A Few Things…

Posted in Images, Posts, Tips, Websites by Rachael C Marek

A long weekend with my sister off from work led to very little progress on the writing front. We did finally watch some movies on the ever-growing Netflix queue, so a little progress made on the personal to do list, as well as getting the living space more organized. Yay. And I’m finally making some headway in the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It takes a little effort, because his writing style is very particular, but a definite read for any writer. Quick overview – it’s about the future and how books are banned. One of my goals (not to be completed in a year) is to read all the “best” books. I grew up in a state that ranks at the bottom of education, so I’ve taken it upon myself to read those things I should have years ago. I alternate a must-read with a pleasure-read, but have been doing rather poorly the last year or so, so, it’s on the list! Here’s a link to the 100 Best Novels, if you’re up for the challenge. I was recently asked why I’m doing this, and my response, “I’m a writer. I should be educated in those that are considered great in my field”.

I wanted to do more with my dot.com (I love saying that), so I’ve started to add “Excerpts” of my work for a little insight into the types of stories I’ve written (all part of the “branding” I’m trying to achieve), a “Calendar of Events” for contests and writing opportunities (there are links for you to explore), and a Pinterest link to see the types of things that inspire me; people, places, castles, clothes, art, etc. Take a gander if you want to waste a little time –

Hiddles(rugged)

(in adding that link, I still had Tom Hiddleston on the page, so that was a nice, welcome sight…So this is for my fellow Hiddles’ swooners! Yes, those are both words. Or will be.) All of these are a work in progress. And I’d love if you’d share any writing items (contests, meetings, conventions, classes, etc) of note as well. I’ll put them up on the calendar.

Today’s post is a little random, as I am, at the moment…LitReactor shared The 10 Weirdest and Most Wonderful Libraries in the World. I think I could be happy working in a library. I’ve always wanted to open a little coffee/tea shop and have loads of books that people could take, swap, share. That’ll be later.

And then not to forget about the writer’s struggle, The Write Life shared the Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing. This would be a monetary investment, but sometimes, it’s necessary. I have a couple of those to make in order to move forward. This would be one of those catch-22 scenarios where you need a little money to make a little money.

So it’s Thursday and this is my first post of the week. Shameful. I hope you’re all doing better than I!

Continued success!

15Jan2014

Websites for Writers

Posted in Posts, Tips, Websites by Rachael C Marek

This list will probably take some time to go through, but I wanted to share it. The Write Life Presents: The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2014. I’ll slowly make my way and if anything stands out, I’ll be sure to make special note of it. And please do the same.

Here’s to a productive week! Best of luck!

14Jan2014

New Look & An Interesting Article

Posted in Posts, Tips, Websites by Rachael C Marek

I’m going to try this new look out for the next week and see how it “feels”. I’d love some feedback or ways to improve. What do you all think? Yay or nay? I’m not sure yet…

So the article I read, “What to write about when you don’t know what to write about” from ItStartsWith might be helpful for when you’re staring at that blinking cursor upon a stark white, blank screen. If you need some inspiration to just start writing, anything, this article may help get those ideas flowing. Sometimes I feel if I’m not working on one of my scripts than I’m wasting time, but writing anything is always good. It keeps the mind sharp, continuously active and thinking, and ideas come from the most unexpected places.

I’m not going to go on and on today, like I sometimes do, because I’ve been playing around with themes all afternoon, it’s now 11:45 pm, and I haven’t written a word (except for what you see here).

Best of luck everyone and have a great week!

13Jan2014

Keeping The Promises You Make To Yourself

Posted in Posts, Tips by Rachael C Marek

There’s this phrase, a joke really, about how “you’re not really a writer unless someone sees you doing it”. Family Guy had a cutaway once of two guys writing in a well known coffee shop where one of the guys asks the other to watch him as he writes. There’s a bit more to it, but you get the gist. The reason I bring this up is because I don’t go anywhere to write, but after attending my first writers group tonight, I can understand the appeal. I don’t need the outside validation to prove to myself that I am in fact a writer, but the two hours of solitude I was able to partake in tonight was wonderful. I sat in a little restaurant with about 20 other writers, put in my ear buds, and just focused on my work. I don’t want to say that I liked the fact that I had no dogs or sister demanding my attention, but the little respite was welcome. When I came home my sister told me to take two hours everyday and go to said well known coffee shop. But my laptop is now ancient, and I suppose I could use a pen and pencil the old fashioned way, but I actually type pretty quickly, fast enough to usually keep up with my train of thought, except when my hands are cold, like they are now, and I keep shivering and hitting the wrong keys, and having to go back and fix every other word…

So attending a writers group was one of the many items on my new to do list. A way to meet people and network and be held accountable. As I’ve mentioned, time sometimes gets away from me and I don’t get any screenwriting done. So I joined a handful of groups in an effort to find multiple slots of time each week to get out of the house and work. Doesn’t that sound strange? But, when dirty dishes are staring at you, or a Netflix marathon seems inevitable because it’s a little cold and gloomy outside, and you’d rather snuggle on the couch with your dogs or significant other then sit at your desk and “work”, getting out may be the only answer. I think a laptop might help me as well. Then I could snuggle and work.

One of the other items on my list is to be more creative, in any capacity. I’d like to learn to draw, more than balloons and stick figures. I’d like to learn to sew, more than stitching my dogs chew toys because they are aggressive chewers. I used to decorate cakes, so this weekend, for my sister’s birthday, I made this —

I don’t have any of the proper utensils to actually decorate cakes, so I’m pretty proud of the results. My friends were impressed, so I’ll probably give this another try. Valentine’s Day is around the corner, as is my birthday…perhaps I’ll make my own cake…

So my point is this. Those resolutions, whatever they are, try to keep them. Start small. Let them build upon each other, and when you look back in three months, six, the end of the year, you will be so impressed with the progress you made and you can be proud of your accomplishments. If you’re a fellow writer, I would recommend small page/word counts to start. 1,000 words a day or 10 pages, etc. may sound easy enough, but there’s a lot of life that could get in the way, and if you don’t hit that mark, you might be disappointed. So start a little lower, build momentum, and add to that word count/page count every month or so. If you get on a roll, you may write more one day, then you can celebrate.

One thing I’ve learned along the way is to celebrate your achievements, great or small. You finished that chapter you were struggling with…treat yourself to something. Finished the first draft on your novel…treat yourself to something big! Your treats could be anything; a celebratory walk around the corner for a bit of fresh air, and to revel in the moment of your success. Maybe it’s a new keyboard, or a pen, whatever.

It’s easy to let things slide (I know this better than anyone), but come the end of the year, you want to be able to look back and feel good about it all. This is what is propelling me forward this year. I don’t want a repeat of the last one, or two. Remember to write down those goals and post them where you can see them. The constant reminder helps.

Wishing you all the best! Continued success! And be sure to look around in the coming week as I make changes to the blog…another item to check off that list.

7Jan2014

Sticking With It

Posted in Posts, Quotes, Websites by Rachael C Marek

Okay. Scratch two items off my new to do list — I am officially a dot.com (yay!) and I joined a handful of writer’s groups (Meetup.com). I’ll be attending my first one next week. I’m also working on an application to volunteer (VolunteerMatch.org — if you’re interested in finding an opportunity to volunteer as well) to teenage girls in an effort to help them find their writer’s voice. I feel like I’m going from 0 to 60 in no time flat, but I’ve always worked much better when I have more to do. And as the last year has shown, I’ve had way too much time on my hands with little result, so it feels good to start making plans. What I’m hoping to gain from all this is some accountability — some pressure to produce and succeed.

I’ve set a few deadlines for finishing some writing projects in the hopes that with the spring (that time of year when agents get bombarded) I’ll have a handful of pieces ready. In addition, I’m working on some personal goals, looking to update my blog, among the many other items on that Professional To Do List I’ve grown so fond of. *Whew.

So here’s to sticking with it! I hope you all are achieving some of your goals as well. Let’s keep at it!

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” -Michelangelo

Best of luck!

3Jan2014

Resolutions

Posted in Posts, Tips, Websites by Rachael C Marek

So of course over the last two days every article I came across was in regards to sticking to the (writing) resolutions we make. I’m still working on my list — a few items require an investment and I’m already becoming overwhelmed at the amount of things I’m even hinting at wanting to accomplish, both personally and professionally. I’ve never been very good at the whole resolutions thing. The idea of setting imaginary goals on one specific day of the year, only to be soon forgotten, seemed pointless when you can start each and any day with the same drive and purpose. But now I sort of get it. In the writing world, there are deadlines to be met, opportunities that come and go on an annual basis, and it’s good to be prepared right from the beginning of the new year so you know what to expect.

As I’ve learned, this is something that comes with age, time really does fly. Days flow into one another to the point of not being able to remember what one did just two or three days before. With a new year comes possibility. There’s hope that this one will be different from the last, but this only works when we make a conscious effort to make it different. We can complain all we like about our fates, but if we do nothing different, if we don’t alter our perspective and take action, then there is no one else to blame come the following year. So the new year implies making the effort. We reflect on our past actions and become mindful to not repeat them.

I have made a conscious decision to alter my ways. I know I wasted too many days not writing last year consumed with depression over failed attempts at contests, not finding a “regular” job, and just a sheer lack of perspective. Half way through the year I took notice and started to change, so that this year would be better. Also, I’ve grown more lonely in an already lonely vocation, in part because I don’t have a “regular” job where I interact with people regularly. So I watched too much Netflix and played too many video games, but I love doing both…This is something I vow to change this year by joining a writer’s group and volunteering. I want to look back on my life and find it fulfilling, and the past year has not been that. I told my sister that I had this silly notion that one day, when I’m successful and I’m being interviewed and the like, that I would like “them” to say, “Oh, wow, you do this, this, and this? How wonderful!” This is both a personal and professional goal, and though silly, may inspire me to do more with myself and my work. It’s like having that Oscar speech, or what ever award you want to win, ready. Most of us are prepared to thank those who helped us or inspired us along the way, and that in itself is a mental goal, that we would like to be standing in front of those esteemed people, worthy of being one of them.

So, here are a few links in regards to sticking to those writing resolutions. I made note of many of them to help me as well — prioritize, make consistent, manageable progress, identify your big picture, discover and implement your 3 “NOs” as a writer, and a few more. I hope they help.

LitReactor – The Top 4 Tips For Making Your Writing Resolutions Stick

The Write Life – 3 Steps For Creating Meaningful Goals

Chuck Palahniuk via LitReactor – 13 Writing Tips from C.P.

FabFreelanceWriting – 14 Easy Ways To Improve Your Writing Skills in 2014

Maybe as part of my own accountability, I’ll post my resolutions here. If they’re out in the world, for anyone to see, it’ll probably hold me to them.

Best of luck and continued success!!

*Image from DL Koontz site

1Jan2014

A(nother) New Year

Posted in Posts by Rachael C Marek

Welcome to 2014!

BigBen2013

I can’t believe it’s a new year. I’m sure many of you are thinking the same thing. Just two hours into the new year and I remembered something I once heard — how you spend your time in those “early moments” of the new year is a great way to determine how you will (want to) spend your year. I wanted it to be about writing, so here I am, 2 a.m., writing.

I wish you all a Happy New Year! Hopefully, everyone was safe, had a wonderful time, and is looking forward to the prospects that a new year can bring. I plan on making some personal resolutions…later. I’m also planning on reorganizing my professional to do list, creating new goals, and laying a course of action for my career. My hope for you all is that you will do the same for yourselves. Let’s make 2014 wonderful; filled with passion, creativity, imagination, fantasy, romance, fun, and productivity. Let’s have no regrets!

Thank you all for helping me make the last few months (since I started this blog) of 2013 memorable by supporting me and my work. It really helps the mental well being of this lonely writer to see the likes, comments, and follows as you all lend your time to my ramblings. I truly appreciate it!

Best of luck to you all and continued success! xx, Rach

27Dec2013

It’s Always All About The Writing

Posted in Posts, Tips by Rachael C Marek

I’ve been playing hooky. (Doesn’t that word look strange? Maybe it’s just me. I find it odd that I rely on words and yet, sometimes, a word will just look wrong. Hooky is just such a word.) I have to be honest, I just haven’t had any impulse to write the last week or so. I can blame the holidays, the melancholy that sometimes takes hold around this time of year, the fact that I’ve been a little depressed over the writing contests and the fellowship I didn’t advance in, and a slew of other creative sucking outside influences, but I’ll woman-up and say it’s all me. I’ve sat down, stared at the computer, and then…nothing. I know we’re supposed to write even when we don’t feel like it, and it’s a great way to escape reality, but I’ve been losing myself in books, movies, and video games, which are all creative outlets, some with inspiring effects, but, they aren’t writing, and I know that. I should also know better.

The other night while I lay in bed, my mind finally free to roam because I was dozing off, I had a strange, dark, sort of twisted story idea. I grabbed my phone, used that note app I’m so fond of, and jotted down what I had just envisioned. It was a big jump in my mind, something I had heard while watching American Horror Story — there was a line of dialogue that sparked this chain of ideas. I’m always surprised at where the ideas come from. And I know this is a story idea I will want to explore. I’ve been lucky, so far, that I haven’t had a lot of lag time between ideas (that I want to expand on). I tend to have a vision of one scene, and I go from there. The first images I have are usually strong ones, that make an impact, which I know, in turn, will make a compelling story (at least I think so). I try to write everything down right away, because as I’ve noted, my memory is horrible. I’ll have this idea or a bit of a scene or dialogue, not write it down immediately, and then it’s out the window. I’ll rack my brain for days trying to recall what it was, but, it’s usually gone. I even try the trick of walking into the room where I had the idea, or try to recreate what I was doing, saw, heard, etc., but my mind is like a bottomless abyss where ideas fall, never to be heard from again.

Then I saw this article about choosing which story to write next and thought I’d share it. If you have too many ideas and don’t know where to go, Script Magazine offered this advice, which can be utilized for any writing, not just scripts as the title suggests. I think this also helps in relation to the “branding” idea I discussed recently, when you’re trying to build a portfolio of your work, and loving the story your writing. It all comes back to passion. Which has made me rethink why I’m not writing. Maybe it’s a lack of passion. I’ve let a lot of those outside influences dictate my mood, which is always a creativity killer, but sometimes life just gets in the way of productivity. I did not meet some of my year end goals, another thing to add to my current state of mind, but then I thought, “the goals are meant as a challenge”. “They are meant to be inspiring, not to encourage a defeatist attitude.” They were a little inflated as well, so as the new year lingers on the horizon, I will keep those goals in mind, set new, attainable ones, and work a little harder to achieve them.

And this is what I wish for all of you — Don’t set yourself up for failure. Try to remain focused. Try to maintain discipline. Stay positive.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and a productive one at that! Continued well wishes to you and your writing! And thank you all for your encouragement by following my ramblings and encouraging me to continue to work on my dreams!

xx, Rach

19Dec2013

What is Saleable?

Posted in Posts, Tips by Rachael C Marek

I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately and this one word keeps popping up — saleable (which means fit or able to be sold). This absurd sounding word is actually resounding throughout Hollywood right now, according to numerous sources, because your work should be saleable. No kidding. Isn’t that, in part, why we’re doing this? As artists/writers, we write, and write, and write, sometimes for many years without any acknowledgment, let alone any monetary reward, but that is the goal. So when I hear this word it sort of makes me laugh, because what they really mean is that they want something marketable, something that will bring in a large return. Apparently production companies are a little nervous, and sales have been dropping. I love hearing that and then seeing the weekend box office of films slated for release. So many continue to come out that I can’t believe found funding; remakes, endless sequels, and reinventions. It’s hard to be a writer with interesting stories gathering dust while a slew of “mediocrity” (this is not meant entirely as an insult, because who doesn’t love a bad movie from time to time?) finds its place in the world.

InsideMyHead

So what does “saleable” have to do in relation to your work? My honest opinion is nothing. If you believe in yourself and your art, if you’re passionate about what you’re writing, then someone will take notice. I remember this great piece of advice I got once — Don’t chase trends. Why? Because by the time you get your work in front of someone that might be able to do something with it (like get it published or sold to a production studio) that trend will be over. Write what you’re passionate about. If it happens to be a story in a genre popular right now, that’s fine, because in a few years that trend will come back around and you’ll already have something ready. Obviously, if your story is different than all that other stuff out there, all the rules go right out the window. But, remember this, when you’re starting out, write about those things you love. It’s your time, your energy, your lack of sleep, going blind staring at the computer, praying that someone will notice your work, starving because you don’t want to work at that crap job anymore — so why would you want to waste all that on something you don’t even care about? You should love your characters. You should love your story. I hope it makes you laugh out loud, or well up with tears, because it is that kind of passion that will help you sell it.

Best of luck to you all!

18Dec2013

Damsel in Distress? No Thank You.

Posted in Images, Posts, Tips, Websites by Rachael C Marek

All I wanted to do was write up a nice, little blog about this article I read on LitReactor, Dystropia: How the Damsel in Distress Has Evolved, but it started becoming this rant on feminism, and how men objectify women, and how women cut each other down. Not exactly the direction I intended. As a modern-day woman, I do find the exploitation of women in this day and age infuriating, and I do not care for stories or movies where the woman’s sole purpose is to be rescued, to cause the ensuing chaos, or to serve no purpose other than to be eye candy — we’re more complex than that, we offer more than that, and it’s time to stop putting us in those boxes. I’m tired of terms like “bitch” or “slut”. Just because a woman is strong, vocal, not ashamed of who she is, and not afraid to stand up for what she believes in does not make her any of these labels. Let’s just get rid of the labels all together.

Sydney2 Buffy w:stake Nikita2

I read somewhere that writer Damon Lindehof, co-writer of Star Trek Into Darkness, regretted writing the scene where actress Alice Eve, aka Dr. Carol Marcus, flashes her underwear for no reason other than to flash her goodies. She’s a scientist, a weapons expert, and yet we have to show her practically naked for what reason? C’mon. Fanboys weren’t the only people in the audience. This is why finding writers that actually create complex female characters is so refreshing. Some of my favorite shows ever host a female lead; Buffy the Vampire Slayer, La Femme Nikita, and Alias. All these women, besides being kick-ass, were great characters. Game of Thrones is wonderful for this reason as well. Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, has had a wonderful character arc from frail, young girl to the leader of an army. Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey, has said in interviews that people have called her a bitch to her face, as if she is her character. If the actions of her character were done by a man, no one would have anything to say. I’m also a fan of Lost Girl, that not only has a wonderful lead, but interesting side characters as well. I like the direction TV is going with women, creating strong characters without cliché.

I love the show, Sherlock and its lead, Benedict Cumberbatch, but I have to wonder what sort of reviews it would get if they had made Sherlock a woman. Why is it so shocking when a female character is an alcoholic or has some eccentricities? Why is it absurd to vocalize that not all women want to be mothers or somebody’s wife? Why do women have to be pigeonholed into a certain category where men feel secure? What year is it?

Then I found this article by the New York Film Academy about Gender Inequality in Film. It’s kind of shocking, considering we make up half the population. As a woman writer, I write about female protagonists with a strong, supportive female cohort. Two of my scripts are almost entirely made up of women. I’m not trying to make a statement, I just think that the number of women represented in literature and film is dismal, and when a strong female character makes her way on the scene, she is usually met with resistance. Have we not, as a society, moved past this point? I may have been raised by Disney princesses, and believe me when I say they made a huge impact on me, that doesn’t mean those are the types of stereotypical women (maybe just variations) I want to continue to go out into the world. Little girls deserve more realistic diversity. They need role models, but they also need to know that whoever they turn out to be is okay. And the only way they can know this is if we, as writers, make those types of characters available. Don’t take the easy way out — write interesting characters!

Okay. I’m going to stop right there, because this did turn into a rant. Ah, well. Hopefully, it was enlightening.

Have a great week everyone!

*Images: Sarah Michelle Gellar of BVS, Peta Wilson of LFN, and Jennifer Garner of Alias.