Open Thread: Taking Suggestions Regarding My Bulging Office

It's that time of year. School's back in session, and despite being absent from the frivolities for many years, September always feels like the time for new beginnings. While I was on vacation, I did some planning for the year ahead, and a lot of thinking about the current state of my creative affairs, and came to a somewhat DUH conclusion - I have a great office, which I don't use because it's not set up properly. Instead, I work pretty much anywhere I can that's NOT my office.

This must change.

So here's my current dilemma. I am out of space. Every nook and cranny is crammed full. Half used notebooks and legal pads, foreign editions, multiple boxes full of old manuscripts. Notecards and birthday cards and art that hasn't been rehung since I painted. Oodles of books, but also just oodles of stuff. On the surface it sort of looks clean and organized, but it's not. It's malingering quietly out of sight. And sending off some very uncreative vibes. The child in me recognizes that like unloved toys, unloved and abandoned accoutrements are very sad. But something must be done if I'm going to move back into my space.

I hate to throw away decent things - but it's clear from the detritus that I'm not using 80% of what's in here. I know the art of decluttering - take everything out and only replace what I use. So what do I do with what's left over?

Any ideas? Places I can donate to? I'm all ears.

Best Links of the Week

Against Acknowledgments at the End of Novels: The New Yorker What do you think? I appreciate a well-written one.

Writerly Life Tuesday Tip: Imagine the Ending Great advice for when you get stuck in the boggy middle of a story.

Writing Is Solitary Yep.

Lab tech parties with escaped monkeys  By far my very favorite headline of the week.

Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors: 5 Ways You’re Preventing Readers From Suspending Disbelief Good points, all.

Be Revolutionary

Stewart Copeland, the drummer from The Police, talks about creativity, being revolutionary, conflict and the artist's vision. This is a must-watch for all creatives. I've watched this three times and pulled something new each time. Pay special attention to Copeland's thesis of being revolutionary. I truly believe that's how we differentiate ourselves, a willingness to take chances, to disregard what's safe in favor of what's unique. I also enjoyed his ideas on what it's like to be the "beans in the can", on display for all to see while depending on yourself to create your path. Superb viewing. Enjoy!

Also, Copeland's book is called STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN: A Life With The Police, Polo and Pygmies. Check it out.

Best Links of the Week

Avoid the Trap of "Productivity Porn" Oh, I am so guilty of this. Great advice. Sometimes just being aware of a bad habit in order to break it.

Crimes Against Woodworking | Blog | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books | OK - ROFLMAO. It's LAVE, not LATHE. Find out the difference here.

What Moment Will Change Your Life? I love this - she put aside her own worries for a moment to help someone else, and it changed both their lives. A lovely inspirational story for your Sunday.

Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up. ~Pablo Picasso

An Incomplete Guide to Not Creeping | John Scalzi | Great conference etiquette mandates. I'm always shocked by how people invade your space and don't take the hint if you're clearly uncomfortable. And really, sexual innuendo with women you've just met is a serious no-no. Espceially the married ones. It's just plain creepy, and not gentlemanly.

Finding Your Voice

I was listening to the audio recording of LOVE IS MURDER in the car the other day. I will admit with no hesitation that I skipped directly to my story, THE NUMBER OF MAN, because I was curious to see what I sounded like. Yes, yes, ego-trip, check. Trust me, you’d do the same thing.

Because having someone else read your work is fascinating.

I think voice is the most important element of writing. It is also the most elusive. Voice is what makes you unique. It’s what sets your story apart from the other 70,000 books published last year. It’s what keeps reading coming back for more, what helps them feel like the characters are their friends, or at least someone they’d like to know. It’s why series are so popular, and why standalones can be so incredibly gripping. Good voice is like a whispered secret directly from the writer's brain to yours. 

Thematically, there are only seven basic plots in the literary world. Each has to do with conflict. Each can be manipulated in many forms, but they boil down to these seven:

•       Man versus Man
•       Man versus God/Religion
•       Man versus Nature
•       Man versus Machines/Technology
•       Man versus Self
•       Man versus the Supernatural
•       Man versus the Environment

You’ve heard people say there isn’t anything original out there. This is why. So if all stories fall within an agreed upon set of parameters, what makes them different? How is it that you can give five writers an exercise – tell me a story about man versus man – and end up with five WILDLY different tales? Imagination, individualism, quirks, prejudices. 

Voice.

I need a strong voice to hook me on a book. It seems rarer and rarer to find a book that’s transportive, that I can read without thinking about. Being a writer kills reading for fun in many respects, because if the voice isn’t strong and immediate and different, it’s too easy to start picking apart the pieces.

I know I have a unique voice because it’s so strong in my head I can’t shake it, and when I try to write outside my voice, I fail miserably. That’s why I love to hear my work read by other people. I get a chance to see how they perceive my voice. Where they put the emphasis. How they add a giggle here and a sob there. A pause where I didn’t put one, but should have. It is really the coolest thing ever, and it’s a great writing exercise to try at home.

Get a friend, or critique partner, and have them read your work aloud to you. Don’t follow along on the page, just shut your eyes and listen. Accept their voice into your head. You will hear the glaring errors, the passive sentences, the brilliant turns of phrase and the limp declarations. Dialog is especially important to voice, and this method will allow you to hear where you’ve got it right, and where you’re off the mark. I guarantee this will make you a stronger writer.

If you’re a reader interested in this exercise, get an audio book of something you’re very familiar with. That you’ve read multiple times. And listen to how different it sounds in someone else’s voice than in your own head. See? You have voice too.

So I return to the page energized after hearing my story read aloud. Many thanks to Shannon McManus who kicked ass telling Michael and Caitlyn’s tragic story. She nailed it.

Want to share some examples of strong voices? I’d love to hear who you think qualifies.