Grammar-ease: It’s/who’s vs its/whose

Here is a grammar refresher on using it’s/its and who’s/whose.

It’s extremely common to see mistaken use of it’s and its, but this is a simple rule:

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” Period. Only use it’s to replace “it is” or “it has.” Its is possessive and means belonging to it.

And similarly:

Who’s is a contraction for “who is” or “who has.” Period. Whose is possessive and means belonging to who.

Those are simple, right?

Other possessive pronouns don’t have apostrophes: theirs, ours, yours, my, his, hers. For instance, we don’t write:                     But we do write:

• The camping gear is their’s.               The camping gear is theirs.
• Those kayaks are our’s.                       Those kayaks are ours.
• That assignment is your’s.                  That assignment is yours.
• My’s bicycle still looks new.              My bicycle still looks new.
• His’s car barely runs.                            His car barely runs.
• Her’s prom dress is gorgeous.           Her prom dress is gorgeous.
• It’s nest.                                                      Its nest.
• Who’s gloves are these?                       Whose gloves are these?

See if you can pick the correct answers:

1. It’s/its time to give the dog it’s/its bath.
2. Who’s/whose going to drive me to the mall?
3. It’s/its the most versatile ingredient to work with.
4. I don’t know who’s/whose dog this is.
5. It’s/its siding had blown off during the storm.
6. Who’s/whose cooking dinner?
7. The truck was missing it’s/its door.
8. Who’s/whose side are you on?
9. It’s/its okay to be confused.
10. An idea who’s/whose time has come.
11. The tree has lost all it’s/its leaves.

Answers:

1. It’s / its
2. Who’s
3. It’s
4. whose
5. Its
6. Who’s
7. its
8. whose
9. It’s
10. whose
11. its

Does this help clarify when to use it’s/who’s and its/whose?

Thank you for the suggestions so far. What other grammar topics would you like help with? Let me know in the comments!

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer, editor, journalist, and chocolate lover. She loves working with words and helps businesses with theirs. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Saturday Edition – What We’re Writing and Reading

Welcome to this Saturday Edition of What We’re Writing and Reading.

We’re taking a little detour on the weekends now to share some of what we’re up to with our writing (when we’re not here) and what we’re into with our reading (around the web). We’ll also pull back the curtain a little to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what went into a piece.

We hope you enjoy this little diversion and encourage you to share your own posts and picks in the comments.

Happy writing! Happy reading! 

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Lisa J. Jackson

What I’m writing: Plugging away at my YA novel, feeling like I need to do some onsite research at the setting for the story — way up on the coast of northern Maine. It’ll be tough to do in the summer, I know, I know, but I think it’s called for. I need to recapture the essence of the place and tease all 5 senses to help with description. <grin>

What I’m reading:

Found a wonderful post with suggestion for how to stop letting our self-imposed writing goals & promises fall by the wayside. How to stop the excuses and go the distance.

Still reading the Andres Dubus III memoir, Townie. Have only been able to read it in spurts this past week. This weekend isn’t promising for reading time either, but I’ll try!

Jamie Wallace: This week was massively busy and happily productive for me. It was one of those weeks where I looked back at everything I’d accomplished and thought, “Wow! I rocked it!” Of course, all my writing accomplishments fell squarely into the marcom (marketing communications) bucket rather than the fiction bucket, but I still did a little happy dance. I swear that Coffitivity helped me ace all my deadlines (along with my Gipsy Kings playlist on Pandora). Anyway – here’s a quick recap of my week in writing (and reading!):

What I’m writing: Three more pages for an architect’s website, two award show submissions (much like case studies) for a marketing company, a mini ebook on the topic of how brands can reach teens online, and a (winning) proposal for a new branding and website project.

What I’m reading: Again – mostly blogs, but that’s okay. I’m in a “make hay while the sun shines” mode and happy to be nose-to-grindstone for a couple of months if it means I can breathe a little easier and take some time to work on “my” projects later this summer. Meanwhile, here are my fave picks of the week for writing-related posts:

• It’s My Blog and I’ll Cry If I Want To by @storyfix – A rare personal post from one of my favorite resources on the craft of writing.
• Chuck Close on Creativity, Work Ethic, and Problem-Solving vs. Problem-Creating via @99u – This post talks about painting, but the lessons are applicable to any creative endeavor.
• Busy, Guilt-Ridden Writers! Write What You Can by @AineGreaney – I HAVE to try some of these suggestions. Word count isn’e everything. (Thank goodness!)
• 10 Tips for Writers Reading in Public by @randysusanmeyer – Great tips on how not to screw up a reading!
• 7 Bestseller Book Marketing Strategies For Fiction Writers by @JonathanGunson – A wealth of good ideas. As usual.
• Faster, Authors, Faster!  by @Porter_Anderson via @JaneFriedman – Raises some great questions on whether speed and quantity of work pushed out is a good thing … or not so much.

Happy writing & reading! 🙂

Friday Fun – Creative nonfiction – yes, no, maybe?

Friday Fun is a group post from the writers of the NHWN blog. Each week, we’ll pose and answer a different, get-to-know-us question. We hope you’ll join in by providing your answer in the comments.

QUESTION: Do you write creative nonfiction? We’ve recently discovered the site for the Creative Nonfiction Magazine. According to the site’s authors, this genre is one of the most active and “up-and-coming” genres in the publishing industry today. Is it a type of writing you’ve ever done or thought of doing? 

photo: M. Shafer

Deborah Lee Luskin: I’m not really sure how to answer this. I’m an essayist – the author of short, non-fiction stories and opinion pieces, pieces that require creativity and craft. Does that qualify?

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Julie Hennrikus: What an interesting question! I don’t write creative non-fiction. I do write fiction that draws on life. Does that count? I remember a few years ago when a  famous memoir ended up being fiction, and I thought a lot about this very fine line between the two, especially for writers. I am fascinated by the “up-and-coming” description. I need to check the site out!

Lisa J. Jackson: I haven’t labeled my writing as creative non-fiction, but a lot of my feature articles can fall into that category, I believe. I work to tell people’s stories honestly and in a way that pulls the reader in. So, I write short creative non-fiction and haven’t thought at all about writing book-length yet. But, who knows?

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Jamie Wallace: Since I was a little girl, I have loved fantastic stories. My literary worlds were filled with talking cats, unicorns, witches (mostly the good kind), and other creatures and creations that I could not hope to meet in “real” life. Though I still hold dear the magic of these outlandish worlds, I have recently also been beguiled by the idea of beautifully crafted stories and narratives that spring not from the wilds of the imagination, but from the truth of reality.

One of my favorite presenters at this year’s Grub Street Muse writers’ conference was Mitchell Zuckoff, a longtime writer for the Boston Globe and other publications. I have also somewhat recently discovered the creative non-fiction works of Susan Orlean and been intrigued by the way she weaves an entertaining and thought-provoking story out of the bits and pieces of real life that she researches. As a columnist, I write essays that are based in my observations of reality and creatively presented. That is, perhaps, a baby step towards crafting longer form creative non-fiction.

I say “yes” to creative nonfiction. The genre gives writers a chance to explore interesting aspects of the world we live in … and fiction or nonfiction, isn’t that what good writing is meant to do?

Diane MacKinnon: I think of my life coaching blog as creative nonfiction, and I’m hoping to write a creative nonfiction book at some point. I have a file of notes, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Any story that’s crafted well is creative, in my opinion, otherwise it would just be a dry recitation of facts (in the case of nonfiction) or a list of characters and events (in the case of fiction). I hope to do more creative nonfiction in the future, and I’m definitely going to check out this magazine!

6 Super Resources for Writers

It’s a veritable treasure chest of resources!

The Internet is an absolute boon for writers. It connects us to all manner of resources, communities, and learning opportunities. It throws wide the doors to a digital world where we can communicate, collaborate, and commiserate with other writers from all across the globe. It connects us to editors and other potential employers.  For many of us, this wonderland of pixels and platforms is what affords us the chance to make a living (and a life) with words.

I spend more than my fair share of time cruising these virtual streets – peeking in windows, dropping in on conversations, and devouring all the juicy bits of wisdom and wit from writers who have traveled farther ahead on this road than I have. Today, I’d like to share some of my recent finds from the road, so to speak: two podcasts, two online classrooms, and two writer communities. I hope you enjoy them!

Best,

Jamie

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PODCASTS:

I have already gushed over the wonderful new podcast from Brad Reed called Inside Creative Writing. But, Brad is only able to produce one show per week (he is only human), and some weeks (oh, the horror!) he has to take a week off. What’s a writer to do?!? No worries. She can check out one of these two podcasts – each unique and informative in its own way:

Writing Excuses

I loved this snappy, little podcast right from the start. Their tagline won me over: “15 minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.” This is a dynamic show with four hosts: Mary, Brandon, Howard, and Dan. Each episode features these four writers bantering about the topic at hand in an off-the-cuff manner that is very engaging. Though there’s plenty of good-natured ribbing to go ’round, the show still manages to impart some great information. So – if you just need a quick fix, Writing Excuses might be just the thing to hold you over.

Author Edit: Please note that Writing Excuses focuses on genre writing, specifically SciFi and Fantasy in all its fabulous forms and formats. That said, the topics they talk about have application well beyond these genres. 

Writers on Writing with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

If you’re looking for something a little more in-depth, Writers on Writing might suite your mood. The format for this blog is a more traditional interview style show. Each week, the host welcomes a different writer into the studio for an extended chat that might cover a range of topics including craft, the writer’s life, publishing, etc. The show features a wide variety of authors and poets, attracting names as well known as Anna Quindlen and Margaret Atwood. This is the podcast to choose if you want to curl up with a cup of tea and feel like you’re having a tete-a-tete with a writer you admire.

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ONLINE CLASSES

Though I love to take Real World writing classes, life is not always accommodating. Luckily, the Internet brings us a bevy of online courses that allow us to study our craft from the comfort of our own homes (and, even in our PJs). There are countless digital destinations for all kinds of writing classes, but here are two that I think deserve a second look.

Grub Street Writers

Grub Street is a vibrant and growing writers’ community and resource. In fact, it is the second largest independent center for creative writing in the United States. Not bad for an organization with such humble beginnings. I have taken a Real World class at the Grub Street location in Boston (and loved it!), but I’m also very excited that they have just begun to offer online courses as well. Grub Street offers classes in all genres and for all levels of writer. They even offer courses on how to be more productive! This is a quality organization that offers top notch teaching on all aspects of writing. Highly recommended.

Creative Nonfiction 

Unlike Grub Street, I do not (yet) have any personal experience with the courses at CreativeNonfiction.org, but I have been impressed by their content and have heard good things from fellow writers. Creative nonfiction is a genre I’m interested in exploring, so discovering this little gem of a site through a writer friend was right up my alley. They also apparently publish an ink & paper print magazine that is beautiful.

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COMMUNITIES

I know not everyone is on Facebook, but it is a great place to meet and hang out with other writers. There are so many public writing groups to choose from, but here are two that I have been participating in for a while and which I think offer great value in terms of both the content shared and the conversations.

Writing & Publishing

Founded and managed by Marcia Meier (www.marciameier.com), this group offers connections and conversations with many other writers. The post topics range from craft to publishing to funny writer quotes and random bits of literary advice. The community is open and welcoming and a great place to find some inspiration or get an answer to that writing-related question that’s been burning a hole in the back of your brain.

A Writer’s Bucket List Action Team

This new and growing group is the brain child of Dana Sitar, author of the spunky (and free!) ebook, A Writer’s Bucket List. Per the page’s description, “A Writer’s Bucket List Action Team is a place where writers can gather to swap ideas, ask questions, and share inspiration for the writing life. A bucket list is no good sitting dusty on a shelf! We’re going to pull those things out and get started.” I haven’t been able to spend as much time as I’d like conversing with the members of this group, but from what I have seen, they are a lively and diverse group who are open and helpful.

What great resources have you come across in your travels through the writing highways and byways of the “Interwebz?” Anything to share? We’d love to know your great finds!  

Photo Credit: Sebastián Rubiano via Compfight cc 

Being productive by segmenting your writing

Things are picking up for me as far as writing assignments go. Articles, blog posts, marketing materials, it’s coming fast and furious. As a freelance writer, I’m thrilled. This is, after all,  how I put shoes on my kids’ feet.

As a memoirist, though, I’m not so thrilled.

I’m finding less and less time to do the work I *want* to do, as opposed to the work I *have* to do (until I become independently wealthy, that’s just the way it works, folks.) And with summer quickly approaching (one of my worst times of the year with regard to productivity because all the kids are home) I need to quickly put a writing system in place.

In the Spring 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest Yearbook –Writing Basics, Pamela Redmond Satran in her article – Juggle like a Pro – attempts to tackle this very problem.

One of her bits of advice includes:

In the morning I wrote only fiction, and in the afternoon only non-fiction. To make myself switch, I set an alarm clock for noon.

For those of us who have the luxury (and I kid no one, it is a luxury to be able to write all day) this sounds like a fairly good approach.  I’m a big believer is establishing gates that can be closed until opened around writing tasks. At any time, you’ll find at least 2 timers in my office, the 30 minute mark so well worn as to be almost unreadable on all of them.

Although I may not be able to devote the *entire* morning to my personal writing, I can certainly devote a few hours first thing. It’s just that I will need to gate that time off. Nothing else during, except what is allowed.

As far as Satran’s fiction writing (which equates to my non-fiction memoir writing) she also refreshingly suggests that you set writing goals not by word or page count, but by the scene.

…15 weekly pages (two to three scenes) in order to finish a first draft in six months.

This approach, along with segmenting your time based on your types of writing, sounds highly doable to me. While I can’t commit to writing 2000 words a day (something *always* comes up) I can commit to finishing a scene with a beginning, middle, and end – a story unto itself – using the time I’ve set aside in the morning. It might take a day, it might take several, however, I can  envision the goal of a scene with more clarity than the goal of 10,000 words at the end of the week.

This summer it will be start, write and finish, and then on to my other work for me. And hopefully with enough of keeping to the gated-schedule, the gods will be good and will allow me to make progress even with all the kids in the house.

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Wendy Thomas is an award winning journalist, columnist, and blogger who believes that taking challenges in life will always lead to goodness. She is the mother of 6 funny and creative kids and it is her goal to teach them through stories and lessons.

Wendy’s current project involves writing about her family’s experiences with chickens (yes, chickens). (www.simplethrift.wordpress.com)

Grammar-ease: Then versus than

Last week’s post on the difference between “lay” and “lie” garnered a couple of suggestions for grammar topics, so here’s one: how to know when to use “then” and when to use “than.”

The two words can sound alike when used in conversation, which, I think, leads to most of the confusion.

Do you know which of these 2 sentences is correct?

• A. You reacted a lot more calmly then I would have.
• B. You reacted a lot more calmly than I would have.

How about which of these 2 sentences is correct?

• A. Apples are bigger then grapes.
• B. Apples are bigger than grapes.

And one more set. Which of these 2 sentences is correct?

• A. I bought a dress at Macy’s and then went to JC Penney’s for shoes.
• B. I bought a dress at Macy’s and than went to JC Penney’s for shoes.

Then refers to sequences in time. It tells when something happened.

• I washed the dishes, and then I dried the dishes, and then I put the dishes away.
• Finish your homework, then you can go out to play.
• The kitten tangled himself in the yarn, then jumped in the box.
• Once upon a time, boy met girl, fell in love, and then lived happily ever after.
• Until then, let’s stay where we are.

Than is a comparison word.

• I would rather watch this movie than exercise.
• Lilacs are more aromatic to me than lilies.
• Rather than walking on the beach, how about we cycle up the seacoast?
• Five is more than four.
• Cats are more independent than dogs.
• His writing is more formal than mine.

*Here’s a trick if you need a little more help:

When I need to pause to figure out usage as I’m writing, I remember “rather than,” because that turn of phrase sticks in my head and I know ‘than’ is to compare one thing to another. Or the phrase “and then and then and then” which I hear in my mind as a teenage girl’s voice telling me about her day, and it triggers ‘sequence’ for me.

**Or here’s another trick:

“Then” relates to “time” (both have an ‘e’). “Than” is a “comparison” (both have an ‘a’).

Did any of these suggestions help cement the different between then and than for you?

(Answers to the 3 pairings: B, B, A)

What other grammar topics would you like help with? Let me know in the comments!

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer, editor, journalist, and chocolate lover. She loves working with words and helps businesses with theirs. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Saturday Edition – What We’re Writing and Reading

Welcome to this Saturday Edition of What We’re Writing and Reading.

We’re taking a little detour on the weekends now to share some of what we’re up to with our writing (when we’re not here) and what we’re into with our reading (around the web). We’ll also pull back the curtain a little to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what went into a piece.

We hope you enjoy this little diversion and encourage you to share your own posts and picks in the comments.

Happy writing! Happy reading! 

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Diane MacKinnon:

What I’m Writing: I’m working on an essay to submit to a new magazine. The assigned topic is “I Used To Be…Now I’m…” I’ve had a few ideas but now I think I’ve got the meat of the essay. I just need to finish it. I’m also going back to work on my novel. I’m going to work on it as an exercise in rewriting a longer piece. They say your first novel never gets published, but sometimes “they” are wrong, right? Anyway, I know I’ll learn a ton from the experience and it will only help me as I think about writing my next novel (not right now!)

What I’m Reading: The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive, by Brendan Burchard. I’m reading this for the transformational book club I joined. The meeting is this week and it’s the first one I’ll be attending. I’m excited to meet a group of people who are as interested in reading and discussing personal development/self-help/positive psychology topics as I am.

photo: M. Shafer

Deborah Lee Luskin:

What I’m Writing: The week started strong. I wrote a radio essay and a blog post before noon on Monday – but from Monday afternoon on, it was one thing after another: my computer broke down (again), I spent a day in the recording studio, and just as I was about to reclaim the week on Thursday, the call from the Farm Supply store came, announcing that my baby chicks had arrived, so I had to pick them up. Also, the garden. Lots of distractions, but each day is another chance to reclaim my attention and forge ahead on the novel.

What I’m Reading: The Decameron (audio), a book on craft (for a future blog – stay tuned), and The New Yorker (always).

Julie Hennrikus: What I’m Writing: I am working on a new book–really trying to hit 1000 words a day, or average 7000 a week. I am also blogging with five other cozy mystery writers, and writing blog posts for Wicked Cozy Authors.  And I’ve been working on grant applications–does that count?

What I’m Reading: Focus is a struggle for me right now. I am reading Molly Macrae’s Last Wool and Testament. A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die by Edith Maxwell and Liz Mugavero’s Kneading to Die are next. A friend also recommended Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again. It is on my Kindle.

Lisa J. Jackson

What I’m writing: This week has been more about editing projects than accomplishing anything writing-related, which is quite all right. Editing needs to get done too!

What I’m reading: I’ve read a lot of archived e-mail and deleted deleted deleted. Technology makes it so easy to keep files and messages that “I might need/use/search for someday.” But, let’s get real, is any email from 2007 or 2008, or even 2009 going to be relevant to me in 2013? Heck, most of 2010 and 2011 can go too. I can probably find what I need faster by doing a search on Google or Bing rather than searching my Archive folder. And I have to say it feels good to know I’ve eliminated a lot of KB of clutter from my Outlook folder!

Jamie Wallace: After surviving the first heat wave of the season, we have had the loveliest weather this week – sunny and breezy with temps hovering in the upper sixties and lower seventies. Bliss. The perfect weather made keeping my butt in the chair a little challenging. I admit, I took a few extra power walks (which I’ve been especially enjoying since I discovered the Latin Workout station on Pandora). Still, I managed to have a fairly productive week.

What I’m writing: I wrote next week’s column for my local paper. The topic I’d originally intended to tackle turned out to be too involved and politically hot to take on without a great deal of due diligence and investigative inquiry, so I opted for a lighter piece about the wild animals in my ‘hood. I look forward to sharing that in a week or so. I also worked on some brand messaging for a new client project. Other than that, most of this week’s work time was dedicated to administrative tasks, business development activities (spoke with two potential clients), and a lot of project kickoff work. Not as much actual writing as I would have liked, but sometimes there are just weeks like that.

I also published a new post on my marketing blog: How Marketing Is Like Riding a Horse and How To Avoid Getting Thrown. I recently took up riding again (after a 12-year hiatus), and after my first lesson I had a little epiphany about just how much marketing and riding require similar skills. Since I’m a sucker for a good metaphor, I immediately sat down and outlined this post.

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What I’m reading: I borrowed a book of short stories from our public library, Strange Happenings by the staggeringly prolific writer, Avi. I have been considering trying to work on some short stories, and was intrigued by the sheer volume of this author’s work. I also listened to an extended excerpt of Neil Gaiman’s upcoming novel,The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel, which I have pre-ordered and which I’m looking forward to with great anticipation.

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I also had the chance to see Neil Gaiman and Chip Kidd present an informal talk about their collaboration on the new book Make Good Art. Chip Kidd, introduced to the crowd at Club Oberon in Cambridge as the “rockstar of book jacket design,” took Gaiman’s commencement address (the one that went viral) and translated it into a graphically gorgeous, mini coffee table book. My beau and I enjoyed their presentation, and I suffered a temporary fangirl swoon when I shook Neil’s hand during the book signing. (I SO wanted to get a photo, but I didn’t have the nerve to ask.)

In addition, as usual, I chewed through my fair share of blog posts on the interwebz. 😉

• Inside Creative Writing: Episode 11: To Adverb or Not to Adverb? [podcast] by @bradreedwrites – I finally “get” the whole “evil adverb” thing … except I know that they aren’t always evil.
• The Verve of the Blogging Journey [podcast] features two of my favorite business blogger people: @jonbuscall interviews @Soulati on what it takes to be a standout blogger. Though they both play in the marketing pond, their advice is very relevant for writers looking to make blogging a worthwhile activity.
• 9 Tips on Becoming a More Creative & Productive Writer by @WinningAgent via @copyblogger – You’ve likely heard this advice before, but it never hurts to hear it again … and a few ideas were new and inspiring!
• New eBook: A Writer’s Guide to Email Marketing by @DanBlank I have always admired Dan’s work and this ebook addresses an oft overlooked, but very powerful marketing tactic: Email. Yes, boring email actually packs a pretty powerful punch when it comes to building your audience.
• 10 Stupid Writer Tricks (That Might Actually Work) by @chuckwendig – SO much fun, and valuable as well.
• And then there was @JaneFriedman‘s fabulous wrap up: Best Business Advice for Writers: May 2013 … several “keepers” in this curated collection.

One last special treat before we go: This week, I discovered Coffitivity – an elegantly simple, scientifically inspired, and oh-so-fun online app that streams a soundtrack of ambient coffee shop sounds through your computer speakers. You balance the coffee shop soundtrack with the music stream of your choice (I have a great Pandora station based on the band Pink Martini) so that your creative brain gets the benefit of non-distracting background noise. I am LOVING it. It’s perfect for writers who love that coffee shop vibe, but can’t spend their whole lives hanging out  in that space. Give it a try & let us know what you think!

Friday Fun – Has art ever inspired your writing?

Friday Fun is a group post from the writers of the NHWN blog. Each week, we’ll pose and answer a different, get-to-know-us question. We hope you’ll join in by providing your answer in the comments.

QUESTION: Have any of your stories been inspired by a piece of visual or performing art – a painting, a photograph, a sculpture, a dance, or vocal performance? What struck you about the piece and inspired you to write? 

Julie Hennrikus: In so many ways! I run a service organization (StageSource) for the New England theater community, so I see a lot of theater, and talk to a lot of theater folk. Since storytelling is in the DNA, that inspires me. And the dramatic structure of plays is the same for mysteries, so there’s that. Also, using Scrivener, I often take a photograph or a painting and use them as reference points to describe a place, or an emotion. And music is frequently a mood setter for me, though I can’t write with music in the background. Artist dates are my creative food–I am pushing myself to explore new (to me) art forms. Sorry that there aren’t specifics, but I love that my life is full and inspired by art and creativity, and I know it makes me a better writer.

Lisa J. Jackson: Absolutely. I have many short stories whose inspiration came from photos I’ve come across (or taken on my own). I’m always inspired by B&W drawings or photos – something about the lack of color and the different shades of gray pulls me in and gets the muse extremely excited and creative.

I’ve been watching a lot of Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes via Hulu and although pulled in by the mystery, the b&w filming also pulls me in as I wonder about all the colors that I can’t see. It’s a fun creative exercise to wonder what the set was really like – did they care about having complementary colors? Or just use whatever was on hand since it would only convert to a shade of gray, anyway?

Diane MacKinnon: I can’t think of a specific type of art that has inspired my writing other than poetry and literature. Over the years I’ve written sonnets after reading some of Shakespeare’s, haiku’s after discovering the form in a book of Eastern poetry, and I’ve even written my version of an epic journey after reading The Odyssey. While some might not consider this art, I’ve even written about an eventful day as a Star Trek episode. The limitation of different forms somehow boosts my creativity–and it’s really fun..

photo: M. Shafer

Deborah Lee Luskin: Absolutely! Classical music – especially chamber music – was a huge influence and became an important theme in Into the Wilderness. Music is the common language for Rose and Percy, who have no other way to communicate when they first meet. Percy (the leading male) even learns how to play the piano in the course of the story. Landscape and fashion are key elements of Elegy for a Girl, the novel currently with my agent. And I’m now writing Ellen, a story about a character who is hugely influenced by nineteenth century British fiction.

Jamie Wallace: All. The. Time. The quantity and diversity of artworks that have sparked my writer’s mind are nearly impossible to measure. A beautiful bracelet gave me the idea to write a series of linked short stories about the bracelet’s many owners. This painting of a mermaid (which I coveted for years and which my parents gave to me as a Christmas gift last year) made me want to write a story about this beautiful and fierce merwoman. I wanted to find her story and explore her world under the sea. My daughter takes dance classes at a local dance studio that is well known for its modern choreography and gorgeous aerial work. Each time I watch one of these abstract, wordless shows, I can sense a story coursing along just below the music – reaching out through the dancers’ moves. I don’t know if I’ll ever actually write any of these stories, but they stick with me and I feel like even as time passes, they continue to percolate in the back of my mind – slowly brewing themselves into something more tangible than an ephemeral breath from the muse.

Take this song by Sting – a track off his 1999 album, Brand New Day. This song has been rattling around in my head for fourteen years.

Positive Questions Bring Positive Answers

Recently, I got a little discouraged with my writing.  I’m working on rewriting a novel, after finishing my short story in April. But the comments I’m getting from my (amazing and supportive) critique group about my novel seem similar to the comments I got with my short story.

It made me start questioning myself as a writer:

• Am I just wasting my time trying to become a writer?
• When is this going to get easier?
• Do I really have what it takes to be a published author?
• What’s wrong  with me that I’m not improving?

After wallowing for a short time, I realized I’m thinking about my writing in a way that’s not helpful. In fact, I’m setting myself up to fail.

Instead of negative questions that lead to negative answers, it’s more helpful to ask positive questions that lead to positive answers.

Because, no matter how discouraged I get, I’m determined to continue to practice my craft until I master it. Given that, why not ask questions that motivate me rather than discourage me?

Here are a few that I’ve come up with:

What’s one great lesson I’ve learned about writing recently?

• The answer to this one is: “Each scene, no matter how small, needs to include a goal, motivation, and conflict.” (Thanks, Sylvie!)

How much time can I put into my writing this week?

• While this is a very concrete question, I find it helpful because it nudges me to get out my calendar and put writing time down in black and white.

What’s easier than it used to be with regard to my writing?

• Getting to the page is definitely easier. I’m so much more likely to open my computer and start typing whenever I get a spare moment.
• I’m also more able to stay in the chair now that I have some “finished products” under my belt.
• Another thing that’s easier is I seem to get more ideas these days. I feel like my “pump” is always primed for writing. That’s a very good thing.

What kind of support would help me as a writer right now?

• Another concrete question, but one that helps me write more often. This week, it would be great if I asked my husband if he was available so I could go to the library and write one night.

What would make writing more fun right now?

• Focusing on one scene sounds a lot more fun to me right now than thinking about rewriting my whole novel.
• Creative writing prompts sound fun, too.

What’s perfect about where I am right now in my writing? (I know, this is a very touchy-feely question, but hey, I am a life coach!)

• What’s perfect is that no one has any expectations about me as a writer. I can write whatever I want without any pressure from anyone.

Okay, I feel much better now and I’m ready to get back to work.

What questions motivate the writer in you?

Diane MacKinnon, MD, is a family physician, life coach and writer. I blog regularly, journal regularly, and write more regularly these days than ever before. I’m grateful to the community here as you all (contributors and readers) are an inspiration to me. Happy writing!

I Get By With A Little Help. . .

Last week Jamie wrote about the importance of writer friends. Let me start this blog with a resounding “yes!” to that sentiment.  I can’t imagine life without my writer friends. I’ve mentioned my Sisters in Crime before, and what that camaraderie has meant to my development as a mystery writer throughout the years. But this past weekend, I took it one more step. I went on away for a writers’ retreat with five mystery writing friends. And it was a tonic.

The six of us write cozy mysteries. We’ve even started a blog together. The other five all have a three book deal in varying stages of development. We spent the weekend writing. A lot. And when we weren’t writing we were talking about writing. We also ate, drank a lot of wine, cooked, took naps (OK, that was me), laughed, and then ate some more. Two of the women have deadlines for book 2 of their series coming up at the end of June. Two others have theirs due in September, and the fifth just signed her contract, so book #1 is due in November. Should I ever be blessed enough to follow on this path, it is a wonderful thing that these women all went first, and forged a path.

I had never been on a writers’ retreat before, but look forward to the next one. The elements to make this successful are simple, but very important. For a successful retreat you need to have:

Writer friends who are where you are professionally and craft wise. The success of our weekend was due to the fact that this is a cooperative where we all learn from each other. If you are advanced and go out with folks who aren’t even close, you are going to teach all weekend. And if you are behind everyone else, you will be intimidated. Neither works well for getting the work done.

Good ground rules mean happy writers. We had rules like “ask if a person is able to talk right now”  and “writing is the job of the weekend”. Are meals together, or separate? Who is in charge of what meal?

A bed for everyone. This seems obvious, but accommodating everyone’s sleep needs is impossible. That said, if everyone has a bed, that is a huge step forward.

Knowing when to push, and when to step back. If someone is just sitting, staring at the keyboard, they are likely still writing. And 250 words from someone who is editing is a huge amount of work, so support it.

Respect trumps everything else. Including talent. One of my favorite things about these women is the amount of respect we all have for each other. (They are talented too!)

I can’t recommend a getaway like this highly enough. How about all of you–do you go on writers’ retreats? What are your must have rules?