Poetry, Publishing, and MORE!
This month our general meeting include a poetry slam, a question and answer session on publishing, and we have more inside the newsletter!
Ideas for organizing your series
(Not your bookshelf!)
In April, we had two great presentations, and for this newsletter, we’re highlighting a few of the tips about how to organize your series of novels. Many times we authors have information scattered everywhere. Character bios, settings, plot points, outline. They can all end up in different files and locations. Some might be on paper, and others on the computer.
A few tips we covered last month were:
Keep your files together - organized by folders and with appropriate labels (not just dragon story, dragon story final, dragon story final 100, etc. (I’m not any better hahahaha)
Create an overall outline - many series feel like they may fall apart because there is no cogent idea where the story will end up. This can be true for a series or novel or short story. But knowing at least minimally where the story is going is key.
Check into technology - There are all kinds of ways to organize your notes. Some people create physical series bibles. A notebook with all their notes, character biographies, and settings. Maybe the glue pictures in and all. But other people may find solace in various programs. Scrivener offers a way to keep all the information together in one file with the manuscript (my personal preference). Others may turn to tools like Plottr or Novlr, or something similar. You may need to try different avenues to figure out what works best for you, but having those details written down is likely key. (How many times have we forgotten a character name or inadvertently changed a character name? Oops!)
Want to learn more?
Come join The Writing Journey for our next monthly meeting, Saturday, May 13th from 12-3pm CST. Join the Writing Journey here.
This month we’re having a poetry slam, haiku style! And we have a panel of writers who have published in various ways (from traditional to self to serial and more) to answer your questions about publishing a book.
Only members can access our meetings, which are held virtually and in person.
Why I Write - Gwen Tolios
I recently spent a week and a half at my parents’. It's always a lovely stay; they have 5 acres of riverside property near Detroit and are much more diligent about having regular meals than I am. A visit usually means good food, a lot of game nights, and helping my mom with excel.
What also happens is a complete disruption of my routines. No biweekly yoga class. No Writing Journey activities like Shut Your Trap or weekend meetings. My life becomes fulfilling my parents’ expectations, from shared morning coffee to drying while Dad washes to making bets about that night’s Jeopardy winner.
I brought my personal laptop. I opened it three times. None of those times included a Word doc.
Visits to my parents’ place often become writing stopping points. I have a WIP from last April that stalled (but hopefully didn't die) because visiting my parents last Easter stopped the creative flow I needed. Over the Winter holidays, I had to stop watching a show that had been inspiration-fodder for months. This past trip, I blessed the fact that I stored my writing in the cloud because I was able to steal two hours of day job time during the week to make sure I made progress on my current story.
Those two hours felt so little that Friday, when we had guests over, I pretended to work for an extra 15 minutes so I could churn out a few paragraphs. I refused to let my current project die like last year’s.
This might sound a little extreme to some of you, I should enjoy family time, yeah? But when I woke up my second Saturday there all I could do was sigh.
I wanted to write. Lug my laptop to a cafe to sip a latte while I launched Grammarly. Sign into Zoom and have virtual company while I sat in my living room musing on a piece of dialogue. I write so often, especially on weekends, that the prolonged lack was grating. I wanted to hide in a closet and write in the dark. Step out the house to the local Starbucks and let them wonder 'where’s Gwen?' for an hour.
I've been asked a few times why I write. It's a common question authors get, right up there with inspiration sources. I'm sure they expect answers like because I'd been a reader as a kid being an author has been a dream job. Or, since a few of my books have queer themes, I wanted to put more positive representation into the world.
But the truth is, at the end of the day, I itch if I don't write.
I get frustrated when I go too long without typing, when I know a story is lingering and calling to be finished. I love the buzz of creation, flowing from my brain to my fingers to the page. As a discovery writer, I don't know how the story will unfold until I'm 90% done. I don't have a beautiful tale I adore until I edit. I need to write to satisfy my brain, and it doesn't matter what ends up on the page. Its why I have three pennames and, like J.M (can we tag) I also write fanfic (albit under a fourth name).
It's why I've labelled myself a writer long before I became an author. I need to write. It's a calling.
And now it's time for you to answer the interview question - why do you write?
Publications
Speaking of publications, the Writing Journey has several anthologies out. We publish one every year with a different theme. Take a look at our previous anthologies here. There’s a little something for everyone.