Why I Blog the Way I Do

Me with the Grands!

When I started this blog, I named it An Eclectic Muse on purpose. I wanted to write about whatever inspired me.  Since my inspirations change several times during the day, the word eclectic fit my needs. In the beginning, I did get some questions about what eclectic means, so for any one in doubt, here is a partial definition from dictionary.com:

Eclectic:  [ih-klek-tik] (Adjective)

1. selecting or choosing from various sources.

2. made up of what is selected from different sources.

3. not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.

Source

It fit me.  I wanted to blog about writing because the publishing industry recommends that all writers have an online presence.  Blogging is a great way to do that.  But, I'm a professional trainer.  There are so many topics that arise daily from standing in front of a room full of adults in order to help them develop their work skills or learn how to improve their careers. Then of course, there's my family.  A lot to build on there.  Plus, there are GIRAFFES!  I can't write without throwing in a giraffe now and then.  Wait until my fantasy novel gets published.  You'll see!  And, because it is so important to me, my faith crept in at times when I found something very moving.

The thing is, most blogging advise claims bloggers should have a single focus. So, I started a separate blog for my faith-based posts:  The Workbench of Faith, and I attempted to focus An Eclectic Muse primarily on writing...reluctantly, I might add.

What have I come to understand?  When I write about training experiences, public speaking, my family, crazy things that sometimes happen, I'm writing about the human experience.  As writers we write about the human experience.  We take the everyday and find ways to put it into our writing.

As I move forward with this blog, I will return to my original eclectic posts.  I'll let my muse guide me.  Sometimes, I might point out the direct applications to other writers, but the fact is writing is about expanding our world.  That means anything I write about can serve as a muse to writers, as a tip to trainers, as a chuckle for your day, or a chance to release some inner voice that won't leave me alone on that particular day.

I hope many of my readers will be glad to see me move back to my original style and stay with me on this journey.

PS  Because  The Workbench of Faith blog covers a special area that I feel should be explored in a different environment, I will continue to write my faith-based posts there.  Please check it out and subscribe to it if you like what you read.

And if you would like to know about me and my career, you can visit my website:  Eversworks. 

End With a Bang...Finally!

Last week, I posted on Facebook that moonShine review accepted two of my short stories for publication.  Among the comments, one friend wrote, "Finally!"  I chuckled over this because I realized she thought this was my first published story.  It's not, but I loved her for her enthusiasm.

Then, I thought about the two stories accepted by moonShine review. Gentle Snow might be one of my best stories.  I had never submitted it before because I wanted to choose the right publication.  And I was right; they wanted it.  That felt good because the other story, Pieces, plagued me for years.

While working on my Master's degree in 2004, I wrote Pieces for a creative writing class. The professor had urged me to veer from my genre writing and try to write something literary.  The result was Pieces, a fictionalized account of a horrific event during my first marriage.  When the class critiqued my story, I received positive comments from the teacher and my classmates, and I knew them to be stingy with compliments. At the end of the semester, my professor told me, "This story is publishable as is. I wouldn't change anything."

Confident I had a winner, I submitted Pieces to a contest and waited for the accolades to fall on me.  I didn't win...or get second place...or even an Honorable Mention. Not even a ripple. Huh?  Not to be defeated, I submitted the story somewhere else.  Nothing. Nada. Nil.

I reviewed the comments from my classmates, all English majors or graduate students with literary aspirations, and tweaked a few details. Still, my "publishable" story sat on the shelf.  I decided to let it rest.  Afterall, people wanted my other stories and essays.

Last month, on a whim, I pulled Pieces out and dusted it off. After reading it out loud, I made one  change...to the last lines of the story. When I reread the story, I knew, it worked. The original lines stayed true to the actual event, but they didn't end with a bang, more like the last few moments of a sparkler on the Fourth of July.  The new lines didn't stray from the truth, and now the ending zinged.

So, my friend's comment of "Finally!" fit the situaton.  I waited several years to find the appropriate  publisher for this story.  And, now I knew my professor was right.  The story was publishable, it just needed a little tweak and the right audience.

My story, Pieces, will appear in the Spring issue of moonShine Review, and my story, Gentle Snow, will be in the Fall issue.

How about you?  What kinds of rejection have you faced?

The Story Arc

Last year, one of my short stories appeared in Stupefying Stories and soon after they asked me to be a first reader  of their submissions.  As I gained valuable insight from this experience, I began to recognize common problems in the stories I read.  When I commented on the most common one, lack of a story arc, to the editor, Bruce Bethke, he suggested I write a post about it for their blog.  So this week, I'm guest blogging about story arcs for Stupefying Stories.

Do you know what a story arc is?  Check it out on Stupefying Stories' blog site.  Here's the link: The Story Arc: Without One, Your Roof Caves In.

Please drop by and leave a comment.