A Few Thoughts About Critiques

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Earlier this week I attended a meeting of a local writers group, and the meetings always open with the critique of two pieces of writing. For this process to be beneficial for the writer who has submitted his or her work for review, there has to be a balance. You need to be truthful, without discouraging the writer to the point where he or she stops writing.

I’ve had my writing critiqued and it was a helpful experience; there were some serious errors in spelling, grammar and plotting. Nevertheless, since a harsh critique can be discouraging, here are some points to keep in mind, while your work is being discussed by other writers.

1: The individuals who are offering their opinions about your work, aren’t necessarily better writers than you. Just because someone is talking about a subject, doesn’t mean he or she is an expert in that field.

2: You’ve probably had the experience of leaving a movie theatre, and telling your friends how you would have written a different ending. Are the individuals offering a critique of our your story giving you advice on how to improve the story, or just telling you how they would have written it?

3: You are responsible for the material you write. Although you should consider suggestions made by other writers, it will still be your name on the cover of the book. You don’t want to keep making adjustments to your story, based on the opinions of other writers, until it no longer feels like your story.

4: Writing isn’t strictly a logical process, you have to leave room for inspiration and intuition to guide you. If you think to yourself, “Wow, that’s a great idea!” and someone tells you, “I just don’t think that will work,” you’re going to have to decide between your heart and their opinion.

5: Keep in mind that everyone (and that includes me!) likes to believe that their opinions are important. What is the highest priority of the writer discussing your material, helping you become a better writer, or having his opinion heard?

Consider the suggestions of other writers, while maintaining your unique voice, and keep writing!

P.S. I’ve been working on a science fiction (space opera) story, and the word count is currently at just over 40,000 words. I don’t know if it will be a novella or a novel.

Fiction Essentials

October 14, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / 1 Comment

YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNOW THE WHOLE STORY BEFORE YOU BEGIN: All you really need to start a novel is one scene. Let’s say what you have is a short dialogue between two characters; begin by recording what they say. Next, you can start asking questions: Where did they have the conversation? Was it a relaxed conversation, or were they under pressure? What was the outcome? Once you start adding locations and other characters, it won’t be long before you start to see the story’s full potential.

READ WIDELY: One of the drawbacks of always reading and watching movies in your favourite genre, is that what you write may start sounding like a group of clichés linked together to form a predictable plot. The greater variety of books you read, the more insights you’ll be able to introduce in your stories. Reading a book about business may seem useless if you’re writing science fiction, but if you’re writing a scene in a space station, there will be alien businesses!

DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOUR FIRST CHAPTER IS PERFECT BEFORE CONTINUING, BECAUSE IT NEVER WILL BE: One of the most dangerous pitfalls in writing, is continually rewriting a story, and never finishing it. Often perfectionism is a form of procrastination; you don’t have to face rejection or criticism, if you never submit your work to an editor. You could have a written literary masterpiece, but you’ll never know unless others have the opportunity to read it.

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS: What an amazing opportunity awaits you at http://www.youtube.com! You can watch successful authors being interviewed, and talking at writing events around the world. You’ll discover what inspires their writing, learn about the writing process, and by listening to the questions, help you prepare for your future interviews.

TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO READ IN PUBLIC: Watch for announcements about Open Mic events at libraries and bookstores. If you belong to a writer’s organization there may also be opportunities to read your material out loud. If you’re serious about building a writing career, public reading is an essential skill; the sooner you begin practicing, the sooner you’ll become comfortable with the process.

KEEP WRITING: If you’re working on a novel and you’ve seemed to hit a wall, don’t stop writing, just switch to another project temporarily. Take some time to write a short story, an essay, an article or a poem, and let your subconscious work out a solution for the challenge you’re facing in the novel. After you’ve had a break, get back in the saddle and finish that novel! The world is waiting to hear your voice and feel your passion.

Be Your Own Motivation Guru

September 2, 2018September 2, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Note: This article was originally published in the August 2018 issue of Opal: The Magazine for Canadian Authors and Writers. Pages 23-25

There’s enough information about motivation and success to fill every spare moment of your life with books, eBooks, audiobooks and videos. An endless stream of motivation gurus saturate the marketplace, some taking a more relaxed, reflective spiritual approach, others adopting a high energy, super-charged persona. Gleaned from that eclectic mix of wisdom and hype, here are a few practical concepts that writers can apply in their careers.
If you were guided into a room filled with of targets, handed a bow and arrow, and told you could win a thousand dollars if you hit “the target,” you’d need to ask two questions: Which target am I supposed to hit? How long do I have? This is the reason why its important to Write Down Your Goals.
The first step is to consider which goal, if you were to finish it, would have the greatest impact. As you write down your main goal consider what other skills would help your attain it, and write those down as well. If you goal is to write a novel, what other activities would you be involved in? Since being established in the literary community will help you promote your novel, you could write short stories and submit them to literary journals while you continue working on the novel. As a published writer, you’ll need to do public readings, so watch for open mic events, which are excellent opportunities to gain experience.
Note: Although a novel is used as an example, the goal you choose to focus on does not have to be a major project. If completing a short story, essay or poem will aid in building your self-confidence as a writer, then they may be the ideal goals to pursue.

Set a Deadline For Your Project. One of the problems faced by writers when they have no deadline for a project, is they can be constantly distracted and never finish it. When you write down your main goal, also record a deadline for when you intend to finish the fist major stage. “I will have a first draft of ‘Title of Project’ finished by November 14, 2018.” If you haven’t completed the first stage by the deadline, don’t be too hard on yourself, just set another deadline and keep writing. When you’ve finished the first stage of your goal, set a deadline for the next one: “By March 14, 2019 I will complete ‘Title of Project’ and Submit it to Publishers.” Once again, if you miss the deadline, create a new one and keep writing. The purpose of this exercise isn’t to discourage you, the purpose is to help you keep focused.
If you can’t imagine yourself standing on the top of a mountain, you’re unlikely to start climbing, which is why you should Visualize Your Success. Everyday, take a couple of minutes to close your eyes and imagine yourself receiving writing awards, addressing large crowds of fans and signing autographs. Does it sound silly? It’s one of the methods athletes use to prepare for major competitions. A downhill skier imagines flying down a mountainside at 100 km/hr to win a gold medal and a writer imagines walking up to a podium to receive an award, but they are both moving towards attainable goals.
As is experienced by many writers, there will be times you’re so discouraged by rejection or the slow pace of your progress, that you’ll be tempted to give up. When you start to hear yourself say things like “you’ll never be a successful writer,” or “you’re just a…..” it’s time to Counter Negative Self-Talk With Affirmations.

An affirmation is basically a positive statement to remind yourself of your potential and drown out devastating negative self-talk. Here’s an example:
I am a writer, an artist, an entrepreneur
I am talented, intelligent, resourceful
My creative potential is unlimited
Another threat to completing a writing project is perfectionism. If you believe your work has to be perfect before sending it to an editor, you could spend years endlessly rewriting the same manuscript over and over again. Keep in mind that Perfectionism is a Form of Procrastination, and it may be holding you back. Every writer at some point has to decide whether to show their work to the public and risk potential criticism, or give up the dream of being published. Your project will never be perfect, but it may be just what editors and readers are looking for.
Since writing is part of your life, and life is unpredictable, expect roadblocks and Don’t Limit Yourself to Just One Path. If you’re climbing through a mountain pass and it’s blocked by a fallen tree, you don’t just stand there and stare at the tree. You might try pushing it aside, climbing over it, walking around it, or going back a couple of kilometers to find another path.
If you’re a screenwriter, but you’ve been unsuccessful in selling your completed scripts, perhaps you should write a novel. It may be that the novel catches the attention of the producers you need to impress and open doors for you. If you’re a playwright and can’t get a play you’ve written performed, perhaps you can adapt it as a short story and have it published in a literary journal. Keep in mind that the story is essential, formats are just various ways of telling that story.
Although it’s true that sometimes you have sit at a keyboard with just you and your thoughts, You Don’t Have to Go It Alone. Joining a writer’s organization will give you the opportunity to meet others who are just as enthusiastic about the art of writing as you. It’s also a non-threatening environment where you can read your work and receive suggestions on how to improve it. Perhaps the most important reason to join a writer’s organization is you can benefit from the experience of other members. To use a Canadian analogy; when you’re guiding your canoe down a river, avoiding one rock hidden beneath the surface can make a huge difference.
The best advice, however, for anyone interested in a literary career is: Just Get Started, Write. You can read books about the writing process, watch interviews with successful writers, join writing associations, and attend writer’s conferences, and never make any substantial progress, if you aren’t actually writing. Although learning about the writing process is important and getting to know other writers is helpful, to become a proficient writer, you need to practice your craft, you need to sit down at the keyboard and work.
Why is it important that you write? If a literary agency sent agents across the entire planet, among the 7.6 billion inhabitants, meeting writers of every nationality, race, and religion, they would only find one you. You are unique and so is your voice and your passion. Share your opinion, give us stories to lose ourselves in, create characters to cheer for, tear at our hearts strings and tickles our funny bones… just write.

And The Winner Is…..

August 18, 2018August 18, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / 1 Comment

Last weekend I attended When Words Collide, an annual conference for writers and readers held in Calgary. I enjoyed several seminars, and I also read a short story to a small audience Saturday evening.

Before the conference, I entered the Robin Herrington Short Story Contest. (The results are announced at When Words Collide.) First Place has a prize of CDN $125 and the top ten stories are included in an anthology, In Places Between.

Sunday morning I went to the final judging, where the top ten pieces were offered critiques by four judges, and the results were announced. I thought the short story I submitted was unique, well written, and I expected to win.

By the time the judges were half-way through the list, and my name hadn’t been mentioned, I reduced my expectations from winning, to at least being included in the anthology. As the last short story was discussed, I had to accept the fact my story wasn’t even one of the top ten.

Earlier this year, however, I learned that one of my short stories was accepted for Power: In the Hands of One, In the Hands of Many. It’s an anthology soon to be published by the West Coast Science Fiction Association. That story was written quickly to meet the submission deadline, and I wasn’t optimistic about it being accepted.

If you’re trying to decide whether to enter a contest, or submit material to an editor, remember that it isn’t a simple “yes or no” proposition. One person could love your story, another think it’s a piece of junk. It’s like listening to the radio; a song comes on and you wonder how anyone could possibly enjoy it, yet it’s a huge hit and millions of people love the song.

Whether you self-publish or send your material to traditional publishers, what’s really important is that you give others the opportunity to hear your voice and feel your passion. Keep writing my friend, keep writing….

If you haven’t read it yet, my eBook, What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper, is available through http://www.smashwords.com and several other online retailers, as well as several libraries in Canada and the United States.

Intimidation and Inspiration

July 14, 2018July 14, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / 1 Comment

Eighty thousand words! One of the members at the meeting said he’d written eighty thousand words in one month, while working a full-time job. I’ve been writing a science fiction novel for several months and I only have about thirty-five thousand words completed. One of the risks of joining a writing association is that you’ll feel intimidated by the achievements of other writers. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t allow that uneasiness prevent you from joining.

If you’re serious about becoming an accomplished writer, you must be willing to have your work critiqued. When you’re working on a piece, you’re too close to the material and you won’t notice problems, that other writers will. If you were building a house, wouldn’t you be thankful if someone pointed out a flaw in the foundation, rather than build it, and have it collapse? It’s better to have issues in your story pointed out by other writers, before you send it to an editor or literary agent.

One of the greatest benefits of attending meetings with other writers, is talking about your craft with people who understand what you’re experiencing. Your friends and family, and the guys and girls at work may be willing to listen to you talk about writing, but they won’t truly understand how frustrating or how rewarding the process can be. You’ll be inspired by writers just like you, who are driven to create. They’ll understand that you don’t just write because it’s a fun hobby, you have to write.

For many people, just the thought of speaking in public is terrifying. As a writer, however, public readings are an important aspect of developing your profile. A group of writers you’re familiar with is a safe, encouraging environment where you can learn to improve you’re public reading skills. A couple of months ago I read from the novel I’m working on, and I spoke so fast that hardly anyone understood me. That was an embarrassing, but important lesson that I had to learn.

If you find it difficult to travel to meetings, you can participate online. There are so many writing associations, that the challenge won’t be to find a group, it will be deciding which ones to join! Please note that I don’t believe that you must join a writing organization to become a great writer, but there are definite advantages.

Last weekend I wrote an article for a writing magazine, and this week I’ll continue working on my science fiction novel. What will you be working on this week? Let us hear your voice and feel your passion…Write!

Talking Sheep

June 25, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Earlier this month I was scheduled to give a thirty minute presentation on screenwriting for a local writer’s association. I was nervous, because although I’ve written several screenplays, I’ve never actually sold one. I’ve learned a considerable amount about the industry, but I would feel more confident if I had an on-screen credit.

The challenge I faced was speaking slowly and clearly, because when I get nervous or excited, I tend to speak so fast that I become impossible to understand. That’s exactly what happened the previous month when I read a portion of a novel I’m writing. Visualisation often works, so I first imagined I was driving an older model car using a manual transmission, shifting to a lower gear. That wasn’t a good idea, because I’ve only used a manual transmission once, and it isn’t an experience I want to repeat.

The inspiration for the visualization technique that was effective came from a children’s series that never fails to make me laugh; Shaun the Sheep. I imagined myself standing in a field surrounded by sheep, happily munching on grass. One of the sheep walked up to me and said, “Caaaalm Doooown.” I started laughing and I immediately relaxed. I was enthusiastic, because I love writing and I think it’s a fascinating subject, but I spoke slowly enough to be understood.

If you’re serious about a writing career, take advantage of public speaking opportunities to improve your skills. You never know when you’ll be asked to speak about the writing process or another subject related to what you’ve written. Keep writing, because the world needs to hear your voice, your passion.

Essentials For Success

May 27, 2018May 27, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / 1 Comment

A WRITER’S AFFIRMATON I am a writer, an artist, an entrepreneur. I am talented, creative and resourceful. My potential is unlimited.

RULES TO LIVE BY:

DON’T COMPLAIN It only proves that there’s a better option and you’re aren’t doing anything about it. Being miserable won’t help you achieve your goals, it will only drive people away from you. It’s a recipe for loneliness.

DON’ T WAIT UNTIL EVERYTHING IS PERFECT Perfectionism can be a form of procrastination. If you want to be successful writer, you have to be willing to submit your work and accept criticism. You could spend years working on the same novel or screenplay, constantly making small improvements, and never submit it to an editor or producer.

BE GRATEFUL Although it’s important to set goals for what you want to achieve in the future, it’s essential to be grateful for what you have now. If all you do is focus on what is wrong with your life, it’s going to lead to a downward spiral of depression. Having a hard time trying to think of something you’re grateful for? Since you’re a writer, you can be grateful that you have a vivid imagination.

YOU ARE NOT A LOSER Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has disappointments. Everyone makes poor choices. If you feel like a fool sometimes, you are not alone. You’re not a loser, you’re human.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS People start their day in a negative mood because they are completely focused on what they hate about their circumstances, and see no hope for change. If you have goals and you’re taking action toward achieving those goals, you aren’t trapped, you’re making progress. Speed isn’t as important as consistency.

BE PATIENT Have faith you will reach your goals, if you are persistent and remain focused. There are so many factors that can influence how long it takes to complete a novel or screenplay; your shift schedule at work changes, you child joins a new sports team that requires you to drive her to an extra practice each week, you have to start taking care of an elderly parent…. the list is endless. You may have to adjust your expectations regarding how long it will take to finish a project, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up.

I don’t always follow these essential rules, but I try. I hope you find this advice helpful and that you’ll be encouraged. God bless you, and keep writing, because the world needs to year your voice and feel your passion.

Before You Submit….

May 13, 2018May 13, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / 1 Comment

Many websites will entice you submit your work just for the recognition. Some literary journals will often offer payment in the form of a copy of the issue you’re published in. If you re going to submit material you’ve poured your heart and should into, without being paid, make sure you have a good reason to do so. Recently, I submitted a short story to a science fiction anthology and a literary journal; despite the fact no payment was offered by either publication. I submitted to the anthology because it’s a fund-raiser to support a writer’s organization, and being published in the literary journal may lead to a public reading.

Before you decide to submit your writing, here are some issues to consider.

Literary Journals often require that the material you submit has not been previously published. The result is that if you have a short story or essay published for free, finding another journal or website to pay for a reprint will be extremely difficult, and you may never be paid for it.

Another issue is whether submitting to a particular website or publication will raise your profile. Does the website have substantial traffic? Where is the print anthology distributed/sold? If you have a short story or essay published in a journal that’s only distributed through one bookstore, how many readers will see it? It’s true that a story published on a website has international exposure, but if no one visits the website…..

Do you want to have your name associated with the website or anthology? Will that association improve or damage your reputation as a writer? Take some time to look over the website operated by the publisher, click on some of the artwork, read a couple of the stories or essays from previous issues. This is an opportunity to learn about the tone of the writing and the type of artwork they use. A few minutes of research will reduce the risk of finding your material surrounded by themes and images that you find personally distasteful. You can’t, however, control what the editor chooses to include in an issue you’re published in; there’s always some risk involved.

Finally, before you submit material to a publication, online or print, do a search with the publication’s title in quotation marks. I suggest you use Google and Bing; there are enough differences to make it worth your effort to use both. If you find comments by writers who haven’t received a reply concerning their submissions, or haven’t been paid the fee they were promised, perhaps you should submit elsewhere You can also visit http://www.sfwa.org, the website of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. On their website, they have a resource called WRITER’S BEWARE, an excellent source of information regarding unethical publishers and literary agents

I don’t want to discourage you from submitting material, but I do want you feel good about your choices. I hope that you’ll spend some time writing today, because the world needs to hear your voice, your passion.

The Charisma Equation

March 5, 2018March 5, 2018 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

When you hear the word charisma, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. or John F. Kennedy immediately come to mind. We seem to immediately associate charisma with individuals who draw huge numbers of loyal followers and inspire the lives of millions of people.

Does that mean, as a writer, you have to be as popular as JK Rowling or John Grisham in order to have charisma? Not at all, for everyone has something that they get excited about. The question is, where does charisma come from? From my observations I believe charisma can be described in this simple equation:

OPTIMISM + PASSION = CHARISMA

By optimism I’m referring to the belief that a goal can be accomplished, and that it will have a positive outcome. I’m very optimistic that a dedicated writer can achieve unlimited creative potential; if she has the patience to write short stories, she can write novels, if she can write novels, she can learn to write screenplays. If she can adapt a story for a screenplay, then she can also adapt a story for a live theatre script.

Passion in this context, is the ability to express excitement about a subject. You’ve seen it before: a someone you work with is usually quiet, but mention video games, his eyes light up and you can’t get him to stop talking. In that moment, he is demonstrating charisma, because not only is he convinced that video games can make life more enjoyable, but he’s expressing his passion for gaming. Don’t be surprised if that quiet guy convinces several co-workers to buy the video game he’s talking about.

About twenty years ago I was at the fiftieth anniversary service of a Pentecostal church my grandmother attended. During the service a former pastor, who was in his eighties walked up to the platform to preach. In matter of minutes, this frail, elderly gentleman was hopping up and down, pounding the pulpit and speaking with a loud, clear voice. What happened? He was convinced that by telling people about Jesus Christ, their lives would have a brighter future: Optimism. He was thrilled to be back in the saddle, preaching again: Passion. He had the congregation’s full attention: Charisma.

Are you optimistic that writing will allow you to reach your full creative potential? When you talk about writing, do your friends and family feel the excitement in your voice? You don’t have less charisma than well known leaders, they just have larger audiences experiencing their passion. Everyone expresses his or her charisma in a unique way. If for you that happens to be through words, congratulations, you’re a writer.

The Internet: A Writer’s Best Friend and Worst Enemy

November 6, 2017November 6, 2017 / J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Your Best Friend

If you’re a writer, you should get to know Evan Carmichael http://www.evancarmichael.com. His Top Ten Lists which you can find on YouTube or his website are amazing. If you do a search for just about every major writer, you’ll find one of Evan Carmichael’s top ten lists of their rules for success. For each rule, there’s a clip demonstrating that rule for success. Evan Carmichael makes it’s clear it’s “his take” on their top ten rules, but he seems to get it right.

How do you discover new writers? I find the Internet Data Base http://www.imdb.com an indispensable tool. Whenever I see a new movie and I don’t recognise the title, I click the “Writer” heading, which is found under the Director. It lists both the screenwriter(s) and the author of the adapted material, if it isn’t an original story. Recently I looked up Jo Nesbo after seeing a listing for The Snowman. He’s an international bestselling author and I had never heard of him before.

Note: I’m not sure if I should use “recognize” or “recognise.” I really have to start keeping a Canadian dictionary nearby, because sometimes we use the British spelling and sometimes we use the American spelling. Canadian trivia: Since they’re found in Canadian forests, did you know that “moose” has the same spelling for both the singular and the plural? It doesn’t matter is there’s one moose or a thousand moose, the spelling never changes.

Before the internet you could read articles and books about authors, you might be lucky enough to see them interviewed on television or you might hear them speak at a writer’s conference. Now you can go to YouTube, type in an authors’ name and see them delivering speeches at writing conferences, and or discussing their work at libraries anywhere on the globe. The information you can learn about an author’s writing process and his or her experience in the publishing industry is invaluable.

Your Worst Enemy

Have you ever found yourself sitting down to work on a piece of writing, and instead you’re looking at pictures of yachts and private jets owned by wealthy entrepreneurs, musicians and professional athletes? If you’ve managed to get past that temptation, perhaps you find yourself watching cat videos. There’s nothing wrong with being curious about how the super wealthy live or laughing at a cat falling into a bath, but do it often enough and you’ll never finish that novel.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that I was spending far too much time looking at e-mails, when I should have been writing. I deleted my profile from three websites and unsubscribed from several newsletters. There are two good reasons to do this: 1. Since the amount of time you have to write is limited, you don’t want to waste that valuable time reading e-mails that are essentially junk mail. 2. If you’ve submitted material to editors or producers, you don’t want to miss their replies because you’re rushing through an inbox filled with junk.

I hope that you’ll find time to write this week, because there are always new authors being discovered and you might as well be one of them. Keep writing, because it’s your voice, your passion.

P.S. Please ask your local library to order a copy of my eBook, What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper, available to libraries through Overdrive and Cloud Library. You can purchase copies through http://www.smashwords.com and other online book retailers.