I've MOVED - Details below...

-Follow me on Twitter (@Taurean_Watkins) 

-Or via the Official Twitter Feed (@TAA_Editor) 

-Also, Check out new author page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/taureanjwatkins) 

 Hi All, 

 After three years on Blogger, I've made the leap to self-hosted Wordpress- 

http://talkinganimaladdicts.com 

 Thanks to those of you who supported me behind the scenes during my blogging hiatus, and while it will some time before I have regular blog updates again, I am working on new posts and other content I'll do my best to be worth the wait. 

 Despite all the recent outcry on other blogs saying "Blogging's irrelevant to writers in 2013" I don't share that view. 

I blog because I saw, and still see, a GAP in my niche being underrepresented, and outright misunderstood. Despite stumbles on my part in the past, I will continue to rep that niche to the best of my ability. 

 I've also decided that T.A.A. going forward will be less about my writing from the career side, and more of a reader-friendly environment. 

Unlike many writers I admire/respect, I no longer feel comfortable mixing art and commerce on T.A.A. I will eventually have my author site up to handle that side of things. 

I'll have it launched as soon as I can. From now on, I'm just going to share the variety of this misunderstood genre, and hope we can finally end the stigma, or at least put it in its place. After all, even sexy vamps, YA books in general, and death-happy dystopian tales used to be the "Kiss of Death" as far as NY publishing was concerned, and now readers can't enough, even if agents and editors feel the exact opposite, LOL. 

For those of you born AFTER the year 1987-2000, trust me, the hot genres and authors today had their axes to grind when paranormal fiction in general, even without XXX romance, or YA fiction, EVEN romance free, was as anti-receptive that you can can without being ethically shunned. 

 I'll still share some writerly stuff in my "Letters From the Editor" feature, and when my publications increase, you will hear about them on T.A.A., but I'm going to bring T.A.A. back to what I really meant it to be, about spreading the message that the variety of animal fantasy BEYOND preschool land is no less REAL and VALID than the countless flavors of paranormal romance and dystopian fiction that (At the time of this blog post, April 27th, 2013) is now. 

My blogger home for T.A.A. will remain up until the reestablishment on my Wordpress site, as some features and posts are up yet. Those who have this blog bookmarked, please change to the new url above. Thanks for your patience.

Until next time, on my new place of residence on the web-

Taurean

-Your sometimes grumpy, still hopeful, and always persistant, Literary Rat

QUERY BLOG HOP!

Before getting to the meat of today's post, I have announcement concerning T.A.A. I forgot to mention last week.


Musical Musings, and my other usual schedule postings will be on hiatus as I work through my offline life. 


But I do have an update worth sharing today.


Earlier this month, I signed up for a Query Blog Hop, started by the blog "Between The Sheets" by author/editor, Heather Webb.


For those too busy to read the whole rundown on Heather's blog, here's (roughly) how it works-


Writers who registered before 6/22/12, critique each other's query letter(s), maximum of two per entrant, and send a revised "final" version based on feedback, by Friday [6/29/12] at Midnight. 


The winner gets a free editorial critique of their first 2,000 words, and so I hope you'll offer your thoughts on one or both queries I share with you today. 


 This contest also gives me an opportunity to sharpen my own critiquing skills, which is still not a straightforward thing for me, but I'm trying. 


Without further delay, here are my entries- 


NOTE: Any changes differing from the norm of  "standard issue submission format" was done for ease of reading via the blog.




Query #1


Dear Agent, 


Gabriel Crisping loves pawing through junkyards, village alleys, dumpsters, salvaging the junk humans throw out—and he recycles them to build his inventions. While some of the forest residents appreciate his tinkering, the majority his fellow rats, even his best friend Rum Wheatland, think him a crazy dreamer. 


When a harsh storm blows in, ruining a promising dumpster dive, Gabriel seeks refuge in Mr. Quint’s toy shop. He finds a kindred spirit in the elderly toymaker, who loves theorizing and inventing contraptions as much as Gabriel does. Yet by befriending Mr. Quint, Gabriel has broken a universal law – he has spoken directly to a human! Gabriel keeps Mr. Quint a secret until Rum's parents are killed in a human trap. When Rum learns of Gabriel's friendship, he severs ties with him and focuses his anger on Mr. Quint, planning to wage war toward not only the old toymaker, but also humanity at large. 


The only way for Gabriel to save Mr. Quint is to stop Rum, whose grief sinks him into the madness and violence of vengeance. The only thing worse than losing an old friend, is betraying a new one, and maybe, he can save them both.


GABRIEL is a 34,000-word middle grade novel. Thank you for your time and consideration.




Query #2


Dear Agent,

Aurel Finnwhistle may be a weasel, but the only things crooked about him are the bent tip of his tail, and bent spike pearl he wears around his neck. This irregularly shaped 'Baroque Pearl' contains ancient magical properties from times gone by, and gives Aurel the ability to transform into a human, to both search for his elusive father, and to solve the mystery behind the dark powers that took his mother's life.

Henrietta Caulfield is a working class high school student who suppresses her dream to be fashion designer, to care for her father who is losing his eyesight due to a curse, and is determined to find a rare tea that is the only known cure to reversing her father's curse.

These worlds collide when Henrietta's best friend Orla reveals her identity as a weasel princess who escaped her kingdom when an army of unknown origins seized control. 

To save the queen and restore peace, Orla must create a team of warriors to defend her kingdom, and Aurel and Henrietta insist on standing by her. What they did not expect was to fall in love along the way.

THE BAROQUE WEASEL is a 50,000-word Young Adult novel.

Share your thoughts to either or both query letters in the comments below. What could be tighter? What read weird or unclear? Anything that seems off or confusing. 

Remember, the better you can explain and show WHY something doesn't work for you, the easier it is for the writer to fix it, or at least know it's there...

You can find the full list of writers in the blog hop here.

Best of luck to all of you.

Ciao for now,

Taurean

Random Wednesday (5/30/12)

Random Wednesday is back. Once a week, I share some of my favorite sites, blogs and the like, that may more may not do with writing.  This week though, I'm going to have some writing related things to share, by highlighting some of the blogs posts I found helpful and informative during my recent long (and unplanned...) abstinence from blogging.


The World Crafter: Starting in the Right Place: Learn how my writer friend Katrina (Cat) take on an all too common problem for any writer, but especially for fantasy or non-plot centric writers.


Writer's First Aid: Quantity vs. Quality: Big Issue for Today’s Writer: If you need further convincing about what I feel is becoming a serious issue for unpublished writers today really isn't a "newbie rant thing" maybe what ICL instructor and established author Kristi Holl has to say might add more needed weight to the discussion.


Adreienn Kress, The Temp, The Actress, and The Writer: You Are Not A Fraud: One of my early mentors on the writer's path reiterates something we all struggle to embrace, but need to for our sanity if nothing else. We may not always agree, but our commitment to writing's same, it's worth checking out more on her blog, just be warned, she's more pragmatic and realist in her approach to writing than I am, and that's not a negative, just something to keep in mind.


Sometimes the best advice to the problem is presented in a "less than ideal" approach for our personality type, which in this case, is self-doubt.


Also, Here's My Wish List for Nonfiction and Reference Books I want this summer!


That's it for Random Wednesday. Next week, I'll share what's on my summer reading list this year, since I'm going to make reading more in general a high priority after a difficult start to 2012.

Birthday Tribute (A True Artist Who Taught Me A lesson I will Never Forget)

Today is my birthday, and as hard as I tried, I may not have any new posts up today, I'm trying to "Celebrate" and am still not feeling it yet, if I do update the blog further you'll be alerted via the new T.A.A. Twitter feed, which you can find here. 

Before I was using my Author Twitter feed, but it is more streamlined and less spammy to separate my Author Twitter feed and the one for T.A.A.

In the spirit of the "Random Acts of Kindness Blitz" that's going on other blogs today, I'd like to send special thanks to someone I've spent the last year working with on a project I wasn't ready to talk about, and while the plans for this project are delayed for various reasons (Lack of money sadly being one of them) she deserves my deepest, most sincere gratitude.

Illustrator Ellie Record

Aside from being a joy to work with, my experience with her will explain in part why T.A.A. was yet again "Going Dark" with no new posts.

Late last year I was seriously considering going the self-publishing route when lack of interest in my middle grade novel, and being unable to find my next story with agents left to try with it, it seemed my only option left, so I looked into finding ways to essentially launch my own indie press.

However, unlike some of my writer friends who took a more simple DIY approach, which can certainly work, as in their case, I personally saw the idea of going indie differently, not necessarily better, but different. I wanted my brand to look no less professional than the few, and thus hard to reach independent publishers that have survived past the early years of the recession and continue to thrive.

Unlike T.A.A.'s logo, which I've grown to love (Though not quite what I envisioned), its fine for a blog, but I need every aspect of my indie press, including the logo, to evoke three key things-

1. Professional (I don't shortchange what my best work deserves)

2. Playful (For the kinds of books I'd self-publish under this brand)

3. High Quality (Books from Candlewick Press and Dutton Children's Books is what I personally strive toward)

I spent much of last year, mostly through the summer, trying to find illustrators who could deliver the quality and style of illustration for a price I could actually afford, but even one drawing or sketch costs more money than I've ever had in my life, but then I found Ellie, and she was gracious enough to guide me through the basics of art direction, and even negotiate pricing.

However, here's where the story take a shameful (On my part) turn...

I had agreed to a price that I felt I could pay at the time without too much difficulty, but I didn't budget like I should and delayed it for months after she delivered the art I needed for the logo, and this weighed heavy on my conscience for months, which caused me to be unfairly short with people. 

Especially the writers in my support circle, who I never told about any of this, they knew I wanted to go indie, but nothing about the mess I got myself into with commissioning art that while under $1000 USD, was something I shouldn't have done without having it at the time.

For the writers in my support network who I hurt during this time (You know who you are) I again apologize. 

 I've since resolved the payment issues, but the aftermath of my mishandling things caused tensions between my grandma (My stand-in parent) and me, to explode, and we were already on shaky ground with each other before this, but thankfully she got something out of Mother's Day, more than I can say.


After today, that's one thing I'd be okay with staying in neutral, for both our sanity's sake.

Now for those of you who might deservedly think, "Why go through with something you didn't have the money for right then?" and this is the only honest answer I can give-

I believe in my writing. 

As much as I still agonize over the process, nothing I've done up to now has been fake, and every time I come to the computer, I push myself hard, maybe too hard sometimes.


However, the more ambitious your goals, the more I feel you have to surpass your limits to achieve your dreams. 


Sometimes this turns me into a jerky tyrant, and I'm not proud of that, and what it did to my writer friends, but thankfully they know any rage is rarely ever about them.


Only the effort from sharpening my skills and not letting harshly conflicting critiques (However valid) stop me.


I didn't do this to get rich (But I do need/want to make some money, and there's a happy medium between earning pennies versus millions, that's all I say about that), I did this as a proactive declaration of what I'm able and willing to do, so I can finally open some doors, after years of being blocked by closed ones. 


But that blinded me to the logistics of my situation.

While for some of you, spending over $400 is not a big investment (Medical bills, home mortgages and car and student loans can go well beyond that), I took what for me, and my life at this point time, is a BIG risk. Not just in money or time, but putting absolute faith in reaching the readers who will give my way of storytelling a chance, and prove to myself that there are still readers who connect with what I write, and by building a large and vocal enough following, I might open doors that otherwise remained closed to me.

Long shot, I know, but it DOES happen.


Despite how negative I can unintentionally come across, I'm really an optimist, even when it looks naive, it's how I maintain even an ounce of sanity on the worst days. Today is thankfully not of those days. 

Generally speaking, despite some of the angst and touchiness about self-publishing going away, it's still not easy or affordable to do it right, especially if you want to achieve professional results. 


I honestly feel it's the only way to logically reach readers who might still be wary of books outside the big 6, or small publishers like Candlewick or Holiday House, who have proven their mettle from many years and successful authors in the business, and I'm not just theorizing here.


As a reader myself, with little money to my name, I too have to be selective, since many of the books I'm interested in are never available in my library network where I live, and I often have to buy much of what I read, including the market guides, my local library, even through inter-library loan only has editions of CWIM (Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market) that are two to five years old. That won't do in finding markets THIS YEAR, and for those of you T.A.A. readers who are writers like myself, know what I'm talking about. 


It's why I get a bit testy when people tell me to utalize my library more, but aside from working out ways to get to the library, they rarely have the books I want to check out, and with the slow pace I read and retain information, I'm better off buying the book myself, so I can take my time, especially in the case of craft books or market/reference guides.

Maybe if I lived in a more book-friendly city, with far less debt, this wouldn't be as hard a problem.

Anyway, I sadly have been tempted to pack it in the past three years especially. As much as I take no one's gratitude and support for granted, there's still a difference between what my writer friends like about my writing, and finding either agents or editors who feel the same way, not to mention the readers I'm trying to reach in the first place. 

Back to the main point, in short I finally paid her for the initial sketches, but asked her to hold off coloring the art until the summer when I can pay that upfront a lot sooner, and hopefully that'll be cheaper than the initial sketches were, but they were worth the money I paid, and once the coloring's done you can the results when my indie press launches later this or next year. 

Originally, I planned to launch my indie press this month. But delays with the aforementioned logo art; limited funds to aid in book covers and other needed art, and the editorial process needed to weed out sloppy writing, not to mention the books I'm working on are either not emotionally, or technically ready to bring out--I had to delay the launch until things improve.

Ellie, thanks for being so patient and understanding of me the past year. I never intended or meant for things drag out this long. This has more to do with my lack of self-discipline and desperation on my part. I promise things will be different from this point on. 

As someone who can't create art visually the way you can, you deserved more than we agreed on, and I'm truly sorry for any inconvenience my delays of payment caused you.

Writers, there are two lessons I hope you can learn from this story-
1. Patience (Duh!)

2, Just as important, be willing to take (reasonable for your life and finances) risks.

Until Next Time, this your literary rat signing off for today.

Face Your Fear Friday - Episode 3

Welcome back to Face Your Fear Friday. This week's entry will be short and sweet as real life offline is getting cramped for time. 

Every Friday, as we slide into the weekend, I issue a challenge that even the more frazzled writers can at least identify with, if not execute.
This week's challenge is simple. Again, I repeat for your multitasking parents/writers, 
S-I-M-P-L-E...

Just answer the following two questions-

1. What's one aspect of the writer's craft that you've yet to master, and are working towards this year?
For me, it's being able to rediscover the joy of writing, without the pain of drafting and rewrites make me a neurotic pessimist, which I'm really not at my core, though lately I have to hit rock bottom to realize that.

2. Name one book that normally is not your thing, yet read it anyway, but liked?(NOTE: What you were FORCED to read in school doesn't count, that's a unique pressure few of us want to relive)

For me, it's "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. Well, I actually listened to the audiobook, but it's a top notch production in its own right, and for writers who know me well, this was the ONLY way I'd experience this book the first go round, and  I want to experience again, this time on the page, but like my writer friend Kelly told me recently on her blog, "Books are books, no matter what the medium."

I agree with this, if only in part to ease my own guilt, but as craft books and experienced writers will tell you often, there are times when reading on the page, opposed to listening to the audiobook or even the e-book isn't the same.

Writers say all the time they notice things in print they don't on computer screens when they edit books, so doesn't the same apply to reading books, too? But truth be told, if not for audiobooks, I'd have enjoyed few stories in the last three years.

I personally need to combat this problem, because for me it is a problem, not all the books I want to read are available in audio form, and I do have a restrictive feel when I read books on the page, because trying to mime craft from it is not a particularly helpful, never mind joyous experience. A feeling that wasn't always there.

 Craft books aside, I read for escape and solace, and I don't find picking authors apart all that entertaining, and that mindset has ruined the reading experience for me, at least at this point and time. I'm trying not to be so absolute in my thinking, since some struggles do improve and lessen with time.

If you grapple with this literary tug of war as I do, please share in the comments below, if you're the only one among your posse of writer friends who has this problem, I URGE you to comment below, because I'm there with  you, I really get it because I'm there myself, know you're not alone.

You have until April 27th, 2012 before comments are closed. Thanks to all who commented in last week's challenge, and I hope comments increase this week.


UPDATE (4/27/12): Commenting Closed.

Animal Fantasy Awareness (T.A.A.'s going Back to Basics!)

Some time ago, my writer friend and "Comrade in Revisions", Kelly Hashway, posted on her blog something she shared with me in private 


She's unabashedly a YA writer. 


Those who read my Critter Chat with Kelly in January know she began her writing career in different realm form where she's heading now. Between various sales of her work in magazines, her first major release was a picture book, "May the Best Dog Win" inspired by her daughter (pre-K at the time of this post) who asked her to write one, and the rest is history--for that book, anyway. She later went on to collaborate with her illustrative sister, Heather, on her self-published effort, The Perfect Puppy, and more recently, Santa Bunny. Heather also did the cover art for "The Imaginary Friend" her two part short story now available for free* at Amazon.com (Price of Free may be subject to change).


Kelly's work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies, and we each have a story in the anthology "Trunk Stories." 


But as I said at the outset, Kelly's found her new home in the world of YA with the first two books in her trilogy, TOUCH OF DEATH AND TOUCH OF, currently slated for publication in January 2013 and July 2013 respectively (Pub Dates are subject to change so please follow Kelly Hashway's blog for any date changes).


I'm happy for you, Kelly, there's nothing like the feeling of finding where you belong and are most happiest. True for anything in life, but especially for writers who have to endure decades of apprenticing to start their careers.
Be it a magazine piece, memoir, nonfiction, novel or poetry/story collection.


Those who follow my blog know I struggle with writing my own stories for the YA audience, a skill that I know will serve Kelly well, but what you may not know is she landed her agent with a middle grade novel, which is my specialty, but the current market for debut middle grade fiction is struggling, even more-so for folks like me who are more at home with animal fantasy, than anything with a dystopian or edgy and dark bent. 


Aside from wishing I could write YA, I also longed for finding my own tribe of readers, not just writers of animal fantasy, and not just paranormal.


As many of you T.A.A. faithful may have noticed, I haven't written much on genre-specific issues nearly all writers of animal fantasy face.


I mean my blog's named, "Talking Animal Addicts" and yet I've kind of deviated from the core message of my blog, and there are really two key reasons why-


I Didn't "OWN" my love of the Genre
There are many posts I wrote to tackle this subject that I never posted or completed because I had doubts of the impact my passion could have.


Envy Delayed My Progress
That pretty much speaks for itself.


But no more. Like Kelly, and many writers before me, I need to embrace my niche, rather than feel shame from it, that's vital for all the writing I do, and those of your who also blog know full well what I mean.


So, consider this statement a follow-up to my intro post when I began Talking Animal Addicts in December 2010-


I started this blog to protest the myth that only preschoolers like animal fantasy, and unite other like-minded writers who know all too well as I do that stigma attached to these stories, especially as an unproven brand name author, but the stigma also comes from educators and parents, other writers (Even those we love and respect), even some publishing insiders who argue that kids are demanding more books with more contemporary, or reality-based plot lines.


Maybe there aren't millions of us, but there are more than the average person might think, especially among the non-parents or writers who aren't easily in tune with their "Inner Child" and/or interact with children on a regular basis. and I think part of this is the fear we have of divulging our passion for animal fantasy, since the first thing people will say is "That's a hard sell, especially for non-famous author." 


Whether this is true of every case or not isn't the issue here, the real issue is for those of us who proudly write the books we love to band together, and shout to the world, "We're not crazy for reading or writing books about or featuring talking animals!"


Okay, maybe not shout it at work, or outside your kid's high school (Or anywhere people who know you will hear...) but it's important to remind yourself why you do what you do. It keeps you honest, if not always sane.


I felt strongly there needed to be an outlet for these writers, a sanctuary even, where their passion would not get made fun of, but meet like-minded writers, that span the ages and stages of writers worldwide.




I want T.A.A. to become that safe haven, and will get back to more animal fantasy related posts in the coming weeks. If you have any ideas, feel free to share in the comments below. I urge all you writers of animal fantasy out there to let it rip in the comments below.


Tell your writer friends to find T.A.A. on Facebook and Google+.
Eventually T.A.A will have its own Twitter Feed, but for now you can follow my separate Twitter Feed here.


Remember, "We're not just for preschoolers anymore" We're for readers and writers who love what we do, and eventually people will see that reflected in our stories, instead of thinking "We're just trying to ride the copycat wave of Charlotte's Web, Redwall, and Watership Down." 


Some people do that. No question. 


I'm not one of those people. 


Anyone whose read my work, even people who normally don't read or particularly like animal fantasy, have told me this, a writer can't ask for a better endorsement than that (Well, a paycheck would be nice, really, but that's a topic for another time).


Until Tomorrow, 
May the Fantastic Fauna Be With You

Face Your Fear Friday - Episode 2

Face Your Friday is back, after a long (unplanned) hiatus. 


Just like with "Take A Chance Tuesday", I want to make this weekly feature more accessible to those you juggling far more than I can or do, but at the same time remember, facing one's fear's take TIME. 


All Face Your Fear Friday's about is taking the 
FIRST BABY STEPS to facing the writer fear of the week.


For example, if the theme was "Reading what Scares You" or "Name 5 writers you respect, even if their books are just not your thing, and why" all you have to do is admit and share a little from your personal experience. There are no right or wrong answers here.


Writers are all different, even if our goals overlap in the the general sense (Those of us who are struggling for their first SALE, be it book-length story or magazine piece, poem, etc. Already published writers trying to advance their career, etc) how we get there is varied, and some wait longer than others, but unless your naturally pragmatic in your thinking, you can feel alone in your frustration sometimes, especially if most of the writers you know are strong in areas your weak, and it's those weak areas that might be holding your writing back. 


Sometimes simply admitting to a fear, however off the wall it may be, is the first step to getting better at facing that fear and pushing past it to achieve your writer dreams and goals. You have to acknowledge your fear is REAL, no matter what anyone tells you, many writers I know don't feel the same level of frustration about writing YA level fiction, and don't have problems writing nonfiction, but these are barriers for ME, in the same way some of those pragmatical writers don't feel as in tune with their imagination as I do,


While that makes critiquing each other's work hard, we can appreciate what the other does better than us, and its imperative that support goes both ways.


With that said, let's get into this week's challenge.


All you have to do is answer the following question-


"If you could name ONE writer skill you could magically enhance, what would it be and why?"


My answer: Better Query Letters, Better Query Letters, Better Query Letters!


Why? Because these letters are becoming all the more vital, but I HATE writing them regardless, because it's easy to feel like the most hapless writer on Earth because they have to be so professional without being soulless, and anyone who takes this lightly will be sorry, that's as much speaking from my personal experience as it is a friendly warning.


Now it's your turn! Share you answers to this week's challenge in the comments below.


Please keep your answer PG-13 and below, and please stay on topic (No "I don't have time to comment" type comments) comment when you do have time, or try again for next Friday's challenge.


I moderate the comments on T.A.A. and will not approve posts that don't follow the guidelines.


Your answers must be posted by Friday, April 20th, 2012, Noon EST, think of it as a mild time challenge, since for some of us, admitting to fear or weakness is a BIG DEAL, and sharing it among our fellow writers can help take the fear away, or at least bring it down to less traumatic levels, and we may even find a precious gem of advice, insight or a comrade-in-revisions (Comrades in Arms for writers, get it?) that will serve us well for the future.


Anyway, see you here next Friday.


UPDATE (4/20/12): Commenting Closed.

Take A Chance Tuesday - 1st Edition

I know today's Wednesday, but I had too much to do offline to get it up yesterday, so bear with me a moment. Every week (On Tuesdays from now on!), I'll post a new  writing challenge prompt, and you have only until next Tuesday to finish, and report your findings.


I'll discuss the submission part in a moment, bur first it's time to reveal this week's challenge-


Since writers are at varying stages of the process, you'll have a choice of two challenges, you can do only one, or both if you really want to get ambitious.


Challenge #1: To celebrate revision week on my new favorite blog of the moment (Dear Editor) your challenge is to take a chapter from your WIP novel, and try to shorten it to half it's current length.


Challenge #2: Write a one page letter in the voice of your main character or antagonist.


Since I got this up a day late, I'll give you until next Thursday before Noon EST to finish, and you don't have to share the work on the blog.


To enter, all you need to do is post in the comments below, state your first name or pen/nickname if easy to remember and fairly short, and which challenge you're taking on, or both if you're the ambitious type.


Next Thursday, BEFORE Noon EST, go back to the first "Take A Chance Tuesday" post, and comment on how you did with the challenge. Whether you succeeded, or not, and why.


Share anything and everything you learned.


T.A.A. is about celebrating success and rising above stumbles along the way.


NOTE: After this week, all Take A Chance challenges must be completed by the following Tuesday.


The reason I don't ask to submit your results to the blog is twofold. First, especially for new writers, it's easier to acknowledge our growth (However fast or slow) when we don't get overly competitive towards others, since not everyone needs or responds well to heated competition when they're struggling to learn new skills.


Second, theses challenges are meant to help writers build their own sense of progress, rather than use other writers as a yardstick for excellence, since unless you know your process naturally gels with another writer, especially if you're in a hands-on critique group, you can make yourself insane trying to work out if this is general info you need or  is just one writer's subjective preference they make work fine for that writer, but will do more harm than good if you employ similar counsel.


I want to help writers learn to better trust their own judgement, because the better judge you can be to you, the more civil and impartial you can be toward others when you critique their work, and be able to provide better feedback to them.


Do your best, and until next time,
Take A Chance!


UPDATE: CHALLENGE CLOSED!

New Blog Schedule!

After much thought and care, I can announce the new schedule for T.A.A. starting next week-

Each day will a special feature unique to that day, as well as posts dealing with a particular aspect of books and writing. This will keep my eclectic interests in check, and still have some sense of order, but in a more flexible way.

Monday

Musical Musings

I review music, profile new artists (at least new to me), and share my passions and frustrations of what's become my second art form/passion. 

Tuesday

Take A Chance Tuesday

A weekly writing challenge to get out of our comfort zone and unleash our inner-Avant Garde vigilante.

Wednesday

Random Wednesday

Thoughts and musings of anything intriguing in my world.

The World Building Wars

An ongoing series about ways to take some of the "Crazy!!" out of crafting our fantasy worlds.

Thursday

Get Versed! Thursday

If you're ready to take the pain out of poetry, whether you read it, write it, or both, stop by and learn along with me.

Friday

Face Your Fear Friday

Writers don't just need to "Write outside the comfort zone" but also must "Read" outside it, too. Every week a new prompt will get you, and me, to embrace worlds and ideas we may NEVER want to live, but are fun to read!

I know many writers who thankfully don't have this problem, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who goes through this, and I invite those of you like me in this regard to take the leap of faith along with me, we need to show writers who deal with this they are not alone, even if we are not the majority. 

T.A.A. Top 5

A weekly list of anything and everything I love, and why, in as short a way as I can say it. (That in and of itself is a fear worth facing)

Saturday (Check Back Tomorrow!)

Sunday

Shout-Out Sundays 

Every week I'll highlight any blog, book, writer or publishing tips that I want to spotlight.

The T.A.A. Sunday Gazette 

(Info to come 3/3/2012)

More tomorrow,

Taurean

Okay, I'm tagging myself!

Sorry I've been MIA, but this time it's not because I'm depressed, but I'm writing again and the blog got neglected more than I intended, but I'm still working out the new format and schedule so I won't be gone too long.

In the meantime I'm tagging myself. What do I mean?

Well, my friend Kelly Hashway got "tagged" today, but so far no one tagged me, but another writer I know gave me an in so to speak, to see what I mean, click here.

1. You must post the rules!
2. Answer the questions and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them.

Questions to answer:

If you could live in a fictional world, where would that be?
That's a tough one! I'll get back to you....

Do you read in noisy or quiet places?
Ideally I'd prefer quiet (Moms, don't hate me!), or a little music that's not distracting from the book, I can read through some noise, provided it's not a heated argument between people, at home or in public. At least it's easier in most  cases to move away in public than at home.

What was the first book you ever read?
A Rat's Tale by Tor Seidler. Not my first book in terms of reading on my own (I can't remember, but it was something for school), but this is first book I  bought with my own money, and read solely for ME, as opposed to what I was forced to read in school. This book was also the inspiration for my last completed MG novel. I was 14, but my life as a pleasure reader started with this book.

If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oy! This is another tough one. Well, I'd have to say Time Stops For No Mouse by Micheal Hoeye. It's got it all: action, danger, murder, mysteries, even unrequited love (Well, until books 3 and 4, but I would've been ticked otherwise...)

Favourite author?
I can't choose, there are too many!

Do reviews influence your choice of reads?
Sometimes, while it's never my sole influence, I've taken chances on books I normally wouldn't touch if the reviewer's testimony gives me something that informs me enough to go for it without spoiling the story, something that's hard to do, especially with series books. For the most part I trust my judgement and know how to find my own "Diamonds in the Slush" so to speak.

Fiction or Non fiction?
Primarily Fiction, but I'm embracing nonfiction more, and not just for novel research.

Have you ever met your favourite author?
No. But I have more than one favorite author, and sadly most of them rarely come to America (Especially Michigan...), and most are dead now, the most recent of which I touched on in during my Dangers of Rivalry series in January.

Among the still living (Far as I know), Vivian Vande Velde, Megan MacDonald, and Tor Seidler who in particular is one of my greatest inspirations. His books are so witty and well written, and while he may be a bit "Dawdling" for some, I'm addicted to his prose, and his ability to make unlikely heroes from animals who often tend to be demonized unfairly in my opinion, something I've adopted in my own writing.

Audio books or Paperbacks?
Both! Primarily hardback/paperback. You didn't say I had to pick one or the other...

Classic or Modern Novels?
Both! As much as I love/admire numerous writers from the 21st century,  don't deny me the pleasures of Potter (Not Harry, kids, think female from before color movies), Scarry and Waber. Which reminds me, I need to re-read all my Lyle books...

Book Groups or Solitary Reading?
Solitary, but I'd like to give a book club a try.


Who am I tagging?
Angelia Almos /Angie Derek (1 Author - 2 Names)
Mariah Deitrick
Jami Gold
Janice Hardy
Jill Kemerer
Casey McCormick
Sheri P.
Patricia Puddle (Hey Trish! So proud of your progress and imitative!)
Allyn Stotz
Hilary Wagner (Hey Hilary! Hope to see my name by yours on the bookshelf one day)
Gueh Yanting


Will post again soon,
Taurean

Does Your Story "Choose" YOU?

What I mean by that is: have you ever had the experience where you wrote a story that was "handed to you" opposed to something you had in mind? When I say this, I don't nessecarly mean you get the fully formed story and you can draft it in months or a week, as opposed to many years, even decades.

I'm talking about stories that may hit too close to home for the writer, but they just had to write it, no matter what, and whether or not they publish it, it seemed to help them in some way.

I often hear writers talk about this serendipitous, impossible to explain experience of a story they need to write, but normally wouldn't, or even didn't want to write/enjoy writing, but later saw it was worth it.

While I feel less down on myself to hear writers, especially those farther in their careers than myself at present, admit to this, I personally have not found this experience either helpful or enlightening, and maybe that comes from my impatient and stubborn nature.

I feel like a hypocrite for saying this, but I feel conflicted with this issue, and as someone who strives to be less restrictive with what I write, I struggle with being free in my writing, because most of the time, it's led to my biggest flops, and no amount of editing will fix it.

I know about living with a mental illness.

I know about living with a parent with a mental illness.

I'm not in denial about either of these things. But I don't want to write about it.

Not as fiction.
Not as nonfiction.
I just don't want to go there.

Even if I did, the distance needed to not just be a tedious rant is nonexistent.

I've often heard writers say that sometimes what you don't want to write is what you need to write, and I'm not talking query letters (They go without saying!) but writing stories about topics or subjects you either are too afraid to write, or simply don't want to write because they can hit too close to home, or your angst/depression/rage towards the issue(s) involved with personal experiences in certain topics cloud your ability to write (and rewrite, yuck!) the best story you can, instead of a one-sided rant, and we get enough of that from "reality" television as it is, and if you don't want to be part of that world, and I sure don't, why add to it?

I'd LOVE to hear other sides to this topic. Please share your experiences of instinct and happenstance in the comments below.

I'd like to think I'm not alone, but sometimes I wonder, I think my old critique group friends are braver than I am in this regard, or they just hide their mixed feelings so well I'd never know.

Until next time,
Taurean

The Dangers of Rivalry - Part 4 (To My Rival(s), With Love - Or, How Letter Writing Helps Us Heal, Whether we mail them or not

To read Part 1: Click Here
To read Part 2: Click Here
To Read Part 3: Click Here


Hope everyone had a good holiday. I really felt at peace this Christmas, something I could not say with any honesty last year, and DEFINITELY not the year before that, and while I wish I were less touchy than I was, it was the first Christmas since the start of my 20s when I never cried once, and I truly was grateful for what I have in my life, yet at the same time, not punish myself for feeling empty of things I missed.


I know many of you find cooking at the holidays stressful, but I truly love it, the only real stress is sharing a frustratingly small kitchen with two relatives, who wish I could attain the physics-defying speed of Sonic the Hedgehog in terms of cooking and cleaning, otherwise I've felt nothing but joy from the kitchen. 


For those of you who've been following my rivalry series this month, you know that I've touched on how rivalry stopped my growth as a writer, and how it stole the joy of reading the books who inspired me to write myself. I knew I had to resolve this issue or I'd never move on in a healthy way.


That said, I had NO IDEA how, even as I began this series on the dangers of rivalry, but over the weekend, on Christmas Eve in fact, I made a decision, that for me, will be the first proactive step I've made this year to lay the foundation to getting my joy back: writing letters to my rivals.


In part 3, I suggested ways you can calm and eventually revert the negatives effects of rivalry and turn them in to something positive.


Let's take that a step further. Write a letter to the writers you feel envy or rivalry towards in the first place.


Since it's not likely the writers you feel inferior and/or envy to are people you know or can contact (Especially if they're dead)  and you really don't want to be a jerk, especially if envy aside, you love their books and you wouldn't have learned the love of storytelling if not for their work, but you're just tired of being compared or accused of copying them, when you are trying to be you, and at the same time "learn" from them without becoming a paranoid mock-scholar, and unless you're really sure of yourself, doubt and frustration can turn the most sensible writers into envy-ridden maniacs.


Writing them a letter, yet not mailing it, may give some sense of closure, or at the very least lets off steam in a private way.


I've been there more times than I care to admit, but I admit it often on T.A.A. Not to bore folks with my ranting, but in hopes that other writers who've had to suffer similar frustrations, know they aren't alone, especially if you don't respond well to the "Boot Camp" style of instruction/feedback found in many critique groups in workshops. 


While no one likes to deal with whiners, the same is true for people who come off as self-absorbed know-it-alls, who have no empathy for others who struggle at something that's common sense to them, and it's no way to treat anyone, especially when they're doing their best, even if it's not at your level or conforms to your way of doing things. We all need to be mindful this. You'd be surprised how easily you can become the type of person you despise most yourself. 


Trust me. I've been there, hard as I tried to avoid it, but I've learned from that ordeal, and now I just have to put into practice more often...


Anyway, here's some pointers to keep in mind to make this letter writing a positive experience in self-discovery and self-healing-


1. Put Out an I.D.T. R. ( a.k.a. I.D. the Top Rivals)
Make a list of all the writers you admire/envy/get compared to in critiques. Of those writers, pick a top list of 6-10. It can be less than 10, but go for an even number, the reason why brings us to step 2 below-


2. It's time to play "Which Writers are not like the Others"
Narrow down the list down to writers whose books you've actually read. It's easier to be honest with yourself in this exercise if you've read book by  the writers you're compared to and/or admire. It also keeps you from demonizing them, which is something that's easy to do, especially when you feel the writers you're being lumped with aren't as similar to your work as others claimed.


3. Write each writer a personal letter
That's right, a simple, informal, business-free letter. You know, the kind our ancestors wrote before e-mail and Skype. Now if you're handwriting sucks like mine, feel free the compose on the computer. The point here is to write our rivals a personal letter, something we'd write to people we know, and for the purpose of this exercise, LIKE or respect, but don't have to be all business with at all times.


4. Be Honest
This simply means to be real with why you feel animosity towards certain writers. Things they do better than you. 


-Aspects of craft they just get on a deeper level than you at present.


-Are able to dig deeper into emotions and experiences you aren't able to yourself.


-Can push the envelope in ways you simply can't conceive of doing yourself--and not necessarily for lack of trying on your part either.


-Are simply more business-savvy than you. (Even if unlike me, you understand it without going nuts, even if you still recoil at this aspect of the process)


Even though you know (Exceptions to the rule aside) most writers had to start at square one, meaning that they were rookies at the very aspects of the craft or business you and I a struggling with right now, and many are happy to tell you still are, it can still be a bit sobering to watch others in your field find things you're having self-pity conniptions over "no big deal" since they exude such confidence and/or respected reputations, and have satisfied readers to prove it.


That doesn't mean they don't put in the same level of care to raise the bar on their goals, but I do think the way writers measure, and think of success changes over time. 


While you know achieving this level of grace, humility, and understanding took time, unless you started writing yesterday, you've been at this for some time yourself, and if you're stuck at a level that's not helping you, but not hurting you either, you can't help but ask yourself: What don't I get?


Only you can answer this question for yourself.


For me, while I get nothing about this is easy, it would be nice to not feel so lost all the time, don't you think?




5. Be Respectful
While we're not going to actually mail these letters, electronically or otherwise (Even if the writer's still alive), it's important to write these letters with respect for said writer(s), especially if we loved reading the books they wrote in the first place, yet now find it hard to remember how much we did, and still appreciate the joy or solace they gave us when we read them, and I suspect many writers were strictly readers first, and the passion to write came later--at least in terms of making a career in this field.


This is certainly true for myself.


Remember, the point of this exercise is to face our fears and frustrations, and set ourselves free of the pain we carried, and being honest yet respectful in these letters will help you get real, and at the same time, allow yourself to get these feelings out so they don't eat away at you, move on from them, but acknowledge they were no less real than if someone you know personally had hurt you, directly or otherwise.
Think of it like giving or receiving (non-abusive) feedback on others work. 


Hope you'll share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you plan to try this experience for yourself, feel free to share your general overall results as well, but remember, these letters are for your eyes only. 


Though if you have a writer's group, it might be a fun exercise to share amongst your members, with the strict understanding that these letters are only meant for the eyes of the group.


Until next time,
Taurean

The Dangers of Rivalry - Part 3 (Remembering The Rivals Who Were Once Your Friends)

To read Part 1, Click Here!

For Part 2, Click Here!

Now when I say, "Friends" I don't necessarily mean you personally knew the writers you feel envy, and/or inferiority toward, (Specially if they've been dead for years longer than you've been alive) but rather for the writers whose books made you fall in love with books and the written word in the first place.

Now that you're a writer, you can't face these books the same way anymore, they're now the rivals you must learn from to be a better writer yourself, while at the same time not turn your back at what you bring to stories no one else can.


Before I go on, I need to stress  while many writers I know, particularly those who've progressed their careers far beyond where I am, will say the opposite, I know there are many writers besides myself, who've seen similar success, and worked NO LESS hard to get it, who respect and understand if the reading experience is not the same as it was before we made the shift from being only admiring readers to being writers ourselves.


For those writers who came to the craft later in life, (After Grade school but before College) this wondrous feeling is at risk of extinction during the early years on this road. You don't want to be so married to your words you don't grow and learn, nor be so self-critical and second guessing every choice you make you afraid to be YOU, not X writer who made headlines for the latest sexy vamp on the bestseller lists,

Consider the following-

Both The Diary of Anne Frank and Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" are true accounts of difficult lives, but I'm hard pressed to call them "Clones of each other." Even though both writers were accounting their life in some way.


Gender and age differences aside, they're still both nonfiction, still both snippets of real people who lived and later died, telling their stories, their way.

My point? As writers, we owe it to ourselves to respect and learn to tell the difference, between "Subjective Taste" and "Writing that's just not up to snuff."

Because now more than ever, there are moments when the line between them is nonexistent, yet both equally matter, and handling it wrong can tear even the most committed critique groups apart in heartbreaking--even career-ending ways.

So here's an exercise I urge you to try-

First, make a list of writers/genres of books you used to love reading, but don't since you started writing, and take special note of books or writers you find hard reading since pursuing publication/after being published, that often says a lot about our inner fears that hold us back, not just from the writers we want to be, but the happy readers we used to be, and missed being, and for whatever reason, don't yet know how to be again.

Second, read one of those books or writers, but make the effort of telling yourself, aloud if you have to, "I'm a reader right now, no different than the readers I want to have one day, and I have the right to love or not love any book, no matter who its by" and read the book, for fun.

If you are the type of writer who is comfortable studying for craft in books, I strongly advise only doing so after you've read the book as a hopeful reader first and foremost, pick books you've read more than once, it's a lot less torturous that way, trust me on this one.

Third, once you've read the book(s), take some time to savor what you read (If you enjoyed it) and if you didn't, or stopped because you just didn't find it captivating, tell yourself that's OKAY. Again, aloud if you need to.

Remember, this isn't solely about "A battle of egos" but just the simple fact that we need to learn to notice what's personal taste versus what will confuse/aggravate/bore any reader.

If you've ever had to re-think your own rivalries, or learn from mistakes you made when critiquing others, please share them in the comments below. The holiday is a great reminder for us all to support each other, and extending that generosity and the passion to pursue our unique definitions for success, well into the new year.

Check back soon for Part 4.
Ciao for now,
Taurean