Writing Process

Writer’s Group

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Sep 17, 2021 in Writing Process, Writing Tips | 0 comments

Three writers, infinite support

Just back from a meeting with my writer’s group; I’m so happy for our vaccinated selves to be able to get together in person once again.

For a while there, I wasn’t a big fan of writer’s groups. I’d read something early on, I think it might have been from Fay Weldon, along the lines of “One day your editor will say yes or no and that’s the only opinion of your writing that you need.”

Officially, I was wrong. Although it did take me a few tries to find the right group, I’ve got to say that the benefits are huge. Among them:

• People to talk you out of your imposter syndrome.
• Accountability—you’ve got to write something for the meeting!
• People who adore your characters almost as much as you do.
• People who are not afraid to tell you straight up when your writing is getting boring or confusing.
• An excuse to buy a fancy coffee and a nice sandwich and a cookie.

My tips for a writer’s group that works:

• Find people who are about at the same level, professionally speaking. It can be discouraging if you’re still trying to sell your first book and somebody else is moaning about their agent or their reviews.
• Meet outside your house. Writers all spend too much time at home anyway, and nobody should be stressing about their writing AND about cleaning or setting out snacks.
• Pick a nice coffeeshop with big tables and not too much noise. (Our favorite coffeeshop did not survive the pandemic, alas, and we are still casting around for the best replacement.)
• Find nice people. The writing world is full of rejection, bad reviews, and a lot of indifference. If you can find a few people who’ll are genuinely pleased and excited to read what you write—don’t pass it up.

Rejections

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 25, 2021 in Writing Process | 0 comments

Low-cost rejection therapy

A part of every writer’s life, for sure. And there’s a half-myth, half-truth that they get easier with time and experience.

Well, in some ways they do. One thing that working as both an editor and a writer has taught me is that one editor’s “no” is not a verdict on the quality of the manuscript. One editor’s “no” doesn’t preclude another editor’s “yes.” And some manuscripts just don’t hit the market at the right time, even though they are reasonably good in themselves. It’s a combination of skill and timing and luck each time, and if the luck isn’t there–well, it just isn’t.

But every now and then there comes a rejection that really stings–of a book I particularly love, at a moment when I particularly need an injection of hope. A writer’s career is built on hope, after all–you write a book (or at least work up a proposal), putting time and energy and skill and love into it, and then you hope it will spark the right kind of response from someone and they’ll want to pay you some money for it. (Truly a terrible business model.) Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

Then it’s time for long walks, hugging the pets, sweet tea, and patience. The sting wears off eventually, and it’s back to work on the next book, sending hope out into the universe, crossing your fingers that you’ll get some back.

Afraid of Mice? Not Quite…

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 11, 2021 in Nonfiction, Writing Process | 0 comments

Photo credit: keithlawson

More animal research tidbits. You know that old story that elephants are afraid of mice? In the first century A.D., Pliny the Elder claimed that elephants hate mice “above all other creatures.”  Later scientists speculated that mice might run up elephant’s trunk.

This does not happen. And elephants are not particularly afraid of mice, although they have poor eyesight (and also eyes a long way around from the ground) and can sometimes get started by anything that scuttles unexpectedly around their feet.

But there is a tiny animal that elephants are actually afraid of.

Bees.

Despite elephant’s thick skin, bee stings can still hurt. If bees are flying around, an elephant herd may form up into a protective circle with the calves inside to keep them safe from the fuzzy little flying menaces.

Poop Research Continues

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 4, 2021 in Children's Literature, Writing Process | 2 comments

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Nhobgood, Nick Hobgood

Guess what the pristine what beaches of Hawaii and the Caribbean are made out of?

Parrotfish poop.

Parrotfish use their tough beaks to scrape algae off coral and eat it. They also eat the little animals that build the coral. Doing this, they end up crunching up the coral itself, which their bodies process and defecate as lovely white sand.

A big parrotfish can poop out 1000 pounds of sand a year.

You are welcome for this tidbit of horrifying yet delightful knowledge. Take it with you on your next beach vacation.