character, Minutes, plot, Writing

Writers’ Mill Minutes September 2020

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September’s Writers’ Mill meeting was well-attended with around 24 members sharing space in the Zoom Room provided by Laura at Cedar Mill library. We enjoyed a particularly good speaker, Erick Mertz, announced contests, discussed the anthology, and generally had a very successful time. If you missed the meeting, do try to join next time.

One strange benefit of our current strange times is that we can welcome members from all over the world. The host of this month’s “Strange Times” contest was Sheila’s mum Jessie, attending from England, and she announced the contest winners:

  • Zita Podany.   Hunger and Desperation  ( A story of the Irish famine of 1315.)
  • Karin Krafft. Words I never want to hear again ( A Covid19 story looking back in history.)
  • Von Pelot.       Covid19 Blues. ( A  horror story for our times.)

Other entries were:

  • “Consequence of Growing Up” by Mindy Black
  • “Desperately Seeking” by Haylee Ergenekan
  • “Esperentially Yours” by Sheila Deeth
  • “Everyday Events” by Joanne DeHaan
  • “Kitkit Liked to Sleep” by Sheila Deeth
  • “No Time For Pollyanna” by Jean Harkin
  • “Sabbatical Interrupted” by David Fryer
  • “Something’s Happening Here” by Judy Beaston
  • “Sunday” by Catherin Violante
  • “The Trees Are Talking” by Peter Letts
  • AND, of course: “Looking Back Over the Centuries” by Jessie Collins

Upcoming contests—all with wordcount limits of 1200 words or fewer, deadlines at the end of the first Sunday of each month, and entries to be sent to contest @portlandwritersmill.org—are:

  • October: Beyond the headlines, hosted by Joanne (NOTE the new password: BeyondOct20)
  • November: Words I never want to hear again, hosted by Karin
  • December: Endings and Beginnings, hosted by Judy
  • January: Whatever Von chooses

Look on the website for more info: https://www.portlandwritersmill.org/contests/upcoming-2020-contests/ and make sure you’re on our mailing list—if you’re not getting our emails, contact Laura at the library or admin @portlandwritersmill.org

You’ll find anthology news on the website too:

Erick Mertz gave a fantastic presentation (see below) and inspired us all to think about the monster’s journey, as well as the hero’s journey in our writing, whether the monster be Freddy Kreuger or fear of rejection or…etc.  Erick and his books can be found at https://erickmertzauthor.com/ He’s a widely published feature journalist and music reviewer, author of short stories, screenplays, novels. He’s an editor. And he’s a ghostwriter –  https://erickmertzwriting.com/erick-mertz-ghostwriter/   He proved eminently well attuned to the joys of being “virtually” present at our meeting!

Ria spoke several months ago about preparing for challenges, and she has sent a very practical link to help us all as we face present fears and challenges: http://a.msn.com/04/en-us/BB196uZG?ocid=se

Then there’s…

NEWS:  Paul Murgatroyd, literary editor, invites us: “There is now an opportunity to get your creative writing published in an exciting new venue (Extinction Rebellion’s Creative Hub).   Send us your poetry, prose, scripts or songs on the subject of the current climate crisis and possible aftermaths. To see pieces already published and submission guidelines go to https://xrcreative.org/ and then create something from your ruminations, speculations, hopes, fears, doubts, dreams and nightmares.”

You can find the updated Anthology timeline at https://www.portlandwritersmill.org/20/challenges-anthology-update/ :

  • I shall include all the new entries as soon as I can during the coming week, but please be patient; I shall also be adding new names to the newsletter list, writing the minutes, editing, and of course, cooking, cleaning, shopping, washing etc, as one does. Then
    • First draft edits – Judy, Jean, and Catherin will be reading the pdf file and sending their comments (with page number references) to Sheila to incorporate changes into the document. If you’d like to help us, email admin @ portlandwritersmill.org. Changes are always minimal – mainly concerned with:
      • Standardizing format (emdashes, ellipses, italics, etc)
      • Correcting simple errors (missing words, repeated words, name changes etc)
      • Fixing typos
    • First draft edits finish at the end of the first Sunday in October.
  • During this edit, I shall add and request new images. Then I’ll make the changes suggested by “first draft” editors and create a pdf “author draft” for the authors.
    • Authors need to proofread their own entries and the two adjacent entries to each of theirs. That way we get lots of different pairs of eyes on each piece, improving our changes of fixing typos.
    • Authors can request changes to their own entries, as long as they’re minor.
    • Author-draft edits finish at the end of the third Sunday in October.
  • I add the changes as they are requested and create the “final” proof, which we upload to the website for everyone to enjoy.
    • I plan to have this done by the end of the first Sunday of November. Please start thinking then about how many copies you want to buy. I’ll need payment before I can make the order, and I’ll be making the order as soon as possible after the November meeting.
    • On the third Sunday of November we will upload the book to Amazon KDP and demo how to create a book “for free.”
    • Once Amazon approves the book for release, I will make an order through the library’s account for as many copies as have been paid for, plus one for the library and a few extras for advertising. Anyone will be able to buy at the “purchase price” on Amazon, but the ones I order will be cheaper “author” copies.

Anthology title and cover : Find out more at https://www.portlandwritersmill.org/20/challenges-anthology-title/

Erik Nebel has read the whole of our first, first draft (!) and donated artwork for our cover. Given the limitations of Amazon’s cover creator, Pati has volunteered to help do this image justice and create a “real” cover in Photoshop (though we’ll still demo the cover creator at November’s meeting). Pati will need a real title, so… Follow the link, read the suggestions and start leaving your comments! (Or email admin @ portlandwritersmill.org). A final decision will be made, online, by the end of the first Sunday in October, so make your voice heard!

NEXT MEETING is on the third Sunday in October 18th. Joe Biel, publisher at Microcosm, will talk about publishing, small publishers and more. And Ria will lead a critique of Matthew’s chapter. See you then!

And now… here are the minutes from Erick’s excellent presentation:

Monsters are Needy – a talk from Author, Editor and Ghostwriter Erick Mertz

Erick got into ghostwriting by chance, 15 years ago, when someone asked him if he’d ever done it. 15 years later, he has lots of experience to draw on, and we’re very grateful to him for sharing that experience with us.

Why a Monster?

Stories need threat. There are lots of books about world-building, but without a monster, the story has no focus. We need to learn to build monsters (threats) as real and complete as our heroes. We need a “monster’s journey” to parallel our “hero’s journey.”

What’s a Journey?

  • Hero accepts the call, meets a mentor and
  • Crosses the threshold to the unknown, faces trials and failures, grows until
  • Reaching a place of death and rebirth (here be monsters) then
  • Revelation, change, and atonements leads to a gift, whereupon
  • The hero returns to the normal life, changed and heroic.

The hero becomes someone new in that place of death and rebirth, but what about the villain, the monster, the threat?

Erick gave us several ideas to consider in developing our threat, comparing it at each step to a well-known “monster.”

IMPORTANCE OF FREQUENCY – Freddy Kreuger – Nightmare on Elm Street

  1. How is Freddy presented in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie?
    1. The monster is “present” 45% of the time – NOT a hidden threat
    2. He’s suggested by effects of his presence 20% of the time – can be INVISIBLE while still not being hidden
    3. Doesn’t “appear” physically till 10 minutes into the movie; doesn’t successfully threaten till 30 minutes; doesn’t become “interesting” (dropping 1-liners) till 40 minutes in.
    4. Absent at scene breaks while the character takes center stage
  2. The threat doesn’t have to be seen. Deploy your threat in different ways.
  3. The threat doesn’t have to omnipresent. You can leave the threat out while you develop characters
  4. The threat needs variety. Use different ways to hint at its presence.
  5. Use the threat (not just the setting) to create atmosphere

A brief digression into MEMOIR.

  • Memoir is not the same as autobiography; it focusses on a particular time, and the “monster” is whatever antagonized the character at this time.
  • Threat/monster could be insecurity
  • First find your threat. Now you know where your memoir is focused
  • Then enhance your threat – increase its presence, just as if it were a physical monster
  • Don’t assume your reader gets it – you have to lead them to see what your character sees.

POWER IN PERSISTENCE – Martin Burney – Sleeping with the Enemy

  1. Introduced in the very first scene as an obvious threat – threat doesn’t have to be hidden; we’re allowed to arrive late, with the threat already in force.
  2. Act 1 shows an escalation of threat, till she runs and we know exactly why
  3. Act 2 allows the monster to share equal screen time with the hero – Can develop the threat in parallel with developing the hero – parallel journeys
  4. We see things through Martin’s eyes – the threat’s point of view can increase the impact – if monsters are real and have real feelings, that can increase reader involvement.

LAYERS OF SUGGESTION – Cthulhu

  1. Monster isn’t seen till last 3 of 64 pages – we don’t need to see the enemy
  2. We see the consequences of the statue, the cult… layering different hints and types of hint
  3. We read about the fear – exploration of the monster
  4. Then we experience it – culmination of exploration

This might be more relevant to MEMOIR as life incidents explore the consequences of a hidden threat.

VALUE OF HUMANITY – the Elephant Man

  1. The making and unmaking of a monster – for first 5 minutes he’s an it, monster, freak.
  2. By 13 minutes into the movie, we see he’s accepted he’s not human then
  3. Act 2 begins a humanizing process escalating interactions, growing friendship – okay to turn things around so readers see through different eyes
  4. At 86 minutes he says “I’m not an animal. I’m a man.” So the monsters are the people. We feel it.
  5. The story puts into our hearts what we know in our heads. Humanize the threat.

FLIPPED EXPECTATIONS – Frankenstein

  1. Starts in the doctor’s point of view. He’s the monster, but he doesn’t know it.
    1. Monster of playing god, cruel curiosity, blind ambition
    2. Makes the reader ask what makes this different from seeking power, being curious, or simply being ambitious?
  2. The “created monster” seeks shelter and connection, and a wife; wants to be human

This might be most relevant to stories about business people or artists whose lives spin out of control, unleashing the monster in themselves.

EVOLVING YOUR MONSTER – Outlander

Lots of people are writing series, but how do you keep readers interest, book after book, if the monster stays the same? How do you “evolve” your monster?

The core concept is that “time can break up true love.” So the core monster is time, then the author has to twist and tweak it.

  1. Book1: Claire falls through time and falls in love. Can she survive in the wrong century? Can time break up true love?
  2. Book 2: History’s inevitability threatens their staying together.
  3. Book 3: Existing separately in separate times, can they cope? Can they ever get back together? Has time won?
  4. Book 4: Time threatens their extended families. If love creates a family, can time destroy it?

Looking at the episodes of the fourth series:

  1. Episodes 1-3 Jamie and Claire arrive at an ancestor’s home and find slaves! Can Claire’s modern sensibilities cope? Meanwhile the same time monster threatens Brianna and Roger from a whole new angle.
  2. Episodes 4-7 Brianna’s relationships with her 2 fathers give time another angle of attack
  3. Episodes 8-12 History’s approach to marriage – will Roger return before Brianna gets married off? Meanwhile Young Ian is being pulled into a different culture – almost belonging to a different time… changes our view of time…

Erick can be found at https://erickmertzwriting.com/erick-mertz-ghostwriter/ and https://erickmertzauthor.com/

Mention “Willamette Writers” for a 20% discount!

Members asked:

  • What excites you as a writer?
    1. He’s a plotter mostly. When he’s deep in a scene and something new develops, that’s excitement.
    2. Art is not rules. You can be a plotter AND a pantser
  • What scares you as a writer?
    1. Fear that you won’t get all the stories out of your head and onto the page –
      1. each story is like a child and deserves its chance at life.
      2. Fear is the passion that drives you to let it out.
    2. Fear of not reaching your audience – of giving each story its true chance
      1. Some of his books are self-pub, some trad-pub
      2. He does lots of genre research but
      3. You have to recognize your book is a very small drop in a large ocean
      4. Fear is more a recognition of reality.
  • What does a ghostwriter look for in a manuscript?
    1. Every writer has a different definition of success
      1. Be the next Steven King, or
      2. Hand out copies of your life story to your congregation
    2. Ghostwriter needs to honor the client’s goals.
      1. Aim to meet or exceed client’s expectations
    3. Give options, not solutions
      1. you’re not replacing a part in a car; you’re helping the client reach a goal.
      2. Fit the story and the telling together
    4. Be willing to say I can’t help with that
  • What does an editor look for in a manuscript?
    1. Again, need to know the author’s expectations
      1. Where do they want the book to go and
      2. Can you help move it in that direction
      3. Else say no.
    2. Offer options, ways to keep the story on track
    3. Continue the conversation
    4. Be willing to walk away.
  • How do you research expectations for a genre?
    1. You need some basis of knowledge in the genre – do you read this sort of book?
    2. Amazon is a great tool.
      1. Look online at successful books in the genre
      2. See what the author said they were writing, and what the readers say in reviews, then
      3. Look at unsuccessful books
      4. See what the reviewers complained about
    3. Look at books you’d like your book shelved next to
      1. What made them work – for you; for others
    4. Look at the top 10 authors in the genre
      1. Make sure you’re looking at new authors too – they are where you want to be.
  • How do you see successful books on Amazon?
    1. Look on Amazon; type, say, fantasy and search for kindle books
    2. Scroll to something that looks likely and has lots of reviews (thousands) and high rating (4+)
    3. Click on it. Scroll down to “customers also bought” and find comparable titles with comparable ratings. You might research these next
    4. Keep scrolling to “product details”
      1. Bestseller rank, gives subgenres.
      2. If one of these looks likely, click on it.
    5. Look at the best-sellers on the best-seller page – start narrowing down your subcategory.
    6. You want to be a best-seller somewhere, then you’ll sell to people looking at that page, then you’ll sell more, then you’ll be an even better seller
  • Are there tools you can use?
    1. Kindlepreneur – helps you find keywords, research them, find comparable books, etc.
    2. Publisher Rocket – buy the software, lifetime use.
    3. Take courses
    4. Subscribe to Kindle Unlimited so you can have 10 books in your library; research them. See what they’re like.
    5. Podcasts and Youtube
      1. Poisoned Pen podcasts? https://poisonedpen.podbean.com/
  • Do monsters have to be bad? No, they have to have depth
  • What about audiobooks?
    1. The actor can sell the book
    2. Amazon gives you less control over audiobook price
    3. %ge of successfully authors doing audio is low, but audio audience is growing.
    4. But there are still lots of real readers, waiting to read your book.
  • What about poetry books?
    1. Artwork helps
    2. Self-pub is probably route
    3. Small presses – find a really small one and you’ll be their niche produce for the year – improves your marketing chances
    4. Poets and Writers magazine – get 3 or 4 consecutive issues and find organisations, publications, contests, calls for submissions etc. https://www.pw.org/
    5. Writers Chronicle – do the same with them. https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_chronicle_overview

What an amazingly informative, inspirational and practical talk. Thank you so much Erick!

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