"Write now is good."

Contest: "Whispers" short fiction

Jason Evans at Clarity of Night runs a mean contest. Tons of well-written entries, lots of comments and conversations, and even excellent prizes.

Entries for his next contest of short fiction are due this Wednesday. So, write quickly and enter.

Learn how to podcast your writing this Tuesday

   

On February 19th (this coming Tuesday night EST), there will be a unique opportunity for you writers out there to learn how to podcast your fiction — via a group video chat online — with noted sci-fi/horror author Scott Sigler.

Interested? There are still a few spots left to talk directly with Scott through an innovative new video chat technology called ooVoo, which allows up to six people to video chat together at one time (see sample screenshot above). This should make for some invigorating online conversation. To sign up:

1. Go to My ooVoo Day to download the ooVoo software and get an ooVoo ID.

2. Click on the sign-up button and look for Scott Sigler's link. Click on the "See Schedule +" button on the right across from Scott's name to sign up for a spot.

Here's a bit more about Scott, who has combined storytelling and technology to reach new audiences and to propel his writing and creativity to new levels:

A creator of novels, short stories and screenplays, Scott Sigler's work revolves around modern science's dichotomy of simultaneously producing good and evil.

Scott reinvented book publishing when he released EarthCore as the world's first "podcast-only" novel. Released in twenty weekly episodes, EarthCore harkened back to the days of serialized radio fiction and picked up 10,000 subscribers along the way.

His next podcast novel, Ancestor, drew 30,000 listeners and saw 700,000 episodes downloaded by fans. The Ancestor buzz caused Sirius Satellite to pick up the novel, making it the first audiobook serialized on the satellite network. Combined with Scott's other two podcast novels, Infection and The Rookie, Scott's fans have downloaded over 3 million files of his fiction.

If you participate in the video chat this Tuesday, definitely drop back by and let us know your experience with it.

What have you done for your muse lately?

Photo: The Nine Muses by dunechaser

How is your muse?
You don't know, you say?

When was the last time you talked with her (or him, or it, or them)?
What?
You don't remember?

It is time to starting talking, my friend.
Ask all the right questions, and listen intently.
With the canyon of silence between the two of you,
You must begin to repair your work relationship at once.
Immediately.
Your writing and creating depend on it.

I recommend the following approach:
Sit quietly without distraction (like teh Interwebs, caffeinated beverages, and juicy blackberries of both fruit and tech kinds).
Ask one question without speaking it aloud. (Muses do like quiet minds and spaces.)
Then wait and listen.

And wait.
And wait a bit more.

Do you hear her (or him, or it, or them)?
Do you recognize the voice? The words? The advice?

Listen carefully and then ask a second question related to what your muse has shared.
Keep listening, keep talking.
A conversation has begun.

Make a promise to talk to and listen to your muse regularly.
Write down key points of your talks — the inspiring mantras, the mysterious phrases which repeat and make no sense, the common-sense reminders of good writing habits.
Review them often.
Acknowledge that your writing needs this ritual,
And that nothing great is ever created alone.
(Or, as my muse-coach likes to bellow, "It takes team work to make the dream work!")

Some wise people I know bake delicious blueberry pies for their muses. It takes them, and their writing lives, very far indeed.

Wordy links: Private diaries, Midnight Disease and the "Future You"

Photo: moleskine love by thehutch

1. "Author: Keep privacy by baring soul on paper, not Web" — Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries, has joined forces with the American Library Association to guide teens to share their secrets privately, in paper journals or diaries, not online for all to see.
     via Notebookism

2. A Harvard med school neurologist named Alice Flaherty, while grieving the loss of her premature twin boys, finds herself writing constantly for four months. When surviving twin daughters are born, she again writes for months without stopping. Midnight Disease is her memoir/investigation into this time period. A fascinating account of what might make our muses and how brains connect to create.
     via Moleskinerie

3. Write an email to yourself to be read ... in the future! FutureMe.org has designed a system where you can pen a message to yourself, select the date on which to receive it, and then "Send this to the future!"
     via NOTCOT

What you least expect

Photo: Sock 1, complete. by moonrat42 

"I'm looking for inspiration, but I don't know where to find it," the student told her teacher.

The teacher thought for a moment, then replied, "After you answer all of these questions, you'll find it. Are you ready?"

"Yes," said the student. "Should I write these down?"

"No, they're very simple, so just listen," said the teacher. "Here we go—important questions used to find inspiration: What color is it?
Does it make a sound?
Is it a dog?
What is its name?
Did the sky rain it down?
How many of them are there?"

"Uh, teacher?" the student said quickly, raising her hand.

"Wait, I'm not done yet," the teacher said. "Is it made of wood?
Does it taste good?
Is it in your tummy?
Does it wiggle?
Do people pray to it?"

"Teacher," the student said, much more slowly and loudly than before.

"I have just a few more," the teacher said, holding up one finger. "Is it wearing socks?
Does it like bedtime stories?
Do you dream about it?
How old is it?
Can you carry it in a bucket?"

The student leaned forward and looked directly into the teacher's eyes. She silently mouthed the words "Bye bye" and waved. She then turned and walked quickly away.

The teacher smiled. "She'll find inspiration," he said. "If it doesn't find her first. Whatever it is."