I tell you if I only had 1500 words and I wasn’t sure I’d ever have a chance to talk with you again? Is there anything in my writing experience that you can use? What could I say to help you write well and have fun? They are not mutually exclusive, you know – having fun and writing well can be had in the same deep breathing exercise!  Pretend that I’m your drill sergeant and you need some help to complete basic training. Here goes…

If you do the crime, be ready to do the time. Writing is a craft. If you don’t have the skill set, then get your rear end back in classes and pay your dues and pay attention. Develop the craft if you expect it to float and maybe pay a few bills. 

If you don’t develop an outline, expect to spend a quarter of your time back tracking and guessing, “Now where was that… or… Did I mention…?” The idea of writing an entire manuscript, while flying by the seat of your well-worn pants is ludicrous. Eventually, you’ll have a blowout and guess what is going to be revealed in all its glory? If you were to write a page or two off the top of your head, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. You can write a letter to Mom and Dad and omit the outline. But if you were calling home and it was costing you $10 a minute, you’d darned sure get some organization to your thoughts. The same thing applies to our writing. Time is money. Our time is too valuable to let it drain away like warm air from a stale balloon. That would be my first point. Do the outline.

Get out of the house or the apartment or dormitory and live. Don’t devote all day to work, or school, and all night to writing. You need a life. You don’t have to party ‘til dawn or play every amateur sport that comes along. You don’t have to ride your bicycle on 20-mile rides. Yes, get some exercise and have some fun, but go for variety.

Don’t make any excuses. Take the time you need and own it. Don’t share it or rent it out. Pick a time that nobody else wants or needs you and be selfish with it. Maybe it’s 4:30-6:00 A.M. Or maybe it’s 7:15-8:45 P.M. 90 minutes is my magic number. I can do anything for 90 minutes and everyone I know can do without me for that same period of time. If you can devote 90 minutes a day, seven days a week, that’s 10.5 hours. And in 10.5 hours of steady work, you can write 5,000 good words. So, in three months, you have 60,000 words, plus or minus and in six months a whopping 120,000 words. Be consistent and persistent and don’t make any excuses. Write, revise and edit.   

Have fun; write well.

Happy Trails…

The author, William Frank Hulse, III, has previously published one book, Happy Trails. His current writing effort is a book entitled A King’s Ransom – intended to be a help to those who are transitioning to retirement. The first draft of A King’s Ransom was just completed.  He has a fiction novel which is unpublished and a book length collection of short stories he plans to revise and edit the first thing tomorrow! He's a self-declared marketing failure and hasn't been diligent in that area of writing – like most of us.

Lesson # 162 – Vowel Movements and Attendant Anxieties

by nm boliek


Bathroom Attendant: (Knocking quietly) “Hello, lady? Are you ok?”

Me:  (I was typing furiously on my laptop, inspiration had struck while I was buying bras and the bathroom was closer than the food court) “Uhhhh yes, yes, I’m just fine….”

Bathroom Attendant: “…..lady you been in there a long time, you sick? I hear you mumbling…..”

Me: (glancing up quickly to check the lock on the door) “No, no, I’m not sick ….just..just needed to use the bathroom…”

Bathroom Attendant:  (concern in her voice) “Lady  you pregnant? A bathroom is  no place to have a baby lady….you want me to call someone for you?”

Me: (staring incredibly at the door) “ NO, I’m not having a baby in here!.....”

Bathroom Attendant: “Lady ? lady ? you doing the drug what’s that tapping? What you doing in there? I thinking you better come out right now. You been in that stall forty five minute. Nobody use bathroom forty five minute unless they sick or doing the drug.”

Me: (I stop typing) “I’m not sick and I’m not doing drugs…. Could you just give me a minute?”

Bathroom Attendant: “Ok ..I gonna give you one minute to come out of the stall. You no come, security is gonna come and help you…you understand?...lady you hear me ?”

Me: “ I hear you and if you will just leave me alone I will come out, just go away, go back to the door or your post or wherever . I’ll come out in just a second.”

Bathroom Attendant: “Okay lady ..ONE MINUTE.”

All I needed to do was kill Larry off. I had been wrangling around his demise for months and It had  finally struck me how he would die and now I had him cornered on all sides by ravenous hyenas; his jeep too far away to make a run for it…..

Bathroom Attendant: “Okay lady no more. I hear you talking. I don’t know what you do but you no doing it no more.”

Me: “Good God! I told you to give me a minute! This is a PUBLIC bathroom! I could legally stay in here all day if I wanted too…..!”

Then I heard TWO voices outside the bathroom door.

“Ma’am, this is Mall Security. I need you to exit the stall immediately and calmly. If you cannot exit the stall or you need medical attention I need you to state that right now.”

Bathroom Attendant: “You in the trouble now lady…you better come on out!”

Me: (I closed up laptop and quietly zipped it back into its bag.) “Ok, ok, I’m coming out. I had no idea using the bathroom could be a crime.”

I stood up and straightened my skirt, tossed my bag over my shoulder and slid the lock back. As I opened the door and stepped from the stall I smiled sheepishly. I crossed to the sink and washed my hands while the attendant and the security officer cautiously watched.

As I headed towards the door the attendant said “I heard you say you gonna kill Larry TODAY. Lady I heard it, I know what you look like. I read the paper; I see a dead Larry, I gonna call the real police. We got cameras you know?”

I looked her straight in the eye and said very matter of fact “Actually, no, Larry is not going to die today thanks to you. He will however, die later tonight and that is thanks to you also. Have a nice day. “

If only I could control these outbreaks of Inspiration.

nm boliek prefers her name written in small letters believing it will summon the genius of  e. e. cummings. She has a serious penchant for Dulce de Leche  ice cream and dark comedies and likes to think of herself as a writer only on Mondays and Wednesdays, preferring to leave the rest of the week to a menial job that doesn't include writing but pays for her ice cream addiction. She is currently working on her first novel which is due to be published whenever she stops starting over. Her short stories and horrid poetry can be found at http://cadence48x16.wordpress.com/