How Do You Feel When You Write?

Today, I have a question for you - How Do You Feel When You Write?

When I write, I feel happy. I feel a sense of satisfaction and joy when the words flow out of me and on the page. At times, I feel frustrated when the blank screen/page is staring back at me and I feel the words inside but can't get them out. Sometimes I feel angry at myself for not being disciplined enough to write more. But when I get back on track, I feel a sense of fulfillment that drives me on. I feel like I can do anything in those moments. When the characters develop and come alive, I either feel like I'm a creator, a powerful feeling indeed, or as if they are my old friends. Yet other times, I want to be them. And they are all a part of me.

So my question to you, dear readers, is

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WRITE?

Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World - Week of September 24th

Well...yup, you guessed it - it's Monday...again :D

So here's your list of great contests and giveaways that will help the week go by faster and a little happier!

Jennifer Estep has a guest blogger Carrie Lofty talking about the Romance of WWII. Answer a question in the comments (I love the question!) and you will be entered to win a digital copy of His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty. 

Win Kindle Fire and get some free books with Threesome Read Some Freebies from Rob on Writing. Contest ends on Oct. 2nd and the winners will be announced Oct. 3rd!

Check out the review of The Obsidian by Catherine Fisher by Pen to Paper and enter to win a print copy. The giveaway closes October 1st, so you still have time.

The Book of Paul by Richard Long is kicking off a blog tour today and Novel Publicity & Co. is giving away 2 $50 Amazon Gift cards as well as an autographed copy of The Book of Paul. Don't miss it!

This is not a giveaway but loved the concept and wanted to include it in the list:
For Animal Lovers is a collection of heartwarming short stories for kids ages 9-12. 10% of the sale price is donated to the ASPCA! And the digital book only costs $0.99.

Read Chuck Sambuchino's article on Writer Unboxed - 9 Frequently Asked Questions About Query Letters and leave a comment to be entered to win a either the 2013 Guide to Literary Agents or the 2013 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

*As always, please contact me for the inclusion of your contests/giveaways into the Monday Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World posts.

Have fun and good luck! 

Also, don't forget to become a follower of this blog to make sure you catch giveaways coming soon!

The Shades of Gray (La Femme Nikita)

What makes a story or a character compelling? What makes us want to keep reading or keep watching a story? What makes us identify with it?

It is very important that a good story has all shades of gray. A character should not be black and white, unless there is an absolute purpose to him being that way. Otherwise, it makes a character flat.

A perfect example that I’d like to use is the series called La Femme Nikita. The original series ran on USA network from 1997 to 2001. The new series I’m referring to is called Nikita and is currently showing on WB11. I watched the original series religiously and have recently re-watched all five seasons on DVD. It was an exciting, insightful show with plenty of internal conflict to add to the action storyline. And this applied not only to the main protagonists, Nikita, Michael and others, but also the antagonists, the “villains”.  Two of those, Operations and Madeline, were characters that you loved to hate. They were often the biggest bastards. But, at the same time, they were also shown to have a different side, a side that cared about certain people, a side that was thoughtful and perceptive. You got to see them in situations in which they were conflicted but chose certain actions because they had to, or because they believed it was for a the best. You got to see their motivations. Even you didn’t agree with their actions, you could understand where they were coming from. They were all shades of gray. And I loved every minutes of that show. You could never guess what’s coming next.

The new show, Nikita, is a total opposite of the original. Most of the characters are one-dimensional, almost childishly cartoonish in their black-and-whiteness. There’s very little tension, and most of the story is held by the external action, which is just not enough. The antagonist, Percy, is a typical “villain” whose motivations are so predictable and not likable, you almost don’t pay attention to him, despite him being one of the main characters and story “movers”.

In the original, there was also always tension of some kind within the story of Nikita and Michael’s relationship, throughout the whole fives seasons. Whether other people were trying to keep them apart or they had an internal struggle within themselves, there was always tension. To the very end the viewer couldn’t decide if Michael and Nikita were going to get a happy end or not. In the new show, they get together before the 1^st season is out and have an almost happy-end type relationship going on right off the bat. In a word – boring and not realistic under the circumstances.

When writing, you have to keep in mind the same principles that apply to making a show interesting and watchable. You need to show various sides to your characters, be they your protagonists or antagonists. You need to show their motivations, what moves them, what makes them tick. Like a painter, you have to use all colors in your pallet to make the story more interesting. And that includes using all shades of gray.

Collaborative Writing

         

 Writing is often a very individual endeavor. But sometimes collaborative writing can bring a wealth of inspiration, experience, knowledge and support.

I always loved writing and have written a certain amount of articles, ideas and started my share of novels. Then there was a period of time when either life was getting in the way of writing – too much work, no energy, too tired – or any number of fears and inhibitions.

It was the decision to work on writing a novel as collaboration with a dear friend that pushed me out of the slump. First we had a few meetings to hash out our story. Then we started meeting once a week, after our karate trainings. We would go to the same diner every time, our favorite one (which closed down since then to our disappointment) and work on our novel while devouring the food to satisfy our ravaging appetites after a good workout. Suddenly, I had very real deadlines to keep to. We would divide up the chapters and work on them during the week, then bring them to our meetings. At times, we would reach a point where we had to hash things out further, work on developing the characters or outline the next chapters. The brainstorming of ideas was almost always gratifying, not once sending us into fits of laughter that would alleviate the frustration and aggravation of being stuck any day.

This was a really big push in my life for my writing aspirations. I now had more of a purpose and less of that gnawing fear that what I would write would not be good. A fear that I’m sure many writers have felt.

The collaboration have also taught me new techniques, new ways of writing. Our writing, while distinct and individual, also meshed well together. When going through revisions, it helped to have two sets of eyes for both of our chapters.

 But above all that, however, this collaboration helped me to move forward with my individual writing, to set my own goals and deadlines more consistently and to keep to them more strictly.

We were already very dear friends when we started this collaboration project but one more benefit from it was the strengthening of our friendship.

 Have you ever collaborated on your writing with anyone? What lessons did you learn from it? Would you do it again? If you haven't, would you consider doing one?