This year, I’ve become aware of some of the writing grants available for mystery writers.
Grants do not have to be repaid. They may come from the government, schools or non-profit agencies. They may provide money for publishing, courses, retreats, attending conferences, research, and to support minorities.
As I’m in Canada, I’ll use two Canadian examples.
The Canada Council for the Arts is probably the most visible supporter. Many mysteries I’ve seen in the last year have included thanks to this institution. They provide support for the creation, translation, publication and promotion of Canadian literature, the Writing and Publishing Section funds author residencies, literary readings and festivals. They have provided funding regularly to Bloody Words, and on the BW 2010 site, it is shown that they invested over $20 million dollars in writing and publishing in Canada. http://www.canadacouncil.ca/writing/
The Toronto Arts Council, is very regionally specific funding. They have Writers grants for individual artists, and Project Grants. They will not invest in publishing, but they do support many aspects of the writing life. http://www.torontoartscouncil.org/Grant-programs/Literary
The paperwork can be a little intimidating, but if this helps you to pursue your dream, I think you can work your way through it quite adeptly.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it: post on the blog a brief description, of any writing funding for which mystery writers could be eligible.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Norway and the Truest Sentence You Can Write
This was supposed to be a lighthearted blog on things that can kick-start our brains for writing: running, movies, crosswords…
But the world has intruded. The Norway shootings, the Somalia famine, grip us, inspire pity and fear. What if it was my kid at summer camp when the maniac opened up? Or what if I was that hungry mother or father in Somalia dragging myself and my starving little ones hundreds of miles in search of food and a dirty bit of tent to sleep under?
Fleeing war and famine or right-wing lunatics -- who would have time to daydream characters and situations, plot and setting? Is it even right to be so involved in our little fictional worlds when the real one needs help?
Let’s look at Prableen Kaur: As a deputy leader of Norway’s Labour party’s youth wing she was trying in her own way to make the world a better place before Friday’s massacre. Instead she ran for her life along with hundreds of other youth persecuted by a madman. But in the middle of the most terrible event that had ever happened to her she prayed, and then, updated her face book and Twitter accounts and after her rescue blogged her first person story. She was reaching out, making contact and telling the truth she saw. That blog will probably form part of the case against the attacker, Anders Breivik when it comes to court. Apart from surviving, it was the most important thing she could do.
So my question is, is it enough to witness to what’s going on and write the truest sentence that we know as Anne Lamott says in her tough and funny memoir, Bird by Bird? Or should we be actively engaged in making the world a better place? Or both? And if we can only do one of then which should it be?
But the world has intruded. The Norway shootings, the Somalia famine, grip us, inspire pity and fear. What if it was my kid at summer camp when the maniac opened up? Or what if I was that hungry mother or father in Somalia dragging myself and my starving little ones hundreds of miles in search of food and a dirty bit of tent to sleep under?
Fleeing war and famine or right-wing lunatics -- who would have time to daydream characters and situations, plot and setting? Is it even right to be so involved in our little fictional worlds when the real one needs help?
Let’s look at Prableen Kaur: As a deputy leader of Norway’s Labour party’s youth wing she was trying in her own way to make the world a better place before Friday’s massacre. Instead she ran for her life along with hundreds of other youth persecuted by a madman. But in the middle of the most terrible event that had ever happened to her she prayed, and then, updated her face book and Twitter accounts and after her rescue blogged her first person story. She was reaching out, making contact and telling the truth she saw. That blog will probably form part of the case against the attacker, Anders Breivik when it comes to court. Apart from surviving, it was the most important thing she could do.
So my question is, is it enough to witness to what’s going on and write the truest sentence that we know as Anne Lamott says in her tough and funny memoir, Bird by Bird? Or should we be actively engaged in making the world a better place? Or both? And if we can only do one of then which should it be?
Saturday, 23 July 2011
The Game's Afoot
Summertime - a great time to catch up on reading. Or writing. Not a great time for watching television.
Not that I watch a lot of that, of course. Who does? (wink wink) Still, there are new episodes of Murdoch Mystery to see and the new series of Sherlock on DVD to watch again. This week both have reminded me of the joy and challenge of a constructing a really good puzzle.
Unlike reality, a good mystery has to have all the pieces laid out for the reader - the true detective. While real cops have to muddle along with messy real crimes, a whodunit needs to present the clues - not in plain sight but not too obscured with extraneous information. Also unlike reality, not only does it have to make sense, it has to be engaging too. Not easy.
It wasn’t until I had to plot out the action plan for a climactic battle that I got a handle on how I could pull off a decent murder... mystery. In order to keep everyone straight, I had to make maps of the battle field, diagrams of the actions with “with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one” to quote Arlo Guthry’s Alice’s Restaurant.
The most useful part of the process, from a writing point of view, was the timeline. This told me who was fighting who, when, and why. I slotted the motivations and outcomes into a table, but the timeline kept everything straight.
It was the same principle as a detective’s evidence board. When I finally had a crime to commit (to paper), it was like a murder investigation in reverse. I started with all the facts, worked out some of the critical misdirections, then decided how the information would be revealed in the course of the story.
I was on the third draft of Under A Texas Star when I started using this method of organization. Though the murder investigation is the B plot of the story, I wanted it to stand up in court (the one where my readers are the jurors). I created a timeline, a table of suspects and list of clues that would lead to the murderer plus a few red herrings that would point to the other suspects. Marly and Jase’s detective work - separately and together - further the investigation, their character development and their relationship. I kept it all straight with my timeline...“with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.”
It becomes a kind of game. The puzzle has to be challenging enough to be interesting, but not so complicated that you annoy your reader. Above all, the puzzle must further the story, not replace it.
When I plot out a mystery, the game’s afoot.
Of your favourite authors, who creates the best puzzle for you to solve?
Not that I watch a lot of that, of course. Who does? (wink wink) Still, there are new episodes of Murdoch Mystery to see and the new series of Sherlock on DVD to watch again. This week both have reminded me of the joy and challenge of a constructing a really good puzzle.
Unlike reality, a good mystery has to have all the pieces laid out for the reader - the true detective. While real cops have to muddle along with messy real crimes, a whodunit needs to present the clues - not in plain sight but not too obscured with extraneous information. Also unlike reality, not only does it have to make sense, it has to be engaging too. Not easy.
It wasn’t until I had to plot out the action plan for a climactic battle that I got a handle on how I could pull off a decent murder... mystery. In order to keep everyone straight, I had to make maps of the battle field, diagrams of the actions with “with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one” to quote Arlo Guthry’s Alice’s Restaurant.
The most useful part of the process, from a writing point of view, was the timeline. This told me who was fighting who, when, and why. I slotted the motivations and outcomes into a table, but the timeline kept everything straight.
It was the same principle as a detective’s evidence board. When I finally had a crime to commit (to paper), it was like a murder investigation in reverse. I started with all the facts, worked out some of the critical misdirections, then decided how the information would be revealed in the course of the story.
I was on the third draft of Under A Texas Star when I started using this method of organization. Though the murder investigation is the B plot of the story, I wanted it to stand up in court (the one where my readers are the jurors). I created a timeline, a table of suspects and list of clues that would lead to the murderer plus a few red herrings that would point to the other suspects. Marly and Jase’s detective work - separately and together - further the investigation, their character development and their relationship. I kept it all straight with my timeline...“with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.”
It becomes a kind of game. The puzzle has to be challenging enough to be interesting, but not so complicated that you annoy your reader. Above all, the puzzle must further the story, not replace it.
When I plot out a mystery, the game’s afoot.
Of your favourite authors, who creates the best puzzle for you to solve?
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Motivation
Where I live in Canada we are in the dog days of summer. This week the weather is hotter here than in Florida. We all like to relax in the summer, sit on the patio and drink a cool one, but as writer's we still have to produce our pages.
I have several methods to stay motivated. I write every day. Yes, every day. My friend, Cindy Carroll, started a group where we have to write 100 words every day for 100 days. Sounds easy, does't it but in reality it's the hardest thing I've ever done. If you miss writing your 100 words for a day, then you have to start at day one all over again. It took me the better part of a year to get my 100 words for 100 days. I'm now trained to write every day.
The local chapter of Romance Writers of America have Word Count Wednesday. We post our word count for the week and our other accomplishements. Have we submitted to an agent or editor, have we gotten a rejection or a contract? I find it invirgorating to see what other writer's have accomplished in a week.
These groups have inspired me and keep me writing.
So tell me, what motivates you to write?
I have several methods to stay motivated. I write every day. Yes, every day. My friend, Cindy Carroll, started a group where we have to write 100 words every day for 100 days. Sounds easy, does't it but in reality it's the hardest thing I've ever done. If you miss writing your 100 words for a day, then you have to start at day one all over again. It took me the better part of a year to get my 100 words for 100 days. I'm now trained to write every day.
The local chapter of Romance Writers of America have Word Count Wednesday. We post our word count for the week and our other accomplishements. Have we submitted to an agent or editor, have we gotten a rejection or a contract? I find it invirgorating to see what other writer's have accomplished in a week.
These groups have inspired me and keep me writing.
So tell me, what motivates you to write?
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Re Heather's post and Rosemary's contract
Heather thanks for the pick-me-up. Finding our rhythm, finding the time to find our rhythm...if the only way forward is scribbling on napkins -- I've done that too! The only thing that really works as our friend and fellow Sisters in Crime member Rosemary McCracken used to say when I whined at her about when and how I would get my police mystery completed is, are you ready? : "bum in chair" so that and an assured talent is the answer because guess what!!. She's just got a book contract! I'm so excited and happy for her. I know you'll all join me in saying congratulations to Rosemary as the first Pat Tierney mystery comes soon to an E and print world bookstore near us soon.
20 July 2011 08:09
20 July 2011 08:09
Rosemary's book contract
Oh yes, PS you can learn more from Rosemary at her blog - rosemarymccracken.wordpress.com or on her facebook page
Monday, 18 July 2011
Ramifications of a dream
The dream isn’t always that easy. Turning the desire to write into reality can be a harsh and unforgiving process, i.e. there will always be laundry and, sadly, dinner does not cook itself. Life in general is a time-devouring machine that does not, nor will it ever, provide great swaths of time, peace or tranquility for you to simply sit down and write that book you’ve dreamed of writing since childhood; because life happens one way or the other, and time, dictated by our endless obligations (even if done out of love), means our days are far too short.
Carpe diem, the popular aphorism goes, but carpe minutum might be a better adage: If that’s all you have, then scuttle off to that computer and put down the few words or ideas that rattle about your brain. Because it may be a few more days before those minutes present themselves again.
It’s hard to seize the dream; doubly hard if like many of us, you are attempting it for the first time. We don’t have that rhythm yet; we stumble, unsure of our methodology and research. We write, only to rewrite and start again.
When transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher of nature, wanted to improve and work on his craft, and to try and live simply, he vanished to a small hut for two years where he reveled in the state of solitude. “Walden” is the product of that episode. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,” he stated. All fine and well for him. He was ALONE in that hut.
So we hang on and we write when we can, our notes to the ready, resorting to long hand when the computer is not available, scribbling ideas on napkins, plunking key ideas or plot developments into emails or messages that we send to ourselves from our cell phones. We’ll all get there some day. If you’re devoted, you’ll spend every spare second making it happen.
As George Bernard Shaw said, the “people who get on in this world ... get up and look for the circumstances ... And if they can’t, make them.”
So just do it, for heaven’s sake. It’s how dreams come true.
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