MJ is a writer and writing consultant devoted to her muse and to helping other writers gain confidence, overcome obstacles, and unleash the story within. She offers multiple services on her platform, mjpankey.com, and creates helpful content for writers on her youtube channel.
“Thank you for your service.” We’ve all heard the phrase, maybe said it ourselves. But how many of us know what that service entails?
Katie Trescott’s short story, “Brothers in Arms”, beautifully captures the unseen burdens of two service members in a thoughtful and moving short story, published by Collateral Journal on 15 November 2021.
I first met Katie in 2019 when she joined the Augusta Writer’s Critique Group. She has submitted several inspiring manuscripts for critique, including “Brothers in Arms”, and I’m so excited to see her published.
Katie’s favorite genres to explore are female-centered adventures, fantasy, sci-fi, and the odd historical fiction. It’s been a delight working with her and I highly encourage you to read “Brothers in Arms” and discover Katie Trescott’s talented storytelling for yourself.
Follow her on Twitter @zombie4tres and stay tuned for more because Katie is just getting started on a very successful writing career!
Do you like listening to great stories? Ones that give you goosebumps and bring you to the edge of your seat?
“Come, Devil”, written by Laura Marden and narrated by Nate DuFort on Creepy Podcast is a short story that will send a shiver down your spine and leave you looking over your shoulder.
If you like supernatural elements with a western grit, you will find this story highly enjoyable.
Laura’s favorite genres to explore are literary fiction, sci-fi, and cyberpunk. I met her when she joined the Augusta Writer’s Critique Group in November of 2019. Since then, I’ve had the privilege to critique several of her manuscripts that have been published, including “Lucid Dreaming”, “Daughter of the Qavvi”, and “Come, Devil”.
She is a highly talented writer and it’s truly been a pleasure working with her. Check out her published manuscripts, follow her on Twitter @LauraJMarden, and stay tuned for more, because she is just getting started on a very successful writing career!
“Hey, you like reading books, do you want to read mine?”
This might be the worst question you ever want to ask someone as a writer.
Why?
Because readers are expecting your book to be the same quality that they are used to reading. They’re expecting a fully polished manuscript: publish ready, grammar and spelling error-free, edited, streamlined, underwritten, overwritten, a killer cover. You get the picture.
So the reason why “Aunt Sal” hasn’t gotten back to you about your book is probably because, to be brutally honest, she thinks it sucks and doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.
And it probably does suck according to her standards of read-worthy manuscripts.
And on the opposite end, for those people who actually read it and are honest with you about it, it can be very hurtful to hear that the book you have poured blood, sweat, tears, and a ton of time and soul into is “boring” or “slow” or “full of spelling errors” or “I didn’t really connect with the characters” or something similar.
Trust me, I’ve been there, experienced both of these scenarios and a bunch in between too. And I’m hear to tell you:
Your manuscript doesn’t suck.
It’s just not finishedyet. You have the bones, some of the vital organs, but the flesh is still inside your head, and you need to get that onto the page, because that’s what’s keeping your readers from experiencing your book the way you want them to. The way you experience it in your head.
“Well. Who do I get to read it then?”
Find a Writer.
Writers appreciate the writing process. They know what a draft looks like. More important, they know what a draft is missing.
Writers can pinpoint exactly where you need to beef it up to make it readable. They’re not looking at your manuscript as publish ready, they’re looking at it as a work in progress, and this is the most helpful perspective one can have when reading your draft.
Writers are not shocked or offended by grammar errors, plot holes, or character inconsistencies, but they are honed into them and can spot them so you can fix them. Sometimes, writers can have great suggestions on how you can rework these problem areas to make your manuscript really shine.
So, when you have “completed” your novel and you’re feeling super accomplished and wildly excited to share your masterpiece, don’t give it to a “reader” to read. Or a family member. Their feedback is unreliable, probably less than honest, they might not read it at all, and they don’t understand how to tell you constructively where your manuscript needs more polish.
Find a writer. A critique group. A freelance editor. Or a designated beta reader (they are also not expecting perfection). Each of these options vary in price from free to well over several grand, with different benefits and setbacks to each one. All of them are far more beneficial than Aunt Sal and will offer you much needed constructive feedback.
Happy Writing!
~MJ
Who is the most beneficial person to read your first draft? #WritingTip #Writing #WritingCommunity #AmWriting
You stare out at the world around you. Fifty years ago, the landscape looked much different, felt different. You recall a conversation you had with someone yesterday about it, and if you look closely, you can still see traces of the world that once was. You think about what has changed, the decisions that led to this, and wonder. Was it worth it?
**Muse Stimulators**
-What year is it? -Was the character alive fifty years ago? -What has changed? -What does the landscape look like now? -Colors? Sounds? Smells? -How does the character feel? -Is this earth or another planet?
Ready for an exhausting month? Day 1 begins today!
NaNoWriMo is a special time of year for writers. Daily word counts at least 1700 words! Hours devoted just to writing! Sound like a writers paradise?
It usually doesn’t quite go down that way.
NaNoWriMo can be a very rewarding time of the year for writers. The writing community is always super energized, and truly motivating and inspiring for me. It is why I formed Augusta Writer’s Critique Group and why I have chosen to devote more of my time and energy to writing and writers.
Although you will find many friends and colleagues in the writing community to cheer you on, family members and friends who don’t write may not understand why you’re suddenly not responding to their texts, passing on grabbing coffee or lunch, or shutting yourself up in a room all by yourself at night. So I recommend letting family and friends know that you’re going to be prioritizing your writing this month if you are planning to participate.
There may be some people who say that if you’re not officially signed up on the NaNoWriMo website and planning to write a new novel that you’re not really participating, or you’re not participating “correctly”.
Ignore those people.
NaNoWriMo is about prioritizing your writing to achieve the goals that have been on your “if I just had a month to myself” list for the last year (or longer). I cannot reiterate enough that just making time every day, even 10 minutes, is imbuing the spirit of NaNoWriMo.
So whether you’re a beginner writer wanting to start a new novel for the first time, a seasoned NaNo’er with a detailed plan and a library of lessons learned to help keep you on track, or if you’re like me, and you’re planning to edit the novel you wrote last year; NaNoWriMo is that time of the year where you can find someone to embark on this journey with you, and together create something truly magical.
Everyday for the month of November, I will be live streaming from my youtube channel for 10 minutes. I would love for you to share your writing journey with me in the comments everyday, and join me in devoting 10 minutes a day to writing. Check out my video below for more information.
Now write a story or poem inspired by this clip. Let your creativity take you wherever it will or keep reading for muse stimulators if you would like suggestions.
Outlander. But better. Oh and it has magic. So way better.
This book follows the story of Neve, who lives in present day Portland Oregon, and William Butler Yeats, who lives in 19th century Ireland. Connected from a past life, they are reunited through magical forces, and must figure out how to stop the evil trying to take over Ireland, rediscovering themselves, and each other, along the way.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, especially given that this is book 3 in the Faery Rehistory series, and I haven’t read the first two. But I was very pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was. I did not feel lost even once.
The main characters had very unique voices, which was refreshing, with excellent insertions of pop culture references (including Outlander) that were both humerous and situationally appropriate. I almost always knew who was speaking and was able to forge a relationship with these characters because of how well I came to know them through their consistent dialogue and behaviors.
Since this was book 3, I was expecting a lot of exposition. While there was some, it was done in a way that kept the story interesting, and revealed just enough that was relevant to this story, and nothing that wasn’t. And there weren’t pages and pages of it at the beginning, only 3 or 4 paragraphs scattered throughout 316 pages, introduced only when necessary for the current plot. So well done on this. Too many series books just rehash info from previous books that have nothing to do with the current narrative, and it’s very amateur. Fisher was expert here.
The magic was also very natural. This book explored reincarnation, Irish gods and goddesses and folklore, the poet William Butler Yeats (which I was skeptical about, but wrongly so), with a very intriguing and suspenseful build up to both the romantic encounter and the “big battle” at the end. Unlike some books, Fisher devoted about 60-80 pages to the climax, so I didn’t feel cheated at all. Her use of time travel was also very strategically done.
And the sex scenes…
🙂
Graphic and tasteful. Not overdone. Definitely not cringy like others I’ve read. They were also well placed in the story.
This book was a great read, and I’ll be adding book 1 and 2 to my reading list in the future and watching for more books by this very talented author. Sharon Lynn’s Fisher’s book The Warrior Poet from Blackstone Publishing, hits bookshelves on 12 October, and I highly recommend it!
The edge of the platform begins at the tip of your toes. You stare down into a seemingly endless abyss. There’s a roaring sound in your ears. Goosebumps raise on your arms, and your heart races faster and faster. This is it. This is the moment. This is the moment your life changes forever.
**Muse Stimulators**
-What is the platform you’re standing on? -Where is it? -What is in the abyss? -What is the roaring sound? -Is there anyone else there? -Is this a literal scene or a metaphorical one? -What happens next?
Nanowrimo. Just hearing the word makes me wince. National November Writing Month is the most exhausting month of the year for many writers. Why? Because 50,000 words in one month is a LOT. That’s 1,666 words a day on average.
But wait MJ, you may say, I can pump out 1,666 words easy in a sit down!
But can you do it everyday for a whole month?
Now, some people can, and many people do, and they do it successfully. For myself, when I tried doing it last year I managed to get in 32,000 words by the end of November. And gurl was it ROUGH. I actually decided to go ahead and keep up the pace through December, determined to finish my novel by the end of 2020. And I did it! Accomplishing a total of 56,000 words if memory serves.
And I’ve scarce touched my manuscript since. Why?
Burnout.
I have had 0 willpower to start revising that manuscript. I have spoken with others who managed to complete Nano and their stories are often similar: They managed to complete a book, but haven’t touched it since due to various “life” things that take precedence over a relationship with the novel that left them feeling exhausted, used, and undervalued after putting so much effort and investment into it.
In many cases, as in mine, the draft is just way too rough and the revision process ahead too overwhelming to really know where to begin. The technical debt we accumulate during that month in our frenzy to “just keep going” so we can “finish it” more often than not leads to many scenes, plots, and sometimes whole endings, that are completely unsalvageable. And so the “finished novel” is laid aside for “when I have time to revise (or rewrite) it.” Which is never.
And then for everyone who didn’t actually finish a novel or accomplish 50,000 words, we feel like failures, equally as exhausted as the person who did finish, but without a complete manuscript to show for it, and often the feeling that writing a novel is just too much work altogether. And so writing as a whole is put on the back burner.
So how do we fix this problem? How do we, as writers, proactively stop ourselves from forging an unhealthy relationship with our future novel and our writing practice as a whole? How do we come out of Nano feeling proud of what we accomplished; that our time and energy was well spent; and that the draft in our hands is actually something worth revising?
Think about Nanowrimo differently.
Word count is nice, but who cares about word count if at the end of it all you want nothing to do with that novel ever again and you’re surrounded by mounds of dirty clothes, crusted dishes, and neglected family and friends who are seriously contemplating a formal intervention?
Rather than word count, rather than completing a (trash) novel, focus simply on writing every day. Let this be your goal for Nanowrimo.
But MJ, that’s a no brainer. I was already planning to write everyday.
Is it though?
Let’s think about it. November is also the time when family and friends are gathering for Thanksgiving, travelling, cooking, buying Christmas presents, etc. For college students, November is when research papers and projects are starting to loom and stress us out. There’s a lot of days that are prone to 0 word counts. So let’s really be real about what our expectations are.
Do this instead:
If you are planning on participating in Nanowrimo this month, make a plan right now to devote at least 10 minutes to writing every single day of November. Clearly, this is not enough time to write 1,666 words. Get it in your head that it’s not about the word count. It’s about making writing a daily habit, practicing writing, and keeping your story present in your mind everyday. 10 minutes doesn’t have to be the stopping place, but make it where you start every day.
10 minutes is easy enough to fit in among all the business happening in November, so stop worrying about how much time you need to carve to write 1,666 words. That’s overwhelming just by itself.
Make sure you have Google docs or some other writing program on your phone, and get to writing during a bathroom break. You’ll be staring at your phone screen anyway, might as well be writing.
And if you’re not able to get to it again that day, you will still have accomplished your goal of 10 minutes. Still made progress. Still made writing a priority.
At the end of Nanowrimo, your story will have progressed, and your writing become a manageable and sustainable routine that you can carry forward beyond November.
For more on this, check out my youtube video by clicking the play button below.
The fourth and final children’s book in the the Little Library of Greek Myths went down without a hitch. My son even said that he wanted to read it again another night. A clear success.
As with the other three books in this series, the artwork was attention grabbing for a child, and the story was straightforward and a good length for a bedtime story.
The Adventures of Odysseus took us through Odysseus’ more popular exploits, and made them more child friendly as well (hitting the cyclops in the eye versus stabbing him for example). I thought Sonia Corvaglia did a great job on this one, choosing the most engaging and interesting stories from Odysseus’ wide birth of narrative to retell.
And my son wants to read it again, which is a major win. I also enjoyed this book, and I definitely recommend this one for your children’s library.
This book and the other three in the series from Starry Forest Books, Zeus, Hercules, and Theseus and the Minotaur hit shelves today, 21 September 2021.
