Me, She, He, I

Most fiction is written in third person: he, she, they, etc. The other way to go is first person: I, me, we, etc. Most people like third person, some dislike first, and some won’t even read a story in first person. Personally, it’s the story that interests me. The pronouns are just part of the package.

I’d always written fiction in third person. I never really thought about it. That’s just the way it was done. I wrote short stories, novellas, and novels in third person. I never really gave it a second thought. Until I wrote The Ugly Truth. 

When I started writing The Ugly Truth, I used third person as usual. After months of rewrites,  and hair pulling it just wasn’t coming together. Then I realized the best thing I’d written was my heroine’s journal. So, felling I had nothing to lose, I started writing the book from  Stephie’s point of view. Suddenly everything worked. It wasn’t easy writing a romance from only one point of view, but I sure was fun. In fact, it was so much fun that I wrote a sequel, Secrets of Ugly Creek. There might even be another Ugly Creek book or two. What can I say, Ugly Creek is a fun place to visit.

And Stephie agrees.

Do you read stories written in first person? Write stories in first person? What do you like—or dislike—about first person?

Have a great week!
Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com
www.facebook.com/CheryelHuttonAuthor
Twitter: @cheryelhutton

Tossed Salad

Photo: WANA Commons, Lynn Kelley Author

According to our blog schedule, this month's theme is  LGBQT,so I sat down to write a blog. At first I thought I had nothing to say on this subject, except to be supportive of my fellow writers. I am a traditional woman/man, woman/werewolf, vampire/man, sort of writer. Those are the stories my muse tells me. Then I remembered something, I might not have heroes or heroines who fit the theme, but I do sometimes have more minor (but important) characters that do. I will admit, none of these manuscripts have yet to be published, but I have reason to believe that is about to change.
So why not heroes and heroines? No clue. As I said, those are the stories my muse tells me. And,  I suppose, what my audience expects at this point. So will my readers accept these minor characters who happen to be of a different sexual desire? I think so. My stories tend toward the theme of acceptance and finding one's place in the world. I would hope that whatever differences the characters within the stories my muse tells me have, my readers will be open to at least giving those characters a chance. In my—not so humble—opinion, our world is not that "melting pot" I've always heard about, but rather a salad. And really, what's more interesting, a pot of oatmeal, or a bright beautiful salad with all kinds of colorful fruits and vegetables?

Take care!
Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Luck of the Irish—or Lack Thereof

I don't believe much in Saints and such, but Irish blood runs through me—as evidenced by the red hair in my family. My great-great grandfather's name was Francis Marion Capps.. He came here from Ireland. Not a lot of talk in our family about our Irish (or any other) roots, but I have Irish blood from both my mother's parents. Because of that, St. Patrick's Day stirs pride in my heritage.

Was my Irish luck the reason I'm published? If it is, it is the slowest luck in the world. I've written off and on most of my life, and it's only been in the last few years I've achieved any success.Is it because my writing skill is horrible? I refuse to think that. My problem was me, but that's another blog.

So, luck or skill? Both. You can be as lucky as a leprechaun sitting at the end of the rainbow, but if you have no skill as a writer you'll never get anywhere. And if you have good solid ability it still takes a bit o' luck to get ya where ya want to be.

May you find all the luck and skill you need, and have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

(By the way, the picture is of my red-headed grandson and his dad.)

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com
www.facebook.com/cheryelhuttonauthor
Twitter: @cheryelhutton

Close to Home

My favorite love scene is not from a book or movie, it's a true story. For me, the best love scene took place in front of friends and family. No, it wasn't kinky. It was when I married my husband.

It was an amazing day, but my favorite part was when I started down the aisle and saw my handsome fiancé waiting for me. His gorgeous blue eyes looked into mine, and he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.

When he took my hand in his, my heart took flight and I knew saying yes to him was the best decision I'd ever made. It was—and still is—like living in a romance novel.

Here's hoping all of you have a chance to live out your best and wildest dreams.

Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com

Looking Into The Crystal Ball

Our theme, where publishing is going, is pretty much anybody's guess. Back when I started writing, paper books and magazines were the only way to go. Okay, I admit I still love the feel and smell of a paper book. But things have changed rapidly in the last few years, and not only with publishing. Remember Superman ducking into a phone booth to change? No matter how smart a phone is, it won't offer cover for costume donning. Now almost everybody has a cell phone—and they can be life saving in an emergency. Which is why I got my, not smart, cell in the first place.
I have to be honest, I was dragged into the computer age kicking and screaming. My first encounter with a computer terrified me. I was sure I'd push the wrong button and blow the entire building to smithereens. Slowly I learned to use the thing, and then I began to like the thing. Today, my laptop and I have a love-hate relationship. I love what it does, but sometimes I want to throw it out the window.
The same is true of electronic publishing. Yes, I was once one of those paper snobs who believed e-publishing wasn't REAL publishing. Once  again, time proved me wrong. Today I've had short stories, novellas, and novels published electronically. And I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Electronic is the way to go.
Does that mean I believe the future will be paperless? That all reading material will be electronic? Let me look into my crystal ball and tell you.
I see electronic publishing growing and changing in ways we can't imagine right now, and in many ways staying the same—a different version of paper books and magazines. Paper isn't going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. There are too many people who prefer paper, and who dislike or even hate computers and spinoffs like tablets and e-readers. Still, e-books are going to be a bigger and bigger part of the publishing pie. I have two books available in both paper and electronic formats. The e-books outsell the paper by a huge margin, and I hear the same from my writer friends.
It's hard to believe, but electronic reading material is only a few years old. Try to remember that when you see typos and format issues in e-books. We as authors, and our publishers, are still learning. And besides, NY Times bestselling hardcovers have typos too.
It's true, you know, sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Have a great week!
Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Grandma Got Run Over By a Shopper

‘Tis the season of peace and joy, or at least that’s what we're told from childhood on. The truth is that anybody who has ever had to go in a store--for anything--between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day knows that people are generally not in a good mood. Drivers lose the ability to drive. Shoppers are rushed, rude, and exasperated. People in general are not at their best.

Why is this? The crazy pace of modern life is a big part of the problem. We are expected to do more, faster, than ever before. There is also more stress than ever before, which definitely contributes to the problem.

On the other hand, this rude attitude has been around for a long time. One of my first memories of this time of year is being knocked down by a woman and her shopping cart. She didn't even apologize. I suspect the exhaustive, crazy, overwhelming feel of this season is mostly caused by the pressure to have perfect holidays, combined with guilt if you don't spend a large amount of money on perfect gifts, food, decorations, and clothing.

In other words, the winter holiday season has been hijacked by retailers. The more the pressure to spend, spend, spend (even on Thanksgiving Day!), the more money the big corporations can make.

Now I have nothing against retailers making money, but my humble opinion is that things have gotten way out of hand. The answer? Beats me. I just hope there is one.

Have a wonderful holiday season,and please don't let it get to you. The important thing is family and friends. And enjoying yourself!

Technorati Tags: Cheryel Hutton,Holidays,Christmas,Hannukah,New Year,shopping,rude,stressed,retailers,money

Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com

www.facebook.com/CheryelHuttonAuthor

twitter: @cheryelhutton

How To Stay in the Desk Chair Saddle

I spent years trying to figure out how to keep my butt in my chair and my hands on the keys (also known as BICHOK). Somehow I finally stumbled on the secret—at least for me. If there's a rule in this crazy writing business, it's that nothing works for everybody. This thing I figured out, it wasn't about tricks and self-discipline. What it is about is motivation—and to get myself motivated I had to do some serious self-searching. It wasn't easy, but it worked for me.

The basis of this self-searching toward motivation starts with some questions:

1. For you, is writing a hobby, a part-time job, a career, something else entirely?

2. Looking at your answer to the above, decide how much time, money, effort you are willing/able to put into writing to make it what you want it to be.

3. Depending on your answer to the above, decide what you want to achieve over the next few weeks, months, years. Set a goal that seems reasonable to you, then add more time to that to leave room for things taking longer than you think they will, and for the inevitable delays.

These questions and answers will change over time, so be sure to reevaluate frequently. Now you know if what you're currently doing is too little—or too much—time, money, effort to get you where you want to be.
Now you have what you need for self-motivation. Look at your goals and what you need to do to reach them. Each day you can evaluate how you're doing and if you need to maybe get your BICHOK going. It's much easier to get yourself going if you have a clear goal of what you want to achieve and the time frame in which you want to achieve it.

Have a happy and successful holiday week!
Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Countdown to Ugly

I’m excited. Three days until the release of The Ugly Truth, my latest novel. Set in a small town called Ugly Creek, the story centers around a woman who visits a small Tennessee town. Where, you might ask, did I come up with the name Ugly Creek?
 

The answer is I’m not sure. I know, not what you wanted to hear. But, it’s the truth. The only thing I can figure is that I tried and tried for a long time to come up with a name for my fictional town, but couldn’t seem to find anything that felt right but wasn’t already taken by a real town. Finally the Ugly Creek name came into my head and I decided I had my name. Maybe because it was the best name. Maybe it was because it was the easiest. I don’t know.

The actual town from which the fictional Ugly Creek was drawn is easier to track down. I grew up a few miles south of Dayton, Tennessee. I drew on the entire area, plus other small southern US towns. I live in a larger area now, but it was a lot of fun using my childhood home as a template.

Would your hometown be a good basis for a book? Do you like reading about small towns? Do you like stories that take you to places you’ve never been, or would you rather read stories set where you live?

Have a great week!
Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

A Tale of Two Novels

It was the best of novels, it was the worst of… Okay, it was neither. The thing is, my daughter gave me a Kindle for the holidays last year, and I am now a sucker for free books. I now have an opportunity, even on my miniscule budget, to try new authors. Yes, I do read them, and yes, I do buy other books by the authors I discover this way.

This blog is a story of two of those free books. Both novels, both had good titles and covers, both sounded interesting. I hadn’t read anything by either of the authors before. One was excellent. I finished the first in the series (free) last night. I bought the second in the series today and will start reading it tonight. I loved the story and the characters. I’d never heard of the author before, but I’m now a fan. Was it the best book I’ve ever read? Probably not. I wrote that one. (Yikes, did I say that out loud!) Seriously, I’d be hard pressed to name my favorite novel. It’d be like choosing between my daughters.

The other free book I read, not so great. Big fact holes, a heroine I’d love to slap, and just not that appealing. Not horrible, but not great. I won’t go out of my way to read another of her books.
The first, great, book was self-published. The second, not so good, was by a NYT bestselling author. Shocked? I’m not.

Please understand, I’m not saying the second author is a bad writer. Maybe I just got hold of her worst book. Maybe one day I’ll read another of her books and love it. Or not. Who knows? I won’t mention her name.

I will mention the first author’s name, Barbra Annino www.barbraannino.com/ the book I read was Opal Fire, the first in the Stacy Justice series.

It was eye opening for me, a dead tree book person who is now an ebook convert. Better for the environment, easier to hold and carry, and the fun of reading a book seconds after hitting the buy button is amazing. I still love paper books and bookstores and libraries. But it is a changing world, and the readers are going to be the winners.

Have a great weekend!

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

No matter where we are, writers are always alone when we write.

Publishing is changing. There are more options now. Paper (hardback, mass market, or trade), electronic, both. Big Six traditional publishing, smaller publishers, tiny publishers, self publishing (AKA indie). So many choices! And the writer may feel more confused and alone than at any other time since the Gutenberg Press was invented.  

Yet we are alone, each of us, when we create our writing. Right now, I’m sitting at the dining table and my husband is three feet away (tiny apartment) playing with his new Wii. But I’m alone in my head. I’m thinking of you, my readers as I write this, but if I were writing fiction, I would be alone with my characters.  That has not—and will never—change. It all begins with a lone creative being quill/pen/pencil in hand, scrawling words across a page. Or that lone creative being typing words that appear on paper or screen. Technology changes, but the process remains the same. Somehow a seemingly normal person sees pictures in her (or his) head and manages to transfer these pictures into words on a page/screen. This process isn’t understood by scientists, and I don’t think it ever will be. 

You see, I believe this transfer of pictures in a writer’s head to something that readers can read and enjoy is magic. Yes, I said it magic. And I’m simply fortunate (or unfortunate!) to be one of those people. Sometimes I feel the weight of this gift. When I want to give up. When I worry I can’t do this thing, something inside me whispers, “It isn’t yours to give up.” The next thing I know, I find myself writing in spite of myself. Because if the magic is in you, it’s gonna come out. The best thing to do is to enjoy the ride.

Have a great week!

Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com

Business As Usual: Inside Publishing

We begin a new year. Bright and shiny and full of opportunity, 2012 stretches out before us with all its good and bad. There will be opportunities this year, and to take advantage of them we must be ready. It is said that knowledge is power, and that has never been so true as now. Especially in publishing. Our theme for this month is Business as usual: inside publishing.

Unless you spent the last few years on Gallifrey, you know that the world of publishing is in an upheaval. What was true five years ago may not be true today. There are doomsayers claiming that New York publishing will soon vanish. That paper books and libraries will soon be outdated and everything will be digital.

Before we all panic and start burning books (shudder), let’s take a step back and look at this logically (yep, big Spock fan). First, I don’t see paper books going the way of the 8-track anytime soon. Digital is great, but paper is useful. I’m thrilled that a lot of trees will be saved by increased use of digital, but are we really going to have coffeetable e-books? I like doing research with paper books. Flipping through is helpful, seeing pictures and diagrams is useful, and spreading books all over the kitchen table gives me a warm, happy feeling.

OK, I’m a nerd, and you might wanna lookout for the apocalypse. This traditionalist got pulled away from her paper books kicking and screaming—but I now have a Kindle. It was a gift. Yes, I love it. Bite me.

I’m still reading The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler in paperback and happily flipping back to diagrams.

For what it’s worth, I believe there is a time and place for both formats. I’m old enough to have seen the world go through the wild swinging of change. And yes, in its time, the 8-track player was state of the art. A few years from now my laptop—and my Kindle—will be outdated and sad.  It’s human nature, folks.

My advice to writers? Don’t put all your books in one place. Traditional publishing, e-first, e-only, self publishing (electronic or print), all options. And there are many options within those wide parameters. Just do your homework. Don’t listen to only one side of any argument. Then go with what’s best for you and your work. Just don’t let your fear decide for you. Don’t skip submitting just because you can self-publish and never be rejected. Rejection can be the best thing that ever happened to you. It was to me, every time. Rejection hurts, but it’s part of the job. It happens to all of us.

Be informed, be careful, and take care.

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Bouncing Back Better

It took a rejection to teach me about worldbuilding. Well, that wasn’t the only thing this particular rejection taught me, but it was one major thing. I thought that because my books take place in present day and in my home state, what did I need to build? Um, I learned the hard way I was wrong. Yeah, I said it. The good news is that I learned an important lesson: Every story requires worldbuilding. Yes, I said EVERY story. Even a little short about present day. Why? Because the world of characters is different from your world or mine. 

The Rejection took place several years ago, and involved a different twist on vampires. The problem I ran into was that there are certain expectations about vampires that have to be met, no matter how unusual or cool my new twist was. I didn’t fulfill those expectations. No, vampires don’t have to turn to dust in the sun, but they do need a creep factor that I neglected to show my readers. I’d done a lot of research on vampires, then went my own way. I thought I’d nailed the story, but I missed the tangible bits and pieces that grab the reader and make her (or him) feel part of the story. This, my friends, is worldbuilding. It isn’t just making up a new government system, or devising a new set of rules for vampires. It’s figuring out the home where your characters live, the area where they work, the deep areas of their emotions they would never show the world. How creepy—or sweet—your characters are. These are in every work of fiction, and they are important building blocks.

For instance, I am horrible about descriptions. I can write them just fine, I just don’t. Why? I don’t like reading a lot of description. And there’s the make-or-break phrase: “A lot of “. My readers don’t need pages and pages of description either, but they do need enough to ground them in the story. My mistake was not giving them that grounding. I learned the hard way that a writer has to give her readers strong details to allow them to picture of the characters, the surroundings, and even the emotions the characters feel—and not the few crumbs I threw out. Ack! What an eye-opener! 

I went on to learn about advanced writing craft. I found some great teachers and great books and spent a couple of years learning and practicing writing. Has it been worth the effort? I think so. A friend says I write 1,000 times better than I used to. I don’t see how that’s possible. The most anything can improve is 100%, after all. But yeah, sometimes we just have to take the time to learn and grow—and then, hopefully, take the world by storm.

Have you ever taken time out to learn and grow? Is there a time when you should have? Would you like to take time out, but it isn’t feasible? 

Have a great week!

Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com

One Hundred Years of Amazing

Telephone operator circa 1945 

The future. I've thought a lot about the future, about what things are going to be like in 100 years. Logically, to do that we need to look at what life was like 100 years ago.

A century ago, in the USA, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory burned, taking the lives of 145 workers—mostly women—with it. This one event changed the way we thought about factories and led to reforms that benefit workers today. At the same time, women were struggling to gain the right to vote.

The Boy Scouts were founded in 1910. The Incan city of Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911. In 1912, the Titanic sank. The Model T automobile was spreading the luxury of driving to the masses. Electricity use was becoming widespread. Big changes, and bigger changes were on the horizon.

Today, the world has changed so much as to be unrecognizable to a person from the early 20th Century. In the 21st Century, the car is a necessity in most of the United States and a lot of the rest of the world. People tend to view electricity as a right. American women don't bother to vote, even though we've only had the right for 91 years.

The 20th and early 21st centuries have seen such amazing technological advances that some have speculated we had help from aliens from far away planets. While that idea intrigues me as a writer, as a science lover, I'm just thankful to have been born in a time of such forward thinking. I've seen so many things change, from typewriters to computers. From phones that required a human to physically switch the calls, to a phone I carry with me everywhere. Humankind has walked on the surface of the moon. We've learned to use the power of the atom. We have the ability to instantly communicate with anyone, anywhere there is an Internet connection.

Maybe one day we'll even learn how to live together in respect and peace.

I hope so.

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

It's Not The Vampire You Need To Worry About.

The cast of Criminal Minds 

This month my co-bloggers will write about many different types of creatures. Most scary. And I have to say, I love me a good ghost, werewolf, vampire, bigfoot, or leprechaun story. Most of these critters are, or can be, evil. There is, however, one creature that pales in comparison to the rest. We see these creatures every day at work, school, shops, and restaurants. We see one every time we look in the mirror. As the Pogo quote goes, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Obviously not all humans are evil. Homo sapiens are actually a pretty civilized lot. In spite of how it sometimes seems, most folks go about their business without the need to hurt, maim, or kill. Still, there are plenty of people out there who could give the worst werewolves, vampires, or soul sucking demons a run for their money. These are the two-legged creatures of true evil.

Some of these evil humans blur the line between human and mythology. For example the infamous Vlad Tepes, could possibly have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. His name Dracul or Dracula is translated by some sources as “dragon” and others as “devil” or “son of the devil”. Vlad impaled millions of people alive, and is rumored to have drunk blood. Still, even today, he is considered a hero to his country.

Today we don’t make serial killers official heroes, but there are those who worship these horrible examples of malevolence. There are collectors of serial killer memorabilia. Women want to marry them (serial killers are almost always male). Some of them, like Charles Manson, for instance, have fan clubs. The reason for this gruesome hobby may someday be explained. For now, most just think those involved are somehow mentally ill. Even those of us wouldn’t be caught dead with a lock of a serial killer’s hair, love watching movies like Silence of the Lambs, and TV shows like Criminal Minds.

What’s creepier in the dead of night? When the sound of creaking and moaning reaches for you? Are you more afraid of a vampire, werewolf, demon? Or is the real threat to our being, and our sanity, that the mythological creature might come to life, or that the neighborhood animal torturer just moved up the food chain?

Sleep well tonight, and don’t let the vampires, or whatever, bite.

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Yes, I Remember the Sixties, Is That Bad?

Ah, television. Back when I was young, TV was a special pleasure. For years we had a black and white TV. On Sunday night, several of us younger kids went to the end of the street to the one neighbor who had a color set. We’d watch Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. And it was wonderful. Magic.

Fast forward to 1966. Star Trek began and we even had a color TV to watch it on. I became an immediate fan, and looked forward to every episode. My mom worried I’d have nightmares, but I was actually more likely to dream of being on the Enterprise and rushing toward new adventures. When the novelizations of the show came out, I sucked them down. A friend suggested I try some real science fiction, and suggested several books. Books by people like Bradbury, Asimov, Clark. I fell hard. I wanted to write SF. But my muse didn’t like the hard SF I loved to read. My muse leaned toward human drama.

In 1969, the show Medical Center debuted. OK, I’ll admit I had a big time crush on Chad Everett (who’s aged quite well, I must point out). When he had a love scene I just kind of melted. In fact, most intense love scenes (not sex in those days, just holding and kissing and stuff) had my stomach tingling. It took me a while to figure out romance and SF didn’t go together. But oh, if they just could.

Many years later, I heard Catherine Asaro speak. Before SF or paranormal romance was even a subgenre, she talked about combining the two in her work. At that time, the way to do this was to write straight SF and downplay the romance so the predominately-male audience wouldn’t be turned off. Seeing this beautiful, highly educated woman speak was life altering for me. I wanted to combine SF and romance. My muse, however, was still resisting the SF idea, even with romance attached. For years I wrote straight romance, and though I got compliments on my work, I wasn’t getting any contracts.

My muse, however, would let me take altered reality a bit further to fantasy/paranormal. And even let me add romance. By this time, the market was changing. Paranormal romance was a real sub-genre. But I only wrote short fiction. Finally I gave in and wrote a haunted house romance novel. This book got more interest than any other, and eventually got me my first contract. So, I guess I owe my publishing career to Star Trek, Chad Everett, and Catherine Asaro. Thanks, guys!

Have a great week!

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Odd, Quirky, and Off The Wall--Like Me!

The dirty little secret is that I’m not the one who tells the stories. The truth is that I’m the typist. The real crafters of my stories are my characters. But then, I’m attracted to characters. I love watching odd people, or people doing odd things, in real life and in movies and on TV. I hope to capture some of that oddity when I write my stories.

One of my all time favorite is the baby from the TV show Dinosaurs. Baby and his family still make me smile, and the depth of the storylines, hidden under the cute surface, amazed me. It was truly a show for all ages.

Who doesn’t like the TV show Monk? The strange and wonderful Adrian Monk is a pleasure to watch. The actor, Tony Shalhoub, studied people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder and translated the reality into an over the top, quirky character.

I’m not much of a reality TV girl, but I make an exception in the case of Pitboss. There are dogs, okay? The cast of Pitboss: Shorty, Ashley, Sebastian, and Ronald (plus the dogs!) are the quirkiest, most fun group of folks on the little screen. I will warn you, is there is some foul language, though most of it is bleeped out.

There are many other wonderful characters on TV, movies, the mall, and, of course, in books. Who are some of your favorites? What makes a character memorable? Have you ever done something just because it was odd?

Happy Monday, and have a great week!

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Publishing: Tortoise vs Hare

Traditionally publishing has been survival of the most persistent. There have always been writers who sold quickly, but most traditionally published writers struggled for years, sometimes decades, with rejections and self doubt. When they were finally published, they had already proved their worth.

Things have changed.

These days, anybody with a completed manuscript—no matter the length, the genre, or the quality—can become a published author and be sold by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other places. Good thing? Bad thing? I say it’s both.

The good. Previously published books that would probably only be available in used bookstores, if at all. Today they’re enjoying new life as freshly released ebooks, and these books have the potential shelf life of forever. Also in the good category are those writers who write hard to classify books. Books that publishers and bookstores would have a hard time shelving, inspirational erotica, for instance,  or science fiction, mystery, romantic horror. Also, there is a place for books that only appeal to a small segment of the population, red headed dog lovers from Alaska, for instance. This gives readers more choice. Choice is good.

The bad. I remember when I finished my first novel-length manuscript. Like everybody else, I thought I’d written a masterpiece. I had written another “masterpiece” and started a third before I had the guts to submit. By then, I’d collected a pile of rejections for short stories. Still, having my “baby” that I’d worked and revised repeatedly over years rejected hurt. Really hurt. If today’s easy publishing had been available then, would I have published my “masterpiece”? Probably. Would I be embarrassed now? Yes. Would I be as good a writer without the struggle? No. Absolutely not.

Today’s easy, and much more accepted, self-publishing will produce some real masterpieces, and some “masterpieces” that might have a lot of potential, but not the seasoning. Like a recipe without the spices. Maybe not horrible, but not nearly as good as it could be. And maybe word has gotten around that those books are not that good. That writer will have a hard time convincing people that their newly published books really are masterpieces. Like any technology, self-publishing can be used for good or bad.

In the end, readers decide who becomes bestsellers, who are one book wonders, and who are writers who may not attract a huge audience, but are consistent sellers. The face of publishing has changed, but its heart continues to beat inside each and every reader.

Have a great week!

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Doggone It!

Hello, my name is Cujo. Really. I’m a long haired dachshund. The other dog in the picture is my adopted sister Sugar. She's not as sweet as her name. She tries to tell me what to do. And she steals my blankie--that's what's beside her on the floor. She says it's ugly, but I love to lie on it and lick it.

My two-legged parents thought my name would be funny. And hey, I liked the sound. When I was a puppy. Now, not so much. Anyway sometimes I do try to live up to my name, but that just gets me in trouble. I ask you, why would my two-legged parents name me Cujo, then be so surprised when I growl?

I’ll bet you’re wondering why a dog is blogging. Well, it’s like this. My two-legged mom is supposed to blog, but she just couldn’t think of anything to say. She was upset, so I told her that I would blog for her. she was sooooo happy she scratched my head for an extra long time. I was hoping she’d give me food treat, but she says I’m fat. Excuse me, I’m fluffy.

My two-legged parents adopted me when I was a puppy. I was cute then, I’m handsome now. We live in a nice home that the two-legs complain about being too small. I don’t understand. There’s plenty of room to run around in here. And a nice floor to sleep on. What more do you need? Have I told you that I don’t understand the two-leggers? Strange creatures, if you ask me.

I’m getting off here now, and you should go and scratch the head of your four-legged friend. If you don’t have one, maybe your neighbor does. If you can’t find a four-legger, then maybe give another two-legger a scratch, or hug, or whatever.

I gotta get off here, my two-legged mom says it would freak people out if they see me typing. I think she’s wrong, but it’s time for my late morning nap anyway. Have a great weekend!

Cujo

For Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com

Creativity, Resistance, and Fear

Writers are creative people. Of course, we aren’t the only ones. People are creative people. Except we aren’t always as creative as we want to be; as we feel, deep down, that we can be. There are as many reasons for this as there have been people. Probably more. There are many books, movies, articles, and art about getting past the fear that stops us. Two of the books are by Steven Pressfield. I got Do the Work as a free Kindle edition, then went out and the hard copies of both Do the Work and The War of Art. Why? Because these books are life changing.

We’ve all experienced some type of creative block. We have all ducked our creative natures for TV, housework, sleep. Procrastination has killed more cat stories than curiosity ever thought about. We all know we procrastinate, we joke about it. But it’s easier to stop a speeding locomotive than to get ourselves past that to the stuff that we want to do.

Pressfield calls this block “resistance,” and that’s exactly what it feels like. Like the resistance against movement in a swimming pool, or the resistance when you try to push together the same poles of a magnet. His books name this enemy and tells us, all creative people, how to fight resistance and do “our work”—the thing that is creative or that will advance us physically, spiritually, morally, ethically, etc.

Some memorable quotes, for me at least, from Do the Work are:

“Resistance is a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.”

“Everyone who has a body experiences Resistance.”

“Resistance’s goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims to kill.”

How to get past resistance?

“Forget rational thought. Play. Play like a child.”

And the opposite of resistance? Assistance.

“Assistance is the universal, immutable force of creative manifestation, whose role since the Big Bang has been to translate potential into being to convert dreams into reality.”

Finally,

“When we experience panic it means we’re about to cross a threshold. We’re posed on the doorstep of a higher plane.”

And before you start thinking of me as a Pressfield fanatic (OK, a little), let me point out that he is far from the only person with a book about blocked creativity. There are many. Another life changing one for me is Ralph Keyes’s The Courage to Write. This book is in large part responsible for my being a published author. Some of my favorite quotes from this book are:

“Writers by definition talk behind other people’s backs.”

“Before they can convey honest feeling to others, writers must be honest with themselves.”

“Its psychic demands make writing an exercise in courage little different from climbing a sheer granite cliff or skiing down a steep slope.”

And my absolute favorite”

“If you’re not scared, you’re not writing.”

Have a great, creative weekend!

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com

Getting Your Perspective Twisted

I live in the Southeast United States, East Tennessee to be specific. I love it here, I really do. Small enough to be comfortable, big enough to offer almost anything you could want, from ballet to bakeries.

Wednesday we had a history making weather event when four huge lines of storms, including several tornadoes tore through the area. My husband and I spent all day watching TV or listening to the radio. As long as I could (between storms) I got Online and talked to my daughter on the phone. By the time it was over, we were left without electricity or home phone, but thankful that we and those we cared about were alive and safe.

We found later that almost every one of my family and close friends, though spread out all over, had been very close to the path of at least one of the tornadoes. Not little ones either. These were huge EF-3’s and EF-4’s. Keep in mind, I’ve lived in Tennessee my entire life, and have never been really close to a tornado. Even when we get twisters, they’re of the small variety. Not this time.

All day we sat and wondered when the next round was coming (there were 4 altogether). I managed to get a bit of writing done and did a little housework and stuff. But being on edge for so many hours straight was not conducive to getting work done. It was exhausting, however. Two days out, and I’m still tired.

Somewhere, in the middle of all that craziness, my perspective shifted. I’m not sure exactly how to put the change into words, mostly because I don’t really understand the change myself. Yeah, some of it is the clichéd old “I realized life was too short not to live fully.” But it was deeper than that. After all, this was hardly the first time I’ve looked death in the face and walked away. It wasn’t even so much about death and loss, it was about giving myself permission to let passion come out and play. I want to write passionately, to live passionately, to BE passionately. I think I’ve been afraid of that, afraid of the power I sometimes feel shifting inside me, like the magma preparing to burst out of a volcano.

Maybe I’ve kept the real me capped off, held back, caged my whole life. She wants out now. I’m excited. And terrified.

Have a safe rest of the weekend!

Cheryel
www.cheryelhutton.com