TWC Spotlight for April, 2008

Published: Sun, 04/06/08

TWC SPOTLIGHT

A Monthly e-Newsletter April 2008 Newsletter Archive

Letter from the Editor

It's spring already! I don't know about you, but I'm running way behind. I spent three weeks of March sick, and the last couple weeks recovering from surgery. I know, not much of an excuse for the Spotlight being late, but it's the only one I have. Life just ran away from me last month.

Linda Hutchinson saved the day again. She was supposed to be leaving the TWC team the end of March. But with me being sick, Renee having family things to handle, and Kim getting engaged and running off to Germany for a couple months, Linda hung in there and kept scheduling chats and making plans to moderate. Without her, you would be looking at some empty Sundays over the next two months. Thank you Linda, and I promise we'll let you go...eventually.

To try and help Linda get that writing time she's searching for, we would like to welcome another new member to the TWC team. Welcome to Lisa Haselton! Skip over to our About page to meet Lisa. She will be scheduling guests and moderating chats as soon as we get her up to speed. I'm sure you'll see her byline in future issues of the Spotlight too.

Don't forget you can try to get your own byline in the Spotlight too. You can find our submission guidelines and editorial calendar here http://www.writerschatroom.com/submission.htm .

In this issue you will find an article from Linda (what AM I going to do without her?!?) on Sensory Writing. Further down, you will find an article on Criticism from famed copywriter Jack Forde. (Yes, Linda got permission to run it.) We also have a promotional opportunity for anyone willing to travel to Western PA.

You didn't miss the big Blog Tour/Launch Party we put on for Jordan Dane last month, did you? If you're behind the times, just run over to our Blog to catch up on all the happenings. (Yeah, Linda ran that too. *sigh*)

Thank you to Georganna Hancock for suggesting we send a chat reminder on Wednesdays. It's working quite well! We're getting a lively group in the open chat every week.

Okay folks, I have to get back to my to-do list. I can check off the Spotlight now. Where is my list? Oh dear, if I can't find my list, I won't even know how far behind I am! Hmmm...would that be a bad thing?

Keep writing!

Audrey

Visit our forum. Meet our members. Keep the discussions going after chat. Learn where the hottest markets are for your genre. Find a critique or writing partner. Get inspiration, education, and social interaction at the same place: http://writerschatroom.com/forum/index.php

ARTICLE

Sensory Writing by Linda J. Hutchinson

During a recent visit to our home our young grandson thought I needed help making hot chocolate for him and his little brother. In his best penmanship he wrote: "Respie to Make Hot Chocklete. 1. Pore some water in a cup. 2. Put it in the miker wave. 3. Wate intill it dings then take it out. 4. Put some shuger in just right. 5. Take a sip."

I've been asked to critique work by adult "writers" that wasn't much better at using the senses to paint a picture in the reader's mind. (And not much better spelling either, but we'll leave that to another time.)

As adults we instinctively know what a red rose should look like. We know what cat poop smells like. We know that the burner on a stove is hot when turned on. We recognize the sound of birds singing. Who can't describe the smooth sweetness of chocolate fudge? Many have known only too many hurts and points of anger.

To sell our work to a publisher, we must let our words paint the pictures invisibly, allowing the reader the option of coloring within the lines, or without. Let the reader see, hear, touch, feel, and taste without telling them they are doing it, or how it should be done.

To see--From The Pandora Key by Lynne Heitman (Simon and Schuster Pocket Books): "Lyle Burquart was at least six-foot four with dark, wiry hair that sat on his head like derelict shrubbery. His stooped shoulders were a perfect complement to his sad, aching eyes. With a gait that was more like a series of connected lunges, he made his way across the WBRS-we-do-sports-better-than-anyone lobby to greet me."

To hear--From Blue Valor by Illona Haus (Simon & Schuster Pocket Books): "She'd taken to keeping track of the sounds in the house. ... Several times she heard power tools and hammering, the high-pitched whine of a saw screeching through what felt like the dead of night. ... Her screams were merely white noise now. He had to block them out. Had to believe in the process. Believe in his Angel."

To touch--From Beloved Castaway by Kathleen Y'Barbo (Barbour): "She made quite the impression on you, lad" ... "I was speaking of the mast, Captain." He pointed to Josiah's chin. "The mast, that's the she what made the impression on yourself." ... "You should have Cookie finish dressing the wound and any others you and Miss Gayarre found, or you'll soon find more misery than even that one can give you." ... He paused to touch Josiah's sleeve. "And this time I am talking about the girl."

To feel--From The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore (Midnight Ink): "A debilitating pain just above Cotton's eye sockets wracked her--similar to the pain that follows eating ice cream too quickly. But this was more intense, like glowing hot spikes driving through her skull, the muscles to her eyes--her very brain--cramping, burning. Cotton pressed the heal of her left hand to her forehead and cried out."

To taste--From Blood Harvest by Brant Randall (Capital Crime Press): "There are some who think possum is too gamy, and others who think it greasy, and some who think there's too many bones for so little flesh. I'm here to tell you that there isn't much to beat possum roasted over an open fire. We sucked the grease from our fingers and I saw Darnell skin the meat from the tail bone with his teeth. We didn't leave much but fur and fangs behind."

Sensory writing is painting pictures with our words, allowing the film to run through the projector of our reader's mind. To write without employing the senses is to force-feed inky alphabet soup, turning off the film, the pictures, and the heart of your story.

Bio: Multi-published freelance writer Linda J. Hutchinson's work is found in trade journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and on websites. A firm believer in writing down her goals--and realizing them--she's currently shushing those voices being hacked through from the inside of her skull by committing their words to the paper playground. www.lindajhutchinson.com

PROMOTION!

Is Western Pennsylvania within your travel area? Then listen up!

Indiana Free Library in Indiana PA is celebrating National Literacy Week (April 13-19) by inviting authors to visit the library and meet with readers. Bring your books and a sharpie for signing them!

For more information, contact Helen Taylor at htaylor220 @gmail.com.

April Chat Guests

April 6

Sheila Lowe

April 13

Elizabeth Zelvin

April 20

Lori Z. Scott

April 27

Jeanne C. Stein

For more information, visit our schedule page.

All chats start at 7 pm EST.

(Would you like an ad like this? See http://www.writerschatroom.com/advertising.htm for details)

Welcome to Hell: Pop Culture Reviews
Glenn Walker is a writer with too much time on his hands, or depending on the day, not enough time on his hands. He loves, hates and lives pop culture. He knows too freaking much about pop culture. Given that, he has to vomit up his voluminous opinions on it in his blog... Welcome to Hell...http://www.monsura.blogspot.com

Article

Should You Care About Criticism? by Jack Forde

"To avoid criticism, do nothing,say nothing, be nothing." - Elbert Hubbard

So, one day, two Irish women -- Kate and Colleen -- are walking through the forest.

They hear a voice coming from under a log.

"Help me," says the voice.

Colleen lifts the log and underneath finds a frog.

"Now how could we go about helping you," she says.

Says the frog, "I'm an investment banker transformed by an evil curse. I need to be kissed by a woman and I will turn back into an investment banker."

Without hesitation, Kate grabs the frog from Colleen and stuffs it into her handbag.

"Didn't you hear him," Colleen says, "He needs to be kissed to break the spell so he can turn back into an investment banker."

"Listen", says Kate, "Don't you read the papers? These days, a talking frog is worth a lot more than an investment banker."

What, dear reader, does that have to do with today's message? Not much really. I guess I just still "have my Irish up" after St. Patrick's Day.

That and I can't help make a dig at investment bankers... and brokers... and hedge fund managers... and just about everyone else on Wall Street these days.

Wow, what were they thinking, right?

If you're watching the news lately, you can't miss the mess as things there seem to unravel all over the place.

What kills me is that, as someone who writes ad copy for financial products, how did they even get in this situation? I already have my theories.

What I don't understand is why nobody there seemed to have the same theories. Because the mistakes they made just seemed, well, so obvious.

But then, it's easy to criticize isn't it?

And that, my friend, is the best I can do as a segue back into what we want to talk about in today's CR issue: criticism.

See, just recently, a good friend of ours had some words to say about criticism and how we should deal with it when it comes.

The source as none other than the very wise Michael Masterson, writing in his very good e-letter, Early to Rise ( www.earlytorise.com ).

Here's what he said:

"There is no question. To be successful at anything, you have to be prepared to endure criticism - some unjustified and some justified. (Does it surprise you to know that the justified criticism hurts more?) The more successful you are, the greater the criticism you will endure.

"But if you last long enough, you become immune to criticism. Your emotional skin toughens. This takes a long time.

"When someone tells you they don't care what other people say, it usually means they do. Too much. But if you push forward and don't allow your detractors to distract you, you will eventually get to a height they can't reach.

"I'm not there yet, but I can see it just above the next ledge. At those aerie heights, legends live. Like Galileo, Einstein, Ezra Pound, and George Carlin. On the very-soon waiting list are Howard Stern and Jerry Springer.

"Ascending that cliff takes many skills. One of them is honesty - admitting your mistakes and shortcomings. Another is openness - admitting them publicly. Another is shrewdness - admitting them before anyone else does. And, finally, there is forgiveness - forgiving your critics and forgiving yourself."

Now, here's something you might know about Michael. He scares the schnizzle out of some people. Or at least, he used to. Especially when he was coming at you with a red pen in hand.

That is to say, Michael has played the role of prolific critic himself. And I, for one, am very glad he did.

I don't know how many of my early copy drafts he bled all over, but 9.5 times out of 10, it helped me immensely.

And I know he has meticulously donated the same services to plenty of others. So how to take his observation above about criticism? Carefully.

See, here's where I think he's dead right.

The ability to blow past your critics, shrug off your detractors, and climb your mountains anyway is indeed a valuable skill at a certain stage in any endeavor.

It's also a fantastic sign of personal maturity. I've never known a "complete soul" that still simpered like a baby after a bracing review.

Michael is also right that you're never going to get ahead without critics. It just doesn't happen. It's part of the toll you pay on the road to success.

I'll go even further: if you get to a plateau where criticism is replaced 100% with adulation, you're not trying hard enough. It's like training for a marathon. When the road starts rising up too easy, run harder. Or give up.

Your skin, Michael also says, gets tougher. And this is right too. If you're smart, you'll even try to draw the criticism rather than avoid it. Because you'll know, or at least one hopes you will, that you can only build up strength -- both in new skills and character -- by leaning into the wind.

But is total immunity to criticism really one of the better end goals of success?

Usually when one of my mentors shares an insight, I would just say yes and be done with it. Because I know he's got the proven track record of being right. This time, though, I'm going to take a chance and respectfully disagree.

Why?

In his short note, Michael listed some other valuable skills for success. Openness and honesty, shrewd self-awareness, forgiveness, and the willingness to face up to your mistakes.

No question, you'll need all these traits.

And not just for starting a copywriting career or building a business. Each of these come into play, too, if you're starting a family... trying to get in shape... trying to give shape to your masterwork... the list is endless. For all of these things, you need that critical subset of skills Michael mentioned.

Here, though, is where I've got a slightly different (and not totally opposed, I think) point of view.

I don't mind justified criticism. No, I don't love that I've done something to earn it. But in the past, whether it's come from my family or friends or a mentor like Michael, it's always made me better in the end.

Where I've failed is not so much in resisting that justified criticism, but in accepting it gracefully and rationally. And this, I think, is the tougher thing to do.

(It's the unjustified criticism that gets me boiling, in fact... that and the frustration of not being able to always tell the difference.)

Don't get me wrong. Even good criticism still stings. But it can turn on a light for you, too.

I still bristle -- at first -- to be criticized. Maybe you do too. Maybe, sometimes, you've even pounded out long email justifications... left phone messages you wish you hadn't... and worse.

This, you hope you'll grow out of quickly. And, with experience, I promise you will. But one thing is still certain (at least for me).

In your climb up, it's not the critics that will hold you back. At least you don't have to let them. Instead, they can give you footholds you might have missed yourself -- even if you have to step on your critics' heads to make use of them.

My advice: First, don't expect never to be criticized. When the critiques show up, that's a good sign you're starting to work at what you hope to do.

Second, when the critics come, don't ignore them. Rather, learn to tell the justified criticism from the unjustified. To do that, you need to start listening. And then reacting without lashing out at anyone, yourself included. Very tough to do.

Finally, and toughest of all, when the critics are right -- and you know they are -- build on it. Change it. Make it into something. And remember to send those critics a thank you card when you do.

Reprinted by permission from Copywriter's Roundtable, a free ezine from Jack Forde. http://www.jackforde.com/

If you'd like to suggest a guest, topics for a theme chat, offer yourself as a chat guest, or give feedback about a chat you've attended, contact Audrey Shaffer at: audrey@writerschatroom.com

On the Products page you will find some great recommendations. Please use our links to buy, and help support the chatroom!

We look forward to chatting with you!

Audrey Shaffer Linda Hutchinson Renee Barnes Kim Richards Lisa Haselton

email: audrey@writerschatroom.com

web: http://writerschatroom.com