Donna G. Cooper | The Adventures of an Aspiring Writer
It’s been approximately six months since my last confession….er, I mean post. A lot has happened in those six months. I quite my job, started a graduate program, took a four month vacation, got a new job, had my first short story accepted for publishing, began working on a new short story, had to learn the names of one hundred and fifty 14-year-olds…… Hold up. Did you read that right?
Yes, you did!
My first short story, The Key Garden, is being published not once…but TWICE! After I finished writing the story for my Fiction Writing Workshop this past spring, my teacher was very enthusiastic about it and thought it should DEFINITELY get published. I believe his exact words were, “Donna, this is certainly one hell of a story! …. Seriously, this needs to be published!”
::Insert big cheesy smile plastered across my face::
So after some minor revisions and polishing I submitted it to a few different places. Soon I was faced with a dilemma most writers (especially NEW* writers) would kill for. Two publications wanted my work. I was beside myself with glee. But I had to let one down easy since I’d already accepted the first offer. To my utter astonishment, the second publication still wanted to publish my work despite it already being published elsewhere.
Score for me!
So, contracts signed and publication dates approaching, I am working to finish another short story and see how that one fairs in the open market. However, I will always have a special fondness to Bartleby Snopes and The Escape Collective for being so enthusiastic about “The Key Garden,” which will appear on Bartleby Snopes’ website in September and be published in a digital anthology titled Corpus Pretereo later in the fall. The editor of Bartleby Snopes said about “The Key Garden:”
“This is a wonderful story. … This is such beautiful writing.” -Nathaniel Hightower
And the good news just kept on coming. After my first publishing deal(s), I scored my dream job (next to being a successful writer, of course) of teaching high school English. It’s probably been one of the most challenging things I’ve done so far, but I love it and I love my students! I can’t wait to show them how wonderful reading and writing can be.
*Calling my self a NEW writer is a bit of a stretch since I’ve been writing since I was about six years old. However, by NEW I mean, newly published.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I neglected my beloved Harry Potter and never gave him a formal review. Guess I’ll just wait until it comes out on DVD. Sorry.
However, I’ve been slammed with stuff to keep me busy. I finished my script and edited about eight times over. I’ve written a new short story and am in the processing of editing another one.
So, I haven’t been slacking, entirely. Just on this blog. And for that, I beg for forgiveness.
I’ll be back soon….with something more interesting to say. 
HP7p1 was WELL worth the tossing and turning I did during the 5 hours I was actually able to pretend to sleep. Of the darker films in the series this is by far the best! The translation from book to screen is very well done. Somethings had to change, people who’d been in the books long before needed introductions….all in all as Siskel & Ebert would say (or used to say) TWO THUMBS UP!!!
Look for a full review in the coming days….I need to watch it again so I can actually take notes.
It goes with out saying—at least in my opinion—that the 80′s was the best decade for film. When we were on the brink of a technological revolution, originality and superb imagination flowed like water. Remakes of old films were few and far between and teen angst was a common theme thanks to directors like John Hughes, and Studios weren’t afraid to take risks in casting unknowns in their films.
The Eighties made actors like Michael J. Fox, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Dempsey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Bacon and Kim Catrall household names. Movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and National Lampoons Vacation (1983) became classics. So, with so many great films released in the decade, how can one choose which year produced the best movies?
Well, I’ve narrowed it down to two years for you. However, unable to decide amongst ourselves, here in the creative department, we’ve decided to open up the question to everyone. Help me decide.
Which year do you think is better?
While there are many more movies released in these years that were just as great, I’ve whittled the list down to the top 10 (in no particular order) best movies of that year (in my opinion) and listed some honorable mentions:
1985
Back to the Future
The Goonies
The Breakfast Club
Weird Science
Real Genius
Fletch
Fright Night
Mask
Brewster’s Millions
Cocoon
1987
Spaceballs
The Princess Bride
The Lost Boys
The Monster Squad
Can’t Buy Me Love
Dirty Dancing
La Bamba
The Witches of Eastwick
Mannequin
Full Metal Jacket
Send me your vote for your favorite year!
Honorable Mention
1985
Desperately Seeking Susan
Explorers
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Once Bitten
Silver Bullet
St. Elmo’s Fire
Summer Rental
Teen Wolf
D.A.R.Y.L
Cat’s Eye
1987
Earnest Goes to Camp
Fatal Attraction
Flowers in the Attic
Good Morning Vietnam
Hamburger Hill
Harry and the Hendersons
Lethal Weapon
Moonstruck
Overboard
Predator
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Throw Momma From the Train
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Character’s have a mind of their own.” I’ve been working on a script for my scriptwriting class, but with the mention of NaNoWriMo another set of characters showed up and decided to take center stage. In another distracting turn of events, a new idea decided to drop by the theater of my mind and upstage the rest.
So with three stories all jockeying for the top priority, what is a writer to do? Logic would dictate that the one with the most riding on it should be given top priority. That would make JIVETOWN top priority. And that is where it should be since I have a grade that hangs in the balance.
However, the steam that was driving that train ran out a few stops back, mostly because I started stoking the coals of the almost dormant fire that is THE MYSTERY ADVENTURE CLUB. With November creeping around the corner, new ideas bubbled up and over and I found myself committed. No, not to the funny farm, to writing 50,000 words in 30 days for the annual event that throws caution, and plot, to the wind, National Novel Writing Month.
But, two stories just weren’t enough. A third had to present itself. It still remains untitled, but it has some pretty sturdy legs. I feel most compelled to work on this one since it’s the NKOTB.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m the Ring Master in a circus with all these wild characters and creatures running amuck, gate-crashing each other’s acts, but to overall amusement. That’s the life of a writer, I suppose. I’ll just try to create order out of chaos and make sure they all have their day on the stage.
Tags: books, circus, creative, creative writing, fiction, literary, main character, nanowrimo, novel, novels, story, writing, writing process
As a writer, I have the innate ability to see both sides of the coin. It comes in handy when I have two opposing characters and I need to invent the good guy and the bad guy. They can’t be from the same side. They have to be opposites. That ability doesn’t just apply to writing, though. It comes in handy in all aspects of everyday life…including political elections.
With this mid-term election day behind us, there is a collective sigh of relieve from TV Junkies across America who are sick of watching political smear campaigns. This year was particularly cutthroat, if you ask me. Regardless of my political leanings, what good do these attack ads really do other than to sway you against one candidate or another. And who actually believes what they see in these ads? Those ads serve one purpose and one purpose only….to slam the opponent. Campaigns should be about the issues, not a mud wrestling match.
I feel that this country has gotten away from the foundation on which it was built. The Democracy was meant to give people a voice. The people we elect to office are supposed to be our voice and take our concerns and represent them on Capitol Hill. Instead, they create their own agendas that really have nothing to do with the people at all. These political agendas get in the way of what really matters, the People. Politicians don’t represent their constituents anymore. They represent themselves and party agendas. What good does that do us? They get elected on the assumption that they will be our voice in Washington, but then our voice is stamped out by the entire bureaucratic schema that has more support from the political heavy hitters.
To be honest, most people elected to office for the first time have good intentions. It seems, though, that it doesn’t take long for them to get sucked into the same vicious cycle of party lines and political corruption. I just wish that I could see one election in my lifetime that gets back to the roots of Democracy and really does want what is best for the people.
While opposite sides of the coin, Democrats and Republicans are not enemies and they shouldn’t act as such. It would be more productive if they represented two halves of a whole, each side complimenting the other. Where one side is weak, the other side makes up for it. A Yin and Yang democracy is what we need. Work together rather than against each other.
Like the old saying goes, “United We Stand, Divided We fall.”
Well, America, we are falling….fast.
Tags: blogging, constitution, democracy, democrat, divided, election, politics, republican, united, writing, yin and yang
Many people who make the insane decision to participate in the noveling frenzy that is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) do so without a thought in their head about what they want to write.
Suddenly, after they’ve signed up, set up their profiles and made a blood oath with their writing buddies to finish, they panic because they don’t know where to start, what to write, or how to write it. Many worry because they have no plot (No plot? No Problem!). Some are panicky because they don’t know who their main character (MC) is going to be, their sex or even what their name will be. Or…they don’t know the first thing about writing a novel.
Ah….That pre-dawn panic experienced by so many first time Wrimos is what makes this so much fun. But for those who find the writing process a little more daunting, here are some writing rules to live by:
1. PLAN AHEAD…even if it is just a little planning. There is nothing more exhilarating than running with an idea without knowing which way you’re going. It’s also a surefire way to burn out faster than a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Without a little structure and direction your story will start to get dull and may not make sense. Before you know it, you’re put it on the back burner while you work on something more interesting.
2. CHANGE HAPPENS….Don’t be surprised if your characters deviate from your outline. Once you get going and the creative juices start flowing your characters start to take control of the story.
Don’t resist. This, in my opinion is the best part about writing. It is one of the most shocking, thrilling moments. One of my characters suffered an extreme trauma. As I was writing her recovery, I had no idea what I was going to do with her, but the next thing I knew she was attempting suicide. I had no idea she was going to do that until I wrote it. Don’t try to fit your characters into the mold you’ve cast for them. Let them be who they are. Let them do what they want….within reason of course. I mean, don’t let them run amuck. Be open to any changes that come along. Entertain them, feed them, and send them on their way if they get too rowdy and disruptive.
3. IT’S GONNA SUCK… Well, maybe that’s a bit harsh. Let’s just say it’s not going to be publishable. That’s why we revise/rewrite/chuck the whole thing and start over from scratch. No first draft in the history of modern publishing has ever been ready to publish as is. Most have gone through as few as 3 rewrites. It’ll never be perfect. You’ll always think of something later on that you should have changed.
For the purposes of NaNoWriMo and your own sanity….just write your happy little head off. DO NOT under any circumstances edit as you write or delete. The goal is to reach 50k by November 30th at 11:59pm. Doing this will only hurt you and your chances of achieving this very rewarding goal. At the end of 30 days, you’ll have a completed novel on your hands. It won’t be any good, but hey, at least its finished, right? WRONG!
That’s why you spend the whole next year revising your NaNo Novel.
Good luck!
Tags: 30 Days, authors, books, characters, creative, creative writing, english, fiction, Literary Abandon, nanowrimo, novel, writer, writing
When I began scratching out my first manuscript as a high-schooler eager to be living a different, much cooler life, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I figured out all basics of formatting a book by reading R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike novels and of course, paying attention in English. But, I labored under the impression that the actual writing of the novel was all that needed to be done. Once I wrote “THE END”….BAM!…I had a publishable book on my hands.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Not only was I still too ignorant of the writing process to know that simply putting words on paper (yes, actual paper) wasn’t enough. But, I had no clue that the actual writing of the story was the least important part of the process. Over the years, I’ve heard writers admit that they should actually be called “re-writers” instead. This may seem like a foreign concept to beginners and people who don’t write, but believe you me, it’s the honest truth! About 3/4 of a the time spent to get a book in publishable condition is spent revising your first draft, and second, and third.
The revision process is the most challenging and daunting aspect of being a writer. For me, the hardest part is tweaking or changing characters, settings and events from how they were originally written. It feels something akin to moving to a different neighborhood in the same town. You are all comfortable with the way things were, but now everything looks different. The houses are different, the neighbors have different names. Maybe they’re better neighbors than your old ones, but maybe they’re serial axe murderers who prey on newcomers. The only piece of mind is that the rest of the town is the same and if things don’t work out, you can always visit your old neighborhood.
That’s a bit of a stretch, but as a writer, it’s hard to remain objective over your own body of work. So, when an editor or someone else who’s opinions you value tells you that your main character is an annoying crybaby (eh hem, Bella Swan), it’s tough to go back and change that character to make her more appealing. It’s hard because she is your child and, like a child, you love her unconditionally. It’s the same with all your characters. They are the writer’s creation and sometimes writers get a bit attached.
The revision process is a part of the writing “circle of life.” It is absolutely necessary to get any story into tip-top publishable shape. However, the revision process is never done. Ask any writer, they will never agree that their published work is perfect. If they’d had more time, they’d revise until their fingers fall off. It’s important to know when to stop. And sometimes it’s a blessing to have a firm deadline.
As for me, the revision process is so daunting that I have three manuscripts that are still largely unpublishable because I’m so overwhelmed by all the changes I want and need to make. However, I’m excited, too. Sometimes, the revision process is like giving your character’s a do over (something we never have a chance to do in real life). They get a second change to do it better or get it right.
Ah…now, I think I’m ready to revise.
Tags: author, Bella Swan, book, books, characters, creative, creative writing, editing, english, fiction, literature, manuscripts, novels, publish, revision, stephanie meyers, twilight, women writers, writer, writing process
I’m sitting at my desk, in my office, surrounded by my coworkers and instead of working diligently on some uninteresting and inane project, my mind wanders to what else I could be doing other than sitting behind this monitor that is possibly going to blind me in a few more years. What I’d like to be doing is writing. If not writing, reading. If not reading, writing. Get the point?
Maureen Johnson, an author I’ve never read but have followed on Twitter (she’s quite interesting), once said that writers make the worst employees. When I read that, I thought about all my former jobs and how I often found myself sneaking in brief writing sessions when an idea struck me or sketching out a character profile based off of a dream I had the night before or sneaking in some editing between tasks. It dawned on me that I must definitely be a writer.
On any given day, the majority of my mind is occupied with revisions, plot twists, character development and witty dialogue. But due to the fact that I am gainfully, though unwillingly, employed I have to make due with jotting down notes here and there and possibly losing track of them as they are on various different notepads and post it notes that inevitably end up lost in my purse or chewed to bits by my morkie, Olive. She likes to goes rooting around in my purse for something tasty (why paper is always her flavor of choice, I have no clue). I’m not sure why she always thinks there is something edible in my purse.
The point is, I’m tired of putting a cork on my creative juices just to sit behind some computer all day and have someone else tell me what to do. If anyone is going to tell me what to do, it’ll be my characters. I’ve got enough characters dwelling in my brain to populate a small city….okay, maybe just a village, but they’re begging to get out and have their stories told. And until such time that I am able to devote 100% of my “working hours” to their development, I will always be distracted in a conventional job.
I could probably write several volumes on how absurd modern life can sometimes be. But for time’s sake, I’ll go with materialism. It is absolutely ridiculous how society has become obsessed with having the best of everything even if they can’t afford to pay their utility bills. Up until a week ago I worked for the water department in my hometown. I can’t tell you how many times people came in to complain that they couldn’t pay their water bill (begging for mercy because it was about to be/or already was shut off). Meanwhile, they had neatly manicured fake nails, carried LV or Coach bags, and gabbed all the way into our office on their cell phones. One woman even had the nerve to tell me that she could only pay a small portion of her water bill because her cable bill was due the next day. PRIORITIES PEOPLE! It amazes me that some people feel it is more important to look like they make oodles of money than to pay a bill that is ABSOLUTELY necessary to live.
Tags: author, creative, idiocracy, internet, language, literary, materialism, priorities, published, rant, writer, writing
