How Being a Teacher Helps Me Be a Writer

I've been a teacher for twenty years. That's a wonderful and horrifying statistic in itself. In fact, I've not done much of anything else in the way of paid work. I had a brief run as librarian and a secretary in small town Alaska. Otherwise, I've spent my entire working life in the classroom.

http://cdn.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/you-know-youre-a-teacher-when-you-subconsciously-
reach-for-your-red-pen-while-reading-facebook-posts-46d77.png

There are occupational hazards in being a teacher. You tend to take over in group settings, trying to organize everyone (which is not always appreciated by your adult family and friends). You tend to over-explain, assuming that the listener will need to hear it multiple ways to get it. You correct people's errors, even when it would be more polite not to do so. You're chronically busy, stressed, and under-slept, which can make you a cranky-pants.

But as I've moved to being a teacher and an author, I've found out that there's a lot I've learned from my teaching life that serves me well in my writing life.

Comfort with public speaking. A roomful of people who voluntarily walked into your panel or book talk or reading is a far easier audience than a roomful of middle school children who are required to be there. But that doesn't mean they aren't intimidating. I'm grateful that stage fright is not an issue for me.

A lack of dignity. Sometimes you really have to be a clown to engage children. I've worn crazy hats, let people put pies in my face or dunk me in a booth, and done some pretty amazing role plays as a teacher. So far, I haven't been asked to go to those extremes as an author, but it does make it easier to put myself out there as part of an event. I'm difficult to embarrass.

Diplomacy. I deal with a lot of stupidity as a teacher, and I've learned to do so with kindness. It won't help most situations to make someone (a student, another teacher, a parent, an administrator) feel bad about whatever way they've just put their foot in it. As a writer, I have had to deflect weird responses and questions from interviewers or readers, too, and defend my artistic choices to beta readers and editors who seemed to just not get it. Not to mention participating in a critique group, where I need to kindly point out the flaws in someone's heart's work. Good thing I've got a lot of practice.

Ability to Work Alone, Unsupervised. As a teacher, I have a supervisor in the

form of a school principal. But she or he sees very little of what I actually do. In some cases, I could probably have read a book or shown movies for weeks at a time without my supervisor finding out. Luckily for my students, I have high standards for myself and a strong personal work ethic. As a writer, I am even less well-supervised. In fact, I often don't even have a clear deadline to finish by or any directions at all about what I'm supposed to be creating. Without that self-starter attitude, I could easily just play solitaire and watch Firefly all day and only dream about being a writer.

Able to Think on My Feet: No plan survives contact with the enemy. That includes lesson plans. No matter how well I think I've planned, I always have to adjust on the fly. And I'm good at that after all these years. Turns out, that happens on the page, too. No matter how well I've planned out my story, change will come. Characters will surprise me. A plot twist will blindside me. And I can roll with it, follow it where it goes and trust to revision to smooth it out for the end product. In the classroom and on the page, I've built more than one silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Listening: Any teacher will tell you how important it is to listen to your students. As much as state legislators and pundits want to make education into a nice, clean, easily measured objective process, it really isn't. It's a very messy, human process, as much about relationships as it is about expertise and technique. And you build relationships by listening. You also get a lot of writing material that way.

So, who knew I'd been in training all these years. Too bad teaching didn't make me insightful about marketing. Then I could afford to give up teaching!

Support Circles and the Writing Life

Some of the "Southern Broads" of Broad Universe after a shared reading
Susan Griffith, Gail Z Martin, Margaret McGraw, Nicole Givens Kurtz,
Tera Fullbright, Ada Milenkovich Brown, and me: Samantha Bryant

I spent last weekend at Illogicon, a wonderful local con just up the road from me in Cary, NC. I'm new to the con circuit. This is only my second appearance at a con as an author guest (the first was Atomacon, in November). I had a wonderful time!

It's kind of funny because while cons are fun,  cons are also stressful. There's a lot of things about "working a con" that make me want to break out in hives.

• There are lots of people there that I don't know. STRANGER DANGER!
• I'm presenting myself in an expert role. IMPOSTER SYNDROME!
• Meals are irregular. GETTING HANGRY!
• I have to self-promote, live, in front of people AWKWARD!

https://www.vul.ca/sites/default/files/StrangerDanger_NeighbourhoodWatch_FINAL_ybg.jpg

So, all that could have me hiding in my living room and hoping people will just somehow hear about my books without my having to tell them. If not for support circles. 

I'm one lucky girl in that regard. I've got my husband, daughter, sister, parents, mother-in-law, and extended family all pulling hard for me, talking about my book, and helping anyway they can. When I had my book launch party last year, it was like having an entourage: taking pictures, throwing me a bone with soft-serve questions, serving cookies, and making sure I got a sandwich when I needed one. 

I've got my critique group, who essentially taught me how to write a book and who show up to cheerlead me when they can and kick my butt when that's needed, too. 

I've got author-friends, writers who live near me or don't (yay Internet!) who've been great mentors and fonts of information and advice. These author-friends were the ones who made my experience so wonderful as I set out to start doing the "con thing." They invited me to be part of panels that they organized, listened as I hashed out what I might even have to say when I participated, attended my events even when they had better things to do. They told me their stories, and helped me avoid making too big a fool of myself in public. 

So, I guess this is sort of a thank you letter to all those folks. It's really amazing to think that so many people are in my corner in this endeavor. If I ever get rich and famous, you'll all be in for one heck of a treat!

#IWSG: Being a "Real" Writer

In the immortal words of John Lennon, "Another year over…and what have you done?" (Well, close enough anyway).

In 2015, I did quite a lot actually. It was a year of firsts for me, which is pretty exciting since I'm now 44, and well past most of the firsts in my life. 

• My first published novel. 
• My first short story included in an anthology. 
• My first turn as guest author at a con. 
• My first book fair behind the table. 
• My first radio interview. 
• My first poster in a Barnes and Noble window
• My first royalties check

Though I've played at writing more and less seriously off and on my whole life, it all felt much more real this year. I'd say 2015 was my first year as a "real" writer. For me, the moment I first felt like a real writer was was when I realized I could introduce myself as a writer and then point to a publication out there in the world, rather than talking about the unpublished stuff I've written. 

So, now I've got to keep this up. It hasn't been easy. Getting a book contract didn't instantly mean I was able to give up my day job and concentrate solely on writing, so I definitely struggled this year to balance promotion and writing with my day job and my family life. As I move into 2016, I want to keep on becoming more and more real. 

Because even though I'm realer than I've ever been, it still doesn't feel totally legit. I still get a little of that fear. You know the one? Where the Scooby gang shows up and unmasks you as an imposter? 

So how do I become more real? 

I think I write more! I've got a contract for the sequel, Change of Life, and a planned release date of April 20, 2016. But I can't stop there. I'm 2/3 of the way done writing the three-quel.  And now, I'd like to get back to some of the other writing projects I've begun, and others that have just stayed in my heart and brain as ideas.  Real writers write, after all. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. 

_________________________________________
This posting is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop. To check out other posts by writers in a variety of places in their careers, check out the participant list. This group is one of the most open and supportive groups of people I have ever been associated with. If you write, you should check them out!

An Interview with Damian Trasler

It's my pleasure to introduce you to Damian Trasler today. Damian and I know each other online and I'm becoming a fan of his witty and self deprecating manner. A new year is a great time to seek out new things, so check out this "interview" with the author and see if there's something for you. -SB

_________________________________

Looking back over my e-book sales for the past year, one thing has suddenly become clear : I have made more money from taking my beer bottles for recycling than I have from selling e-books. This caused two further realisations.

One: I’m not very good at self-promotion.

Two: I drink a lot of beer. A lot.

Still, yay for recycling, right?

Shouldn’t you be telling us how great your e-books are?

Oh, yeah. They really are. Almost everyone who reads them really likes them.

Do they leave reviews saying that?

Well, yeah, some do. That’s how I know. A couple of people have said they didn’t like them, but their reasons were totally justified and I’m good with that.

Will I like your e-books?

That’s the question, isn’t it? And the honest answer is, I don’t know. I have three non-fiction books, for example. If you want to know some useful tips for writing for Community Theatre, then yes, I have the book for you – I’ve been a published playwright for nearly seventeen years. If you’re interested in how my family and I fared emigrating to Canada, then you’ll like “The Great Canadian Adventure”. It has pictures, and funny stories and real life examples of stuff you need to know when you emigrate to British Columbia. And we’re still here, so we didn’t get too much badly wrong, right? And hey, I’ve written the definitive step-by-step manual to building really bad Star Wars costume helmets…

I don’t think I need any of those. And I’ve just remembered I have to be somewhere else….

I have fiction too.

What genre?

Well… Some is science fiction. Some is horror/thriller. Some is just short, dark fiction, and there are a couple of collections of coffee-break stories. There’s a small book of poetry. Oh, and I’ve written a YA novella too.

Who hasn’t?

Quite.The quickest way to check out the books I’ve written is to visit my Amazon Author page, where they’re all neatly lined up for you to see: http://www.amazon.com/Damian-Trasler/e/B007XI3A3Q

Damian Trasler is a playwright who dabbles in e-books. His plays are published by Lazy Bee Scripts

and are regularly performed across the world. He currently lives in British Columbia with his family and is very proud of the fact he once appeared on TV in the Ruth Rendell Mysteries (although it was in the last five minutes of the show and he was only on screen for ten seconds) He has not been asked to write a screenplay for any of the upcoming Star Wars movies.

2015: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Goodbye, 2015. You were a great year, and a terrible year for me and mine. In some ways, I will remember you fondly; in others, I'll be happy to see you go.

2015 was painful in that I lost people I loved. I know it's the way of the world, but it doesn't make it any less terrible when the moment comes. All in all, in the second half of 2015, I lost six people in my family. I felt the last one the most. My Uncle George was one of the giants of my childhood and cancer came for him with quick and angry claws, snatching him away before I could get north to say goodbye in person. I still feel hollow from the loss.

2015 was difficult in terms of personal health. I seemed to spend way more of the year fighting "something" than in other years. No one big illness, thank goodness. No hospital stays or broken or sprained things, but lots of weakened days, and more missed school than in recent memory.

2015 was overwhelming. Adding book promotion to an already full schedule of teaching, mom-ing, wife-ing, and writing was well, whew!  It was a change akin to adding a child to my life in terms of all the adjustment required. It will definitely be important for me to keep working on balance of all these different things in the new year. In fact, the whole year flew by in a blur.

But, 2015 was also the year that my first book made it into print. Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel has done pretty well for a book by some woman no one has ever heard of. It's been in and out of the top 100 superhero novels several times in its first eight months out there in the world, and sold enough copies to let me spoil my family a little during winter holidays. That felt good because I've really had to lean on them to make all this work!

It's leading to new opportunities, too. I've already been to one con (Atomacon!) as a guest author and will attend my second in January (Illogicon). I've been invited to contribute to blogs, podcasts, radio shows, and anthologies. 2016 is a horizon full of promise. Here's hoping for smooth sailing into those seas! Happy New Year!

On Christmas: A Sonnet

http://thegraphicsfairy.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-HnU6EiaJfK0/Ttl9fPtydHI/AAAAAAAAPi0/cR-noJ9GcTE/s1600/holly%2Bvintage%2Bimage%2Bgraphicsfairy006b.jpg

On Christmas

I’m never sure which way to turn to sing

before the buzzing crowds of Christmas fans

or even if a song is best to bring

to greedy mouths and ever-grasping hands.

It overwhelms the senses, giddy yet

alarming, expansiveness abounding---

the brotherhood of credit cards and debt

the tinsel-wrapped carols resounding.

But when, at night, it gets quiet at last

and gifts are chosen, hidden till the day—

the mania, the shopping frenzy past—

I can hear it, humming my stress away.

There is a peace. I think it sounds like snow.

That peace. One gift I wish I could bestow.

 

http://weknowyourdreams.com/images/snow/snow-08.jpg

Guest Post: Lunar Reality and Lunar Fiction: AmyBeth Inverness

It's my great privilege and pleasure to introduce you to AmyBeth Inverness, a friend and fellow writer. I hope you enjoy her guest post! -SB

______________________

Lunar Reality and Lunar Fiction
AmyBeth Inverness

I began writing stories about the moon back in 2013 when the Liftport Group decided to put out a monthly magazine about their endeavors to build a space elevator, first on the Moon, and later on Earth. Although I could not contribute to my friends’ efforts either scientifically or financially, I could write stories about a thriving society on the Moon in the near future.

The magazine lasted less than a year, but my stories about Luna were well-received. They sat on a shelf for a while, and now a new story comes out from Dingbat Publishing with every full moon.

The research I do for these stories is never-ending. I often become immersed in a thread of some fascinating detail I find, such as my hometown hero Vance Brand being in the back-up crew for Apollo 15. While researching an article about stuff the astronauts threw around on the Moon I discovered this list of man-made objects that are on the moon. Most of it is what one would expect; crashed satellites, jettisoned equipment, and mementos. Then there are the one hundred two-dollar-bills that Apollo 15 left behind. I have no idea why.

Anyone who has seen the Tom Hanks movie about Apollo 13 knows about Gene Kranz and his vests. The astronauts from several missions also played pranks on each other, such as inserting pictures of scantily-clad women in with the official documents for their peers to find. I was also interested to learn that, at the time the memorials to fallen astronauts and cosmonauts were placed, there were several cosmonauts whose deaths were still being kept secret by the Soviet Union.

Monday, December 14, 2015 is the 43rd anniversary of the day we left the moon. Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt lifted off the lunar surface at 10:54:37 p.m.

We haven’t been back since.

All of these pieces of information, both trivial and historical, feed my imagination when I’m writing my stories. Although I leave the exact details of humanity’s return to the Moon purposely vague, I always strive to ensure that any real history is honored. I keep a bottle of little blue pills on my desk just to make sure the SciFi stays hard enough.

In The Cities of Luna, the Apollo sites are all world heritage sites. Locals and tourists alike visit the museums and tour the locations, which are carefully preserved. When I discover details such as the presence of water or other resources in a particular place, or the seismic activity on the Moon, it goes into a story.

Yet the stories are about the people. I’m not telling you about the moonquakes, I’m telling you what the people do when there’s a moonquake. I’m not describing how the orbital elevator works, I’m telling you how the people use it and how it affects their lives. I’m not lecturing about the two weeks of sunlight and two weeks of darkness, but the length of the lunar day definitely impacts the Loonie’s lives.

The next few decades will be interesting ones. Although I may not ever be able to travel to the Moon, that is a distinct possibility for my children and grandchildren. I can write the stories. My progeny will live them.
________________________________

A writer by birth, a redhead by choice, and an outcast of Colorado by temporary necessity, AmyBeth

Inverness is a creator of Speculative Fiction and Romance. She can usually be found tapping away at her laptop, writing the next novel or procrastinating by posting a SciFi Question of the Day on Facebook and Google Plus. When she’s not writing, she’s kept very busy making aluminum foil hats and raising two energetic kids and many pets with her husband in their New England home.

You can find her on Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter @USNessie or check out her Amazon Author Page.

AmyBeth's been very busy lately! Her Urban Fantasy novella The House on Paladin Court is available in electronic format at most of the usual e-book outlets. She has a weird little SciFi short story called The Immersion of the Incorporeum in the Biblical Legends Anthology Deluge. A new short story from The Cities of Luna is released with every full moon. The Day Lorinda Flew, about a little girl with special needs who believes that chickens, in the low gravity of the moon, can fly if they only have the right encouragement, came out in November. The next story is Sleighride, about a dad visiting the moon's North Pole. Since December's full moon is on Christmas, Sleighride will be out a little early. It will be released on December 19, which is the day humanity left the moon.